Warm Or Bright? Fat Or Thin?

[Jkater]

warm. And clear.

 

[László]

These days, I tend to go warm and articulate myself - or you might say ‘clear’ instead of articulate, as JKater does.

The problem with some (not all) bright guitars is that they can get kind of spiky.

It’s true that you can roll off high frequencies easily, but the problem is being able to choose where you want the turnover point; you really need a parametric EQ to be able to pinpoint what frequency you want the rolloff to begin, and I don’t know if any guitars or many amps have that feature; some EQ pedals do.

The EQ pedal I use has a semi-parametric with pretty good turnover frequencies to choose from, and it sounds good, though I mostly use it to cut low end when I’m running a speaker cab with tons of bottom. Still, the turnover point isn’t continuously variable.

The problem for me with guitars that need bottom added to balance the sound is that goosing the low and/or lower midrange creates mud, where a more natural low end warmth doesn’t seem to get as muddy.

Since mud is the enemy of my mixes, that’s a big factor in my choice of guitars.

Going through an amp, I find that a very bright guitar with a bit of distortion causes the amp to throw off even more harmonic content, and often it seems the result can feel kind of harsh.

The best warm-to-articulate balance I have is the 20th PS Anniversary model, with the Paul’s pickups and the middle NF. It’s crisp, but not overly bright, yet it has a solid low end. My Artist V also had a super-nice frequency balance that gave it a ton of versatility.

But most of my guitars are on the warm side of the equation, or at least can be controlled to give me a concentrated midrange, such as the CU24.

 

[Black Plaid]

I really want to say 'bright' because you can always remove treble, but that's never the way I play, I always just crank all the knobs on the instrument and I prefer fatter tones.

 

[WEDGE]

Bright but not shrill. I can make a guitar warmer with the tone control or amp eq, but it is hard to give a darker or too warm of a guitar the sizzle when pushed into a gainy situation.

 

[Micky!]

Fat, warm with some bites for me. It has to be balanced a minimum, I sold a standard 22 because it was too warm/dark. I like big fat mahogany chucks, but with a little of maple on it

 

[shimmilou]

With Brian Ewald demoing both, I preferred the warmer/woodier sound of the SE Hollow Standard over the brighter SE Hollow II.

 

[László]

With Brian Ewald demoing both, I preferred the warmer/woodier sound of the SE Hollow Standard over the brighter SE Hollow II.

I did, too. I totally get the desire for something brighter, since for a long time that’s what I wanted, But I think tastes can change over time.

Who knows, tomorrow I might be all over bright guitars again! I’m certainly capable of being inconsistent!

 

[WEDGE]

With Brian Ewald demoing both, I preferred the warmer/woodier sound of the SE Hollow Standard over the brighter SE Hollow II.

This demo is exactly why I prefer bright and the maple HB. I can dial it back but the hog one will always be too warm for me.

 

[elvis]

I generally pick an amp that goes well with bright guitars. Something that gives lots of juicy midrange harmonics but rolls off the highs a bit.

Also I use medium output pickups for clarity.

 

[tiboy]

I want my women bright and thin. My steak sandwich fat and warm. My guitar bright.

 

[Tony Hayek]

That is my very issue as we speak. I have a 2018 Limited Run McSoapy, I changed the crappy Duncan P90's that were pure mud for some Wolftones and although it did help, it's not quite there. I know this is a dark sounding guitar, so in saying that, I would rather have chimey and bright. It sounds like someone put a towel over my guitar.

 

[Tony Hayek]

I generally pick an amp that goes well with bright guitars. Something that gives lots of juicy midrange harmonics but rolls off the highs a bit.

Also I use medium output pickups for clarity.

May I ask, what is your main amp?

 

[elvis]

May I ask, what is your main amp?

I'm fickle with amps, but generally medium to high gain stuff. I have a rack of amps set up for easy switching. I'm never tied to one amp.

Friedman smallbox
Archon 100
Diezel Einstein 100
Mini rectifier

I also use an Axe FX with a variety of models.

 

[Rider1260]

When I record, I found some of the guitars that I love the sound of when I practice to be too dark or muddy in the mix.
The more folks or tones I need to get my sound over the brighter I want the guitar to be, either by EQ or different guitar.

 

[Tony Hayek]

I'm fickle with amps, but generally medium to high gain stuff. I have a rack of amps set up for easy switching. I'm never tied to one amp.

Friedman smallbox
Archon 100
Diezel Einstein 100
Mini rectifier

I also use an Axe FX with a variety of models.[/QUOTE

I'm fickle with amps, but generally medium to high gain stuff. I have a rack of amps set up for easy switching. I'm never tied to one amp.

Friedman smallbox
Archon 100
Diezel Einstein 100
Mini rectifier

I also use an Axe FX with a variety of models.

All of your amps are all very good, I have 2 Friedman myself and want an Archon. Thanks

 

[Malloc]

As of right now: for performing I prefer bright

 

[elvis]

All of your amps are all very good, I have 2 Friedman myself and want an Archon. Thanks

Thanks! I like that these amps all sound quite different and yet have the basic character I want.

Get the Archon. They sound massive. Quite slushy with all the gooey midrange harmonics. Enough lows to fire the bass player. As tight or loose as you want. I gigged mine a lot. Indoor and outdoor.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Depends if I’m playing rhythm or lead and what the other guy is playing.

My personal preference is warm and smooth, but warm and smooth doesn’t always work.

 

[Boogie]

With Brian Ewald demoing both, I preferred the warmer/woodier sound of the SE Hollow Standard over the brighter SE Hollow II.

See, I did too, but as soon as I use my RL Vela with a warm amp in a band setting, I’m lost in the mix. I’m sure a good engineer could fix my problem. Too bad I can’t get one to show up to my practices.

 

[g.wizz]

Warm and fat here, a la Santana (if its possible)