Electric Guitar questions

dolores haze · Jul 24, 2013

Hi. Need some help with electric guitars as I'm more of an acoustic kind of gal myself.

1) I need a unique electric guitar that would be instantly recognizable to another lead guitarist. Unique to the point that, upon seeing it, the person would know the musician who played it. In my mind's eye I have a guitar I saw in Kerrang many years ago. It was a very beautiful, classy-looking guitar with a blue mirror effect. I've been googling, but can't track it down. If not this guitar, can anyone recommend something unique and instantly recognizable? American-made preferred.

2) British to American terms. A plectrum in the UK is a pick in the US, right? Is a capo called a capo in both countries?

3) What kind of guitar is Pj playing in this clip?

4) Is there a musical term for someone who plays rhythm and lead at the same time? Y'know, like in bands where there is only one guitar player and they do double duty?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

ETA:

5) In the course of my research I stumbled across a bunch of guys who referred to their guitars as "she" and had even given them female names. Like BB King and his Lucille. Is this common practice?

6) Back in the day, in the pages of Kerrang, electric guitars were often called 'axes.' Is this still common parlance?

cbenoi1 · Jul 24, 2013

http://www.listal.com/list/famous-guitars

-cb

JimmyB27 · Jul 24, 2013

dolores haze said:
Hi. Need some help with electric guitars as I'm more of an acoustic kind of gal myself.

1) I need a unique electric guitar that would be instantly recognizable to another lead guitarist. Unique to the point that, upon seeing it, the person would know the musician who played it. In my mind's eye I have a guitar I saw in Kerrang many years ago. It was a very beautiful, classy-looking guitar with a blue mirror effect. I've been googling, but can't track it down. If not this guitar, can anyone recommend something unique and instantly recognizable? American-made preferred.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/entertainment/top_10_most_famous_guitars.html

JimmyB27 · Jul 24, 2013

cbenoi1 said:
http://www.listal.com/list/famous-guitars

-cb

Someone else used their Google-Fu

I particularly like Brian May's homemade effort - which he played with a sixpence, instead of a plectrum.

dolores haze · Jul 24, 2013

Ooh, guitar porn. *fixes drink* Thanks.

April Days · Jul 24, 2013

Yup, a capo is a capo.

cbenoi1 · Jul 24, 2013

JimmyB27 said:
Someone else used their Google-Fu

Hiiiiiiiiiaaaahhhh.

I'm the drummer in a band. Names like Les Paul, Fender, Gibson and Rickenbacker not only comes often in discussions, but they make some members drool uncontrollably for no other apparent reason. *shrug*

-cb

asroc · Jul 24, 2013

Well, I really suck with a guitar, but my best friend is very good and really knows her stuff. Some of her knowledge has rubbed off on me, so I'll try.

dolores haze said:
2) British to American terms. A plectrum in the UK is a pick in the US, right? Is a capo called a capo in both countries?

I've always heard it called a capo. But a plectrum is a pick, yes.

dolores haze said:
3) What kind of guitar is Pj playing in this clip?

Looks like a Gretsch to me.

dolores haze said:
4) Is there a musical term for someone who plays rhythm and lead at the same time? Y'know, like in bands where there is only one guitar player and they do double duty?

Guitarist.

I don't think there's a special term. Although people who actually play in bands will probably know better.

dolores haze said:
5) In the course of my research I stumbled across a bunch of guys who referred to their guitars as "she" and had even given them female names. Like BB King and his Lucille. Is this common practice?

The guys at the music store all seem to do so and some of them are actual professionals. My guitar, on the other hand, is a he. His name is Felix.

dolores haze said:
6) Back in the day, in the pages of Kerrang, electric guitars were often called 'axes.' Is this still common parlance?

Haven't really heard that used unironically myself.

dolores haze · Jul 24, 2013

asroc said:
Looks like a Gretsch to me.

Thank you! Have tracked it down. It's a vintage Gretsch Broadkaster.

patskywriter · Jul 24, 2013

…

1) I need a unique electric guitar that would be instantly recognizable to another lead guitarist. Unique to the point that, upon seeing it, the person would know the musician who played it. … can anyone recommend something unique and instantly recognizable? American-made preferred.

The Gibson "Les Paul" is a popular electric guitar that's instantly recognizable—and maybe the easiest. Many guitarists play it, though, so you wouldn't associate it with just one musician (not counting the actual Les Paul, of course).

…

4) Is there a musical term for someone who plays rhythm and lead at the same time? Y'know, like in bands where there is only one guitar player and they do double duty?

"Guitar player" or more the formal-sounding "guitarist" is fine. (Actually "guitarist" sounds a bit snooty.) Rhythm guitarists are more in the background in that they mostly play chords. Lead guitarists do play chords and fills, but they're usually the ones taking solos.

…

6) Back in the day, in the pages of Kerrang, electric guitars were often called 'axes.' Is this still common parlance?

An "axe" can refer to any instrument, but the people I hear using that term are usually guitar and bass players.

benbradley · Jul 24, 2013

dolores haze said:
Thank you! Have tracked it down. It's a vintage Gretsch Broadkaster.

LOL at the spelling! An early Fender model was named Broadcaster.

dolores haze · Jul 24, 2013

benbradley said:
LOL at the spelling! An early Fender model was named Broadcaster.

Yep. And apparently Fender had to change the name because Gretsch was already using it. The Fender model was renamed the Telecaster.

Yeah, am having fun prowling around guitar forums. Total geeks, the lot of 'em.

benbradley · Jul 24, 2013

patskywriter said:
…

1) I need a unique electric guitar that would be instantly recognizable to another lead guitarist. Unique to the point that, upon seeing it, the person would know the musician who played it. … can anyone recommend something unique and instantly recognizable? American-made preferred.

The Gibson "Les Paul" is a popular electric guitar that's instantly recognizable—and maybe the easiest. Many guitarists play it, though, so you wouldn't associate it with just one musician (not counting the actual Les Paul, of course).

The Les Paul (popular in metal bands, notably AC/DC) and (Fender) Stratocaster (Hendrix, Clapton, a long list of famous peeps) are the two most popular and widely recognized electrics.

As far as individual, especially named guitars, BB King's Lucille is probably the most famous. The usual Les Paul has the inventor's name in cursive on the little plastic piece on the headstock that covers the truss rod adjustment:

http://www.google.com/imgres?safe=o...start=0&ndsp=32&tx=103&ty=93&biw=1680&bih=876

But BB King's guitar says "Lucille" there:
http://www.google.com/imgres?safe=o...start=0&ndsp=32&tx=108&ty=92&biw=1680&bih=876

benbradley · Jul 24, 2013

Perhaps most iconic and identifiable at a distance is the rectangular-body "cigar-box" guitar, and it always brings to mind one guitarist: Bo Diddley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOFx9c6qyA
I recall that Gibson was most famous for making these (at least the ones made from wood, not from cigar boxes).

patskywriter · Jul 24, 2013

benbradley said:
Perhaps most iconic and identifiable at a distance is the rectangular-body "cigar-box" guitar, and it always brings to mind one guitarist: Bo Diddley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOFx9c6qyA
I recall that Gibson was most famous for making these (at least the ones made from wood, not from cigar boxes).

Wow, I always though that Bo Diddley's guitar was one of a kind. I didn't know they were commercially made.

Another beautiful iconic guitar is the Rickenbacker. But, come to think of it, I think it's of British origin.

dolores haze · Jul 25, 2013

benbradley said:
Perhaps most iconic and identifiable at a distance is the rectangular-body "cigar-box" guitar, and it always brings to mind one guitarist: Bo Diddley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOOFx9c6qyA
I recall that Gibson was most famous for making these (at least the ones made from wood, not from cigar boxes).

What a great clip!

Stacia Kane · Jul 25, 2013

Re famous guitars, Hendrix strung his right-handed Fender Strat(s) upside down to play lefty. So while the guitar itself may not be recognizable, and it may not necessarily be instantly recognizable to a non-player, anyone who plays guitar will see/know immediately that the guitar is strung "backwards." (I'm throwing this out there because I don't know how you plan to use the instrument, so don't know if it needs to be an "iconic" guitar like Eddie Van Halen's, or something more like a clue in a murder mystery that not everyone would necessarily see but your MC does.)

And I'm not aware of anyone else who ever did this, though admittedly there could be some. So a 1960s Strat strung upside-down? Either somebody's got a lot of money to spend and really wants to play just like Hendrix, or somebody has one of Hendrix's actual guitars. (ETA: He did occasionally use other guitars besides the Strat, but the Strats are what he's most associated with. Of course, that could be interesting, too, and even more subtle.)

LeFevre · Aug 3, 2013

Stevie Ray Vaughn liked to put his initials on his guitars and played them until they were beat all to hell. I think one of his main players would be easily recognizable. Plus he's deceased, so it's plausible that it could end up in someone's possession.

Someone mentioned Brian May before. His was homemade and no one else had one like it. However, reproductions of it are readily available, so I don't know if someone saw it, they would automatically know it was his.

Eddie Van Halen has built some pretty distinct looking guitars for his use. A couple of those would be recognizable as his.

benbradley · Aug 3, 2013

There's this guitar, with more mojo than you can shale a stick at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120107...rticles/10-the-jimi-hendrix-frank-zappa-strat
Dweezil famously put it on ebay several years back with a starting price of half a million, but it didn't sell.

RussPostHoc · Aug 3, 2013

"Les Paul" or "Stratocaster" would be too generic; they're extremely common guitars, though the model is instantly recognizable. It might also depend on what kind of guitarist you're talking about. Strats aren't commonly used by rhythm guitarists, while many lead guitarists favor them; they're also more common among rock guitarists than jazz guitarists (though the latter do use them.)

Basically, I think you'll want to figure out what kind of music your guitarist plays, select an appropriate model of instrument, and then come up with a "paint job," so to speak, that would make it unique and identifiable.

Think of it as a car: "Volkswagen" isn't specific enough, "vintage Volkswagen Beetle" isn't distinctive enough, but "white 1963 VW Beetle with cloth sun roof, end-to-end red, white & blue rally stripe, and the number 53 in a circle on the hood, trunk, and doors" will probably tell the observer immediately that the car belongs to Dean Jones.

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