How To Improve Sound Of Inexpensive Guitar?

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How To Improve Sound Of Inexpensive Guitar?, Or budget way to sound pro!

Cosmin Lupu View Member Profile	Oct 4 2012, 09:43 PM
Oct 4 2012, 09:43 PM	Instructor Posts: 22.808 Joined: 14-June 10 From: Bucharest	QUOTE (teodorom @ Oct 4 2012, 07:20 PM) How can one judge the quality of the wood ? I have a Washburn HB-35 (Made in China) and I'm wondering if changing pickups, the wiring and the passive components can improve (how much ?) the sound quality. I hope that in some future my playing will improve enough to understand the difference. Thanks Teodoro Marinucci Howdy man! Can you find the year out and what sort of price range would this model fit into? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My lessons We can work on YOUR GUITAR and MUSIC development TOGETHER. Write me a private message if you wish to! Please subscribe to my Youtube Channel Days Of Confusion Facebook Page Mozart Rocks My facebook page

korblitz View Member Profile	Oct 4 2012, 10:12 PM
Oct 4 2012, 10:12 PM	Learning Apprentice Player Posts: 397 Joined: 16-August 12	It's so weird that no one is talking about amps. You can have an amazing guitar(Jeff Loomis Schecter Signature model) and plug it into a ( 100$ Solid state amp) and you'll be surprised and say...what a crappy guitar. You plug a Squire, Epiphone, some Ibanez's (sub-par guitars) into a, let's say (Blackstar HT-5), and you go...whoa what and amazing guitar. I think there's a limit to High End guitar, and those guitars that cost more than 2k$ have little extras that do not affect in anyway the sound of a guitar...special binding, logo name, made to order guitars, different finishes, exotic woods. I don't see or hear the why woods make such a radical impact on the instrument. I'm pretty sure pickups make the most radical change on a guitar....woods on a electric guitar, I don't think so. I'm talking about Electric guitars and not Acoustic guitars.... You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

teodorom View Member Profile	Oct 4 2012, 10:17 PM
Oct 4 2012, 10:17 PM	GMC:er Posts: 52 Joined: 19-September 12 From: Milano (Italy)	QUOTE (Cosmin Lupu @ Oct 4 2012, 08:43 PM) Howdy man! Can you find the year out and what sort of price range would this model fit into? Too recent, I guess. I bought it two years ago. It's serial numer (DC10070007) starts with "10" so i could be really of the year 2010. Washburn report a list price of 1.199$ (even if I paid it quite the half of that price: 380€). Thanks Teodoro Marinucci You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! This post has been edited by teodorom: Oct 4 2012, 10:18 PM

Alex Feather View Member Profile	Oct 5 2012, 07:42 AM
Oct 5 2012, 07:42 AM	Instructor Posts: 4.332 Joined: 21-November 11 From: Los Angeles	QUOTE (teodorom @ Oct 4 2012, 07:20 PM) How can one judge the quality of the wood ? I have a Washburn HB-35 (Made in China) and I'm wondering if changing pickups, the wiring and the passive components can improve (how much ?) the sound quality. I hope that in some future my playing will improve enough to understand the difference. Thanks Teodoro Marinucci It will help you out! Just make sure that you are getting what you are hoping for! Most common pickups magnets are Ceramic and Alnico you will get a very treble sound with ceramic and warm blues tone with alnico! Try them both! If you would like I can do a research for you! Let me know! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Visit my website Like me on Facebook Subscribe to my YouTube Follow me on Twitter

teodorom View Member Profile	Oct 5 2012, 09:32 AM
Oct 5 2012, 09:32 AM	GMC:er Posts: 52 Joined: 19-September 12 From: Milano (Italy)	QUOTE (Alex Feather @ Oct 5 2012, 06:42 AM) It will help you out! Just make sure that you are getting what you are hoping for! Most common pickups magnets are Ceramic and Alnico you will get a very treble sound with ceramic and warm blues tone with alnico! Try them both! If you would like I can do a research for you! Let me know! The problem with a hollowbody is that replacing a pickup is an expensive task: the "f holes", you know ... I wanted to imitate what Washburn had done with the new HB-35 HotRod. You can have it with a pair of Phat Cats, or with a Seymour-Duncan® Jazz Bridge, and a Seymour-Duncan® ’59 in the neck (in my opinion it should be the reverse). Or I could imitate the "real one", the Gibson ES-335, and put a pair of "Classic '57". The guitar I would like is a versatile one, good for blues but also for jazz. What do you think ? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! This post has been edited by teodorom: Oct 5 2012, 09:57 AM

Alex Feather View Member Profile	Oct 8 2012, 12:05 AM
Oct 8 2012, 12:05 AM	Instructor Posts: 4.332 Joined: 21-November 11 From: Los Angeles	QUOTE (teodorom @ Oct 5 2012, 08:32 AM) The problem with a hollowbody is that replacing a pickup is an expensive task: the "f holes", you know ... I wanted to imitate what Washburn had done with the new HB-35 HotRod. You can have it with a pair of Phat Cats, or with a Seymour-Duncan® Jazz Bridge, and a Seymour-Duncan® ’59 in the neck (in my opinion it should be the reverse). Or I could imitate the "real one", the Gibson ES-335, and put a pair of "Classic '57". The guitar I would like is a versatile one, good for blues but also for jazz. What do you think ? I would say if you are going for it just go all the way! Imitation of 335 would be amazing! You can get pickups used for cheaper and will get the real deal check out ebay or amazon I am sure there are a lot available! Also is it a neck through or bolt on? You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Visit my website Like me on Facebook Subscribe to my YouTube Follow me on Twitter

wollace03 View Member Profile	Oct 8 2012, 07:23 AM
Oct 8 2012, 07:23 AM	GMC:er Posts: 639 Joined: 27-July 08 From: Austria	I am absolutely no expert when it comes to woods and maintaining guitars (have a friend who works as a guitar repair and so he always does this kind of things for me). but I beleive, that there are good reasonable priced instruments that with a little help can sound awesome. I bought a squier tele affinity just to have a tele guitar - price was about 180$. changed nothing, love the guitar and even played some gigs with the guitar although I had to tune it often). then a friend of my father (a country player) sold me three guitars for 240$ - a washburn western guitar, a washburn travel guitar and a cheri telecaster - all of them heavily played. the cheri never was an expensive guitar but it is a really heavy beast that weighs a lot. I took it to my friend and he undertook the guitar a whole maintainance program (rewireing, adjusting the tuners, changed the knobs,..) and the result was mindblowing. it is now my favorite guitar for certain songs. the sound is amazing and really what I was looking for. it now is worth about 400-500$ (not an expensive instrument!) the squier now hangs on the wall and I only use the guitar for some practises. the bottom line: I think if the cheap instrument has some quality in it, you can get a really, really great insrument with some minor adjustments. but I guess you need a little luck cause not all cheap instruments turn out to be that good. I always dream of really expensve guitars but never played one cause I always thought that I do not play that good so that I will really earn such a good instrument... and thanx to alex for this thread cause I think if you have a cheap but good guitar then do something with it and play it......... You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- My mentoring threads: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=45556 https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=45613 youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/dasnapalmquintett?feature=watch https://www.youtube.com/user/wollace99?feature=results_main

teodorom View Member Profile	Oct 8 2012, 10:05 PM
Oct 8 2012, 10:05 PM	GMC:er Posts: 52 Joined: 19-September 12 From: Milano (Italy)	QUOTE (Alex Feather @ Oct 7 2012, 11:05 PM) I would say if you are going for it just go all the way! Imitation of 335 would be amazing! You can get pickups used for cheaper and will get the real deal check out ebay or amazon I am sure there are a lot available! Also is it a neck through or bolt on? Neck through (set in), that is no bolts ! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content!

Alex Feather View Member Profile	Oct 10 2012, 08:05 AM
Oct 10 2012, 08:05 AM	Instructor Posts: 4.332 Joined: 21-November 11 From: Los Angeles	QUOTE (wollace03 @ Oct 8 2012, 06:23 AM) I am absolutely no expert when it comes to woods and maintaining guitars (have a friend who works as a guitar repair and so he always does this kind of things for me). but I beleive, that there are good reasonable priced instruments that with a little help can sound awesome. I bought a squier tele affinity just to have a tele guitar - price was about 180$. changed nothing, love the guitar and even played some gigs with the guitar although I had to tune it often). then a friend of my father (a country player) sold me three guitars for 240$ - a washburn western guitar, a washburn travel guitar and a cheri telecaster - all of them heavily played. the cheri never was an expensive guitar but it is a really heavy beast that weighs a lot. I took it to my friend and he undertook the guitar a whole maintainance program (rewireing, adjusting the tuners, changed the knobs,..) and the result was mindblowing. it is now my favorite guitar for certain songs. the sound is amazing and really what I was looking for. it now is worth about 400-500$ (not an expensive instrument!) the squier now hangs on the wall and I only use the guitar for some practises. the bottom line: I think if the cheap instrument has some quality in it, you can get a really, really great insrument with some minor adjustments. but I guess you need a little luck cause not all cheap instruments turn out to be that good. I always dream of really expensve guitars but never played one cause I always thought that I do not play that good so that I will really earn such a good instrument... and thanx to alex for this thread cause I think if you have a cheap but good guitar then do something with it and play it......... You are absolutely correct! Even cheap guitar can sound great with a right tune up! A friend of mine found a mexican strat by the dumpster a few weeks ago and he got it to sound amazing it needed some neck adjustments and I guess someone didn't wanna do it and just trow it away! Which is crazy! QUOTE (teodorom @ Oct 8 2012, 09:05 PM) Neck through (set in), that is no bolts ! Than you can definitely get close to 335 sound! I am looking forward to hear results!!!! It is exciting! You are at GuitarMasterClass.net Don't miss today's free lick. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! Don't miss today's free blues, jazz & country licks. Plus all our lessons are packed with free content! -------------------- Visit my website Like me on Facebook Subscribe to my YouTube Follow me on Twitter

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