Everything you need to know about finding the perfect guitar

MMUSICMAG.COM
ISSUE #30
MMUSICMAG.COM
ISSUE #30
GEAR
Do you ever swap
out pickups?
There’s a lot to be said for trying
different pickups. For instance,
in the front position of my Tyler
Swiss-army guitar, I have a
Seymour Duncan mini humbucker.
I love the way these pickups drive
the amp without as much low end
as a regular humbucker, so I put
them on several guitars. I think
you can find a guitar that really
speaks to you, and then improve
it bit by bit until it’s what you want
it to be.
Penny Lancaster, Rod Stewart; Danny Clinch, Steely Dan
How do you select a guitar?
Don’t get fixated on a particular
model. Look for a guitar that sounds
good. Generally, you’re going to
look for something with less bass on
the low strings and a thickness on
the top strings. You also want one
with high gain and mellow sounds
that has a whole range of character.
A Fender Strat with three pickups is
pretty good. I like the PRS 513—it’s
a great Swiss-army guitar.
Solidbody or hollowbody?
An extremely dense solidbody will
give you the most sustain and the
least character, and a hollowbody will
have a lot of attack and character, but
less sustain. You can hit a hollowbody
harder, and it’ll give you more volume.
Dig into a Gibson ES-175 and it will be there
for you, though not for long. But you get
the bark of each note loud and clear. Hit a
solidbody harder, and after a point it’ll bottom
out, but the sustain will keep getting longer.
What kind of neck do you like?
I like big necks on guitars for sound,
because they don’t compete with the body
for resonance. Mahogany
tends to be darker and maple
tends to be brighter. But it
doesn’t really matter, because
you can get heavy maple and
light maple, heavy mahogany
and light mahogany, and
they’re all going to sound
different. I don’t think you
can make any rules about the materials
because there are so many variations.
Active or passive electronics?
I am completely prejudiced toward
passive electronics. I like a bit
of amp overdrive, even on clear
sounds—like the amp is just starting to break
up. Passive electronics seem friendlier
on the amp, with less extreme lows and
highs to push the amp too hard, too fast.
I have one guitar with active EMGs that
has a good midrange push, but otherwise
active pickups are slightly more syntheticsounding. If you want to push your amp
harder, you can achieve the same effect or
better with pedals.
Rod Stewart
rear pickup. The sweet tone on Stevie Ray
Vaughan’s “Wind Cries Mary” is a Strat
neck pickup. It’s that thin, biting sound you
can’t get with a humbucker. Humbuckers
sing more and drive amps in a smoother
and more complete way. There’s a thickness
you’re just not going to get with a single
coil, even a [Gibson] P-90. You’re also
not going to get the hum and noise you’ll
get with single coils. P-90s are great in
‘Buying a guitar is very
personal, so get your hands
on as many as you can.’
Everything you need to know about
finding the perfect guitar
From B.B. King’s soaring vibrato to Jimmy
Page’s heavy riffs and Tom Morello’s
pulverizing solos, the electric guitar has
formed the very foundation of rock and
modern music for more than a half-century.
But before you’re ready to extend the
legacy of these six-string legends, you’ll
need the right instrument. And selecting
an electric guitar is no easy process,
especially considering the sheer myriad
of choices available.
Hollow or solidbody? Humbucker
or solid-coil pickups? American-made
or imported? There are more varieties of
electric guitars on the market today than
ever. And with ubiquitous guitar blogs and
forums ready to overwhelm with opinions
and information, sorting through the facts
is downright daunting.
To cut through the clutter, we sought out
noted L.A. session guitarist Dean Parks, whose
credits cover a wide swath of the West Coast
music scene from the 1970s onward. The
guitar guru has worked with everyone from Billy
Joel, Marvin Gaye and Steely Dan to Michael
Jackson, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger and Stevie
Wonder. He was also a founding member of
the pioneer jazz-funk band Koinonia.
How many guitars do you take to a gig?
For the session I just did, I brought along four
trunks of guitars, with about a dozen in each
trunk. Are they all necessary? Three-quarters
of the sessions I play I can do on a single
electric—either my James Tyler three-pickup
or PRS 513—and a single acoustic. The rest
are for when I need something specific, like
a 1956 Gretsch or a Jerry Jones Baritone.
What makes a guitar exceptional?
The most important thing about a guitar is how
even it sounds. From open notes up the neck
and from string to string, there has to be a
consistency. Every note has to sound like it’s
coming from the same instrument. A lot of
guitars’ low strings are really woofy while their
high strings are really plinky. You don’t have
to spend a lot to get a good guitar, either. Off
the shelf, maybe three or four out of a 100
are any good, but they’re not always the most
expensive guitars.
Is setup important?
Setup is an elusive thing. You can
pick a guitar off the shelf, and if it’s
set up right it’ll be easier to play.
But that doesn’t mean it’s better
than one that has a stiffer action
but an even sound. For me, buying
a guitar is a two-step process. First
get the guitar, then take it to a tech.
I have them make the nut as low as
possible, which lessens the tuning
difference the most between fretted
and open notes. If your nut’s too
high, you’re never going to get the
open sound you want.
Humbuckers or single coils?
Both are great. Fender guitars
are great examples of single-coil
guitars. Think of 1950s and ’60s
country, and that’s a Tele on the
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hollowbodies, which have less sustain and
lots of attack. They’re a bright pickup and
they give you an old R&B sound that’s not
like Fender single coils.
What gauge strings do
you use?
For professional work, most
guitars sound better with heavier
strings and a higher action than
you’re probably used to playing.
All the great players that I’ve
come across have surprised me by how
high they like their action. On short-scale
guitars, like Gibsons, you’ll want to go with
something like 11s. It won’t feel as good,
and it might not be as fun to jam
with, but it’ll sound better. If you
look at guys like Jeff Beck, I think
he uses 13s, and Hendrix used
the thickest gauges he could
find. The compromise you make
in string height and heavy gauges
pays off with that great big sound.
Steely Dan
Any other advice?
Become friends with other guitar
players so you can ask to try their
instruments. When you pick up a
guitar, you’re hoping it’ll inspire
the next thing you’re going to play.
It’s got to play well and it’s got to
sound good. Buying a guitar is also
very personal, so get your hands on
as many guitars as you can.
–Phil Selman
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