I’ve been working on a signature sound for a number of years. The sound you get is governed by four variables: the instrument, technique, preamplification, and amplification. The instrument makes the vibrations. The vibrations come from the hands and technique of the player. The vibrations are sensed by the pickup and modified in the preamp stage. And all the rest goes to amplification. [The knee bone connected to to the keg bone...]
My thoughts today are on the first stage: the guitar. I play guitars built by James Goodall of Goodall Guitars, and Bill Wise of Charis Guitars. If you have great input, you stand an excellent chance to have great sound. Custom guitars have tops that are individually voiced, and because of this, you hear so much more. The sound is inspiring to the player and the audience, and makes us want to play more. This is a GOOD thing! You hear the fundemental note, and the overtones. The character of the tone woods is mainfested in various ways depending on the woods: dry, clear, warm, punchy, rich, immediate, woody, velvety…and the list goes on. The most common remark by players who upgrade to an excellent instrument is, “I never knew how much sound I was missing!”
Buy the best guitar you can afford. Play a lot of different makers and builders to hear what you like and don’t like. Keep in mind that two of the same models from the same maker can sound and play very different. You want to look for a guitar that’s built from all solid woods. This feature alone will put you into the $1200-1500 range. Other things to look for are on-board electronics, hardshell case, and quality tuners. I highly recommend Larrivee guitars for their quality of construction and reasonable price. Their customer service is incredible.
For a custom guitar I suggest visiting Acoustic Pro Musician to view a number of builders in several price ranges. Better guitars make better sound. Better sound inspires better playing. Better playing inspires you and your audience. selah.
