tl;dr: I'm putting together a small studio and I need a solid recording guitar. Rough requirements at bottom.
Hello guys, I figured some of you might be able to help me out here. Sorry about the wall of text...
I've decided to seriously pursue recording and audio engineering and perhaps producing. I want to put together a small studio with a focus on using high-quality, reliable gear. Take into consideration I'm sixteen. I don't have the cash to just go all out and grab tons of expensive outboard toys, so my goal is to put together a solid little core setup made up of extremely reliable and high-quality components that I can build upon later. I've made the mistake in the past of buying mid-range gear as soon as I had the cash available which at the time seemed like a wonderful idea. Now I look back and realize that a lot of that mid-range equipment hasn't stood the test of time, and only decreased in value. This time around, I want to purchase equipment that is going to last and be useful in the long run.
I'm beginning with the instruments.
I play guitar and drums. I have some Sonor Force 2007's which aren't very high end, but since the room I'm in isn't especially great I'm not going to be blowing cash on getting high-end drums I can't fully utilize. I'm good at tuning and head selection so for now they will be more than adequate to learn how to record real drums.
Guitar is another matter. What I'm looking for is a versatile guitar I can depend on in a recording situation. I've tried a few guitars but I really don't have any experience recording anything other than my Strat. I'm really uncertain of how certain guitars will hold up when recording. This is where I thought you guys could help out, as many of you have a lot of experience recording different guitars. I have some ideas on what I'm looking for but don't be limited by my "specs". I'd welcome any suggestions.
First of all, I'm definitely set on getting a six string. This is the only thing I think I'm absolutely set on. I'm also not interested in customs. I'd like to keep this under $1000, used.
I'll be recording heavier stuff, usually in dropped tunings. The highest I'd be tuning to is E Standard, and the lowest probably drop G#. One thing I really don't want to have to fuck around with is intonation and tuning. This is probably my biggest concern. This is going to be a workhorse guitar, and needs to be easy to keep in tune and easy to intonate for lower tunings.
Since this needs to be fairly versatile, I'd like something with a pretty balanced tone. That being said it definitely needs to be able to retain clarity in low tunings, so I don't mind sacrificing versatility for clarity. As far as pickups go, I'm pretty open to suggestions. I have a thing for passives, I'm not really a fan of actives at all. I'll definitely replace the stock pickups eventually, but it would be nice if they were solid.
Something I'm pretty torn about is whether or not to look into a baritone. I understand that it would make sense for such low tunings and bring a lot of clarity when recording rhythms. On the other hand, I want this guitar to be used for tracking other musicians. I don't want a scale length they're uncomfortable with. I haven't been able to try one myself though, so I don't even know if it would work for me anyhow.
As far as other specs go:
- I'd really like locking tuners.
- For sure a fixed bridge, NO Floyd Roses or other floating trems.
- I'm a 22 fret person, but I'm open to 24 fret suggestions.
- I don't care too much about aesthetics but I'm definitely don't want any crazy shapes. I'd prefer just a single cut or super strat shape.
- Pickups should be H/H or S/H.
Now, I understand these are pretty general specs that fit a buttload of production guitars out there. I've researched my options, tried a few at GC, and even found a couple I liked. I can only learn so much from research though, because of my inexperience. What I'd really like is some suggestions from experienced people that have actually recorded with the guitars they're suggesting.
In the future I'll probably just use this thread to ask any gear related questions, so expect more haha.
Thanks in advanced!
- Aaron
Hello guys, I figured some of you might be able to help me out here. Sorry about the wall of text...
I've decided to seriously pursue recording and audio engineering and perhaps producing. I want to put together a small studio with a focus on using high-quality, reliable gear. Take into consideration I'm sixteen. I don't have the cash to just go all out and grab tons of expensive outboard toys, so my goal is to put together a solid little core setup made up of extremely reliable and high-quality components that I can build upon later. I've made the mistake in the past of buying mid-range gear as soon as I had the cash available which at the time seemed like a wonderful idea. Now I look back and realize that a lot of that mid-range equipment hasn't stood the test of time, and only decreased in value. This time around, I want to purchase equipment that is going to last and be useful in the long run.
I'm beginning with the instruments.
I play guitar and drums. I have some Sonor Force 2007's which aren't very high end, but since the room I'm in isn't especially great I'm not going to be blowing cash on getting high-end drums I can't fully utilize. I'm good at tuning and head selection so for now they will be more than adequate to learn how to record real drums.
Guitar is another matter. What I'm looking for is a versatile guitar I can depend on in a recording situation. I've tried a few guitars but I really don't have any experience recording anything other than my Strat. I'm really uncertain of how certain guitars will hold up when recording. This is where I thought you guys could help out, as many of you have a lot of experience recording different guitars. I have some ideas on what I'm looking for but don't be limited by my "specs". I'd welcome any suggestions.
First of all, I'm definitely set on getting a six string. This is the only thing I think I'm absolutely set on. I'm also not interested in customs. I'd like to keep this under $1000, used.
I'll be recording heavier stuff, usually in dropped tunings. The highest I'd be tuning to is E Standard, and the lowest probably drop G#. One thing I really don't want to have to fuck around with is intonation and tuning. This is probably my biggest concern. This is going to be a workhorse guitar, and needs to be easy to keep in tune and easy to intonate for lower tunings.
Since this needs to be fairly versatile, I'd like something with a pretty balanced tone. That being said it definitely needs to be able to retain clarity in low tunings, so I don't mind sacrificing versatility for clarity. As far as pickups go, I'm pretty open to suggestions. I have a thing for passives, I'm not really a fan of actives at all. I'll definitely replace the stock pickups eventually, but it would be nice if they were solid.
Something I'm pretty torn about is whether or not to look into a baritone. I understand that it would make sense for such low tunings and bring a lot of clarity when recording rhythms. On the other hand, I want this guitar to be used for tracking other musicians. I don't want a scale length they're uncomfortable with. I haven't been able to try one myself though, so I don't even know if it would work for me anyhow.
As far as other specs go:
- I'd really like locking tuners.
- For sure a fixed bridge, NO Floyd Roses or other floating trems.
- I'm a 22 fret person, but I'm open to 24 fret suggestions.
- I don't care too much about aesthetics but I'm definitely don't want any crazy shapes. I'd prefer just a single cut or super strat shape.
- Pickups should be H/H or S/H.
Now, I understand these are pretty general specs that fit a buttload of production guitars out there. I've researched my options, tried a few at GC, and even found a couple I liked. I can only learn so much from research though, because of my inexperience. What I'd really like is some suggestions from experienced people that have actually recorded with the guitars they're suggesting.
In the future I'll probably just use this thread to ask any gear related questions, so expect more haha.
Thanks in advanced!
- Aaron
