So let's talk about electric guitar resonance

[MarcusGHedwig]

"Resonance" has been a real buzzword on here lately when talking about guitars, and after getting my Schecter baritone (most resonant electric I've ever owned), I too have come to appreciate it, mainly for the increased tactile feedback while playing. However, is it a deal breaker?

I ask cuz I recently went to Guitar Center and spent some time comparing an Ibanez RG Premium ($950) and an ESP LTD M-300 FM (~$500) - and I gotta say, I loved the sound (and of course the look ), of the Ibanez, but holy shit did it feel stiff and dead when playing, not very inspiring until the amp was cranking. The LTD, on the other hand, despite being cheaper, neck-thru, and still having a Floyd-esque trem, felt much more alive.

But...fuck me, the Ibanez is so goddamn beautiful, especially this one:

And sure seems to get some great tones from his - so tell me, dudes who have owned tons of guitars; ever had any that looked great, sounded great, and felt...not so great, but you still felt they were worth keeping?

 

[drew_drummer]

Yup! My Sammick Vantage... made in Korea, in the early 90's. I love the look and sound of it... doesn't play too great when standing up though because the body just isn't contoured enough. Dunno if that's what you mean by "feel" as such, but it's a feel issue for me.

 

[StefTD]

so tell me, dudes who have owned tons of guitars; ever had any that looked great, sounded great, and felt...not so great, but you still felt they were worth keeping?

that describes my Charvel Model A, it sounds pretty nice recorded, unplugged it feels
pretty dead compared to my Ibanezsz SZ320, blocking the trem with a hard piece of
wood changed that.
Would love to try blocking the trem with a massive block of metal, maybe that helps.

 

[JeffTD]

I've always ended up selling guitars that don't resonate well - they don't inspire me to play at all, and that's probably the most important aspect of any piece of gear.

I almost think of it as similar to being with a woman; "dudes who have [dated] tons of [women]; ever had any that looked great, sounded great, and felt...not so great, but you still felt they were worth keeping?"

How many girls have you dated that were super hot, had cool personalities, but you had no spark with? It's always fun for a bit but you know it's not going to last.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

How many girls have you dated that were super hot, had cool personalities, but you had no spark with? .

um... uh, not ...that ....many

 

[Terminus]

It should be mentioned that those Edge Zero II bridges have next to no trem block in them, so that might be what you're experiencing as far as resonance.

See, nothin'. I don't know what Ibanez' logic is for that, to essentially decouple the bridge from the wood completely.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Wtf, that's appalling, you're certain that's the Edge Zero II? (cuz I'm emailing fu-tone.com to see if they'll make a bigger block for it like they do for the Edge III, original, and Pro)

 

[Terminus]

Yup, seen one in person. Here it is in a guitar (a Prestige):

I'm actually not sure how all that other gadgetry around it comes into play with resonance.

Here's a video where the guy opens up a guitar with an edge zero II in it:

 

[greyskull]

holy shit did it feel stiff and dead when playing, not very inspiring

And this is why I hate Ibanez's

 

[hsnyder]

Actually to be honest with you, I've found that of all of the locking trem guitars that I've played (that didn't have the trems blocked off). But I totally know what you mean. I think i'm stuck with hardtails because of how much that seems to matter for me

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Nope, I've played lots of Floyded guitars that resonated beautifully (hell, my Japan-made Jackson DK2 with a pretty solid Jackson licensed Floyd is one of 'em), it's by no means inherent to the design - also, good news on the block upgrade front, a dude from FU-Tone.com responded to my email saying that they're working on a fix that'll address multiple issues with the bridge, which I would so very love, cuz I've always loved the RG shape, blue figured maple, and maple fretboards

 

[Jaymz]

Not anything to do with the topic really but FWIW the Hell album was tracked with a LTD M-300FM...ive heard great things about those!

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Damn, that's one (wait for it) hell of an endorsement

 

[hsnyder]

Nope, I've played lots of Floyded guitars that resonated beautifully (hell, my Japan-made Jackson DK2 with a pretty solid Jackson licensed Floyd is one of 'em), it's by no means inherent to the design - also, good news on the block upgrade front, a dude from FU-Tone.com responded to my email saying that they're working on a fix that'll address multiple issues with the bridge, which I would so very love, cuz I've always loved the RG shape, blue figured maple, and maple fretboards

Guess I should try some Jacksons and ESPs then. My experience has been mostly with ibanezes

 

[Wookieslayer]

almost all the new Ibbbys in stores these days feel dead and lifeless to me