The Ins And Outs Of Buying A Signature Model Guitar
Guitar manufacturers that offer signature models emulating the instruments of heroes of music offer an exciting opportunity to look and sound just like your favorite guitarist, but these signature models can sometimes make cuts and design choices that can make them stray from the guitar that they're emulating. To make sure you're getting the closest thing possible to your favorite guitarist's axe, here are some tips for mimicking the sounds of your favorite guitar god.
Check the Manufacturer
A common trick that guitar manufacturers use to offer cheaper alternatives to a guitarist's actual weapon of choice from a subsidiary brand. These guitars are often a great value, since their designers might often be the same teams involved in designing the real thing. If you want to go this route, go to the website for the manufacturer of the guitar your favorite artist uses, then look for something along the lines of "The _____ Family of Brands." However, if cost isn't a concern, then going for the signature model from the same brand that your idol uses rather than a more affordable alternative from a daughter company will give your rig a much more authentic sound and look.
Check the Album Booklet
If you want to sound exactly like your favorite band sounds on a particular record, don't look at their instruments they use while onstage, but rather what they used on the record, since many musicians choose to play more expendable or hardy instruments on the road than in the controlled environment of the studio. The gear used on the album should be easily found in the physical album booklet, or online at the band's website.
Adjust Other Parts of Your Rig
Surprisingly, switching parts of your rig aside from your guitar can help get you closer to matching your guitar hero's tone than picking up their signature guitar. Having the right distortion/overdrive pedal and amp in particular can help get your sound right without buying an entirely new guitar. As with picking out the guitar, you'll be able to look to the album notes of your favorite album to figure out which effects and amps are used to produce the sound you're looking for.
When it comes to shopping for a signature model guitar, knowing which manufacturer to buy from can help you pick the best option for your budget, and checking in the booklet from your favorite album can give you some great direction. Even if you don't want to buy a whole new guitar, you can still tweak other parts of your rig in order to get closer and closer to that mythical sound you've been hunting for. Try out different instruments, such as those at Wilmington Jewelry & Loan, to get a better idea of how the guitar sounds in person.