Strat or SG?

[ds673488]

Seems like Tim has been going back to the classic PB SG recently (since Jordan returned).  He was using the Fender Strat a lot in the Matty O era (Fall 07-Fall 08).  Im kinda undecided which I like better.  I used to be SG all the way because Tim can play a million miles an hour on it, but I feel like a little bit of "tone thickness" or something is lacking since he moved away from the Strat.  Sometimes 8 hundred thousand really face-melting notes are bettter than a million notes that might not be as epic.

[Yoda]

I believe that there was a discussion already on this topic.

http://www.thebreakfast.info/forum/showthread.php?t=893&highlight=Strat

Sorry, it was SG vs. Telecaster.

[SlimPickens]

Newb\'s, I find your question interesting  because it flies in the face of most traditional thinking about those 2 guitars.

Gibsons necks tend to be much thicker then Fenders, which can lead to slower play.

I\'m not sure if it\'s really possible to know which instrument he plays faster.  He might be able to tell which one he feels faster on.  I think if you got yourself a metronome, a stopwatch and some carefully constructed experiments... you might only find yourself with a virtual tie in the end.

Secondly, the humbuckers used in many Gibsons tend to give them a fatter sound.

Personally, I don\'t know if I could distinguish the 2 guitars in a recording.

[FrankZappa]

metronomes? where we\'re going we don\'t need metronomes.

we can just ask wolfman what the tempo is. I believe he keeps track of that along with his notes per show count.

[bdfreetuna]

Well "Classic PB Era" was really mostly Telecaster.

IMO the Stratocaster has superior tone. There was some time whenever I saw Tim pick up the Strat instead of the SG, I knew it was going to be a classic show.

I can\'t speak for Tim but the neck and scale length of the Stratocaster make for a much more playable instrument for me. I feel handicapped on any Gibson or Gibson style guitar compared to a top of the line Stratocaster. But obviously Tim can switch it up pretty seamlessly.

Due to the flatter neck radius on the Gibson it\'s faster and easier for finger tapping and harder rocking. The thinner (and way better IMO) Fender neck makes it better for just about anything else. Then again I also find rosewood fretboards to make Fender necks feel too thick as well.

That said, *most* of the best I\'ve seen him play was with the Strat. *Most* of the "somewhat off" shows I\'ve seen were with SG in hand.

That also said, the last show at the Iron Horse was probably the best I\'ve ever seen Tim play guitar, and he was using the SG.

So I really don\'t give a crap except the Stratocaster tone is a little friendlier to my earholes.

[Yoda]

Well "Classic PB Era" was really mostly Telecaster.

Was it?  I can only speak from 99-01 and and to my recollection, Tim pretty much played the SG for most of that time.  I remember him playing the Telecaster at Blues Cafe and he had just gotten in.  Then 9/12/01 hit and they started from scratch.  At that point, I think Tim started to play a Strat and then got another SG.  I could be completely off base on that one, but that\'s the way I remember it.  But the SG was always what I remember from the early PB days.

[bdfreetuna]

Secondly, the humbuckers used in many Gibsons tend to give them a fatter sound.

I understand what Dave means by "tone thickness" lacking on the SG. The humbuckers tend to emphasize mid range frequencies, whereas a Stratocaster set to the neck pickup will have a much more scooped out sound which is better for getting real clarity on single notes.

On the flip side, you get meatier sounding barre chords with humbuckers as they tend to merge the sound of the individual notes more.

I have been impressed by the sustain and harmonics Tim\'s been getting on the SG lately.

And for the record, no I couldn\'t tell the difference between them listening to an AUD/SBD recording. But I could definitely tell the difference hearing it straight through the PA.

Well "Classic PB Era" was really mostly Telecaster.

Was it?  I can only speak from 99-01 and and to my recollection, Tim pretty much played the SG for most of that time.  I remember him playing the Telecaster at Blues Cafe and he had just gotten in.  Then 9/12/01 hit and they started from scratch.  At that point, I think Tim started to play a Strat and then got another SG.  I could be completely off base on that one, but that\'s the way I remember it.  But the SG was always what I remember from the early PB days.

Well "Classic Era" for me started in 2002 and for some reason I remember a lot of Tele. Probably just luck of the draw

[Yoda]

Not for me, I preferred the SG.  Always dreamed of the day that Tim would take the stage with a double neck SG strapped on.

[jking]

as a strat player for 20 years, i\'m biased...

[SlimPickens]

as a strat player for 20 years, i\'m biased...

That\'s it?  

As the resident audiofile, I expected a dissertation from you

[bezerker]

Sg  !!!!!!!

[Mark]

Actually there was a period when the SG was out of commission for a while, which I think corresponds to the time the tele was being used.  I\'m not a big tele fan, but boy there were memorable moments with that.

[thatguy]

tim is a strat player at heart..but i think the sg has the roar needed and action for the bands sound...imho

[jking]

sorry Pickens, its a busy day at work today!

[Gordo]

I\'m certainly on team SG.. I like the sound much more. Don\'t know how to put it technically, but the SG sounds grittier and thicker to me. I just feel the high end of the Strat is hollow and the deep end can\'t sustain itself like the SG.