I need My Own Individuality...

[Butch Snyder]

Hey guys,

I have owned my wonderful Steve Morse sig model for about a year now. It has been one of the best playing guitars I have ever owned. The only other guitar that compared was my AL. The problem is that I have been playing my Telecaster lately. I had to pull it off the for sale block because it wasn't moving at all.

Okay, now this will sound stupid; but when I play my Morse, I feel like I have to try and play like Steve (even though I can't) because it's his signature model. It was designed for him and not me. I have being trying to personalize it since I got it. Changing pickups, designing new pickup configs and pickguards. I finally decided to leave it stock and just replace the tone pot with a 250k push/pull pot to split the humbuckers' coils. That works nicely.

I feel that when using my Telecaster, the way I have the pickups setup (mostly like Brent Mason but without his switching setup), I feel more like me. I hate leaving my Morse guitar in its case but that's where it lies currently.

Sometimes I think that if I would have gotten another guitar, like a Silo or Axis SS, I could have bonded and found my own individuality rather than trying to be someone else because it's their signature model guitar.

What do you guys think? I know I'm being a bit stupid about this and maybe even a bit weird; but I can't deny how I feel. You all are a great bunch and have always helped me more than I could want.

 

[candid_x]

I can understand where you're coming from, Butch. I might have similar reservations if I had a sig guitar, even if I told myself it was foolish. Also about the Tele attachment thing. They're special guitars in their own right.

Have you tried a Silo Special yet? Curious if you might have more of a sense of ownership with it, and there's nothing that says you can't mod it to your own specs. My tech was blown away by "how tele" my maple board Silo Special sounds since installing the blues specials. I haven't picked up my tele since I got the Silo back with blues. Just a thought.

 

[Shadowbox]

Butch, I understand how you feel. I've never played a Morse, but I can imagine that it's amazing. Steve Morse is one of my favorite guitar players of all time. He forged paths with a chainsaw in each hand but never forgot the beauty that comes with simply writing great music instead of writing purely to showcase his chops. He influenced a huge number of players, Many of whom possess fantastic technique. However, the thing that makes Steve continue to stand head and torso above the fray is his incredible knack for gorgeous melody. Even the tunes that have tumeni notes (ha ha, get it?) never have notes that shouldn't be there. His pieces never sound muddy.

Have you thought about using the Morse in regular rotation as a practice tool? There is nothing wrong with trying to play like Steve. My playing took a huge step forward after I sat down and figured out "Cruise Missile," but it will take me awhile to get the leads in "Cut To The Chase" under my fingers!

Perhaps you should use your tele and other guitars that define you for your original stuff and live work, and use the Morse to sit down and work on your alternate picking technique. Learning "Gentle Flower, Hidden Beast" sure wouldn't hurt your playing! You can them apply some of his techniques to your own stuff and keep great guitar playing alive.

Good luck.



I've heard your stuff, you're a hell of a player.

 

[andynpeters]

I posted a thread on this a while ago & got some interesting opinions.....and some abuse!!

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/32610-signature-gutars-2.html

 

[beej]

Dunno, I've got quite a few in the collection and I find I'm "me" on all of them. I customize the pickups & switching to suit my needs, but in the end I find it usually comes down to which neck feels the best when I'm playing. (Usually the Morse.)

I don't think there are any drawbacks to a sig guitar (Morse, AL, Les Paul for that matter ...). Really, if you like the feel of it you make it your own. If you don't, move on to something you do like.

With that said, if you like your Tele then keep it and sell the Morse. If you're game to keep experimenting, take a chance on a second hand Silo Special, etc. and see if you like it. Just keep playing until you fall in love with something.

 

[GHWelles]

Get a piece of black tape and put it over the signature

 

[GHWelles]

The ironic thing is there are many more Telecaster than Morse players, so you actually are more individualistic in playing the Morse . . . .

 

[brokenvail]

I hear where you are coming from. I don't totally feel the same way ever but I know that when ever I play a JP I always have to hit a JP type chord or play a brief JP lick. I have owned sigs before and still own an unnamed one. I don't care about it. The truth is in most case why could it not be that I would want some if not all of the same features a star does on my axe. The problem is I am not a star and they are and so it's their name is on an axe and not mine. I had a JP from that other brand and all that guitar had that was different was the volume knob moved further back and the hums coil tapped in the center postion. I know other players have thought man I wish this volume knob was not here but JP actually did something about it. It I want my knobs out of the way I will play a JP (music man) and I don't care what someone else says about it. No brand was going to make me a guitar with that feature so the JP was (is) the way to go.

 

[Butch Snyder]

The ironic thing is there are many more Telecaster than Morse players, so you actually are more individualistic in playing the Morse . . . .

Wow, I never looked at it like that before....

 

[Marcus2]

Here's my take on it.

A guitar is a tool by which we do our best to make music. Regardless of who designed it, if your Morse helps you play *your* music, or *your take* on someone else's the best, it's the guitar for you.

I play a JP model. I like DT and JP, but am nowhere near that league in my playing. But, that guitar helps me play well. So, it's the one for me.

Best,
Marc

 

[Bungo]

I play a JP model. I like DT and JP, but am nowhere near that league in my playing. But, that guitar helps me play well. So, it's the one for me.

That's EXACTLY where I'm at.

In a way it's quite helpful that JP is such a speed/dexterity monster because it makes even trying to copy him pointless!

 

[Evan]

You could just give your morse to me

 

[Butch Snyder]

Perhaps you should use your tele and other guitars that define you for your original stuff and live work, and use the Morse to sit down and work on your alternate picking technique. Learning "Gentle Flower, Hidden Beast" sure wouldn't hurt your playing! You can them apply some of his techniques to your own stuff and keep great guitar playing alive.

Good luck.



I've heard your stuff, you're a hell of a player.

I like that advice. And thanks for the compliment. Coming from someone on this board, it means a whole lot...

 

[Dante]

i had the same thing with my sadly departed red jp6. i couldnt get a tone i liked from it except if i started playing more gently. then i started sounding like you know who! thats's why im getting an y2d, to get the chunk out!

 

[Butch Snyder]

Gear is an external factor and shouldn't define you or limit your imagination.

I have never loked at it like that. Instead, I look at it more like how the Japanese Samurai, in feudal times, looked at his sword. It was a part of him; his very being. If it shined in battle, so did he. If it broke, he was broken. Yeah, maybe that's a dumb way to look at it; but I've always been a 1-guitar-player. Brent Mason is similar with his old 68 primer Tele. I own three electrics and sometimes it drives me up the wall. I have always liked one guitar I could go to that would do it all.

 

[Astrofreq]

Hmm. Great thread. If you sound like a certain artist when you play, I'd say that has far less to do with the guitar you are using and more about what you are listening to. I read a great Wayne Krantz article that said something to the effect of if you physical can do the things you want to do, but still sound like so-n-so, then you should stop listening to that person (for a short time). We all at some point in our playing try to emulate our favorite players, but there is a point at which it is influencing us too much and inhibiting the development of our own style.

There have definitely been times where I went a few months without listening to certain bands, because everything I was writing at the time was too reflective of that artist.

 

[tommyindelaware]

recarve the neck profile......& steel wool the steve morse decal & presto .........

 

[banjoplayer]

I understand your thoughts Butch, I had them too.

1. I own a Morse because I´m a great fan of him and love his playing and his tone
2. I own a AL because everyone in this place here calls it a great guitar

I´m far away from playing like Steve Morse but I like to play a bit in his style. What I like most is to have a tone that is similar to his, because in my opinion his tone has a lot to do with the unusual voicing of the humbuckers on his guitar. I love that I´m able to play with this guitar that produces that tone. Of course it´s in the fingers but I can´t have a tone like this with any other guitar.

On the other hand I play music with my band - mostly covers - that is far away from the style of Steve Morse and Albert Lee. For example yesterday we played "Killing in the name of" from Rage against the Machine - with the Albert Lee guitar in "Dropped D" - because it´s a great great Single Coil guitar! I´m not in any way able to play country nor do I listen to this music. I can use this guitar without any thoughts of being like Albert Lee

Do what feels best to you, like beej said. Playing a guitar that doesn´t fit doesnt´make sense.

 

[Smellybum]

If you've got enough time to wonder about the signature on the headstock then you need to up your playing to keep your mind busy...

To quote someone special around here - just playing the thing!

 

[MusicManJP6]

Here's my take on it.

A guitar is a tool by which we do our best to make music. Regardless of who designed it, if your Morse helps you play *your* music, or *your take* on someone else's the best, it's the guitar for you.

I play a JP model. I like DT and JP, but am nowhere near that league in my playing. But, that guitar helps me play well. So, it's the one for me.

Best,
Marc

+1! The JP is the guitar that feels right to me. Even if it were called something else (i.e. did not have JP's signature on the headstock) I would still think it is the perfect guitar for me and my playing style and tastes.