Thinking About A Steve Morse Model....

[Butch Snyder]

Hi guys,

What a great forum and brotherhood this place is. The only other forum I visit is the Seymour Duncan forum. Some of you might have seen me over there. I have been on a quest for my dream guitar. You see, I am the type of player who basically wants one guitar to do it all. Now, I know there is no such beast; however, there are some out there that come pretty close. I am also the player who can't afford a guitar for every mood. That said, I play a lot of styles. Soe are even maybe worth a listen. I have posted this type of thread at the Duncan forum as well with some nice responses.

I am thinking very seriously about a Steve Morse model as I need major versatility. Not the Y2D, but the original version (Floyd optional). I love Steve Morse as he is a major influence of mine. I have talked to a few other forum members here about his guitar; namely beej (thanks a ton!!!).

I would like to hear your opinions on the guitar. You can post pics too.

Thanks a bunch!!!

 

[fbecir]

Hello Butch

I am a proud owner of a Steve Morse model (hard tail). I am also a great fan of Steve's music.
Well, this guitar is really great. The variety of sounds you can explore with this guitar is amazing. Besides, the switches and pots are all in the right position ! It seems that Steve made a lot of experimentation (just look at his old Frankenstein guitar). At the beginning, the 3 switches and 2 pots are perhaps a big change for the players who are used to just one or two switches ... but after one or two months, you understand the logic and you appreciate the cleverness.
I was always wondering how Steve was able to change his sound "on the fly". I thought it was a tons of pedals and a huge rack ... but thanks to the instructional tapes (and DVD) now I know that 99.99% of the effects are just the fingers and the switches.
Volume swells, wah wah sound with the tone pots ... all this effects are now part of my playing.
Besides, with all the pickups, you can play really in every style (I play from Jazz to Metal).
Personally, I love the neck single coil, so Y2D lacks something ... but perhaps one day I will buy one.

So my advice : buy a Steve Morse Signature

Good luck

 

[kneeoh]

I love my Morse. Its incredibly versatile, very comfortable to hold and play, beautiful to look at (mine's a Morse blueburst but is so dark it looks like Pacific blueburst -- the second pic more accurately represents what it looks like in person), and complements my JP's and Silo. In a momentary lapse of reason when the BFR's were announced, I considered selling the Morse to fund a JP BFR but just couldn't do it... its too great of a guitar. I'll just have to save for the BFR.

 

[lovedaebmm]

I have a white, with black pickguard morse, with floydrose which im trying to sell. They are a brilliant guitar just not to my taste

 

[Colin]

I love both Morse models!!! Go for it

 

[tommyindelaware]

been playin one since 1991. i've owned at least a dozen of them.
having 2 hummers is obviously the fat tone aspect. the morse bridge pickup is the only hummer i ever heard that is very hot........but still full sounding. it has VERY natural full band midrange to it. most overwound hot hummers have a alot of midrange....but not a broad natural sounding midrange.
using the 2 hummers at the same time has a very cool country rock.....kinda dicky betts tone. the neck hummer is very round sounding........alot like a vintage paf.
w/ the guitar ALSO having 2 single coils .........this is where the guitar passes everything else in versitility. using the 2 single coils gives u a quacky sweet home alabama tone. the slant single does the hendrix/ srv thing. the rear single alone does the strat bridge thing.

then u can take ALL that.....& come up w/ MANY more very usefull combinations.
there is a learning curve on the switching. but it is WAY natural once u are use to it.
for versitility.....it's the front runner.........& THE guitar i would choose if i was only allowed one geetar in the world.
Flickr: Photos from tommyindelaware

 

[Butch Snyder]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I especially thank Tommy for his tonal description. Waycool!!!!

 

[gairsy]

Hi Butch,

1st time poster/replier here!

Give the Y2 a look. I got mine a month ago and was suprised by its range of sounds.

I'm not a Steve Morse 'fan', although I do appreciate his prowess on the guitar.

When I first looked at this model ( already have an HSS Silhouette Special) I wasn't sure I would like the finish, but it is tastefully done.

I think the maple cap has really brought out the tone of this design, and combined with the pickup's , there isn't a bad sound comes out of it. hard rock/metal, country twang, smooth blues and jazz tones are all there.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regard myself a fantastic player by any means, and at 46 years old, I know what I like in a guitar ( I've had them all!), and wouldn't normally be interested in a ' signature' model, but this guitar is something else.

I haven't tried the 'standard' steve morse, but you'll probably not go wrong with one of those either.

Bit expensive though, especially here in the UK, although I got mine new in a sale for £900.

Best of luck.

 

[Butch Snyder]

Gairsy,

Wow, I feel honored that your first post on this forum would be a reply to my thread. That's cool....

I have a friend that has a Y2D model. It is lovely indeed; however, I really want an original SM model and I think I want a Floyd.....

 

[beej]

Hey Butch! Well ya know where I stand

The original Morse is so versatile, Tommy's post nailed it. FYI, the bridge pickup is fantastic when split as well- it's very twangy and I find I'm using it a ton for single coil sounds.

Truly the swiss army knife of guitars.

 

[tommyindelaware]

+1
small steps.....

p.s.
also.....on the y2d neck split sounds VERY clean hendrixy ....as does the bridge split is VERY tele like.....

Hey Butch! Well ya know where I stand

The original Morse is so versatile, Tommy's post nailed it. FYI, the bridge pickup is fantastic when split as well- it's very twangy and I find I'm using it a ton for single coil sounds.

Truly the swiss army knife of guitars.

 

[Butch Snyder]

The Switching?

Okay, I know the SM model has 11 switching combinations. I have downloaded the PDF and am trying to make sense of it. As an engineer, it should be easy. It's not. I have been told by numerous people that once you get used to it, and it doesn't take long; it's very logical.

Someone care to explain it?

 

[PugNinjas]

Great informative posts, thanks

 

[beej]

Someone care to explain it?

It works well for his style.

Start with the main lever- tele p'up, neck, bridge.

SM goes from neck to bridge often, so it makes sense to have those two next to each other on the switch.

Then use the 2-way toggle to add the bridge p'up to what's selected on the lever.

Easy to kick it up a notch by adding in the bridge p'up, then turn it off and end up where you were (tele p'up or neck p'up).

Finally, the 3-way toggle adds the strat p'up to the above mix, or selects only the strat p'up.

This is the strangest part of the switching, and what you don't get on the Y2D. Steve doesn't use that p'up too often (just for rhythm bits, etc.) so the switch is furthest away. Not bad when you get used to it.

I've made mine worse with a piezo switch & volume and a coil split. Honestly, it's pretty cool when you're used to it. Not that much thinking required.

 

[savannah_sean]

Hi,

I can't say much more than "um, what Tommy and Beej said" - I have both an SM "standard" and a Y2D, and I've found that the neck on the y2d feels more comfortable to me, but maybe that is just because I play it the most and I'm now used to it- before I got the y2d, my other SM model felt great- my guess is that you'd really enjoy either one.

 

[banjoplayer]

Hey Butch,
much said via PM.
Seen the Thread afterwards so I don´t wanna repeat.
Pics of mine in the sig.

concerning the switching: a flash graphic under PG Test: Music Man Steve Morse Signature Modell (scroll down). It´s in german but I think the switching is understandable

Uh... and.........................................
.......................................................
.......................................................
.......................................................
.......................................................

B U Y I T

 

[PugNinjas]

It works well for his style.

Start with the main lever- tele p'up, neck, bridge.

SM goes from neck to bridge often, so it makes sense to have those two next to each other on the switch.

I had no idea that the #2 pickup was a tele pick-up, that's cool to know, thanks.

 

[tommyindelaware]

on the frankentele......it is a tele neck pickup in that position.

 

[PugNinjas]

on the frankentele......it is a tele neck pickup in that position.

I just looked at an old Guitar Player featuring Steve and that legendary frankentele....I'm still speechless but I love the fact that Steve is more concerned with function than form, although from what you fellas have been posting it seems that it all makes sense in the end.

So, just to get this correct, on the Morse model the #2 pickup is a tele bridge in a strat sized housing?

 

[banjoplayer]

Let´s post more about the Morse-Model, so we´ll start the Morse-Mania after the AL-Mania