Unexpected NGD-- Another Valentine.

[mickstacy]

"I'm not a believer in tonewoods as being a thing in electrics, but I can't say for sure."

It appears to me that you have yourself a resounding case of tonewoods affecting the tone in an electric guitar?
You prefer the sound and playability of a one piece maple neck compared to a maple neck with a bound Rosewood fingerboard.
I probably just started a War? lol

 

[Sweat]

Congrats again need to try a Valentine!

 

[Ted]

"I'm not a believer in tonewoods as being a thing in electrics, but I can't say for sure."

It appears to me that you have yourself a resounding case of tonewoods affecting the tone in an electric guitar?
You prefer the sound and playability of a one piece maple neck compared to a maple neck with a bound Rosewood fingerboard.
I probably just started a War? lol

Haha. Well, I've seen a lot of demonstrations that brought me to my opinion. Probably the funniest was some old Scott Grove video on YouTube where he did a bit mocking the idea of fingerboard wood (and inlay material) contributing to a particular tonal flavor. i wish I could find that video-- it was hiliarous. I don't always agree with the guy, but he's entertaining and thought provoking-- even if he thinks anyone not named Scott Grove is a "dumb m.f."

lol.

Now that I've got the output levels comparable from pickup height adjustment, the tonal differences are not as great as I thought--though I do hear a difference. I played identical licks on both into my DAW and listened back-- even though the feel of the necks when playing was different, the overall sound of the tracks was pretty similar. Still a bit more high end articulation to my ears on the buttermilk. A bit more lively. it could be the fretboard woods or strings/setup or some other physical factor-- or a variance in the electronics. Or a combo of things,

Congrats again need to try a Valentine!

Yeah definitely. I don't know how I gravitated to this model so much, when there were other EBMM guitars that appealed to me more initially (and that still appeal to me). You have several awesome EBMM models that I've not played yet so I can't say how the Valentine compares, but there's a lot to these guitars that would appeal to any player-- and especially to anyone who like Teles.

Lovely Valentines, Ted. Nice find on the buttermilk, always liked that finish with the tortoiseshell scratch plate. I've only got one EBMM guitar left in my stable, a trans oxblood Valentine. I know nothing of the artist and not big on sig models per se, but there's a lot to like about the guitar in both usability and looks.

The Trans Maroon is a really sweet finish. I saw an Anderton's video where one of the guys was playing one. I can't wait to see what the new finishes for the Valentine will be released this year.

I wasn't really a Maroon 5 fan, but James Valentine seems like a cool dude so I've watched some of the videos including his episode of " The Pursuit of Tone" for the guitar stuff, and his band's music has grown on me. Haha.

 

[2mdude]

The Trans Maroon is a really sweet finish.

It's a deceptive finish. Sometimes it looks really dark, almost pushing black, but then light hits it in a certain way and it glows a deep, rich red. She's a classy looking thing, regardless.

I saw an Anderton's video where one of the guys was playing one

I know the video, I think it's the one that sold me on the guitar. Ariel Posen and Danish Pete.

I wasn't really a Maroon 5 fan, but James Valentine seems like a cool dude

Well, I can definitely say I appreciate his taste in guitars because he's created a lovely thing with the Ball clan. You mentioned the Tele connection, that certainly doesn't hurt in my case and was what initially turned me on to the guitar.

 

[msquared]

Congrats on #2! That buttermilk finish is gorgeous, I've talked myself out of a third Valentine with that finish several times now.

 

[Ted]

So anyway, I'd been meaning to try this for a while... Since I have two of the same model, I figured I'd swap pickguards to see how they looked...

Finally got around to it. There was a limited edition Fender P bass that was Ocean Turquoise with a tortoise pickguard and I always wanted one. Loved the combo of turquoise and tort. Looks kinda cool on the Valentine, although maybe the white pickup rings clash a bit-- though the white outline on the pickguard ties it together somewhat.

The white pickguard on the Trans Buttermilk shocked me a little because once I slapped it on there, it reminded me so much of the Shell Pink Valentines they did a few years ago. Against the pure white pickguard, the Trans Buttermilk looks pink. I don't know how many of those Shell Pink Vals they sold-- probably not a super popular color, but I sorta wanted one-- and the white pickguard almost gives me one.

I ended up putting them back to their original configurations, but it was cool to try this and see how they looked...