Guitars.
I find that there is a MAJOR difference in the Agile AL 2000 I bought for Charity's grandson and my new top and bottom bound body AL 3100.
The build quality is WAY better on the 3100. It is a definitely classic design guitar that is super well put together out of high quality materials and it sounds really incredible for the price.
The AL 2000 does not have tone that comes close to the 3100. The 2000 has a maple neck mounted to a mahogany body and lower quality pickups. The 3100 has one of the best necks I've ever played and it is mahogany. I think this heavy mahogany neck has a big influence on the tone of the 3100.
I think my my Agile 3100 is one of the best if not the best guitar I own, but it has binding on the top and bottom of the body and looks really great. But it is the sound that really impresses me. I play it thru my Egnater Tweaker into my Epi So. Cal. four by twelve cabinet or my moded by Jim P Blackheart Little Giant into my Epi V Jr one twelve cabinet. It produces a complex tone that is totally enchanting and I get totally absorbed in the sound. I can't say this about very many of my guitars. I will definitely get another Agile and probably the black version of what I already have. This one is staying stock at least for the forseeable future. The pickups sound really super great and changing them to even Seymour Duncans doesn't make any sense. If I get another one I might consider using some SD pickups, just to see if I can improve the already super great sound.
On the other hand, I have an early issue Epiphone 1960 Tribute Les Paul cherry burst. I have two Epi LP Standards, one a Plus Top, both with Seymour Duncan humbuckers that sound great. I have two Epi SG's that sound great stock. The Tribute sounds better than any of my Epi's and is a superior guitar that probably sounds as good or better than my Agile AL 3100. The Tribute is an incredible guitar made out of high quality upgraded components and has Gibson USA 57 covered humbuckers, one a 57 plus. It has locking tuners and other special appointments not found on the Standards or any other Epi LP I know of outside this particular model and its close parallels.
I would not scoff at any aspect of my Epi Tribute and it equals or surpasses any of my guitars in all respects. This guitar is a fitting tribute to Les Paul and held in my hands the quality and feel greatly exceeds the sum of the value of its parts. Epi really nailed it with this guitar and you can see and feel the awesome qualities of it. This is not just a real good guitar, it is an exceptional guitar - all bovine biological waste material aside.
The Agile AL 3100 and the Tribute are similar in their overall vibe and sound. My new Epi SG Faded also produces a really great sound that flows into the same categories as the Agile and the Tribute.
I am starting to get guitars and amps and other equipment that allow me to produce a real good sound. It is not just that I am getting better and developing my skills. Acquiring real good equipment plays a significant role in producing a great sound.
I would say try to acquire the best equipment you can and work on your skills. With real good equipment and developing skills, I think you obtain the ability to reproduce very similar sounds and tones no matter which guitar or amp you are using. You do this, I think, by adapting your playing technique, amp settings, pedals and pedal settings, and guitar settings to get into "your" groove or grooves. This requires equipment and skills and takes time and practice, but eventually it all comes together into "your sound".
But if you play someone else's rig or a different set up at a guitar store, you can often approximate your individualized sound, but not always. I'm sure most of you guys know what I mean.
This is how we can go to a store and play a guitar or amp and test it out using mostly all of the other stuff that is similar to our own, and be able to set the guitar down and say, "No. That's not what I'm looking for."; or say yeah this is it, it's what I'm trying to find and will fit in with my rig.
People like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, etc., can get their sounds out of a whole variety of completely different types of guitars, and do it within a short period of time, adapting their skills to the equipment at hand and making use of the controls on the equipment to get into their desired area of the sonic spectrum. That is real "mastery" that some guitarists have achieved. I have not achieved that level personally, but I have felt myself getting a taste of it every now and then, especially after being real warmed up and getting real "into it".
For me it's like having that moment of clarity that happens once in a while, where everything seems to come pretty close together - and you can feel it, experience it. But then it's gone, too fast. I wish I had that level of mastery that I could get things to come together most of the time.
I don't think it's about playing the same general types of guitars. I think it is about being able to make almost any guitar go into the sonic zone I want it in, and this isn't easy. I don't mind having two of the same type of guitar though. I have two Classic Vibe 50's, but one has Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials in it and the other one is stock - still a Classic Vibe. I don't think the one with the TS'es in it is a Classic Vibe any more, it's been modified.
