I have been thinking about getting an 8-string guitar for recording nu metal/alternative metal, and I really like that djent sound. My current guitar is an Ibanez K7. I chose that guitar because I love Korn’s sound, so I figured buying their signature brand would allow me to play music I liked (I was right). But honestly, I have no idea what the hell I bought… Pickups, string gauges, body, frets… It all came with the guitar, and I don’t have a clue what just happened. I just threw money at a proven guitar that would give me what I wanted, and I’m kicking myself for not researching this stuff… I always research what I want to see if I can find a better deal.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t regret my purchase at all, and I absolutely love that guitar. But it just don’t djent like an 8-string, does it? ;)
So, in looking at guitars, I’ve run across so many, and with all sorts of various selling points and features. Problem is, I have no idea what any of them mean. Really confusing stuff. So I thought I’d post my findings.
Mind you, I could be wrong, and in some cases I just made assumptions because the nuances had such a negligible difference that I no longer cared. I’m not going to get lost in the weeds. If something here would strongly help or impede you from playing your style, I’ll mention it, but otherwise, eh, no use really.
Still, if you are reading this and disagree or have something to add, please make a note of it in the comments.
Picking a Style
The first question to answer when buying a guitar is: what kind of music do you want to play? I already answered that question, but I figure let’s make this guide more comprehensive than that.
I’ll approach these answers from 3 different styles of guitar playing:
- Nu metal/alternative metal
- Progressive metal
- Indie Rock
Why these 3? Well, let’s break down what each style does differently guitar-wise.
Alt metal is very staccato- and power chord-centric, but also with plenty of melody. Guitar solos are few, and the music itself is usually very simple. Most of the focus is actually on the vocalist and lyrics, where the music truly emanates from. I chose this for those who really just want that dark guitar sound, but without too much playing ability (I’m not bashing it… I love it. If it’s too complicated and technical, then it takes away from the other elements.)
Progressive metal has tons of solos and intricate guitar fingering. Dragonforce and Dream Theater come to mind. Your playing style is going to be very fast-paced technical music, likely with odd time signatures. I know, metalcore and mathcore have this as well, but I used the anchor of progressive metal because it’s got a very wide spectrum of music. If you can play progressive metal, then mathcore and metalcore will be easy. I chose this for those of us who like to move their fingers around wildly on the strings.
Indie Rock implements all kinds of music, from folk rock to flamenco. Yes, 8-strings accompany this style very well. I chose this for those who aren’t getting a guitar for metal, but rather would like to try a different avenue of creativity. You don’t use distortion pedals… You want that wide range of sound for the interesting hippie music you’re about to make (I mean that endearingly… I love hippie music).
My Questions
Here are the parts I see advertised about a guitar:
- Pickups
- Body
- Neck
- Strings
So here are my questions…
Pickups
- What are pickups?
- How do you know a good pickup from a bad pickup?
- If I wanted a better pickup, how would I go about it?
- What brands are good?
- What about a pickup lets you know it’s pretty good?
- I basically want to be able to be handed a pickup blindly, with no brand name, and just be able to tell from the specifications itself whether or not it’s a good pickup – how do I do that?
Body
- What’s the difference between mahogany, ash, flaxwood…
- Does the wood change the sound any, or is it all just aesthetics?
- How does paint affect the sound? Are there different types of paints?
- What about body shape… I’ve seen triangular-shaped and round-shaped and … classic-shaped? What does that do to the sound?
- How about solid, hollow, and semi-hollow?
Neck
- Again, what’s the difference in material? Mahogany, Flaxwood, Ash… any difference in sound, or just aesthetics?
- I’ve seen some advertised as having a 27″ scale, and others for 28″… what’s the difference? Why would you want one over another?
- And what does it mean when frets are rounded or flattened? Does that affect sound? Why would one be more favorable to the other?
Strings
- What’s the difference in gauges?
- And what’s this “buzz” I keep hearing people talk about… the strings buzz? What is that?
Answers
And here are the answers I’ve collected.
Pickups
- What are pickups?
- They translate guitar string plucks into electrical signals out to the amp. (Wikipedia)
- How do you know a good pickup from a bad pickup?
- Citation needed
- What are good pickup brands?
- Citation needed
- How can I tell from specifications alone that a pickup is any good?
- Citation needed
Ultimately what I learned here is people will yammer on and on about what pickups they had installed into the guitar, and nobody can explain why. The real reason: confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance. There is no difference. I’m sure scientifically there’s a difference, sure, and I’m sure you’ll hear a different sound with different pickups… My point here is that many people will tell you “ugh, the stock pickups suck!” and won’t explain why. “Cuz, it just doesn’t sound good enough…” good enough how? Are the notes too muddy? Too bassy? Too trebley? Too buzzy? Unclear? Noisy? What about the sound is not “good enough”? What about the sound is wrong? And how would another pickup help?
It’s a scam to buy new pickups and look cool in front of everyone because “zomg you’re so techy with guitars mang!”. Stick with the stock pickups and quit being a pretentious douche.
Final Word on Pickups
- What should I look for in a pickup if I want to play nu metal?
- Stock
- What should I look for in a pickup if I want to play progressive?
- Stock
- What should I look for in a pickup if i want to play indie?
- Stock
Body
- What’s the difference in sound for the wood or material used to make the body?
- Bad question. The answer here, really, is that the type of wood will affect the sound, but you can't really approach it like "what sound do I want, and what material will I need to make that sound?" For the purposes of buying a guitar, this part literally doesn't matter at all. It's just the scientific explanation for why your guitar sounds different from another 8-string. At the end of the day, the notes are the same, and they'll both play just as well. It'll just be what makes your sound more unique. Don't pay it any mind.
- How does paint affect the sound?
- Don’t worry about it. It’s not significant enough to impede you in any way from rocking out.
- How does body shape affect the sound?
- Not significant enough to limit you in what you want to do. Focus on aesthetics and comfort first, and if you are anal retentive enough about it, then change it. Otherwise, don’t worry about it.
- Solid, hollow, or semi-hollow?
- I actually know this answer from experience. Hollow and semi-hollow will be bassy. Hollow bodies are generally found on acoustic guitars, so you may consider it for indie rock. Great for palm mutes to come out sounding stronger and heavier. You know that little lever on the guitar that you can flip up, down, or middle? That flips between different pickups for different sounds. If you flip it all the way up towards the neck, you’ll get a much more bass-like sound. It’ll be much fuller… But, the higher sounds will kinda disappear. Palm mutes sound amazing, yet the regular played notes are going to sound a little incoherent. Meanwhile, if you flip it down towards the bottom of the guitar, the distinction between strings is much clearer, but you start missing that bass sound. Hollow and semi-hollow really help push that bassier sound. Perfect for indie rock, or for certain parts in metal… Semi-hollow means it’s not the big acoustic hollow that most guitars have. It’s much more versatile. Solid, on the other hand, is great for metal because it allows for all those highs and less bassier sounds. You don’t need bassier sounds in metal because that’s what drums and bass are for. If you’re doing acoustic or folk rock, there are fewer instruments, and you’ll need to fill the spectrum of musical sound more, thus the hollow/semi-hollow fits the bill better.
Final Word on Body
- What should I look for in a body if I want to play nu metal?
- Solid for playing everything the standard way, semi-hollow for getting experimental with certain songs. Semi-hollow will get the job done, but I still think the safer option is the solid. As for wood type or whatever, don’t worry about it.
- What should I look for in a body if I want to play progressive?
- Solid all the way.
- What should I look for in a body if I want to play indie?
- Semi-hollow, I think, is most versatile, but it’s really expensive. Start with hollow.
Neck
- Again, what’s the difference in material?
- Irrelevant. Pick whatever looks good.
- What’s the difference between 27″ scale and 28″ scale?
- Link Shorter scale means easier vibrato and fingering, longer scale means better vibrations on lower strings.
- What’s the difference between rounded and flat frets?
- Link From what I’m reading, while opinionated and not fact, it looks like rounded frets are the way to go. Better tone.
Final Word on Neck
- What should I look for in a neck if I want to play nu metal?
- Longer scale length. You’re not doing any intricate fingering or technical work, and you’re trying to be dark and edgy. The longer length allows for lower strings to be used to make the music even heavier.
- What should I look for in a neck if I want to play progressive?
- Shorter scale length. You can still have low sound, even with shorter scale length, but because what you’re doing is far more technical, with string bending and vibratos, you’ll need that extra elasticity.
- What should I look for in a neck if I want to play indie?
- Shorter scale length. Indie rock is very intricate in its execution, and you’ll need all the versatility of the short scale length.
Strings
- What’s the difference in gauges?
- Rob Scallon covers this perfectly. I guess I have nothing to say on the matter :)
- What does buzz mean?
- That's the buzz they mean. [This link](http://www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?36576-What-Does-Muddy-Mean%21%21%21%21%21%21%21%21%21%21%21%21) explains more (it's called muddy here). It basically means the string's not creating a clear sound. This could be caused by many things really.
Final Word on Strings
- What should I look for in strings if I want to play nu metal?
- Bigger numbers on string gauges means easier time playing. Again, you don’t need to bend strings or anything fancy, and since a lot of what you’re playing is in drop tuning, the added tension will help keep your notes clear. Go heavy gauges.
- What should I look for in strings if I want to play progressive?
- Lighter gauges allow for looser strings, which allow for easier solos and guitar playing. Your guitar generally won’t be tuned to the drop tunings, so you’ll have a wider variety here. Or, opt for what Rob Scallon does, and use heavier gauges for the low strings, and lighter gauges for the higher strings. If you’re only buying one thing, go higher.
- What should I look for in strings if i want to play indie?
- Higher gauges all the way. you’ll need that flexibility while playing. The amp and pedals and stuff aren’t kicked up to 9000 like they are for metal, so you’re not going to have to play as roughly.
Summary
- Nu metal: get a solid body with a long scale neck and heavy gauge strings.
- Progressive metal: solid body, short scale length neck, and lighter gauge strings (ideally with heavier gauge strings for the lower strings, and lighter gauge strings for the higher strings).
- Indie: get a semi-hollow body with a short scale neck and the lightest gauge strings.