The choice of equipment for events will depend on how much money we have, how we play / how would we like to play and what the band requires from us. W poprzednim artykule opisałem sposoby grania disco polo. I recommend checking which level describes our skills or needs.
- If our team requires us to play a single string, we will not need a "paddle" for a few thousand.
- If the team gives us a free hand, but we are not going to develop our skills, let's buy equipment adequate for this, what we can already do.
- If the team gives us a free hand, and we want to constantly develop, let's buy the best equipment. Even if we won't be able to use the guitar to its full potential at this point.
- If the team requires us to play professionally, then we have to buy professional equipment.
Repertoire, which we will play will be very diverse- from very light, slow ballads to famous rock numbers. Very often we will play the so-called "C G A F" or "C A F G", that is wonderful, everyone's favorite disco polo. If we want to "raise" the foundation, then we will have to play full chords, using the appropriate runout. To get delicate, slightly transparent, high-pitched sound, our guitar must have at least one single coil pickup. Unfortunately, such an adapter "collects" various interferences and introduces them to the output signal in the form of hum and noise. Its signal level is usually lower than that of humbucker pickups.
Guitar models
Now I will present some of the most popular guitar models and describe them in the context of playing at weddings. Let's start with these, which on average would fall out at any special event.
BC Rich
Sinister shapes, dark colors and heavy sound - this is not a piece of equipment for playing light things. The guests are not used to the cemetery atmosphere. The mahogany body and only humbackers make it, that the guitar is perfect for playing the heaviest types of metal.
Jackson
These guitars are also often used in stronger musical genres. The models are mainly available in the HH arrangement, but there are also HSS or HSH systems. Thanks to this, we can play a bit lighter things. The manufacturer also offers slightly more "civilized" shapes of the bodies and heads, e.g.. on DK2 models, DK2M the DXMG. It also deserves praise very comfortable, "Sports" neck, which allows us to be quick, solo game. When it comes to playing at parties, I would recommend Jackson guitars mainly to "solo sweepers".
Ibanez
This company offers a lot of different models. You could say, that many of Ibanez's guitars are universal instruments. The common HSS or HSH system and the appropriate wood make, that the guitar is suitable for various musical styles, but she will always have that rock claw. Models from the JS series deserve special attention. They are extremely light, slim and fatigue-free, hours of play.
Gibson
The most famous guitars of this company are the Les Paul, SG i Flying V. Let's focus on the first two. They are, you can say, rock classics. Classic shape, humbuckers and warm attachments, soft sound. This equipment is perfect for blues and rock, but when it comes to disco polo, it may be missing some bright sound. In the case of playing Les Paul for hours, the considerable weight of the instrument may also turn out to be a problem.
Fender
The Stratocaster model in the SSS system is, in my opinion, the best choice for any special event. The famous sound of the "glass" will be perfect for all lighter musical genres. When it comes to the convenience of playing, it is, however, Ibanezy, e.g.. from the SA series, have more to offer. First of all, the neck in Strat is thicker, and second, its construction imposes a higher string action.
Prices
299PLN + accessory kit
In the previous section, I intentionally did not mention the "guitars" in this price range, although they are very popular in our country- I wanted to elaborate on this point here. Of course, we are talking about inventions, such, How: Sounder, J&D, Ever Play, Vision, Echo, Skayway, Stagg, Dimavery, Craftman. Persons, which recommend models of these companies, they probably never had a real guitar in their hands, or somehow got a passable one. In short, for PLN 299 we get wood for the fireplace (I do not give any guarantees, that it will burn for a long time). Guitars at this price "offer":
- Badly padded frets, on which pits appear quickly.
- Terrible quality keys, that don't hold the outfit.
- Bridge made of poor quality alloy, which quickly loses its physical properties.
- The worst quality pick-ups, which generate a loud hum, and their sound (low gain) it looks like torn cardboard.
- Crackling or non-functional potentiometers and poor-quality wiring.
- Strong, which changes its shape over time (as long as it does not look like a spoon when you buy it).
- High, unset string action, which in some cases is 10-15mm above the 12th fret.
- Apart from disarming, the guitar just does not tune to any fret or position.
- Body made of material, which is not solid wood. And it is worth emphasizing, that's good quality, solid wood has a colossal influence on the sound of the instrument and the so-called sustain. The material used in cheap guitars includes PLYWOOD.
- "Original shape". If someone is an esthete, he will definitely "appreciate" the combination of the Statocaster shape and the Gibson, Music Man and a shovel.
summarizing, if we want to present anything with ourselves, let's not buy such crap. If we play at weddings, it is an obvious fact, that we earn something there. Skimping on zlotys for decent equipment is a lack of respect for our customers. For PLN 400 we can get a passable classical guitar, which will also be very useful to us.
800-1400PLN
For the amounts in this range, we can buy quite a decent stimulant or a good one, at the beginning of(!) new stock. We will have a choice of lower series of Ibanezes, Corty, Yamaha, Squiery Affinity, Epiphony, Washburny, sometimes some Fender stimulants. The cost will be a little more, but it will surely be able to play on such equipment. They offer new guitars at these prices:
- Decent sound, which we will not have to be ashamed of.
- Pretty good quality frets and fingerboard, which will probably only require a slight intervention by a luthier.
- Keys and bridge, that will keep the proper outfit longer than by 30 seconds.
- Electronic system, which will be able to generate an acceptable quality, signal.
- A little less sophisticated and shorter seasoned solid wood.
- Ability to set a meaningful string action, no buzzing effect.
- Low quality, double-sided Floyd Rose bridges. Unfortunately, a good quality tremolo costs this much, what a whole guitar. This construction requires the use of a large number of parts and each such part must be of great quality- otherwise, even a slight "push" can upset the instrument.
from 2000-3000 PLN
The real fun begins from this price. We have a lot of used guitars to choose from here, often of higher models. In the 2-3k range we will also buy very good new ones. I consider, that it is worth saving money for such a purchase, even slowly. The pleasure of playing is invaluable. And so, new guitars in this price range can offer us:
- Specific, sophisticated sound. You could say, that specific to specific companies. It's not about that anymore, that something sounds better or worse. It turns out to be a matter of taste.
- Great hardware. Keys, bridge, prog, jack socket, strap attachments, screws- everything is at the right level. Even the coating of chrome or other "gold" in this case lasts for years. Like such a detail, and in guitars for PLN 199, rust appears after a while.
- Seasoned wood with an appropriate grain pattern ? The material for both the neck and the body is of high quality, so it does not change its physical properties (np. does not deform) over the years. Even a guitar not connected to an amplifier sounds much better than cheap models.
- Exceptional gaming pleasure. Nothing is roaring, nothing buzzes, and the instrument tunes on every fret. Great pickups, low string action, proper balance- all of this makes us even more convinced, that we will never want to deal with fireplace wood again.
Generally, the more funds we allocate, the better. In the vicinity 7-8 thousand, the best signed and collector models are starting. At this price, we will also get the top model of Fender, i.e. the American Deluxe or the Ibanez JS1200 guitar. These are instruments for professionals and enthusiasts, who do not compromise. I hope, that someday I will join them too.
