PRIMARY AND SECONDARY VOICES

“You should be aware that as a rule the less original your guitar is, the less it’s worth”

It may seem straightforward enough, but the electric guitar is actually a complex enigma. It’s important to remember that its unplugged primary voice is going to determine what the secondary electric plugged-in voice will be like. a dull non-sustaining, non-resonant primary voice won’t be fixed by a set of expensive pickups. Conversely, a nicely balanced, ringing and resonant guitar can be strangled by the wrong pickups and control harness.

Listen unplugged to a good Strat, then compare it with a good Les paul. They are very different. Listen to a Custom Shop-level Strat and compare it to an import look-a-like. different? Yes. once you’ve given your guitar that good set-up, listening acoustically to the result will – or at least, should – inform your next step. and remember, virtually any change you make to any part of the guitar that’s in the vibrational loop of the strings will affect that primary acoustic voice, to a greater or lesser extent

This is where you need to put on your tone chef’s hat. If your dish is already salty, you don’t want to add more salt! If your Stratocaster sounds very bright acoustically, don’t load in new pickups that are over-bright or install a steel block on the vibrato. We’re aiming for balance at the source and the better that balance the better it’ll sound as it goes through your signal chain to your amp.