Why I think MIJ Sucks (Not that much though LOL)

[paul_sigua]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing the guy or anything. But seriously, I believe that practical  application plays a big part in determining the sound quality of a music instrument.

Hmmmm. Let me see, ears?

Ears? Why thank you, captain obvious. But there's more to it than that. Firemodel claims that he can hear better than us. I respect that. But how does he know that the instrument will sound great in a musical context? Whenever he raves about something, he never mentions what style of music he played , if he even played music in the first place. To me, that makes his reviews practically useless.

For example, I've played this particular semi-hollow guitar strung with thomastik flat wounds. It sounded great playing jazz but with blues and rock, it was meh. There's also this guitar that sounded great by playing single note runs, but sounded a bit muddy with chords. You get what I'm saying?

I'd rather hear a musician raving about decent gear than someone who owns great gear but can't even make music. Scott Henderson is a great example. He has great ears AND great skills. He's experienced different kinds of music. I don't mind him saying that my guitar sounds bad. But Firemodel on the other hand...

Firemodel has great ears, but he can't play. I don't mind him sharing his gear experiences but I expect him to be humble about it. Saying MIJ guitars suck while he can't even play is hilarious.

[page8six....]

OT:

this will be locked ,then TS will make another bash the non US-made gears Thread, then it will be locked, then TS will make another bash the non-US made gears Thread. , then it will be locked, then TS will make another bash the non-US made gears Tread.  then it will be locked, its just like energizer bunny.. it keeps on going and going and going and going and going .................................

[trem3]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing the guy or anything. But seriously, I believe that practical  application plays a big part in determining the sound quality of a music instrument.

Ears? Why thank you, captain obvious. But there's more to it than that. Firemodel claims that he can hear better than us. I respect that. But how does he know that the instrument will sound great in a musical context? Whenever he raves about something, he never mentions what style of music he played , if he even played music in the first place. To me, that makes his reviews practically useless.

For example, I've played this particular semi-hollow guitar strung with thomastik flat wounds. It sounded great playing jazz but with blues and rock, it was meh. There's also this guitar that sounded great by playing single note runs, but sounded a bit muddy with chords. You get what I'm saying?

I'd rather hear a musician raving about gear than someone who even can't make music. Scott Henderson is a great example. He has great ears AND great skills. He's experienced different kinds of music. I don't mind him saying that my guitar sounds bad. But Firemodel on the other hand...

Firemodel has great ears, but he can't play. I don't mind him sharing his gear experiences but I expect him to be humble about it. Saying MIJ guitars suck while he can't even play is hilarious.

keep it cool na lang kapatid, we all know what Firemodel can do and can't do.

Hayaan na lang natin na sabihin nya ang sasabihin nya and it's up to us na lang kung maniniwala tayo or hindi. Marami rin naman dito sa Philmusic na mas-credible at masmadali pakisamahan... he thinks MIJ sucks, well I think he sucks. Simple lang di ba?

[IncX]

I can also compare to micsis if you want but... I am NOT doing that because Arie is humble enough to admit if something or someone is better than him.  So I think, you have NOT tried Arie as a luthier and you are missing a lot.

it would be cool if you'd get the opinion of someone who gigs regularly or has released countless albums and has gotten into a lot of live situations to say "this guitar is a must have" ...

what i noticed with gigging musicians is that they use the good ones on the studio and the OK ones onstage ... IMO, it speaks a lot because it is saying "tone matters - but not that much"

[paul_sigua]

Dont worry, I'm cool.

Just stating my opinions regarding his outlook in gear and music.

[page8six....]

keep it cool na lang kapatid, we all know what Firemodel can do and can't do.

Hayaan na lang natin na sabihin nya ang sasabihin nya and it's up to us na lang kung maniniwala tayo or hindi. Marami rin naman dito sa Philmusic na mas-credible at masmadali pakisamahan... he thinks MIJ sucks, well I think he sucks. Simple lang di ba?

Bad bad bad boy

[trem3]

Dont worry, I'm cool.

Just stating my opinions regarding his outlook in gear and music.

and I agree with you.

[abyssinianson]

what i noticed with gigging musicians is that they use the good ones on the studio and the OK ones onstage ...

+1 this is true though i'd also add that there are pieces of gear that SHINE in the studio and sound great on stage and vice versa. i find that relying on stellar qualities to pop out on stage is tougher than when you are in a controlled environment like a studio. when you are in a band context everything changes because you are competing for volume and frequencies and ANY gigging musician can support this fact; what could work well in a studio might not cut it live for one reason or another.

i like my instruments and i am particular about my gear so i use what feels "right" and reliable to me when in a gigging situation. when you are playing sets, travelling and putting a piece of gear through the rigor of gigs every night -the usage WILL take its toll and some instruments handle this better than others. what might sound great in a studio might not handle being dragged through -10 degree weather on the east coast so i HAVE to find a suitable replacement that feels great and can get the job done. for years i loved gigging with vintage instruments but they just became WAY too temperamental, especially in the winter or summer when going to the deep south where humidity will make the necks warp like crazy.

[juan_alderete]

[Chum]

Hmmm very interesting observations Alex...

I would qualify though... Some Springy Sounds from Tokai (we are talking 1978-1982) are very well made, and play and sound really great. My main strat is a Springy Sound with the U-stamped pickups... Its not an exact copy of the Fender though, but I play it for what it is, a good guitar, made by Tokai...   

But I would also be quite wary: just because a guitar is stamped Made in Japan or Crafted in Japan does not guaranty that you will get a good one... For a would-be buyer, do your homework and research first before spending...

As for the local luthiers: I think Alex you should at least try a few of the locals... Mike, Jon, Arie: all good guys, and very passionate about their craft... 

Just my two cents anyway 

[firemodel55]

Hmmm very interesting observations Alex...

I would qualify though... Some Springy Sounds from Tokai (we are talking 1978-1982) are very well made, and play and sound really great. My main strat is a Springy Sound with the U-stamped pickups... Its not an exact copy of the Fender though, but I play it for what it is, a good guitar, made by Tokai...   

But I would also be quite wary: just because a guitar is stamped Made in Japan or Crafted in Japan does not guaranty that you will get a good one... For a would-be buyer, do your homework and research first before spending...

Just my two cents anyway 

By the way, I loved my Tokai Strat.  It was a Springy Sound but unfortunately it fell short of my Suhr Vintage Strat.  Chum, if you want and ever have the opportunity to have some money to buy a new guitar, I can go with you to help you select a good one -- assuming its available.  If its not, I flatly say to you NOT to buy.

P.S. As much as I want to try them, Arie is the number 1 guy and the irony is at the level of my guitars -- they do NOT need servicing at all.  Its always just about changing electronics and hardware. And the best fun I have with Arie is driving him nuts about the character of EVERY GUITAR I BUY. 

[firemodel55]

Can "magic" be heard? What does "magic" do to the person wielding the guitar? Is it quantifiable? If us lesser beings aren't able to quantify "magic" are we doomed to bad sounding gear forever? Should we not even try?
Please clarify because you keep mentioning the term.

Oh, another thing. I asked this question in another thread but you never got back to me, what's your favorite recorded guitar tone? So us plebeians can try and aim for something.

1. Magic can be heard.
2. A magical guitar stops being an instrument but becomes an inspiration instead.
3. Yes you are doomed not because you aren't able to quantify but because there are so few magical instruments.
4. I encourage trial because thats how I learnt but if you want to take the short cuts, I am just a call away.
5. I don't have a favorite recorded guitar tone (But I have favorite songs) because the tones I get with my equipment and set up sound better than what I hear on record.

[firemodel55]

No offense but, we all know that you can't play. How do you know that a specific guitar *sounds great*  when you can't even make "music" with them?

How do you test guitars? What do you play?

Its hard to explain, its just talent.  I can't play because I choose NOT to play.  Since I am just a hobbyist and I have plenty of other things to do, I just do guitar for fun.

[firemodel55]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing the guy or anything. But seriously, I believe that practical  application plays a big part in determining the sound quality of a music instrument.

Ears? Why thank you, captain obvious. But there's more to it than that. Firemodel claims that he can hear better than us. I respect that. But how does he know that the instrument will sound great in a musical context? Whenever he raves about something, he never mentions what style of music he played , if he even played music in the first place. To me, that makes his reviews practically useless.

For example, I've played this particular semi-hollow guitar strung with thomastik flat wounds. It sounded great playing jazz but with blues and rock, it was meh. There's also this guitar that sounded great by playing single note runs, but sounded a bit muddy with chords. You get what I'm saying?

I'd rather hear a musician raving about decent gear than someone who owns great gear but can't even make music. Scott Henderson is a great example. He has great ears AND great skills. He's experienced different kinds of music. I don't mind him saying that my guitar sounds bad. But Firemodel on the other hand...

Firemodel has great ears, but he can't play. I don't mind him sharing his gear experiences but I expect him to be humble about it. Saying MIJ guitars suck while he can't even play is hilarious.

Unfortunately, 95% of what Fender sends out is crap.  I think they produce 10,000 guitars a day worldwide.  So thats about 300,000 bad sounding guitars a year.  And guess what?  Who buys all of that crap?  Gigging musicians.

Ohh believe the truly magical instruments in a magical setup can punch thru anything and will rise above the rest of the band.

[Bolt Thrower]

mauuwi na naman to sa Tone Vs Skills 

ganyan naman yang mga ibang umeepal pag thread ni firemodel. balat sibuyas. pilit binabalik yung tone vs skill or gear vs talent. when in fact lagi lang naman tone and gear ang usapan.

[teleclem]

Taku Sakashta

His stuff really seem great. It's sad that he's no longer with us.

[spetsnaz1123]

1. Magic can be heard.

yup, the radio station? 

music itself is magic but someone has to do the spell  ...a magic wand cannot do magic by itself, likewise an ordinary man wielding a magic wand cannot do magic without the knowledge of magical spells...

[bryvincent]

Unfortunately, 95% of what Fender sends out is crap.  I think they produce 10,000 guitars a day worldwide.  So thats about 300,000 bad sounding guitars a year.  And guess what?  Who buys all of that crap?  Gigging musicians.

Ohh believe the truly magical instruments in a magical setup can punch thru anything and will rise above the rest of the band.

   so where did you get that 95% figure??? sabihin mo na lang "most of what you played are crap" or something like that, not coming up with percentage figures out of nowhere...

[paul_sigua]

ganyan naman yang mga ibang umeepal pag thread ni firemodel. balat sibuyas. pilit binabalik yung tone vs skill or gear vs talent. when in fact lagi lang naman tone and gear ang usapan.

You're referring to me? I believe I was raising a valid point.
I like looking at the bigger picture. Saan ba ginagamit ang tone and gear? Sa music di ba?

[paul_sigua]

Its hard to explain, its just talent.  I can't play because I choose NOT to play.  Since I am just a hobbyist and I have plenty of other things to do, I just do guitar for fun.

Okay, point taken. Talent it is.




Kinda hard to write firemodel and talent in the same sentence though.

[abyssinianson]

I love this Xzibit meme and it was the first pic that came to mind when I read the quote. I couldn't resist and I was laughing my @ss off because of the combo. Carry on.

[stratboy]

Bad bad bad boy

Firemodel is allowed to state opinion as fact, we all should be afforded the privilege too.

[firemodel55]

I love this Xzibit meme and it was the first pic that came to mind when I read the quote. I couldn't resist and I was laughing my @ss off because of the combo. Carry on.

Aren't you suppose to be off to some gig?  I guess they did not let you play... just joking.

[firemodel55]

it would be cool if you'd get the opinion of someone who gigs regularly or has released countless albums and has gotten into a lot of live situations to say "this guitar is a must have" ...

what i noticed with gigging musicians is that they use the good ones on the studio and the OK ones onstage ... IMO, it speaks a lot because it is saying "tone matters - but not that much"

Eh bakit gamit ni SRV ang No.1 niya on stage?  Eh Bakit si Kirk Hammet Gumagamit ng Gibson na Historic on stage kasama ng dami ng ESP na dala niya?  Nakita mo ba si Eric Johnson na Live in Austin Texas, di ba dala niya ang vintage Strat niya?  Eh Bakit si Steve Vai gamit pa rin sa stage ang kanyang FLO at EVO?  Ito lang masasabi ko, ang mga taong mas in touch sa equipment at alam na iyon ang pinaka importanteng hahawakan nila at maririnig ng audience nila ay dinadala ang 'good' ones onstage.

[firemodel55]

keep it cool na lang kapatid, we all know what Firemodel can do and can't do.

Hayaan na lang natin na sabihin nya ang sasabihin nya and it's up to us na lang kung maniniwala tayo or hindi. Marami rin naman dito sa Philmusic na mas-credible at masmadali pakisamahan... he thinks MIJ sucks, well I think he sucks. Simple lang di ba?

Simple lang nga.  Pero palagay ko mas tama ako kaysa sa iyo and I can prove it.