Paul Reed Smith TEDx talk

[JDC]

Just found Paul Reed Smith's TEDx talk, it's all about his approach to building guitars which I'm sure many of you know already but I found it interesting to watch, here's the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNzJjlV1TOA

[Philly Q]

I started watching and thought uh oh, I'm not going to have the patience for 15 minutes of this.... but it was quite interesting. 

What he's saying about minimising factors which subtract from the tone isn't really very surprising or difficult to understand, but you don't necessarily think in those terms unless someone points it out!

[JDC]

I watched it in 10 minutes ;)

If you set youtube to play videos as html5 then you can change the play back speed with browser plugins

[Philly Q]

Does that make Paul Reed Smith sound like Pinky & Perky?

[JDC]

Unfortunately it doesn't change the pitch with the speed increase

[FELINEGUITARS]

I started watching and thought uh oh, I'm not going to have the patience for 15 minutes of this.... but it was quite interesting. 

What he's saying about minimising factors which subtract from the tone isn't really very surprising or difficult to understand, but you don't necessarily think in those terms unless someone points it out!

Pleased to say I had come to similar conclusions over the years
Some subtraction always happens due to the resonant characteristics of the wood which is why you can tell an ash guitar from an alder one or a mahogany one.
Bizarrely if you use something whose resonant frequency is outside our audible range (carbon fibre - like Steinberger used) the resultant tone often gets called sterile by some listeners as no frequencies are missing or notched out - they are all there to be heard. Other people aren't so bothered.

For these reasons of character I have known players double track record a part , but use a les Paul for the first track and a tele for the second as they have frequencies missing in different ranges and by layering both of them  you get a fuller more "symphonic" sound.

[Philly Q]

For these reasons of character I have known players double track record a part , but use a les Paul for the first track and a tele for the second as they have frequencies missing in different ranges and by layering both of them  you get a fuller more "symphonic" sound.

Weren't Def Leppard doing something along those lines back in the Mutt Lange days, if I remember correctly?

(Along with weirdness like recording the individual notes of chords then adding them together)

[FELINEGUITARS]

Yes Mutt LAnge did some silly stuff like that
I recall Tom Keifer of Cinderella did this on Night Songs and Long Cold Winter - probably because Jimmy Page did it first. (and Andy John's produced them)

[MrBump]

That was good.  I love the TED concept.

[Tellboy]

Slightly off topic....went to World Guitars PRS clinic at Stonehouse a few months ago. Mrs T came with me. After we had checked in the venue hotel room we went to reception to book breakfast and found ourselves standing behind Paul Reed Smith who was checking in. He turned around to us and said "I don't want to hold you guys up - do you want to go in front?". When I told him I had come to see him his face lit up and talked about what he was going to cover in the clinic.

The clinic was good - covered most of his 'rules of tone' and Simon McBride was excellent.

Impressions?..... Mrs T thinks he is a nice guy, he is definitely passionate about his guitars, despite the 'lawyers/bankers image' he does make some excellent guitars ... I always considered myself a Gibson (1st) Fender (2nd) player but if I had to choose one guitar to gig with it would be my PRS 408 or DGT.

[38thBeatle]

I enjoyed the video- his reasoning seems sound to me. I don't have a PRS but I've played a few and they always seem beautifully made and are extremely playable. I do like the look of their new semi hollow guitars too though I can't see me getting one- the Mrs would have kittens.

[gordiji]

The only thing i liked was when he played the usa anthem at the end, the rest i thought of as pseudo science. Not that what he says is wrong per say but irrelevent. Light guitars , heavy guitars, this wood that wood..... as someone said (suhr ?) practice cures most tonal issues.
Brave of him to play too, and had a good tone.

[Philly Q]

The only thing i liked was when he played the usa anthem at the end, the rest i thought of as pseudo science. Not that what he says is wrong per say but irrelevent. Light guitars , heavy guitars, this wood that wood..... as someone said (suhr ?) practice cures most tonal issues.

In which case why bother buying (or building) a good guitar?  If the quality of the parts is irrelevant, we might as well all get Squiers, they're perfectly playable and well made.

[richard]

An incredible amount of cruddy noise in his playing - I hate hearing this. Great tone but the hand movement noise was just horrible.

[gordiji]

Philly, i'm all for well made guitars & prs do make very nice ones with great QC. It's more his approach to energy in/energy out, conjuring up a fancy sales pitch if you like that turns me off, like it's all a bit esoteric . Squire's can sound great, cheap wood, bolt on necks which is exactly the point. Whether or not consistantly is another thing !
Despite his reputation as a luthier & the prs brand i'm surprised how few well known players use them.
Disclosure, i own a nice piece of prs 'furniture', beautifully made but no better sounding than my  standard fenders or tokai's.(oh but it's nicer to play )