How much does the color/ finish of a guitar matter to you?

[AnX]

pleasantly

[vurt]

well, what a coincidence

[Proxima4]

Q1. Makes you want to play it.

Q2. Makes you get a better sound ? If no then go back to Q1.

Q3. Why? Because playing guitar makes you a better guitarists? If no, then you are a guitar god and can switch of that side of your brain and play anything, make it look cool and have the sound of the heavens crying.

Statement: All colours are cool with the right fingers at the fretboard, I’m quite digging Grey at the moment. Only rule Is don’t buy White. I own a white guitar (I love it) but now realise you need to keep it in a box if you never want it to fade to yellow, and I mean that literally.

[Uncle E]

hallelujah?

I heard there was a secret chord...

[Jafo]

Me, I'd heard the chord was lost...

[tapper mike]

Q1. Makes you want to play it.

Q2. Makes you get a better sound ? If no then go back to Q1.

Q3. Why? Because playing guitar makes you a better guitarists? If no, then you are a guitar god and can switch of that side of your brain and play anything, make it look cool and have the sound of the heavens crying.

Statement: All colours are cool with the right fingers at the fretboard, I’m quite digging Grey at the moment. Only rule Is don’t buy White. I own a white guitar (I love it) but now realise you need to keep it in a box if you never want it to fade to yellow, and I mean that literally.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one. Back in the 80's I was a guitarist for hire. I worked out of studios in Florida doing jingles and song poems. Producers perceived guitarists by the guitar they were playing. Looking the part by having a guitar that looked the part got you the gig. In Ft Myers the base rate was $60 an hour which was good money. In LA if you were a union player with an established track record you could make $120 an hour. Looking the part included having a guitar that looked the part. It was back then my addiction cycle of getting gigs to buy guitars to get gigs began.

You don't need to be a rock star to enjoy the benefits of having different guitars with different colors and finishes. Especially now as it's the golden age of affordable, high quality guitars.

I live in Michigan, A coworker of mine is going to Florida on vacation. She and her husband will spend four times as much on her vacation than I will on my next guitar. That's fine they both work hard and saved hard for the trip. They don't get vacation pay so that will be all out of pocket. When they come back they will have the memory of the trip and little else till the next vacation in 3 months. In contrast I'll have a guitar. I'll have a guitar that isn't just a memory but something that I can hold in my hands and play for years to come.

We all have to wear clothes. I used to work at several places that required a uniform. White chef coats and checks which the restaurant supplied. Six days a week ten hours a day. The powers that be let us know that if we weren't in uniform we could be relieved of duty permanently and did so without hesitation. No one commands me which type of guitar(s) I should buy or the finish it should be. I work hard for my money I should be able to make my own purchase decisions.

Body styles vary greatly. Some are not able to discern the differences of timbre that arise from different body styles. Playing is enhanced by choosing a body style which reflects the sound you wish to achieve. And so yes it does affect your playing if you allow it. Sure I can play jazz or folk or country on my Jackson Dinky. But it wont be as inspiring to me or project in the same manner to an audience.

This isn't to say that one shouldn't make the most of what they have in themselves. Practice, play from the heart, take lessons, play in front of other people, except criticism not everything can be cured from having a new guitar. That being said, there is nothing like a guitar which inspires you.

.....

[tapper mike]

Before I got my Dinky. I thought of all the songs I wanted to play on it. Songs I never learned before and a few forgotten. I practiced before it came and I practiced after I got it. I spent time trying to recreate the effects used on specific songs and I got backing tracks to play along. I invited friends over to drink and I played them. It was fun for me, they enjoyed it. It wasn't something I was going to make a career out of. Nonetheless having the gear made all the difference. I still pick it up and go through the songs I learned to amuse myself even though I don't consider myself a glam rock hair band guitarist. No it wouldn't be the same as if I played it all on my honey-burst telecaster

Years back I had both a 16 inch box with humbuckers and a 17 inch box with a floating pup.
The 16's do better for punchy sounds that cut through the mix with reduced feedback in ensemble playing. While 17's with floating pups serve up better chord melody type playing unaccompanied or with minimal accompaniment. Now I have a 16 inch jazz box epi joe pass in wine red. The same red as my old '78 Les Paul Custom. (that I no longer have) Looks great, plays like I need it to for the material I want to play on it. Sure on the epi I can Joe Pass or Herb Ellis or Kenny Burrell tones without buying a Gibson HE or a Heritage KB Super. But I can't get the character of tone for say... Wes Montgomery, Johnny Smith or Tal Farlow with it. Seventeens with floating pups have more low and high end response with less mids. Which makes them less suitable in band situations but more suitable in solo performances with gentle nuanced playing. So the question is about color. The Dangelico EXL I can afford comes in four colors. White, I already have a white guitar. Black, Yeah I've got one of those. Red, see Epiphone Joe Pass Emperor. Blue, the color will be Ocean Turquoise Blue

[Forgotten]

Me, I'd heard the chord was lost...

Well hopefully the Moody Blues will find it

[sjm]

Totally agree on acoustics - they just look terrible when painted.

While my gut feeling would be to agree, I picked up a dirt cheap acoustic recently that is painted a rather tasteful dark blue. The reactions I've got have all been "that's a nice guitar". So maybe it's not that clear cut.

I also bought myself a vanity electric guitar at the same time - also dirt cheap - simply because I liked the look of it. And my wife has painted the body of a DIY kit that we're working on, so I care about the design on that one!

I think how much it matters is a question of context. I'd rather have a playable guitar that sounds great and looks like trash for playing. But for bling factor, it's the finish that matters! So I'd play anything that sounds good, no matter how it looks, and then choose some bling to put on the album cover and wield in the video (figuratively speaking of course).

[Forgotten]

It’s all preference at the end of the day, and I agree with you that I would rather have something that sounds good than looks good.

Definitely would not go for a painted/colored guitar unless it played really great though.

[vurt]

i may have to test this, may emulsion my uncles taylor fiesta pink probably.

[kvotchin]

Don’t care too much. Currently have one green, one black, one blue. They all look nice enough, but eh.

And an acoustic that looks acoustic-y. Also fine.

Not sure it makes any difference.

[Hermetech Mastering]

The look of an instrument is equally as important as feel/playability and sound for me, 33% each. If it doesn't look nice, I am not as likely to pick it up and play it.

[Bombadil]

i may have to test this, may emulsion my uncles taylor fiesta pink probably.

I'd disappear you if you ever tried that on my guitars.

[vurt]

i may have to test this, may emulsion my uncles taylor fiesta pink probably.

I'd disappear you if you ever tried that on my guitars.

yours are safe, you didn't terrorize me as a child or envaress ne as an adult. you sir, are not a "cabby".