I think most of the time when people say a guitar sounds sterile, they mean the midrange qualities are not what they’re used to hearing from vintage Gibsons or Fenders.
Kiesel --- Never Again!
- Thread starter MetalHead40
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exo
Well-Known Member
TRUTH.
I’ve owned multiple guitars that are supposedly identical other than finish color, and one of them will just “speak to me” where the other “identical” guitars just felt dead and lifeless in comparison.
Even with all the production automation modern construction has via CNC and such.....wood is still an organic structure that will have some sort of intangible variables, even if you manage to get two guitar bodies or necks cut from the same plank....and that’s without getting into e nuances that can happen AFTER the CNC and basic build. Guitars are still finished by hand, even in the “import market” factories.....and thus, sometimes you just don’t jive with a guitar......
I wouldn't even take it that far, it's just folks searching for validation when none is really needed.
You played a guitar and it didn't jive with you. No one needs an overly specific justification of why, that's just how it is, and it can have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the guitar.
I've played $25k guitars that are impeccably well built and sounded wonderful, but I just didn't really connect with, and that's okay. There are plenty of guitars out there that I do connect with.
You played a guitar and it didn't jive with you. No one needs an overly specific justification of why, that's just how it is, and it can have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the guitar.
I've played $25k guitars that are impeccably well built and sounded wonderful, but I just didn't really connect with, and that's okay. There are plenty of guitars out there that I do connect with.
Doesn't account for how often folks say that about Strats and Les Pauls.
The vast majority of the time I've heard people describe a guitar as sterile, it's been a PRS or anything with EMG pickups, and from someone on the Seymour Duncan Forum. Or it's been a local blues player who doesn't like anything that's not a 50's style G or F.
I play music
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Or it has too thick of a finish on it which makes it feel like plastic. I have felt like this with a few guitars and didn't like that feel.
This is another one thrown around fairly often.
Unless someone globbed on layers of poly or epoxy with a brush, shot finishes are measured in thousandths of an inch in thickness. When it comes to production guitars, the idea is to put on as thin a coat as possible to not waste material and so it cures quickly and evenly. Modern pigments can be both opaque and vivid without multiple coats.
When you see a highly glossed guitar that looks like water or glass, it's a trick of the light making the finish seem much thicker. It's a similar concept to the chatoyance of figured tops where the mineral patterns give the appearance of changes in depth.
If you're on social media take a look at some of the finishes done by "jncolor" who does finish work for the various FMIC Custom Shops. You'll see him shooting thin coats of lacquer. Consider that modern polyester finishes are even thinner than that.
High Plains Drifter
... drifting...
I feel like the term "sterile" means pretty much anything when it comes to bonding with a guitar... neck profile, specs, tone, scale, fret material, type of bridge, set-up, etc, etc... whatever lends itself to someone's lackluster experience. Not sure how a minuscule percentage of opinions equates to an overall negative consensus of any brand or model when it's all so subjective.
Millul
Well-Known Member
I love it when Max gets into the more technical detail!
Musiscience
Well-Known Member
To me sterile means a focus on high mids and highs with very subdued low frequencies. Probably means something different to a lot of other people though. I don't even consider it a bad thing personally. My Duvell is "sterile" in that regard as it is very hi mids and high focused, it absolutely sucks for blues or jazz, but under high gain it really shines and cuts through a mix for modern metal. Super articulate and clear.
On the other hand my AZ is the opposite of sterile as the tone is quite full and balanced. Very sweet and lively for rock, blues and jazz, but sucks for modern metal.
IMO sterile or otherwise, each type of sound has it's place somewhere, just maybe not for what you play.
On the other hand my AZ is the opposite of sterile as the tone is quite full and balanced. Very sweet and lively for rock, blues and jazz, but sucks for modern metal.
IMO sterile or otherwise, each type of sound has it's place somewhere, just maybe not for what you play.
diagrammatiks
Well-Known Member
all guitars sound like guitars guys.
Burn the heretic.
Yep, ‘it sounds sterile’ means ‘I don’t like how it sounds but can’t describe why in any quantifiable terms and don’t want to sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about.’
AxRookie
Aspiring Expert
People who can match the sound in their head to the sound coming out of their amp should be very thankful! Most people struggle and strive for that rare and wonderful thing!!!
Lorcan Ward
7slinger
To me sterile is another word for lifeless. Like when you pick up a guitar and it sounds dead or dull. It doesn’t respond to your playing, you can’t feel the vibrations or any notes bloom. Hard to explain without having someone in a room and showing them examples. The best description I can give is when you’ve got really dead strings and you aren’t in the mood for playing at all, the guitar has that feeling.
It’s not a cost thing. I’ve had had expensive custom guitars that were zero fun to play while I picked up a $200 ibanez in a store last year that sounded and responded better than 90% guitars I’ve played.
that said what’s sterile to one person is the ideal tone of an instrument for another person.
It’s not a cost thing. I’ve had had expensive custom guitars that were zero fun to play while I picked up a $200 ibanez in a store last year that sounded and responded better than 90% guitars I’ve played.
that said what’s sterile to one person is the ideal tone of an instrument for another person.
adrianb
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Needs more dings and scratches all over.
My experience refinishing an LTD SC608B was the complete opposite. It had a finish that was thick as a brick. Now this could be just me, but it felt like the sound opened up a bit after stripping and refinishing it. That sterile feel wasn't as bad as it was.
At the guitar building school I attended, we were taught to make the finish as thin as possible, like you said. However, when sanding it smooth, you could sand through the lacquer, which, I think, is the reason they'll use thicker coats of lacquer on production guitars. That 608B is the only one I've done a refinish on, though
Edit: and because we all love guitars, here's a pic:
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A lot of guitars are practically dunked in filler prior to finishing. I've worked on a number of LTDs that reflected that.
I think Ibanez back in the late 90's/early 00's did it best by just gluing a super thin veneer front and back so they didn't have to use filler. Of course the downside to that is they often didn't let the finish cure entirely and it would just chip off over the years.
I'd still say that most lay folks can't determine how thick or thin a finish is tacitly or visually (or sonically
). You'd have to strip it down to really know. Heck, I've been messing with guitars for decades and I can't even tell for sure until I'm ripping the thing apart.
Hollowway
Extended Ranger
I posted about this a couple of years ago, and it looks like other people are noticing it, as well. Kiesel likes to make it look like stuff is on a bigger sale by changing the original sale price, rather than actually discounting it further. Seems like an unethical way to approach it. And I’m pretty sure it’s illegal.
I love how they've tamed the sheep in that group. "Not saying it's wrong" fucking lol. Can't even point to illegal shit without being scared to offend their overlords.
Edit: reading this after I clicked post, it's too harshly worded and the point is misdirected, but I'll keep it because I still can't figure out any other way to phrase my point. But this is why I hate social media and cult-like groups. Fear of exclusion is real and dangerous to take advantage of. Fuck Kiesel
Edit: reading this after I clicked post, it's too harshly worded and the point is misdirected, but I'll keep it because I still can't figure out any other way to phrase my point. But this is why I hate social media and cult-like groups. Fear of exclusion is real and dangerous to take advantage of. Fuck Kiesel
