SG's - Maestro vs. Stoptail - Tone difference?

[TomTaco]

What tonal differences have you guys noticed, if any?

I tried a couple historic standards, with and without the maestro trem and to me the trem model was a little less sustaining, more open, softer, warmer, and overall better for cleanish stuff.

I thought the regular stoptail version had a little more sustain, treble bite, grit, punchier, and overall better for distorted sounds.

Am I nuts?

 

[Elliot Easton]

You're not nuts. I specified the Maestro for my signature model, and while it may have a couple of seconds less sustain, with high-gain settings the difference is negligible. I like the feel of the string tension and the open, airy sound it gives with great string separation. Most importantly it looks really cool! ;>) For me Cream's 'Disraeli Gears' LP is one of the greatest examples of killer SG tone and that guitar had the Maestro, albeit with the cover plate removed to show off the 'Fool' artwork. I doubt anyone would find the SG sounds on that album lacking, you know?

 

[AtomEve]

I dig the sounds gained with trems as well. My favorite LP/SG is a 1961 model with the Bigsby. I think the Bigsby adds a LOT! :salude


Bryan

 

[DPH]

Ditto for ES-335s.

 

[Studio Dave]

The trem-equipped SG's I've owned always seemed dead compared to the non-trem, stop bar models. I always suspected the added mass of the trem bolted to such a thin slab of wood robbed the natural resonance. I've been thoroughly bashed for my "theory" in other forums, but I still think my theory has scientific merit based on physics.

 

[loufed52]

The trem-equipped SG's I've owned always seemed dead compared to the non-trem, stop bar models. I always suspected the added mass of the trem bolted to such a thin slab of wood robbed the natural resonance. I've been thoroughly bashed for my "theory" in other forums, but I still think my theory has scientific merit based on physics.

Why wouldn't you think that the long Vibrola (aka Maestro, and it's not a tremolo) transmits vibration over a greater area of the top?

Neither point of view can be proven just by the "I think it's so" method.

Many SG players prefer the Vibrola equipped SGs for the reasons that Elliot stated above.

I've heard many people say that Vibrola equipped SGs have less sustain, but you're the first guy that I've ever heard/read state that they sound dead.

 

[plaintop60]

My experience has been that some players like the trem guitars and some like the stop tails. One man's "bright" is another's "shrill", one man's "warm" is another's "muddy", one man's "less-sustain" is another's "dead". You can make a stop tail guitar respond more like a tremolo equipped guitar by raising the tail-piece. Still there is definitely a different feel because the coupling point is moved to the end of the body. I prefer the stop tail and a big fat neck so the resonance of the body is concentrated more at the neck end. On some guitars this effect can be so pronounced that it sounds as if most of the resonance is eminating from the neck rather than the body. I love guitars that behave this way.

 

[John B.]

My experience has been that some players like the trem guitars and some like the stop tails. One man's "bright" is another's "shrill", one man's "warm" is another's "muddy", one man's "less-sustain" is another's "dead". You can make a stop tail guitar respond more like a tremolo equipped guitar by raising the tail-piece. Still there is definitely a different feel because the coupling point is moved to the end of the body. I prefer the stop tail and a big fat neck so the resonance of the body is concentrated more at the neck end. On some guitars this effect can be so pronounced that it sounds as if most of the resonance is eminating from the neck rather than the body. I love guitars that behave this way.

I'm with you Plaintop. I love them both, but the stopbar is my favorite. I like that the stoptail can be adjusted to affect feel and tone, while with the Maestro - you get what you get.:jaw