Guitarist-isms that make you cringe

xchrisv

ThePrettyDamned said:

I've a few.

Calling a vibrato a tremolo, when it's clearly a vibrato.

'plays like butter'.

Unforgiving amp/pedal/guitar. Guitars should be set up to be comfortable for you. Amps and pedals cannot be unforgiving.

'bloom'.

'syrupy'. Nope, it's a thick tone. It doesn't give you diabetes if you overindulge in it, thankfully.

Any I've missed?

One amp can feel less or more forgiving than another based on the compression characteristics of the circuit and softness of attack. When people describe amps as unforgiving, they usually mean that they have an immediacy and hard attack that is less flattering to the player but often punchier in a band context.

axisus

I have no problem with that stuff. We all know what they mean, it's just a description. It would be boring if we had an ultra descriptive technical term for everything:

This guitar rates 6.7 overall on the Kestle scale, but it scores 7.2 on the Frankenheimer (+/- 0.2). The finish can be looked at on page 324 of the big colour book, the shape is a derivative of the mark 34 second generation and it plays a bit like ........ apologies, I nearly got all colloquial there ..... the playability rating is 9.4. All this is subject to the correct continent multiplier which can be found in the online yellow book.

Guitarse

'Chappers'

carlos

Active pickups sounding "sterile". It's an electrical circuit, passive or not, so it's all sterile.

"Warm" tubes.

Maple fingerboards being brighter than rosewood fingerboards.

The terms bright and warm in general applied to sounds.

benecol

ICBM said:

"She"

Popped in to post the same thing; talking like a mystical sea captain. About an electric banjo.

See also: attributing a woman's name to a guitar:

"I call her Moira, because when you plug her in SHE TELLS YOU THE NEWS OF THE DAY" etc.

dogload

Personally, I always use the term 'Trem' (or even 'tremolo') to describe the vibrato unit on a guitar. It is a word that has been wrongly applied to vibrato systems for decades. I know it's wrong, but so what? It avoids confusion.

ThePrettyDamned

axisus;117423" said:

I have no problem with that stuff. We all know what they mean, it's just a description. It would be boring if we had an ultra descriptive technical term for everything:

This guitar rates 6.7 overall on the Kestle scale, but it scores 7.2 on the Frankenheimer (+/- 0.2). The finish can be looked at on page 324 of the big colour book, the shape is a derivative of the mark 34 second generation and it plays a bit like ........ apologies, I nearly got all colloquial there ..... the playability rating is 9.4. All this is subject to the correct continent multiplier which can be found in the online yellow book.

Hahaha if you put it like that, you have a good point!

OilCityPickups

ThePrettyDamned said:

axisus;117423" said:

I have no problem with that stuff. We all know what they mean, it's just a description. It would be boring if we had an ultra descriptive technical term for everything:

This guitar rates 6.7 overall on the Kestle scale, but it scores 7.2 on the Frankenheimer (+/- 0.2). The finish can be looked at on page 324 of the big colour book, the shape is a derivative of the mark 34 second generation and it plays a bit like ........ apologies, I nearly got all colloquial there ..... the playability rating is 9.4. All this is subject to the correct continent multiplier which can be found in the online yellow book.

Hahaha if you put it like that, you have a good point!

Jeez .... we used to have a model railway club opposite where we lived ... at 'turn out' time the conversation that wafted across the road was all like that!

Only one term I object to really ... and that's not guitar related:
'Goes like a greased weasel' ...
Lets not go there

not_the_dj

"Players Guitar"

Jalapeno

Crumbs ! What a bunch of reactionary old farts ! :P

OilCityPickups

Careful or I might slay you with my buttery axe!

ICBM

martinw said:

Sheesh, this place is getting worse than TGP, just 180 degrees the other way.

There can't possibly be anything wrong in being 180º away from TGP .

jellyroll

Whilst similes and metaphors used in an attempt to describe sounds are sometimes meaningless and/or overused, they are broadly fine. My hairs prickle though at any attempt to macho-ise the guitar, eg "axe, weapon.". Photographers do the same when they talk about shooters and shooting.

martinw

ICBM said:

martinw said:

Sheesh, this place is getting worse than TGP, just 180 degrees the other way.

There can't possibly be anything wrong in being 180º away from TGP .

There's none so pure as the converted

mike_l

Jalapeno said:

Crumbs ! What a bunch of reactionary old farts ! :P

Speak for yourself.

I'm a reactionary young (under 40) fart :-S

digitalscream

You lot who don't name your guitars have no romance in you.

All mine have names - well, the ones that stick around do. No point getting a name if they're only around for a couple of nights...

timhulio

I'm amazed this one hasn't cropped-up yet.

"Tone is in the fingers".

impmann

Things that 'sound digital' - so sounds like 1s and 0s, then. Much like a CD player...

ICBM

martinw said:

There's none so pure as the converted

True! But actually it took me a long time before I realised how insane that place was... after I got out it was remarkable how obvious it should have been.

mike_l

digitalscream said:

You lot who don't name your guitars have no romance in you.

All mine have names - well, the ones that stick around do. No point getting a name if they're only around for a couple of nights...

Mine are named after ladies who've helped me through life. Charlene, Sarah, Laura and Sammie.

Apart from the ESP, which got named "The Beast" after a guitar playing colleague said "That's a beast of a guitar"