RG3120 compared to RG1880 - Hey Brent (bduersch)!?

[gkelm]

Hey Brent-
I stumble onto your site occasionally...always enjoy marveling at your guitars.

I've noticed in a couple posts how much you like the 3120...I agree, nice guitar. *

You also have an RG1880...how does the tone compare to your 3120? *Are there distinctive differences in tone despite similarities in tone woods, etc.?

I think my RGPR1 seems quite similar to the 1880, and was wondering if the comparison is similar to what I hear between it and my 3120.
Greg

[bduersch]

Greg--

Glad you enjoy my site. I enjoy marveling at my guitars, too!

Overall, I'd say the tone on the 1880 is pretty similar to the 3120 (playability is drastically different due to the baseball bat neck on the 1880, but that's a whole other story...). Of course, both guitars have a tone zone in the bridge, so there's not much to contrast there. Off the top of my head, the air norton in the neck on the 1880 seems a little more glassy with slightly lower output than the PAF Pro on the 3120. The Blue velvet in the middle is great... IMHO it's the best single coil that Dimarzio makes. It's very balanced and has a decent level of output so it can successfully compete with the humbuckers in the neck & bridge. The split positions are pretty similar on both guitars as well, though I think they're a bit louder on the 1880 (perhaps due to the higher output of the Blue Velvet).

I'll jam around on both of them a bit tomorrow and let you know if I was off in any of my comparing/contrasting above.

--B

[gkelm]

Thanks, Brent. *I was really curious since my RGPR1 seems quite similar to the 1880, except mine does not have the single coil, and a few other differences in detail. *Deeply flamed natural maple top, cream binding, and it has the same big neck with ebony board...which seems to make them cousins. *I'm not 100% sure about my pickups. *I had assumed TZ/AN, but with further comparison I'm questioning that. *It could be other factors, since it does sound different even unplugged. *The top is actually slightly thicker on the 3120, and I wonder how much difference the bit of extra maple on the neck makes in tone?

To me the 3120 bridge pup sounds great...rich tone with lots of harmonics, and the "in between" sounds are twangy enough and quiet. *I was never happy with the PAF pro in the neck because I prefer a fatter tone there for leads (ala Santana). *Notes are well defined due to the direct mount pups.

The more I compare them directly I'm surprised at the differences. *By comparison my RGPR1 is a warmer & fatter sounding...even acoustically, it doesn't ring as brightly as the 3120, but seems to sustain more powerfully. *Plugged in the individual notes are even more clear and articulate, whereas the 3120 the notes sound fizzier (not bad, just different)...I'm guessing due to the rose board. *Distorted chords are much tighter and a bit darker on the RGPR1 at the bridge...from Dimarzio's site it almost sounds more like an Air Zone type curve...the harmonics don't squeal as readily as with the 3120. *The neck pup is definitely chunkier in the mids and bass...I really like that. *The PAF pro is nice in the neck for chording, but I use the neck more for ballsy lead tones...but I digress. *The RGPR1 has position 2 (1 being neck) as parallel, whereas my 3120 is split.

Anywhoo, maybe I'm being too analytical...I didn't notice the differences at first, but a little while switching back and forth was telling. *Either way, both are fine guitars!
Greg