Jon using capo on Misunderstood
 

Ponder for the day.

What's the point of it? You can play the acoustic part on Misunderstood perfectly without a capo, and it's just as easy, if not easier. I suppose a better question is, why was he using an electric with an acoustic simulator, when he has fifty bagillion acoustics anyway?

I've always wondered the same, agreed. Playing it on an electric is as pointless a move as adding an acoustic to Last Man Standing.

That's pretty strange ... All the chords for that song are very simple ...
BUT, there are a lot of strange things when it comes to JBJ's guitar playing !!

Plenty of guitarists (some of the best in the world) have used an electric with an acoustic simulator, some examples include john petrucci, dann huff and steve lukather.

He's a strange one Jon, with his guitars. Like his brief phase he went through of using one on 'Bad name' - what's that about?!


andi

It gives different chord voicings.

Richie's playing the open chords so if Jon's playing the exact same voicings it would either get muddy in the mix or the strumming rythmns would clash.

They do that on many other songs, though. Why just choose this.

The acoustic on Last Man Standing is more pointless, actually. That song screams for another electric guitar, and Jon adds quite the opposite.

I know plenty do it, I'm just wondering why. If he's got an electric, use it as an electric. But the song requires an acoustic part, so he should play it on acoustic.

Bingo. I'm not knocking him using an acoustic simulator. If it was a song that switches back and forth between heavy to soft then sure. But why use an electric to simulate acoustic? Is there some overdrive in the chorus I'm missing? I'll admit using the capo adds a nice touch with different voicings. It's a random choice but I appreciate it.

Richie's capo on HAND is the biggest joke (not to mention the apparent necessity for a double neck... its a cool guitar and not one of the ESPs, so I'm not complaining)... the only reason for it is to disguise the fact that it is same chord progression as IML.

Well, it allows Richie to throw the guitar around a bit more during the song... plus it's a cool guitar as you said. ;)