Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Prawnik on May 10, 2008, 03:43:19 PM
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For years, I didn't think I had a guitar sound in mind. But last week, it came to me, and it was so simple.
I was at a convention in Germany; 400 drunken Germans dancing to a girl band blasting wretched disco-pop and miming playing their instruments. The sound made me nauseous; only vodka was helping me numb the pain and thus keep my dinner down.
So imagine my joy when the girls left the stage for a break and someone put on AC/DC. Highway to Hell.
My Russians and I jumped for joy! Real music at last! And damn did it sound good on that expensive sound system. In my drunken state, I realized that was the guitar tone I have been after. Not a metal tone, but still ballsy. Even though it had a fat bottom end and a huge midrange, the treble still cut through and snarled. Nothing muddy.
Now the question is: what pickups get me there? I've never liked playing SGs that much, so I will probably put my selections in a maple-topped Les Paul.
I was thinking Black Dog bridge with a VHII neck. I've also considered AIV Mules, Stormy Mondays, and (no surprise) Riff Raffs.
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Uhh, AC/DC=RIFF RAFFS.
Sorry to state the obvious. But really, it IS that sound. Should nail what you're looking for.
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I'd go a bit further and say Riff Raff's in a Gibson SG will get you a step towards that particular tone.
Of course nailing that tone depends on a lot of other factors. See this link - section 2 'Equipment'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Young#Guitars
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Wow! C'est dans le fast response! Thanks!
I was thinking SG and Riff Raff also, but I seem to get my best guitar sounds out of unexpected places. My best GnR tones come from a '69 hardtail Strat that I made, three single coils and all. My best Zeppelin tones come from a '71 Strat I made; also not a humbucker in sight.
Gotta track down a Riff Raff clip now.
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perhaps you prefer single coils in general.
I know that it isn't known as a particularly AC/DC - esque pickup (especially with the RR) but you might just like the Mississippi Queen or the Manhattan (it's not listed anywhere but I believe the covers are still there and it differs from the MQ in wind more than anything else. It could be a different magnet composition but Tim will have some that would have been destined for traditional - sized P-90s) more judging from your last comment.
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A Les Paul is going to sound a bit too fat for 'DC tones.
Don't forget that Malcolm and Angus' tone work together to give you the 'DC sound. Which one are you after?
Their amps play a bit part in their sound too.....
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A Les Paul is going to sound a bit too fat for 'DC tones.
Don't forget that Malcolm and Angus' tone work together to give you the 'DC sound. Which one are you after?
Their amps play a bit part in their sound too.....
The AC/DC sound is fat, but I have also wondered whether a Lester might be too fat, or maybe too smooth.
I am probably looking for more on an Angus sound, but you're right - a lot of what makes AC/DC sound like AC/DC is the interplay of the two guitars.
Anyway, I will run into an early Marshall.
@ f1jockey: you might have a point. Several of them, at that.
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Go for Riff Raffs - they should sharpen up a Les Paul a bit ;)
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+1 (On both Twinfan's and MaverickJockey's responses)
I put Riff Raffs in an Epi SG - very Angus but... I don't play in a band anymore, there was nothing to bounce off soundwise. The Riff Raffs ended up in an Explorer where they don't sound at all Angus-like (to me anyway) but they have to stay in that guitar!... and I put MQs in the SG - only now does the SG produce an overall AC/DC vibe for me (much to my surprise!)
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Go for Riff Raffs - they should sharpen up a Les Paul a bit ;)
How 'bout VHIIs? I don't play in a band at the monent and don't work and play well with others.
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I think they'd also thin out a Les Paul a little bit too, good choice :)
The VHIIs in my Jackson Dinky are my favourite BKPs.
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the huge midrange comes from the amp
the pickups are scooped
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the huge midrange comes from the amp
the pickups are scooped
Which amp and which pickups? Are we talking AC/DC (JMP and Superlead amps) or BK (pickups)?
Although I thought Marshalls don't have that much midrange, at least compared with Fenders.
That is why Gibson guitars (huge mids) go well with Marshall amps and Fender guitars (scooped mids) like Fender amps. At least as I understand it.
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You'll find that they are both quite midrange - focused being valve based guitar amps. The difference is in the place the mids are focused in the sound (Marshalls are right in the middle of the guitar frequencies with a slight focus on the upper registers, Fenders are really upper-mid focused but aren't usually set to high gain sounds so you don't get the fizz you get from the Marshall. More modern designs such as MESA have a more lower mid focus.).
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You'll find that they are both quite midrange - focused being valve based guitar amps. The difference is in the place the mids are focused in the sound (Marshalls are right in the middle of the guitar frequencies with a slight focus on the upper registers, Fenders are really upper-mid focused but aren't usually set to high gain sounds so you don't get the fizz you get from the Marshall. More modern designs such as MESA have a more lower mid focus.).
Makes sense. Also, 6L6/6V6 power tubes get saggy when they distort, so higher gain Fender-type amps (e.g. MkII Boogies) rely on pre-amp distortion.
Anyway, this discussion has me thinking - especially since I am not playing in a band with another guitarist, do I really want the Angus Young sound? Or am I looking for something like it, something in that vein but not an Angus-clone?
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There was a fair bit of guesswork in there I'm afraid so don't take what I said as gospel but I would stand by Fender and Marshall amps having a similar midrange emphasis as Marshall amps generally derive from the same circuit as the Fender Bassman.
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There was a fair bit of guesswork in there I'm afraid so don't take what I said as gospel but I would stand by Fender and Marshall amps having a similar midrange emphasis as Marshall amps generally derive from the same circuit as the Fender Bassman.
All true - the biggest difference between the basic Marshall circuit and the Fender Bassman is in the power transformers and power amp tubes.
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So I have the guitar now, been playing it for a while, wondering where to go next.
The tone is full and reasonably balanced. The stock Burstbucker pickups are decent, a little hot, even. I still crave the harmonic richness and complexity I get from my BK-equipped Strats.
Like a lot of recent-production Les Pauls, this guitar tends to be muddy in the lower-mid registers, and the bass is seriously tinky-sounding if you don't get the amp eq just right.
I am not sure whether the mid-range muddiness is a problem with the guitar, the pickups, or my perception. The bass seems to be part of the guitar's acoustic qualities.
Going to heavier strings would help the bass, but might make the mid-range muddiness even worse.
I could also change out the tailpiece and see if that helps.
I am not trying to clone the AC/DC sound, but that is the general direction where I am trying to go.
Do I start by playing with strings and tailpieces to improve the acoustic qualities of the guitar, and then choose pickups?
What say ye?
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riff raffs and 500k potentiometers
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+1
To remedy a seriously dark and muddy Les Paul, I installed a Stormy Monday/Riff Raff set, replaced the 300K pots with 500K, and disconnected the tone pots. Now she's a classic rock monster! :lol:
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Thanks for the insights, Eric and Kellar.
Honestly speaking, I haven't opened the backplate to see what pots are in it, but good 500K pots are a logical start.
FYI: I probably made the guitar seem worse than it is. It really is not that much of a mud machine. It's darker than my Strats, but it's a Lester, it's supposed to be that way.
The only problem is the flabby bass and some mud in the lower mids.
Since I don't know of a pickup that cures flabby bass, I probably should start by messing with the setup and strings. Once that is optimized, then I can choose pickups.