Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Players => Topic started by: Fourth Feline on June 27, 2012, 10:44:45 PM
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Thanks to those excellent folks at B.K.P , my neck Warpig arrived this morning - and I said I would get a soundclip done.
https://www.box.com/s/90a8551c437d4d094d29
The tune is a slow wander round the tune 'My Funny Valentine' using the pickup as an excuse to dawdle somewhat.
It's a brilliant pickup for the sound I like to try and create. Very different ( i.e more compressed and much less 'open' ) than my usual Manhattans and Stormy Mondays . For Jazz , I feel it it does only one thing but does it very well. 8) It provides something of a shortcut to a nice - but - HOT 'Late night' sound .
I can therefore also see how this would be become a popular choice for the Be-Bop style, because when you dig in on the single notes , it really pushes them confidently, without getting edgy or harsh. They will be staying in my main squeeze / daily practice guitar , for their robust 'plug'n'play' character.
Hard to describe, but very enjoyable - and I hope the sound clip goes part way to demonstrating what they bring to this ( less than obvious ) application . :)
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A very rare trip to the Players section for me....
....nice! :D
Although jazz is still pretty foreign to me, what you said about the more compressed sound is interesting. It's a word which usually puts me off, I like the more edgy, "hairy" quality of an open-sounding pickup (even though it exposes the flaws of my horrible playing).
But maybe a more compressed, "plays itself" guitar would be fun, just for once. :)
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Well... That actually sounded extremely nice to my ears. I quite liked the compresse single notes and how they really just "pop out"!
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very nice - enjoyed that a lot !
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Fuh-king awesome!
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Superb Derek - great to have you back here :D
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Very good. I think I may listen to this tune whilst getting ready for bed.
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I really enjoyed that. Great job!
RD
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Thank you for your very kind remarks Gentlemen, it is very much appreciated - and fuels my resolve to get better at this stuff. :D
As Itamar101 described so well, the notes just " pop out ". And Philly's comments captured why it feels very 'Plug'n'play' , as it lets you concentrate on the chord movements / notes and less on avoiding finger noise. In that way it does indeed feel to "Play itself" . The pickup drives nicely through a heavier ( i.e cheaper) laminated Archtop , but still lets you hear that the guitar is hollow . I can imagine it would do the same in a variety of Hollow, Semi-hollow and solid bodied Guitars. Perhaps not recommended for an exsistingly 'dark sounding' guitar.
Another advantage I can hear 'in the room' - is that it would be a great pickup for those that have to borrow an amp for practice or perfomance - or want practice to sound like performance, as it remains very consistent - and therefore if you like the sound of this pickup, it seems to confidently carry that sound to whatever it gets plugged into.
* Edit *
Here are the photos of the Warpig neck in situ - as requested by PhillyQ. :)
I have removed the bridge Manhattan - as on this guitar I only use a bridge pickup it to fill the pickup hole, with very occasional blending . The Manhatan set is too precious and tuneful to waste on compromises ! I threw in an otherwise unused Tonerider P/U - as a sensible but somewhat 'middle of the road' surrogate, in the bridge.
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/27d7374b.jpg)
and closer up:
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/5511ac3a.jpg)
As this is predominantly a sound clip post, I thought I should clarify that I used T.I. Swing flatwound strings ( 12-50) through a 'cleartone' cable , into my Guitar Rig Mobile interface - using the Twang Reverb model , with the amp's volume and tone controls all at '5' except amp reverb at '2' - and recorded staight into it's own virtual tape deck.
Also , I wanted to say thanks for your (re) welcoming messages, it feels great to be back amongst you on the forum ; the only downside being that being here is as addictive as it was when I was last here ! :lol:
Cheers !
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Really nice soundclip - playing, tone, and I have to say that despite not being much into Jazz guitar, I always liked this tune :mrgreen:
Oh and yes - not that I have anything against metal, but having more old-school tones here is kind of refreshing.
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That guitar looks great! I used to have a Washburn Wes Montgomery model but just couldn't get on with the flatter than Fender radius.
I sold it but sometimes wish I had stuck at it to see if I would have grown to love it!
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Really nice soundclip - playing, tone, and I have to say that despite not being much into Jazz guitar, I always liked this tune :mrgreen:
Oh and yes - not that I have anything against metal, but having more old-school tones here is kind of refreshing.
Thank you, :)
My own motivation to start over again from the begining with the guitar - and this time devote all my energies to try and learn this style , was / is to learn all my favourite 'old time' Ballads as stand alone tunes, with the option of learning to provide accompanyment in future times. The single note/ improv stuff can wait until I get the foundation stone down. I have a list of ones I want to try and arrange , everyone of them absolutely dripping with warm sentiment . I just love those old love songs ! :)
I also like the presence of Old School tones and 'Vintage end' B.K.P users, as a compliment to the existing Ladies and Gentlemen of the more popular robust styles. With B.K.P. already being well known amongst the more 'lively' stylists It's worth reminding the casual browswers ( and B.K.P curious ) - that the B.K.P. range is a 'House with many rooms ' as well as having jolly nice staff . :)
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That guitar looks great! I used to have a Washburn Wes Montgomery model but just couldn't get on with the flatter than Fender radius.
I sold it but sometimes wish I had stuck at it to see if I would have grown to love it!
Cheers Ian , :)
I am not usually a fan of that rather sharp 'Florentine' cutaway, but when seen from the side / top / oblique angle, the effect is not as coarse as my hurried photos make it look. I seem to have made it look like a Les Paul copy, that has been eating all my chocolate biscuits.
It also helps with getting into the practice / study / concentrate mindset, when you have a sizable item of furniture on your knee. I must have a 'Google' of that Washburn 'Wes Montgomery' - but meanwhile, but can understand how the whole flatter radius / shorter neck / ridiculous body size , could be something of an anathema for Fender users. I have a Baja Tele , but it bridges the gap quite nicely with it's chunkier neck, and somewhat Gibsonesqe radius. :)
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It also helps with getting into the practice / study / concentrate mindset, when you have a sizable item of furniture on your knee. I must have a 'Google' of that Washburn 'Wes Montgomery' - but meanwhile, but can understand how the whole flatter radius / shorter neck / ridiculous body size , could be something of an anathema for Fender users. I have a Baja Tele , but it bridges the gap quite nicely with it's chunkier neck, and somewhat Gibsonesqe radius. :)
That's an interesting point. I've never really considered buying a proper hollowbody jazz guitar, but I think I would find it physically difficult to play. Whenever I try to play an acoustic, a larger-bodied guitar like a 335 or even just a thick-bodied guitar like a Les Paul, I get a lot of discomfort in my right shoulder. So I like guitars to be as ergonomic as possible.
That's why I like the Gibson ES-339 and CS-336 - they're heading in the general direction of Larry Carlton (if you see what I mean :lol: ) but physically they're only a little bigger than a solidbody.
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... I've never really considered buying a proper hollowbody jazz guitar, but I think I would find it physically difficult to play. Whenever I try to play an acoustic, a larger-bodied guitar like a 335 or even just a thick-bodied guitar like a Les Paul, I get a lot of discomfort in my right shoulder. So I like guitars to be as ergonomic as possible.
That's why I like the Gibson ES-339 and CS-336 - they're heading in the general direction of Larry Carlton (if you see what I mean :lol: ) but physically they're only a little bigger than a solidbody.
I can imagine that tonally and 'vibe' wise, a 339 - or 336 type would indeed be the best of both very enjoyable ( Les paul / Archtop ) worlds, but the problem I now have, is that If I pick up the Les paul or Telecaster - it feels like I've forgotten to actually put the guitar on ! :lol:
The other factor being that my archtops tend to be used sat down , often without a guitar strap - and held close into the chest, with the neck / headstock pointing upwards - as seen here in my favourite photo of good ol' Joe Pass :
(http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u135/Fourth_Feline/bf299281.jpg)
The desired effect is that I am really just looking at the fretboard really close up - and thereby making all fret positions equally reachable for any chord voicings e.t.c. The only downside, is that ( when in it's Gator case ) there just isn't a bed built high enough to store it under. :mrgreen:
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The only downside, is that ( when in it's Gator case ) there just isn't a bed built high enough to store it under. :mrgreen:
Now that would be a problem.... :lol:
Speaking of jazzers and their choice of instruments, do you know Ed Bickert? Jazz on a Tele:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCnT8prUqFY&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCnT8prUqFY&feature=related)
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Thanks for that clip Philly , :)
I had heard of him, but had not sat down to appreciate him properly, till you posted that. As we would expect from an affectionado of Audrey Hepburn, your choice of clip was very tasteful. 8)
I had recently strung my Baja Tele with a spare set of light(ish) flatwounds - and liked it very much as a solid bodied alternative ( if ever required ). I would still love to get one of our resident Luthiers to 'fashion' me a single ( neck ) pickup 'Jazz specific' solid body, to put my favourite B.K.P. pickup(s) in. As the Baja Tele is such a nice guitar in it's own right, I would not want to modify it, especially if I end up selling it some day. My Les Paul Standard remains fitted with Mules and a set of 9s - because there again, I dont want to mess with a classic formula.
The clip you posted was also very inspirational - as he seems to be very much of the Joe Pass mentality when it comes to the eminently practical way he approaches the game. The greatest influence and inspiration that I get from Joe Pass , is not that I listen to his records, ( sorry Joe ) - but that his 'Chord dictionary' , interviews and video tutorials showed me to simplify how I think when approaching this sometimes bewildering style.
That is why I like to buy the sheet music ( as a non sight reader , but slow and persistent 'speller' :mrgreen: ) and then sit down for as long as it takes, to turn that it an arrangement on the guitar, however naive .
Thanks again Philly, I will now go back and listen watch Ed yet again. :D
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Glad to be of service! :)
I'd never really heard much of Ed Bickert's playing, to be honest, just remembered him from a long-ago Guitar Player article on Canadian guitarists (also featuring Rik Emmett of Triumph and classical player Liona Boyd). It was the fact he played a Tele which stuck in my mind.
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Sounds really good
The pickup sounds surprisingly warm - I would never have even thought to put those pickups within about 10 yards of an archtop but they sound (and look) great!
Playing is really good too, works really well.
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Incidentally, Mr Feline, are you on jazzguitar.be (sorry to spam)? The forum is a really good resource for lessons and music pdfs, and there are lots of helpful people on there
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Sounds really good
The pickup sounds surprisingly warm - I would never have even thought to put those pickups within about 10 yards of an archtop but they sound (and look) great!
Thank you, :) Before they arrived, I had assumed that ' within about 10 yards' would probably be the optimum setting for the gap 'twixt strings and pickup screws. :lol:
As it happens , it ended up being the 'usual' of about 2.5mm. They do need some taming at the amp / input, but then, the hotter wind keeps the sound stage a lot tighter and more focused than ( for example ) the really open and juicy Manhattans. The 'seed' of the idea to try them was in part propogated by a (forum) chat with Martin at MJW amps, who mentioned that Adrian Ingram's custon Matamp, was designed / biased quite 'Hot to trot' .
Incidentally, Mr Feline, are you on jazzguitar.be (sorry to spam)? The forum is a really good resource for lessons and music pdfs, and there are lots of helpful people on there
I do browse / search over there occasionaly, for specific music theory questions, but at this stage - I am still working through existing material. I tend to absorb information better ( in this and other interests ) when I find I have a very specific gap / need/ curiosity, then I get the answer(s) that hang on and around that one thing - and run off to apply it in practice. There is only ever one song , one note to harmonise, one principle in my mind at any given time, then there is only the next note / harmony / principle e.t.c The same in something like Weightlifting, in that if I am practicing, I work the one movement into the ground, and within that, dedicate my self to correcting the weakest spot / technique . Then of course, when one resumes a more 'Global' view of the subject, the weak links have been patched up.
Also, as I mentioned in another thread, my allocated leisure / 'Forum time' is spent here for the social / cross pollination / relaxation aspects, then it's back to the instrument and my ears , for a very focused approach to moving forward in the arenas of Music theory / application and Chord Melody as my chosen vehicle for that. I do not see myself and what I do as being a 'Jazz' guitarist as such, more a guitar lover, who seems to feel more at home with Chord melody, than other expressions of the underlying musical principles. :)