Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: lasdkjh on August 03, 2012, 10:02:26 AM
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Disclaimer: I am a bassist. I don't play guitar, nor have I ever devoted a significant period of time to learning it, primarily because I haven't been able to afford one. Yet somehow, a new bass shows up each year. Go figure. :? So in the name of all that is good, please, go easy on the new guy!
Now that I have saved up enough money, I think that I'm ready to dip my feet into the water. I don't really know how to describe the kind of sound that I'm looking for, but hopefully the clips that I've provided can help with a good selection of pickups. I don't really feel like listing the specs of the guitar, but if you really need them to get a better grip on where I'm coming from, I can list them. I've always been of the opinion that tone comes from the pickups the technique used.
http://youtu.be/oXSX27Hyjhg?t=1m12s
http://youtu.be/_ifiTkI7X1A?t=1m14s / http://youtu.be/afo_HdfF5Ls?t=1m6s (These sound very similar to me.)
I assume that the two sounds are somewhat related, but I don't know very much about guitars. If I have to choose, the latter set of clips is a better representation of what I'm looking for.
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OK, before I listen to the clips (which I'll do next) I'd be grateful if you could tell us something about the guitar and the amp being used as well as any pedals that might be in the chain. Technique and pickups add a lot to the sound, no doubt about it, but the woods, bridge and type of construction also has a huge impact. Some pickups just won't suit the materials and construction of some guitars.
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To be honest dude, it's the pedals that get you there in the first vid more than anything else. Sounds Octave/fuzz pedal type sounds, pretty cool though.
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A hard one to comment accurately on, due to ( as Darrenw5094 mentioned ) the layering of effects ; but from about 04:25 on the first one, I hear a single coil sound, needed to alternate between fat and cutting . This evokes the sound of the Mississippi Queens to my ear.
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I actually haven't gotten as far as pedals or an amp. All of this stuff is mostly speculative at this point since I don't have a lot of time to go and pick through reviews. I toyed around with the idea of running a few pedals through a .44 Magnum and completely forgoing a traditional amplifier. If I'm going to get a combo amp, I'll most likely end up with a Fender Frontman. As for pedals, I have my eyes on the FBM-1, the TS808, the M-108, and the Bad Horsie.
As for the guitar, I've had my eyes on a few builders and materials for a while. It's going to be a Warmoth build with a basswood body, an all-maple 24 fret neck, and an Original Floyd Rose.
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In that case you're possibly getting a bit ahead of yourself. I'd start by thinking more about your amp a bit more as the Frontman is about the worst amp I've ever played through. The cleans were OK but nothing special and the distortion was woeful. The amp is probably about 70-80% of your tone so it's important to get it right. As for the pickups, the guitar shouldn't be too dark with those woods and construction so I'd steer clear of the bright pups like Cold Sweats and Emeralds, assuming you're looking at humbuckers. Things like Crawler, Holydiver, Miracle Man, Black Dog etc. will suit it better.
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Even BKP's will sound better on a so-so-amp, but I would first invest in a proper amp. Pickupchoiche depends on what styles you're playing. With a 24-fret maple neck I would look at the Holy Diver, Nailbomb, Crawler, Abraxas, VHII and Black Dog.
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If you get Fender Frontman your original question becomes irrelevant because it will make any guitar/pickup sound like rubbish. Please don't buy one. They are one of the worst amps ever made.
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While I disagree with the Frontman hate, I still would invest in, at least, a used tube combo. You can get a nice one for as much as the Frontman.
( BTW My brother has a Frontman, I've used it a lot, and I think it can sound really good when turned up.)