Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Players => Topic started by: fdesalvo on December 29, 2014, 05:04:29 PM
-
Just having a bit of fun -
https://soundcloud.com/frankdesalvo/ramas-epic
-
I must say really interesting. Brave approach!
Is it all Abraxas bridge? Even those short solos?
-
Thank you! This song was the result of an Indian friend's challenge lol. It makes me hungry for Tandoori chicken whenever I play it.
All the guitar tracks were recorded with the Abraxus - I have found it to be an unbelievably well-rounded and heavily underrated pickup. It doesn't just do many things well, it does them all to a very high level, I have found.
All the best!
frank
-
but was it only bridge pickup? Or you were using neck as well?
-
My apologies for the hasty response. For this track, the only pickup used was the Abraxas bridge in full humbucking mode. My main studio guitar is a custom warmoth tele with the aforementioned Abraxas bridge and Veneer neck. They play so well together.
You can hear the Abraxas split on this track - the solo at the end is the Veneer: https://soundcloud.com/frankdesalvo/the-april-narrative
Heavier examples of the Abraxas are also on my other tracks, as well.
Thanks for the response.
f
-
(http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/9/93770/2361919-nes_karnov.jpg)
Sounds good man! Made me thinnk of one of my favorite NES games. :D
-
Dude!!! I totally forgot about that game! I miss my NES!
Sounds good man! Made me thinnk of one of my favorite NES games. :D
-
Reminds me of Vai. Great lead tone. PLease tell me the solo was the Abraxas bridge?
EDIT: noticed it was. What pots are you using? And is it the 63 veneer board you have in the same guitar? I love this lead tone. Think I've decided for my MM Silhouette
-
Thank you, man. It's all Abraxas in humbucking mode. I really love this pickup. Sounds so good split, as well. I am still working on trying to create a unique lead tone, but inevitably, you add mids and you sound like the 80's pioneers; you add wah/filter, and you are playing in Brian May's sandbox; you add phasing and you are battling Maiden! I will eventually find my sound lol. It's all in the combination of gear and the hands.
I miss my MM Silhouette (HSS) - This mated with the Apache or 63 would be phenominal. I use only a single 500K volume pot that for everything. In order for the single coils to see 250K Ohms, I create a voltage divider using a resistor at the switch itself.
Bare in mind the lead tone is heavily shaped - I mean heavily (2 EQs, FX Pedals, etc to really get the mids and voicing right for my ears). The best iteration of this tone is on my other track "The Road to Eridu", which you can find on my soundcloud page. The rest of the tracks feature variations of this tone with subtle tweaking as I try to perfect it. There was just something special about the way the solo on that other track laid down. The Rhythm tracks are mostly straight up.
Thank you for your feedback!
-
Well I think that's the case with everyone. People always tone chase artists, and they buy the duncans/dimarzios thinking they will sound like them. And they go to BKP expecting a quick fix. But all I needed to know was that tone is possible using that pickup. I use an AXE FX myself, so I can pretty much shape my tone in unlimited ways. But after hearing that, I'm going for the Abraxas. Sounds awesome :)
-
You have good judgement and your rig will get you wherever you need to be. The Abraxas is a really great tone tool. I haven't even been curious about other pickups since installing it - and for me, that's a huge thing. I may have lied bc I'm curious how the neck version sounds haha. Def post up a pic of your Silhouette.
Well I think that's the case with everyone. People always tone chase artists, and they buy the duncans/dimarzios thinking they will sound like them. And they go to BKP expecting a quick fix. But all I needed to know was that tone is possible using that pickup. I use an AXE FX myself, so I can pretty much shape my tone in unlimited ways. But after hearing that, I'm going for the Abraxas. Sounds awesome :)
-
Well I have the Mule neck which is meant to be similar, and it's warm on gained solos, but woody if you pick the right clean setting. I wouldn't say it has snap though. But the bottom strings stay clear on solos. I think that's more of an inwards feeling though, as to an outwards feeling. Yngwie for example is one of the cleanest players (check out some early syuff and you'll see he uses barely any gain, with low output pickups), but you can't hear him shred on the lower strings as it sometimes gets muddy. It's sort of like a cat running on claws on the same spot, before they take off. Kind of like an F1 car. But when it takes off you can really hear it go. With BKP you can hear that initial starting point, but without all the revs intefering. Bad analogy, I know haha.
The silhouette I've got btw is the HSS Sapphire Black, but it has the Ebony fingerboard and 16" Radius. I just hate the mirror pickguard. So changing that for a Black pearloid when I get BKPs for it. Did you find yours not to be that bright btw? I find mine to sound spongy on the bottom, and warm on the highs when played acoustically. This is comparing to my ESP Eclipses
-
Ha, great analogy and way to risk stepping away from the typical food metaphors (crunchy, chewy, etc lol)! I wonder if some of the lack of definition on the lower strings could be attributed to Yngwie's amp/pedal choice. Those old Marshalls can be pretty spongy on the low end.
That's a sweet guitar! I ended up trading my Silhouettes bc the string spacing was too tight (1 5/8") at the nut. They had 2 DiMarzio Blue Velvet Singles and a PAF Pro - it was really fat sounding on the bridge and the single coils were actually pretty decent. I had one in Candy Apple Red and one in Tobacco Burst (beautiful!).
-
I'm guessing they were the traditional 10" scale? And I like the 42mm 5/8" nuts. My hands are small so it's cool for me. I believe the new Silos are 43mm now though.
And you could be right with the marshalls. But I still think BKP could make that clearer, still. AGain, Yngwie always said after he switched to duncan that he played with "half" a pickup hense the the name Half Strat (HS) if I'm correct? But come to think of it, his riffs were actually clear, but shredding wasn't. Maybe it's the way the pickup keeps up with you. In which case I find the BKPs are ahead of you in that state.
I'll admit though, if I was a beginner, I'd hate BKPs. I was always looking for excuses. But now I'm finding excuses why my playing isn't sounding as it should. BKPs changed that. If not playing hard rock (used to play metalcore), I play a lot of Neal Schon style music, and I prefer a good set of pickups that can show off that kind of dynamic. It lets you control the note, rather than let the note guide you. Again another bad analogy haha
-
Yah, they had 10" radius fretboards.
This Abraxas has sounded great in every guitar I've had it in, which is crazy. It's really dynamic and let's you control the weight of the notes by how you choose to attack the string. Gotta love that! It's not a powerful pickup, but it doesn't sound weak, if that makes sense. It's powerful enough to really make good use of a cranked amp and push a preamp along, but not at the expense of all this compression that just blurs the dynamics. I had some pretty hot pickups before and regardless of your touch or even the amp's settings, the sound would be the same. Got old quickly! You won't feel a compromise in horsepower with these, but you will have tons of dynamic range to play with.
It seems like your ear is maturing and you are appreciating what your personal touch brings to the table. This pickup is perfect for low to medium gain situations (and great for high gain), where you can really make use of a touch sensitive rig. Gotta love it! This thing splits really, well, too. It does the tele bridge thing very well, in fact, and is substantially quieter in split mode than either of the single coils in the neck in middle are naturally.
-
Well Ill definitely try it. Just to look for a single coil set, now lol. I just don't want anything to complex: wiring wise!
-
Go for the Apaches if you want a little more juice - and it's still a perfect match to the Abraxas. Don't fear the wiring! I can help you once you figure out what you want.
-
Go for the Apaches if you want a little more juice - and it's still a perfect match to the Abraxas. Don't fear the wiring! I can help you once you figure out what you want.
I always wanted something like the Dimarzio Cruisers, and Tim used to recommend the Slow Hands for that before the Cobras came out. But he recommended the 250k pots for Abraxas/Cobra/Cobra. But if I'm honest, I'm scared of sacrificing that harmonic goodness and cut with 500k pots. Never questioned Tim's advice, and he assured me it would cut. But it was a quick combo, and my Silo is quite dark-ish
-
It's all good - you can use a 500k pot and tie a resistor to ground from your switch, so when you select the single coils, they only see 250K. That's what I did.
-
You got any diagrams? Just so I have a better idea? When my guitar comes back from my tech I'm like: (insert Sherlock Holmes) lol
-
Try this :) https://guitarmodology.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/hss-strat-mod-humbucker-sees-500k-and-the-single-coils-see-250k/ (https://guitarmodology.wordpress.com/2014/01/11/hss-strat-mod-humbucker-sees-500k-and-the-single-coils-see-250k/)
-
Cheers :)
Have you got a link to all the recordings with Venners? I've been on your Soundcloud, but I'm just asking so I know which ones to look for :) Would be greatly appreciated :)
-
No worries.
Ok - this one shows off the Abraxas bridge in Split mode and also the Veneer separately. The neck Veneer can be heard coming in on the second verses as the answer to the split Abraxas' question. The solo at the end is the neck veneer. https://soundcloud.com/frankdesalvo/the-april-narrative
If you want to hear what the Abraxas sounds like blended with a heavily overdriven veneer, then this is your ticket: https://soundcloud.com/frankdesalvo/dirt-road
-
Listeing to them now, so will comment on my next post. But are you a fan of Neal Schon? Just wanted to ask before I asked something else :)
-
Ha, I don't know a self-respecting rock enthusiast who isn't a fan of Schon! His tones still haunt me to this day and he was one of the few guitarists responsible for inspiring me to play in the first place!
-
Them songs are awesome btw. Loving the playing :) I've listened to the Veneer track from your earlier post. Was it a backing track? I'm sure I've jammed along to it on Google
-
Thanks, man. That better not be a backing track lol! That's my music!
-
I love the song "Late Night", but I think the album "Voice" is amazing. Just the song "My heart will go on" is such heart-felt. That's what I find myself to look in my playing. It's the way the notes decay at his own control. But they retain that bright PAF quality, that I really don't think you understand until you realise PAF output style pickups give you that control a lot better
EDIT: I do apologise, I play to so many backings that I thought it mightve been. Prob coz I listened to that track about 10 times last night haha
-
Ha, I'll take that as a compliment!
Dude - I'm telling you the Abraxas will take you there! It is so expressive in that way - all those songs you listed are easily within reach its reach.
-
Ha, I'll take that as a compliment!
Dude - I'm telling you the Abraxas will take you there! It is so expressive in that way - all those songs you listed are easily within reach its reach.
Don't worry it is a compliment. And I'm actually thinking more of adding the Abraxas combo to my ESP Eclipse which has a Floyd now. Was going to kit it out with an HD?Emerald combo, but I'm starting to hear tone in the way it feels, as to the way it sounds now.
-
Ha I was just messin with you.
You nailed it - tone is also in the touch!
I also have this same setup in my G&L Legacy hss (alder). Unlike the Tele I have that has a fixed bridge and a mahogany body, the Legacy has a floating trem. The pickups sound great here as well! No doubt it will fare well in your other guitar.
I have the HD bridge in my otger Strat, a mahogany contraption with a tune-o-matic bridge and fat neck. The tone is way more compressed and not nearly as touch sensitive. It also doesn't split nearly as well as the Abraxas. It has no sparkle in split mode. It is good for juiced up rock, but so is the Abraxas and it does so much more at the same time. I did hear that the Emerlad sounds quite good. I can't comment on it personally.
-
Ha I was just messin with you.
You nailed it - tone is also in the touch!
I also have this same setup in my G&L Legacy hss (alder). Unlike the Tele I have that has a fixed bridge and a mahogany body, the Legacy has a floating trem. The pickups sound great here as well! No doubt it will fare well in your other guitar.
I have the HD bridge in my otger Strat, a mahogany contraption with a tune-o-matic bridge and fat neck. The tone is way more compressed and not nearly as touch sensitive. It also doesn't split nearly as well as the Abraxas. It has no sparkle in split mode. It is good for juiced up rock, but so is the Abraxas and it does so much more at the same time. I did hear that the Emerlad sounds quite good. I can't comment on it personally.
Well I'll kit out my guitar with the Abraxas combo and will do a Neal Schon cover. Any particular song you like from his solo albums?
-
Man, I dig his style in general - Lately, I'm really digging, "Love Finds a Way" and "Exotica". For his older stuff - "I'll Cover You" and almost anything off of that album is amazing. He's one of those rare instrumentalists that doesn't seem to be capable of creating a bad or weak song. I love this excerpt from an article I read:
"Steve Perry told The Pulse Of Radio that upon first hearing Neal Schon play, he recognized not only a kindred spirit — but the missing link to his creative fulfillment. "I just simply said, 'If I was ever, in my life gonna be successful as a singer; I gotta get a guitar player that plays like this, ‘cause this guy's gonna kick my ass to sing better than I probably ever could without him' — and that's exactly what happened,"
Ha I was just messin with you.
You nailed it - tone is also in the touch!
I also have this same setup in my G&L Legacy hss (alder). Unlike the Tele I have that has a fixed bridge and a mahogany body, the Legacy has a floating trem. The pickups sound great here as well! No doubt it will fare well in your other guitar.
I have the HD bridge in my otger Strat, a mahogany contraption with a tune-o-matic bridge and fat neck. The tone is way more compressed and not nearly as touch sensitive. It also doesn't split nearly as well as the Abraxas. It has no sparkle in split mode. It is good for juiced up rock, but so is the Abraxas and it does so much more at the same time. I did hear that the Emerlad sounds quite good. I can't comment on it personally.
Well I'll kit out my guitar with the Abraxas combo and will do a Neal Schon cover. Any particular song you like from his solo albums?
-
That's a great comment about him. Are you a fan of Neil Zaza btw?
-
I'm not familiar with him
-
I'm not familiar with him
If you like Neil Schon, and he died... he's like the resurrection. There's plenty of songs, but here's a song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC-m1Smhup4
-
I really appreciate you sharing that. I had no idea this guy existed!
-
I really appreciate you sharing that. I had no idea this guy existed!
If you like that song (you'll see the feel is the same as Schon), check out Baroque Sky, it's so simple, but amazing :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j42-Glljhi0
-
I really love his style. Awesome touch and great tone and feel.
-
I really love his style. Awesome touch and great tone and feel.
Definitely. If you have Spotify, check out his stuff. I can listen through his entire discography and not get bored, And then start again. His touch and feel is amazing. He's a huge Neal Schon fan, and you can tell the influence rubs off. It's just a shame Neil doesn't get as much credit
-
Sweet Carvin, I think?
Yah I think once Neil let Steve Perry go, he lost a bit of his base. I can't imagine why Neil would fall off the map, so to speak. Sweet find, though. I'm gonna buy his stuff. Sadly, when your music is streamed, you only get such a small percentage. I think its like $.01 per spin (ask how I know!). I hope that my contribution will at least buy this guy a burger lol.
-
Oh man if this doesn't make u smile, you have no soul! Great restraint!
http://youtu.be/QadSVWXF_ks
-
Oh man if this doesn't make u smile, you have no soul! Great restraint!
http://youtu.be/QadSVWXF_ks
OMG, I was going to send you this, but if you get more into Neil Zaza, you'll realise he's killed this song to death. It's an earlier song, but he still keeps living by this song and not letting it being a classic. 20 years later he's still demoing this song every chance he gets. It'd be like the Sweet Child of Mine intro constantly being shoved in your face by Slash. That's my only negative point about Zaza. Not saying the song is bad...he just has so many songs he could be showing off. I remember learning this when I first discovered him. It's probably hard to explain. But another example is: Imagine Neal Schon always showing off the solo to "Don't stop believing" It doesn't undermind the solo...but you'd get annoyed of it wouldn't you? This song is Zaza's dont stop believing solo. I wish he would promote another song haha
-
Lmao! Haha I had no idea.
-
Lmao! Haha I had no idea.
Seriously, listen to his stuff for about 6 months, and get back to me! haha. You'll realise it keeps sneaking up on you. For years it's always been posts about new versions of it, new tabs, new live versions, new demos on guitars. Great song nonetheless. But he is just so much more than that song. Again its like asking if someone likes Neal Schon, and they ask: who? And you say he's Journey's guitar player. Then people immediately think of Don't stop Believing, not really understanding that he's an insane guitar player behind the scenes.
-
Man that's funny as hell. I literally just about choked laughing when I read that!
-
Hope I've not said something bad haha