Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: _tom_ on January 27, 2007, 07:57:54 PM
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I think the tone I was using in the Van Halen clip the other day is more suited to this kinda stuff, sounds much better to me :D
Only learnt this yesterday so its still a bit rough around the edges but I'm pretty pleased, it took me ages to get the solo like it is :lol: Doesnt help that the Charvel has a sticky nut (ooh I say) which means re-tuning after every take, need to get that sorted.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=493678&songID=4933618
Its weird, the singles in the Charvel sound pretty good through the V-Amp for smooth leads but when using them through my Laney they sound weak and thin :? Will hopefully be getting neck trilogy soon anyway though :twisted:
Oh, and I'm hopefully joining a new cover band soon doing some better stuff than the previous one - set list includes some Maiden (hence my learning of this!), Deep Purple, Zeppelin, GnR etc, should be fun :)
edit - just noticed the harmony sounds out of tune :( Intonation must need adjusting because it was in perfect tune on the tuner..
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nice! yeah, that tone does suit maiden better.
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good stuff!!
how long have you been playing?
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I think around 6-7 ish years now, not good enough for that time in my opinion :lol: Only really started concentrating on lead playing about 3 years into playing though, I used to only be into simple stuff :P
Cheers
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heh i've owned a guitar about 5 years now, but i've never been able to get into really practicing :(
too much time spent researching and fiddling with gear (looks at Crazy Joe :P)
id be VERY happy with myself if i played even half as good as most of the players on here :)
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I cant sit and practise to a metronome or go through scales, that kinda stuff. Its just so boring to me, so I decided I might as well just try to play songs above my level of comfort or whatever you'd call it. Will eventually get round to trying to learn the 2nd half of the solo to this song, wont be easy though I bet.
I admit I spend way too much time on forums reading about gear, when I should be playing :lol: Explains my high post count, although theres some people on Harmony Central with post counts over around 65,000 :o
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Sounds great. :)
Where did you get the backing track from (always looking for a good source of these)?
Muttley
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Thanks :)
www.guitarbt.com isnt bad but it seems to be really slow for me at the minute. Theres loads on www.guitars101.com and www.guitarblast.com
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Great stuff, the tone was good and so was the playing :D
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Nice tone Tom!
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heh, I was lucky that I didn't discover internet guitar forums until I'd already been playing for about 4 or 5 years...
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Well I reckon guitar forums have saved me a lot of money. I wouldnt know half as much as I do about guitars/gear without em.
Anyway, if anyone is bothered there was another backing jam thread on harmony central, I got a pretty nice tone from position 2 on the Charvel, which is neck and middle together. Playing is ok in some parts but kinda repetetive.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=493678&songID=4940453
edit - another quick little instrumental thing here. I love singles!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=493678&songID=4941231
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^ heh, i meant from the practising point of view. I got a good few years in before I wasted all my practising time on the net, lol (though a lot of the time I was at uni all week with no guitar :( )
i dunno about saving me money. I'd say it's cost me a lot of money, but the advantage is that I actually have kit that I like now. I'm never afraid to pay for stuff if it's good. It's being conned out of almost as much money for cr@p that I don't like, lol.
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thats good stuff fo sho _tom_, maybe needs some,hmmmm Painkillers to NAIL it though ;)
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Thanks nick :)
Well Tim recommended me a Crawler for the bridge position, I've not really liked many Crawler clips I've heard though and it seems more of a fat bluesy rock pickup than screaming hard rock and metal.. then again Tim does know his stuff obviously.
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indeed he does.
However (depending how you phrased the question to him) even he told me the PK is NWOBHM in a box. And to me thats Maiden 2 a T.
But, then NOT owning a Crawler I cannot comment :)
Ooh, forgot, well nearly, again, Tim told me the PK testing was done on a LP and a MusicMan, just sharing.
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Well heres what I put in my email to Tim -
"Also, when I replace the bridge pickup what would you suggest to go with the singles? I dont want it too hot, but loads of harmonics, not overly bright/harsh (the guitar is quite bright when played unplugged) and big (not scooped) midrange. Was thinking either a VHII, Holy Diver or Crawler. This guitar is mostly for hard rock and older metal (like I said in my first message - think Dio, Lynch, Whitesnake, Priest, Maiden, Van Halen etc)."
Perhaps it was "dont want it too hot" that made him steer me away from a 'killer?
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from that bud it would be my guess exactly.
Course cannot read Tim's mind, but he is a busy guy and you saying that may have made him shy away.
I don't think they are too HOT btw. They are very 'tameable' imo and cut well.
But u know what pups I have so what am basing my thoughts with.
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^ heh, you and your super-powered pickups, nick.
:drink:
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lolll.
what i dont understand though is, which seems to be a fundamental question to ask yourself when choosing any pickup, is:
is it better to have a slightly lower output pickup and get any required gain from the amp/any pedals e.t.c....
or to go for a higher output pup and not work the amp/pedals particularly hard?
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^ they sound a little different, sam (at least they do from my experience).
a high powered pickup into a lower gain amp will sound a little different than a lower powered pickup into a higher gain amp, basically.
it'll get you the same amount of gain, but the tone and vibe will be a little different.
you really have to try it to see which you prefer, lol.
EDIT: of course, you can just put super-high powered pickups into a high gain rig like nick does and kill everyone. that works too, and sounds amazing (assuming you aren't a jazzer, lol).
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:lol: :lol: :lol:
yer i getcha...
see this is why pickup choices are so nit-picky...
Tom could choose between a crawler (using more gain from the amp e.t.c) or something like a holydiver which would rely more on the pickup..
so much stuff to take into consideration! AGH!
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not entirely sure 'hotness' of pickup is what it's about here. The tone is more my thinking.
Windings create different tones/thickness etc. and the amp does the rest.
I would garner some guess (esp. now owning some) thats why alot of folks like EMG's. Sure there are differnt types (though not too many) but they are more sterile and therefore the tone is abit more AMP.
The thing with pups like Tim's is he sprinkles 'character dust' on em and gives em more flavor.
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mm i see i see...
that would appear to be a good thing when your using a Knucklehead and a Boogie... lol....
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Sam
if the Flat Head did'nt come wired with EMG's I prolly never would have known and be jonesing for some BKPs for it.
As is it's a Custom Shop so I kinda hate to rip it up and I actually dig the EMG's right now.
And yeah, in a way the AMP's are shining through more.
It's like I mostly say. K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid. Putting a more sterile pup into the equation means I can concentrate more on amp and pedal tweaking as it where.
Dunno, but variety is nice anyway.
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yer it seems like a good idea/theory.
but i guess the only downside/catch to the whole thing is that youd have to be realllllllly happy with your amps tone.
but like you said, variety is good in the end. so you having the EMGs is just another tool at your disposal.
hmm.
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Sam my lil impetuous friend, are you STILL not got 'amp satisfaction'? Sheesh.
Whattaya doin'?
Ya got an Engl and a EQ, whats NOT to like?
And, I am not digging the Rivera most the time so NAH :P
Cos, it HAS to be cranked to really GRIND, and @ 50w thats hard (as ya know with your 'ooh they r so squidgy' conquest eons ago).
The Mesa is way easier to coax at lower levels.
Thus an attenuator (eek) is needed at some point.
Till then, I have a devious new GAS plan that shall be completed, esp. due to my Dual Country/Dual Voltage woes :)
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Well now I think about it, I dont know if a hot pickup is what I want. The j90c in my charvel is pretty hot, around 16k dc resistance apparently and it sounds kinda "mushy" on the bass compared to my LP with mules (which have half the dc resistance). The Mules dont sound quieter though, just clearer and tighter with more of a "vintage" tone if that even means anything.
As they're around the same output, I was originally thinking VHII, but thought it may be too bright and raw but it was made to be played in a superstrat (I assume) so who knows.. I loved the VHIIs in a PRS at music live a couple of years ago but thats totally different to a strat!
Any rate, I cant even afford BK's for a while as I really need a new hotplate, I'm missing having one after re-wiring my cab properly to 16 ohm (before I was running my amp 8 ohms into 4 ohms cab without realising :lol: )
Might have to go LGS this year to have a go with various pickups and meet some people from this forum :)
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not entirely sure 'hotness' of pickup is what it's about here. The tone is more my thinking.
Windings create different tones/thickness etc. and the amp does the rest.
I would garner some guess (esp. now owning some) thats why alot of folks like EMG's. Sure there are differnt types (though not too many) but they are more sterile and therefore the tone is abit more AMP.
The thing with pups like Tim's is he sprinkles 'character dust' on em and gives em more flavor.
yeah, that's what I meant as well.
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Well now I think about it, I dont know if a hot pickup is what I want. The j90c in my charvel is pretty hot, around 16k dc resistance apparently and it sounds kinda "mushy" on the bass compared to my LP with mules (which have half the dc resistance). The Mules dont sound quieter though, just clearer and tighter with more of a "vintage" tone if that even means anything.
As they're around the same output, I was originally thinking VHII, but thought it may be too bright and raw but it was made to be played in a superstrat (I assume) so who knows.. I loved the VHIIs in a PRS at music live a couple of years ago but thats totally different to a strat!
Any rate, I cant even afford BK's for a while as I really need a new hotplate, I'm missing having one after re-wiring my cab properly to 16 ohm (before I was running my amp 8 ohms into 4 ohms cab without realising :lol: )
Might have to go LGS this year to have a go with various pickups and meet some people from this forum :)
heh, that could be part of it, also the mules might just be much better pickups. I'm not helping, am I? :lol:
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Yeah well obviously the Mules do sound better (well to me they do).. the J90C sounds flatter and with less harmonics/richness. Cant really explain it but I'll try to do a comparison clip tomorrow, although my mic'ing situation still isnt amazing (SM57 straight into cheap dell soundcard).
Anyway for the time being I'm gonna try my SD Custom Custom which I have in my strat copy in the Charvel, as its made for brighter guitars apparently, and my strat copy is actually a pretty dark/dull guitar unplugged. Just need some extra 4 conductor wire as the SD wire is too short to reach the pots in the Charvel.
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Sam my lil impetuous friend, are you STILL not got 'amp satisfaction'? Sheesh.
Whattaya doin'?
Ya got an Engl and a EQ, whats NOT to like?
And, I am not digging the Rivera most the time so NAH :P
Cos, it HAS to be cranked to really GRIND, and @ 50w thats hard (as ya know with your 'ooh they r so squidgy' conquest eons ago).
The Mesa is way easier to coax at lower levels.
Thus an attenuator (eek) is needed at some point.
Till then, I have a devious new GAS plan that shall be completed, esp. due to my Dual Country/Dual Voltage woes :)
haha i get scared whenever you have any sort of new plan...
:lol:
but anyway, i do have amp satisfaction lol... its just... i dunno.. the EMGs are just sliiiiiiiiightly not there... theyre almost there... but just.... its like theyre climbing a wall in one of those army exercises... but they just cant quiiite make it over the top...
but the colonel still gives them a pat on the back for trying...
kinda thing...
if you understand what im saying? lol
:? :lol:
i dunno...
and the MXR is too confusing in conjunction with the ENGL... i cant seem to get it where i want it to sound... with the Hughes and Kettner it was a doddle... but for some reason i can never dial in the tone i want with the ENGL... ugh!
anyway... sorry... MAJOR thread hijack... :oops: :oops:
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Percy Veer yung Sam, percy veer.
The Engl has a great tone IMO and with the EQ, just play around and do'nt get so frustrated.
Tweaking takes time and can be a pain. Take a whole session setting it up (no playing guitar), just tweaking the settings :)
BTW, have got the EQ in the loop right?
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yes in the loop indeed.
and i shall try. i promise. lol.
it just takes so much patience!
dont suppose you have a photographic memory and are able to remember your screamer settings? :lol:
on a serious note though- the mixing pot on back.... to switch between the wet/dry signal of the loop... did you utilise that much?
and tom- i was talking to Steve on here the other day, and he was saying that he much prefers lower output humbuckers (mules being one of his favourites) because they tend to be much clearer and more distinct... so maybe something similarly 'low-gain' like the mules would still be the optimum choice...?
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Sam, mix the signal, wet to dry, as in how much effect is used.
And my settings help ye not less ya want 'my' tone :)
As said before, V is norm 'scooped', maybe work from there :)
Basically, mids r in da middle so gives ya an idea how to move the sliders.
But TRUST me, NO pro gets 'his' tone in seconds to start with. It takes tweaking patience, just cont. till ya get whats in ya ed :)
Failing that, sell The Engl and buy another amp to play with LOL ;)
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lol! :lol: gawd i've had enough of gear switching... i dont wanna step into another guitar shop, or look at another review website for at LEAST a few days. :lol:
but yer i shall take heed of your advice.
ive got the house to myself until about 6pm tomorrow night so ill give it a thorough test then, and ill TRY to be patient lol.
shall let you know how it goes!
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Sam, perhaps just take the EQ out of the loop to simplify your setup a bit?
I was using my Behringer eq (although thats not as good as an mxr obviously) in the loop and got sick of tweaking - decided not to bother anymore and I've been happy since ;) Worth a go and means theres less cr@p which can affect your tone!
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haha yer thats exactly what ive resorted to a lot recently.
mainly because im so impatient and generally BAD at tweaking that i just get frustrated and give up.
the annoying thing is i can sense that there are good tones in there that could compliment the ENGL... but i just cant quite get them...
i'll give it a huge mass-tweak session tomorrow and if nothing pays off then it may have to be bye-bye to mr EQ... we shall see.
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got an overdrive Sam?
Maybe PUSH the front end with that, iffin ya lookin for more tube saturation that is.
The EMG's SHOULD drive hard but a lil help never goes amiss :)
You DO have a battery in don't ya?
<-------- runs and hides ;)
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haha! run and hide you should! you cheeky bugger!
i may be horrifically uncultured and down-right stupid when it comes to amps and cabs.... but im intelligent enough to be able to install a simple AA battery into a..... wait.... :o ... what battery does it need?!....
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only joking! of course i have a bloody battery in it! :lol:
and yer i have thought about an overdrive for some time now.
they are pushing it... but its just all a bit fizzy... too much treble dialled in by me i think... so then i cut the treble some... and then its too muddy.... can never get the right balance...
so did seriously consider an overdrive... to just add the clarity without having to pile on loads of treble... ?
ughhh
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^lol just realised... my description makes it sound like sh*t.... lol...
im not saying its bad... im just saying i cant quiite get it where i want it.
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just play around with it mate.
And iffin got NO od, ya can do worse (for alot more money) than a Digitech Bad Monkey.
Look at it this way, iffin that don't work and ya get frustrated ya can always 'Spank ya monkey' titter ;)
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Sam if its too muddy when taking down treble, up the mids first. If that doesnt work cut a little bass.. oh and crankage is essential to smooth out valve amps, at least in my experience.
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:lol: :lol:
yer nick- i saw someone else mention them on here... i'll check em out a bit later
and tom- i shall give that a go tomorrow.
ive probably done all of this at some point, but all in such a hurry i never take not of anything.
ill specifically go through everything tomorrow.
cheers guys
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geez, emg's, overdrive + engl?
what is this, gain central? you're a bad influence, nick, my man! :lol:
EDIT: also, don't discount a clean boost, that can give you a slight boost, remain transparent, and still sound good.
From what I can remember from trying in the shops, for a smoother tone, I normally put the bass and mids around 7-9, and the treble around 3-4. presence low-ish (not over 5). that's for the two higher gain channels... hopefully the two cleaner channels still sound good at that.
then just increase whichever one of those is lacking (or vice versa for whichever is too strong). Engls are pretty easy to eq, the knobs normally do what they say.
Of course, as nick says, that'll get you my tone, not yours. Handiest thing to do is to just set everything to noon, and again increase or decrease as required. Also, only work on one knob at a time, so you can hear what it's doing to the sound.
I haven't used an EQ with my engl yet, I don't really need one. My guess is though that increasing the lower mids and taming the treble a little might work wonders for it. make it sound a little more like a mesa.