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Author Topic: Irish tours question  (Read 3637 times)

Tonewolf

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Irish tours question
« on: April 29, 2006, 03:23:43 PM »
I'm trying to nail the tone in the SRV tune "Lenny".  All of it... Including the part near the end where he cuts to the bridge pickup and gets that major honk.  

A:  Will The tours get me that sound from the bridge  or do I need something else?

B:  If I go with the non-RWRP middle would that bring out more quack in this set?  I assume that would be an order of 2 neck pickups and a bridge to make a set? or is a [calibrated set] better?

TwilightOdyssey

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Irish tours question
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2006, 04:37:34 PM »
Good question. I don't know the answer, myself, as I'm not really a single coil player (even tho I have an Irish Tour in the neck of one guitar). Looking forward to the answer to this one!!

March

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Irish tours question
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2006, 02:22:13 AM »
It's an interesting question to attempt to answer.

My instinct would be to say no. The Irish Tours are superb at capturing the SRV tone in full flow and will certainly get you into the ballpark, but his 'Lenny' tone is very different to his 'Pride & Joy', 'Scuttle Buttin', tones.

Accepted wisdom these days suggests that the pickups in SRV's number one were not over wound, but a number of factors (heavy strings, tuning a half step down, playing extremely loud and above all - his fingers) created that larger than life Strat tone SRV is remembered for.

However, Lenny, a Strat named after his wife 'Lenora' was strung with lighter strings and was employed on the more subtle tracks that SRV recorded such as 'Lenny' and Riviera Paradise. It also featured a maple neck (the rosewood one having been switched for one given to him by Billy Gibbons), possibly brightening the tonal signature of the instrument.

With this in mind, I would recommend looking at something like the Sultans.

To be honest, the tones SRV got with Lenny are probably my personal favourites amongst the myriad of monster Strat tones SRV commited to tape.
VHII's, Nailbomb's & Irish Tours :-)

Bird

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Irish tours question
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2006, 05:31:44 AM »
I thought the Lenny strat was a prototype Hendrix model or something. I'll have to do some digging to find the article.
"Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny." Frank Zappa

blue

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Irish tours question
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2006, 05:43:20 AM »
why can't you get a stratish sound and rock away from there?  do you need to sound exactly like srv?  why not just get a strat sound that you're happy with, then get the stevie ray tunes?  he loved hendrix, but he playedd jimi's tunes with his own sound rather than trying to sound exactly the same.  i'm sorry, but i just don't get this whole idea of trying to sound exactly like someone else.  this is why i have trouble picking bkp's to buy, i'm trying to sound like me, not anyone else

the names of the pickups are great for giving you a ballpark for the kind of sound they'll give, but like, it takes more than just a pickup to sound just like anyone.  i think most of you'll agree, it's mostly in the fingers.

give santana hank marvin's strat, he'll still sound like santana.   give slash vai's jem, he'll still sound like slash.  and that's before we talk about amps and effects.
cry HAVOC!! and let slip the pigs of war!!!

Tonewolf

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Don't get me wrong...
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2006, 01:56:53 PM »
I'm not Stevie and don't have his fingers.  I'm not trying to [be] him tonewise but like the tone I hear from this song.  I do however play with 12's on the Strat I've put together.  I've had this Strat for some time now.  It has a Rosewood neck with a swamp ash body.  The neck and body resonate quite more than my Telecaster and the sustain is excellent [unplugged].  This is my first Strat and I bought it without pickups so I'm going in a bit blind [deaf] on this one.  The bridge is a modern type and it's setup currently with 3 trem springs.

The samples in the players forum for the Irish Tours are the tone I'm after for the neck and middle, however the bridge tone in the song "Lenny" best describes what I'd like to get out of my guitar's bridge.  I can play this song on my Telecaster and get close enough on the whole tune except for that part.  It has Vintage 1952 style pickups in it but the bridge is not right for this song.  Also the Tremolo Bar on the Strat would sound more authentic when covering this and other songs where it's required [easier].  

Also...
I'm not buying these pickups for just one song either but like that tone in the bridge.  The best I can describe it is more Honk than a normal bridge pickup.  It's very violin like.  Listen to the song and near the end the tone for the bridge is completely different than the rest of the song.

If I can get this tone by adjusting the tone knob or any other way let me know.  It's just that this is the tone that I am after in my head for this guitar.

Am I making sense on this topic?

everton_fc

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Irish tours question
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2006, 04:41:29 PM »
dude just by a set of irish tours and rock it out..... i did and loved 'em... but have sinced switched to a set of apaches and love em more... Just by BKP and enjoy...

lifted

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hey
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2006, 08:25:31 PM »
Everton, i would like to know what you like more about the Apaches, cause i can't decide over ITs Or Apaches for neck and middle.  I agree with ToneWolf that that bridge honk is inspiring, but  Right now i am more concerned with cleans like Riviera & Lenny and I think both can do it.  I just need the deciding factor, like present cut trough mids, but softer sounding if that makes sense.

Tone Wolf  to my ears for the bridge it seems easier than my Question to answer your Q.  I would go for Apache for bridge  Its more vintage.
Irish Tour/ Mule Set,    Apache Set... in Strats .... Nailbomb Bridge,Cold Sweat Neck in Ibanez S540

JamesHealey

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Irish tours question
« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2006, 12:59:51 PM »
the Irish Tours clean up really well im pretty sure they'd do the tone your after and they have plenty of honk to boot.

Blues man Dan

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Irish tours question
« Reply #9 on: May 11, 2006, 09:59:13 PM »
I just got an irish tour (bridge position) in the post today, wired it in and what a pickup, through my really old no name amp, it sounds bloody excellent. I'm more of a Rory Gallagher esque player but seriously, this pickup does the business. Buy one, or buy a whole set!
'To be a rock and not to roll'