Steve Vai's vibe

[DagleBee]

hello , people . I was just listening some Steve Vai . I know what pickups he uses and what guitar , but i want more than that . So , any ideas which pickups can duplicate that sound in an LP style , a Srat style ( i was thinking , maybe , a Jackson JS 32 Dka with maple fingerboard or something similar-but tell me what you have in mind) and an in between let's say PRS (i saw that a lot of people use this kind of guitars ) . Let's discuss ! :)

      my first thought : Cold Sweat for the Lp
                                  Holydiver for the Strat type
                                  C-bomb for a PRS style guitar


   Don't bite my head of....I have no idea how a PRS style guitar feels :) 
                                 

[Archlute]

Not trying to sound like a jerk here, but I don't think you'll be getting too many replies on this for two reasons:

1) if you "want more than that" then, fundamentally, you want something other than Vai's tone.

2) Steve plays a particular rig for a particular sound. Sure, much of one's tone is in their technique, but if he's using an alder body superstrat JEM w. EVOs through an EL34 amp, and someone wants to get his sound through, say, a mahogany guitar w. a shorter scale, different pickups and an EL84 based amp, I really can't see why they're even trying.

You're first going to have to define what "more than that" means, and then folk here may be in a better position to help you.

[DagleBee]

First , we're not nailing that tone ....we're creating the vibe....we're discussing ( even if that's possible or not) . Of course Steve has it's own technique and even if we play the same rig we are going to sound different ,but why not try to put ourselves in the same ballpark . And since we all own different guitars I think we'll save some money if we find a pickup that  gets us close with no instrument changing . Maybe there are people out there who can't afford a new guitar and desire that sound

"more than that" refers to the pickups . Some of BK pups are a natural rival to the other famous pickups ( like a JB , Dirty fingers , burstbuckers and so on ..) . As I read on the forum a lot of the BK products outstand the competition by offering the same vibe with less to none problems . AND "more than that " has another specific part : to enlarge the discussion .....because we're talking different guitars , different scales and it's more than just choosing one pickup that has Vai's flavor . Sorry if I was ambiguous .

[DagleBee]

let's focus on his EVO guitar so that we could have a solid basis from where to start :)

[Archlute]

Hmmm, if you're talking about creating Vai's "vibe" that's a completely diff discussion that no amount of gear tweaking is going to get you.  Any musician's vibe comes from a combination of his soul, influences, ear, and attitude.   I was just at his Story of Light tour this past year, and it didn't matter if he was playing his Evo guitar, his Ultrazone guitar, or his crazy hand-painted SSS detuned strat that he plays for Gravity Storm - he sounds like Steve Vai.

I think folk talking gear for getting in the tonal ballpark of another musician is profitable, but trying to tackle a musician's vibe with gear choices is a non-starter.

[Kiichi]

I will not echo much of what was already said. You seem to know what you are in for, which is insane, but I also get what you mean (or I hope so).

So for a Steve Vai esque sound you will likely want a ceramic bridge. Usually I would say Miracle Man, but in a LP maybe the brighter brother, the CS, which also would do a great fluent neck pickup for vai styles.

That are my quick thoughts.

[DagleBee]

kiichi , I'm glad you shared some thoughts . The CS was also my first choice for a LP .  Now we're getting somewhere :)

 Everybody is encouraged to jump in :)

[darkbluemurder]

Vai's tone to me is more the Nailbomb than the Holydiver.

[Kiichi]

Nailbomb can also do a great Vai tone and should also work in a LP.

Problem really is that he has so many pickups as well. That leads to the Miracle Man, Coldsweat, and Nailbomb coming to mind quick. Heck, the new Gravity Storm sound made me think of the Crawler. Also the Aftermath neck can not be dismissed....etc.

[Dave Sloven]

For versatility in an LP for rock or metal the Cold Sweat set is hard to beat, and it sounds like you could get a Vai thing happening with it.

[DagleBee]

there is a Crawler vibe in there , but i don't know how good the Crawler sings /screams . I've heard so many good things about the Crawler that I want a superstrat with a Crawler in the bridge :)  Oh, and I also discovered that I have GAS :))))

[Kiichi]

there is a Crawler vibe in there , but i don't know how good the Crawler sings /screams . I've heard so many good things about the Crawler that I want a superstrat with a Crawler in the bridge :)  Oh, and I also discovered that I have GAS :))))

Imho bright superstrat plus Crawler into the right amp is just Gravity Storm. It also is a lot more. I think Steve Vai said something among the lines of "Make it a thunderstorm of a chocolate fudge sunday" when talking about the new sound. And the Crawler can do that. Thick, growly, warm, with an edge, and just alive. The high gain open sounding amp with a good bit of compression outside the distortion also does a lot there me thinks.

However I would not put it into a LP for that effect at all, same as a CS in a superstrat would not be something I would say most of the time.

[DagleBee]

yeah , i figured that a Crawler won't work well (in my opinion and for my taste ) with a LP as a Cs won't work well with a bright strat or any strat as far as I'm concerned :)

[Alex]

I don't know which Vai some people are talking about here, but his trademark JEM + Evolution sound would be best achieved with a Juggernaut in a LP. In a Superstrat some other pickups might work as well, but I would say Juggernaut as well. The Evolution pickup is really tight and a bit scratchy on the top end, it needs a player to be very precise. It's also quite hot. The Juggernaut would be closest. The Nailbomb wouldn't be a bad fit either.

Vai has been playing FLO a lot in the last years, the guitar with PAF-style pickups. I would recommend VHII or Blackdogs for this. I wouldn't be able to pinpoint any recordings where he has used the Breed pickups though; part of my suspects this is just something DiMarzio wanted him to put his name on so they could boost sales. The new gravity storm is a pickup that has not been featured on any of his recordings (not even on the song with the same name). Again, one wonders if this is just something DiMarzio is trying to sell.

Of course Vai has also used many other guitars in the study (one that comes to mind a lot is an Explorer her used for rhythm tracks on Fire Garden). I feel most of his sounds can be achieved between a high output/tight metal pickup and a PAF style pickup.

[DagleBee]

WOOOOOOOOOOW :) thanks . That was some serious info .

I asked myself the same thing ....about the Gravity Storm . I somehow doubt jugg's ability to have a stingy top end ( scratchy ) ...but since i don't know many about that pickup , a close look is mandatory :)