VHII, 8 String, Kemper high gain... HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

[neuk01642]

Hey All
Been a while.
So Ive just had both of 8 strings upgraded with BKP pick ups. Juggernauts in my 28" maple board and VHIIs in my 30" ebony board. Both the-neck.

I'm also using a Kemper (I know, sorry, but space, variation and the fact that I hadn't won the lottery to enable me to buy a bigger how to house the absolute mountain of tube heads meant my little green box was the only way to go).

I'm trying to dial in a tight, controlled but properly aggressive 'modern' metal tone for the VHIIs. I like mids, not a massive fan of scooped. Problem is I just get a MASSIVE amount of hiss in the decay when the gain gets above a certain level. It's in the decay on the note and it's gain related. Not talking about electrical interference or noise, this isn't 60 cycle hum, this is a frequency or frequencies the are adding masses of his to the tone. So I just can't get a solid, high gain tone without it descending into a mass of his which is killing any string definition.

Anyone had similar issues with VHII's (I know they;re bright, I bought them specifically for that reason to balance out the hefty bottom end on the 8 string), with high gain on a Kemper/Fractal and got any ideas as to how it can be dialled out?

Thanks

Matt

[Dave Sloven]

You're not experiencing this problem on the Juggernaut guitar?

[neuk01642]

I don't think to the extent of the VHII although I was thinking about that and it warrants further investigation because if it's there on them then it's a Kemper/rig/set up issue and I need to investigate that some more and I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't there. So will check that out this evening.

I genuinely don't think there's an issue with the pick ups simply that I haven't stubbled across the right brew of EQ and rig set up yet, but just wondered if anyone had experienced this and had any thoughts.

I'm also aware that the VHII isn't the first choice for an 8 string (I've just been told off by BKP when I emailed in to see if they had any suggestions and was told that I might be expecting the pick up to do something it wasn't mean to), but it had so many of the characteristics I was looking for to combat 8 string flubbiness, lower output, controlled bass, good treble output and more classic construction.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Told off?
That is a surprise...

Be interesting to know if the Juggs in the blonde Agile does it

[neuk01642]

So update:

I've tinkered and fiddled and played and fiddled some more and got the balance just about bang on.

There was a health amount of fizz going on the Juggs as well and that took me back to the Kemper.
Re EQ'd everything a few hundred times with recording and digesting time in the middle and got there. The fizz is still there but its now part of the decay of the gain as opposed to the only thing you can hear.
I also, after much back and forth on the Kemper forum sorted out and issue with the cab IR's I was using which, due to a function on the Kemper, were being mangled and having all the frequency responses truncated so the high end was trying to cram all the detail into a much shorter frequency range and it sounded shocking. That is now sorted and I have two really aggressive growling guitars.

I had to play with a pre EQ on the VHii's to beef up the mids and tame the top end a touch but they are superb sounding. Really clarity and they 'metal' really really well.

Probably still two fizzy for some tastes but I've got it so it doesn't sound like a Metal Zone anymore....