TELEBOY Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 i had read where a couple of players said the mere removal of a guitars tone pot made a noticable difference in their tone being a curious kinda guy in this type thing & looking for a "tone of my own" i took a strat knockoff of mine & stripped it including replacing the strat style switch with the little mini toggles it has the original sc at the neck an emg s1 in the middle duncan invader on the bridge i had been progressing to ever heavier string sets monitoring the differences in tone each time & each time hearing tone that is more to what i'm looking for to the point i have 12's w/wound 3rd's on most of my stuff at this time so on the stripped down strat i went to .014/.068's & tuned it standard to d i'm getting close to what i want this thing's a monster... wonderfully crisp, articulated lows that just roar when cranked but yet the highs are still quite bright & crisp the style of play i'm working on is raw gritty hot hard driving electric blues, also i'm intrigued with some of the rock a billy players and some of the road house rock players like lonnie mack anyone else into the tuned down HEAVY string thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 I always liked .014" through .059" strings- tuned to standard, concert-pitch ("E")- on flat-top acoustics... On electric, though, I favor .011" through .050" strings, tuned to standard, concert-pitch; wimpy compared to your set! I do tune and set-up one guitar to Open-D (D-A-D-F#-A-D, low-to-high), strings gauged .012" or .013" through .054" or .056", for rootsy-bluesy rock 'n' roll fingerstyle and slide... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 I'd loose the wound thirds and replace them with the same gauge solid thirds. Tunes better. I have a guitar with a switch that takes the volume/tone circuitry out of line. Great sound. You'd be surprised at how good the pickups sound with no pots or caps in the circuit. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Rock-a-billy & Blues tones: Brian Setzer: .009 - .042 strings Gretsch 6120 Sperzel locking tuners tune-o-matic bridge Bigsby tremolo bridge Filter-Tron humbucking pickups Angus Young: .009 - .042 strings Gibson SG tune-o-matic bridge Gibson Vibrola bridge Gibson PAF pickups Both of these guys get awesome tone with what a lot of guys would consider whimpy strings. My experience tells me that the larger strings don't do much for tone and they make the guitar harder to play. YMMV BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 All I can tell you is that what works for me, works for me; what works for you, works for you! "Tens" feel like extra light-guage strings to me; I can't stand "nines" or lighter! But, that's just me. I agrre that Mssrs. Setzer and Young get some great tones, particularly Angus! I like a plain 3rd on my Les Paul "sunburst"; on my Les Paul "Gem", I prefer a wound 3rd. Depends on the guitar, and how I want to set it up and play it. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Blue where did you get the info on Angus? everything i have seen states his guage as 10's. i did notice my yamaha could get nice angus tones with the 9's more than the 10's i put on. there is a certain snakiness to 9's that i do love. the only problem i have with light guages and short scales is the tuning issues on the high strings when playing with some adrenaline. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Originally posted by Guitarzan: Blue where did you get the info on Angus? everything i have seen states his guage as 10's. I believe that I read that in Guitar World about the time that the Ballbreaker CD came out. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaeton Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 On my strat i favour flatwound 11s tuned down either 1 or 1.5 steps. I just dig that floppy bridge cable feel and nice woody THUD that they make. I haven't actually done it, but i have considered rewiring my strat in a custom format, one of my options would take all the tone controls completely out of the guitar. Oh, and plus some oddball pickups and switching combinations... Dr. Seuss: The Original White Rapper . WWND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Originally posted by bpark@prorec.com: I'd loose the wound thirds and replace them with the same gauge solid thirds. Tunes better. I have a guitar with a switch that takes the volume/tone circuitry out of line. Great sound. You'd be surprised at how good the pickups sound with no pots or caps in the circuit. Billexactly what i've done... dump everything right into the amp thats where i "tone" it amazingly with this guitar i'm not using the overdrive chanel at all yet it puts the clean side of my bv60/4x12 into breakup quite easily i'm lovin it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: I always liked .014" through .059" strings- tuned to standard, concert-pitch ("E")- on flat-top acoustics... On electric, though, I favor .011" through .050" strings, tuned to standard, concert-pitch; wimpy compared to your set! I do tune and set-up one guitar to Open-D (D-A-D-F#-A-D, low-to-high), strings gauged .012" or .013" through .054" or .056", for rootsy- bluesy rock 'n' roll fingerstyle and slide...actually dropped to d in std. tune it plays quite easily it's set up with .008 string clearance at the nut &/050 at the 12th frets like a dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: Rock-a-billy & Blues tones: Brian Setzer: .009 - .042 strings Gretsch 6120 Sperzel locking tuners tune-o-matic bridge Bigsby tremolo bridge Filter-Tron humbucking pickups Angus Young: .009 - .042 strings Gibson SG tune-o-matic bridge Gibson Vibrola bridge Gibson PAF pickups Both of these guys get awesome tone with what a lot of guys would consider whimpy strings. My experience tells me that the larger strings don't do much for tone and they make the guitar harder to play. YMMVit's simple physics man more mass more pickup activation i'm not trying to sound like setzer or anyone else in particular... i merely like their style of play for incorporation into my own work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 clarification... the guitar is not in dropped d intervals are std. tune dfacgd hi to low step down across the board Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werewolf by Night Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Oh, yeah, I knew exactly what you meant; I was just making sure that it was clear what I meant, too! So, do you use a wound 3rd, or a plain one? I'm totally schizoid about the tone of wound vs plain 3rd-strings! I love 'em both; they each have their own beauty. It depends on the guitar for me, and I also think that- especially when using heavier guages- a wound 3rd can intonate better. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: Oh, yeah, I knew exactly what you meant; I was just making sure that it was clear what I meant, too! So, do you use a wound 3rd, or a plain one? I'm totally schizoid about the tone of wound vs plain 3rd-strings! I love 'em both; they each have their own beauty. It depends on the guitar for me, and I also think that- especially when using heavier guages- a wound 3rd can intonate better.i like the wound 3rds the wound strings seem to my ear to have more "grit" in their sound & that's what i'm after plus i like the way they feel under my fingers maby it's just me it's all subjective anyway the only ax in the house with a plain 3rd is my '80's usa baretta w/floyd i've got 10's on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite: ....I also think that- especially when using heavier guages- a wound 3rd can intonate better.Should be the opposite, since the wound would have to be looser on the pegs to voice that low. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by TELEBOY: it's simple physics man more mass more pickup activationNo exactly. How solidly are your pickups mounted? Are they screwed to the body or are they mounted with springs in a pickguard or mounting ring? Here's one of my theories: Think of the guitar body as an immovable object, perfectly rigid. The string vibrates over top of the body. Is a pickup that can vibrate with the string going to pick up the sound of the string as good as one mounted rigidly to the immovable body? The pickup rigidly mounted to the body will pick up the signal from the string better, right? Motion of one object is always measured relative to another object. What difference will solidly mounting your pickups make? I don't know for certain, but it's another variable to eliminate. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: Originally posted by TELEBOY: it's simple physics man more mass more pickup activationNo exactly. How solidly are your pickups mounted? Are they screwed to the body or are they mounted with springs in a pickguard or mounting ring? Here's one of my theories: Think of the guitar body as an immovable object, perfectly rigid. The string vibrates over top of the body. Is a pickup that can vibrate with the string going to pick up the sound of the string as good as one mounted rigidly to the immovable body? The pickup rigidly mounted to the body will pick up the signal from the string better, right? Motion of one object is always measured relative to another object. What difference will solidly mounting your pickups make? I don't know for certain, but it's another variable to eliminate. excellent point which leads to another question how much of a pickups production is a result of physical vibration & how much is a result of the string exciting the magnetic field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 when i moved from .009 - .0042 to .013 - .054 the tone changed dramatically.....wayyy deeper.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: Rock-a-billy & Blues tones: Brian Setzer: .009 - .042 strings Gretsch 6120 Sperzel locking tuners tune-o-matic bridge Bigsby tremolo bridge Filter-Tron humbucking pickups Angus Young: .009 - .042 strings Gibson SG tune-o-matic bridge Gibson Vibrola bridge Gibson PAF pickups Both of these guys get awesome tone with what a lot of guys would consider whimpy strings. My experience tells me that the larger strings don't do much for tone and they make the guitar harder to play. YMMVI'm with you, Blue. The only diff is I've been dallying about with surf lately, and finding that really light strings are really, actually, hard to play surf on...because you're not doing a lot of bends...or at least not real pronounced bends...and the strings are too flappy with 9s to get a good pick attack...so I've been toying with stringing one guitar up for surf, and maybe using like a 12 or something. I've heard Dick Dale uses like a 16 for an E string!!! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeleCarlos Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 On the AC/.DC thing... Its Malcolm Young (the rythm guy) who uses big fat ones and records that nice rithm guitar in the records. But really, what do I know??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted July 31, 2004 Author Share Posted July 31, 2004 Originally posted by TeleCarlos: On the AC/.DC thing... Its Malcolm Young (the rythm guy) who uses big fat ones and records that nice rithm guitar in the records. But really, what do I know???seems i read that malcolm plays 14's is that correct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 According to Angus, Malcolm uses some gawd awful string size, frickin' huge! I think that Malcolm is Angus's greatest hero. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 malcom uses a wound g as well as barbed wire. he was quoted as saying that when they were recording he was having some tuning problems and went to heavier guages for that reason but the benefit was some big ass sound. he is a fairly hard hitter and chews picks up pretty bad. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: Originally posted by TELEBOY: it's simple physics man more mass more pickup activationNo exactly. How solidly are your pickups mounted? Are they screwed to the body or are they mounted with springs in a pickguard or mounting ring? Here's one of my theories: Think of the guitar body as an immovable object, perfectly rigid. The string vibrates over top of the body. Is a pickup that can vibrate with the string going to pick up the sound of the string as good as one mounted rigidly to the immovable body? The pickup rigidly mounted to the body will pick up the signal from the string better, right? Motion of one object is always measured relative to another object. What difference will solidly mounting your pickups make? I don't know for certain, but it's another variable to eliminate. i agree on the direct mount thing blue. it makes perfect sense. the more stable the pickup is the more movement it will see. http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 Love the wound G sound!!!!! Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TELEBOY Posted August 2, 2004 Author Share Posted August 2, 2004 update: took the striped down strat to my music lesson yesterday & the guy i'm studying with played it for about 3 min. & offered to buy it from me a buddy dropped by yesterday with a sweet little fender neck-thru tele that he says was built for fender by esp i'd been bragging to him bout my new sound he was here for a tone shootout it has the invader pu like the strat & volumn but no tone...same as the strat it WAS fitted with 10's he plugged into my bv60/4x12 i plugged into my little peavey 15w/8" that i take for lessons the strat tone blew him away he sheepishly left the tele with me & i set it up w 14's for him today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperFreak Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 If you want to try something interesting on a standard 3-single-soil guitar... Cut ya cables from the middle and bridge pickups and swap them over. This way you get he following on a 5 way switch. Pos1 - Neck Pos2 - Neck and Bridge (The Stevie Ray Vaughn tone) Pos3 - Bridge Pos4 - Bridge and Middle Pos5 - Middle. ( You only 'lose' that Neck/Middle out of phase sound...which has never bothered me... ) I wouldn't reccomend doing this with a humbucker, as it can get pretty muddy. How can we fight ignorance and apathy? Who knows! Who cares! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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