striper rookie Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I've posted here before. I'm looking for the sound in My Chemical Romance's guitars. I went to guitar center in Danvers, MASS and they didn't have any Epiphones under $450. I think I liked the Fender Standar MIM Strat with the rosewood neck and humbuckers. I didn't know how to play anything so I asked the guy who was helping me to play something and I liked the sound and tone, although it wasn't exactly like My Chemical Romance. I also like a guitar with a good crunch, I do like a little metal, but not the crazy kick them while they're down type (if that made any sense). I was looking at a Crate amp with lots of different options on it, I think I liked that the most. The Fender frontman was also good but had fewer settings. It was also $50 less. Let me know if I'm getting the right type of strat. Thanks a lot. Oh and does anyone recommend swapping out the electronics, if so, what with? Can it be done by a novice? Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedro Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I don't know what My Chemical Romance's guitars sound like, but I can offer a bit of advice... Get a guitar that you feel comfortable with. One that gets a sound you like and also one that you can grow a little with. By that, I mean it's capable of a few different tones. That way, as you learn more you'll find that your guitar can get some other sounds. Don't worry too much about nailing someone else's tone. Guitar tones on recorded media can be very elusive, made with expensive guitars and amps and in fancy studios. Buy a guitar because it speaks to you. That sounds sort of hippie-ish, but it's true. Get the one that you're drawn to. Use your gut feeling. Swapping pickups is a great way to change your sound. Easy?, I'm not sure. I'm stupid when it comes to that, but if you have a soldering iron and some instructions, give it a go. A tech can always reverse what you've done. Everybody knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. - Homer Simpson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 There's no way you're ready to do a pickup swap by yourself, and Jedro is right - the tone you're looking for may well be arrived at with studio effects, some of which can be added on AFTER the track has been recorded. No way you'll nail that tone with a budget guitar and amp, unless they play with similar gear, and no modding of the tone in the studio. Get a decent guitar. The MIM Strat is fine. So is anything by Godin. The Agile models are even less money and have high praise from owners right here on this forum. I seem to recall you're fixated on color. Get that outta your head, and find one that speaks to you with your eyes closed. You may be too inexperienced to get what I mean by that, so take a friend or a guitar teacher, or at least get his/her list of recommended models. Also doing a swap on a new instrument could void the warranty. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Swapping pickups is not super hard by itself but then you have to adjust them for ideal sound. It may be worth it just to have a pro do it this time and if possible tell you how. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I think the big, important thing is NOT whether the guitar is an Epiphone but whether it has humbucker or single coil pickups. From the pictures I've seen of My Chemical Romance (I remember your original thread), they seem to use humbuckers. They're the pickups that look like a small packet of cigs. Strats and telecasters have single coil pickups which look and sound thinner than humbuckers. But if, after hearing the strat with its single coils, you prefer that sound, that's cool and purely up to you. Now... whether you're capable of changing the pickups by yourself depends a lot on how comfortable you are with mucking around with the insides of electronic gear. If your solution to a broken appliance is to get a new one then get the pickups replaced by someone else. Sometimes, the shop that sells the pickup will be happy to install them for you as well but they may ask you to pay something extra for the service. If, OTOH, you enjoy playing around with a soldering iron, changing pickups shouldn't be too difficult. Especially on a strat type guitar. There's lots of books, web pages and so on that deal with guitar wiring and 3rd party pickups usually come with a wiring diagram too. There's no shortage of aftermarket, 3rd party pickup makers, though you probably won't need anything like that for a while. It'd be like putting mag tyres on your very first car. Nice, but you probably won't be good enough at first to really appreciate the difference. I like Seymour Duncan pickups, but that's a personal prejudice and I'm sure there's stuff out there of a similar quality and for less money. Some sites (such as Seymour Duncan's) have little samples of guitars fitted with their various pickup models. They're good for making broads, general decisions about what pickups you'd like. Bear in mind that the pickup sits on a guitar and the whole thing goes through an amp and that means that your guitar wil never sound exactly like the recorded samples. Close but not exact. Geberally speaking, you are probably best off avoiding anything that says "vintage" or alludes in any way to the 1950s because those pickups tend to be mellow and not very good for crunch. Then again, it's a matter of taste and there's no hard and fast rules about any of this. EDIT: "very first car" for "very fast car" (ahem... ) Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 yea back to the studio thing,,, who says its only one guitar your hearing? Also i dont think thats a band thats known for there tone or anything so i wouldnt strive too far to reach it. And theres the whole thing were you might turn 14 and start to like REAL music...jk...kinda... Theres only a couple of epi models under 450, so your right they might not have any but IT IS guitar center so i dont understand how. Anyway if you like the MIM strat get it. Its a really nice entry level guitar but it is gonna be a little thinner than something with some humbuckers in it. But i wouldnt worry about getting a super thick sound for now. Heres what i would do: Get the Fender MIM strat or Fat Strat (thicker tone) and try to talk the dude down a little on it. Its in Musicians Friend for $370 so well leave it at that for now assuming you couldnt get the dude to go lower. So $370 for that. Its a nice guitar and $80 lower than what you set your limit at. I dont know what Frontman your looking at, but assuming its the 25 watt one which in MF is $140, i would save up a little more or try to talk the dude down a little and spring for a Fender Blues Junior. Its a pretty quality tube amp and would be plenty loud for almost anything. Anything you do at least. Plus the tone on it is pretty damn good. It is a little more expensive but would be a killer first set up and youll never have to switch out the amp. You may want to switch the guitar out later (thats a maybe cause theres nothing usually wrong with MIM strats and seasoned players sometimes like them just as much as some higher end guitars). But adding a Les Paul with some nice ol' humbuckers later on would make this set up rock too. If you got the Crate or Frontman i gaurantee you will eventually want to replace it. No way around it you will want to. Just what i would do... Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rw2003 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 In my opinion, don't worry so much about swapping out the pickups/electronics just yet. Your first step is to purchase a decent guitar and amp at a good price and then learn how to play just a bit. The MIM Strat with humbuckers is good choice that most can't argue against. The stock pickups will do you just fine for now. Later on when you're a more experienced player you will be better able to undestand the tone you're after and what it may take to get it. My guess is that your next purchase after the guitar and amp will be some sort of effects unit, maybe just a simple distortion pedal or one of those digital multi-effects processors such as the Korg PX4, etc. Also, as an alternative to buying an amplifier right away, you could just get one of those multi-effects units that has an output for headphones. Most times when I practice at home I don't even use an amp, instead I just plug my electric guitar into a Korg PX3 effects unit and listen through headphones. "Spend all day doing nothing But we sure do it well" - Huck Johns from 'Oh Yeah' Click to Listen to Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rw2003 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Okay, I went to the MyChemicalRomance.com site to see pics of the band and found this one... http://media.prod4ever.com/mcr/gallery/fanfotos/011_7A_0001.jpg The band has two guitar players and both are playing what looks to be Gibson Les Paul guitars with humbucking pickups. Maybe the are playing the Epiphone versions of this guitar??? Also, one of the guitarists plays a white Les Paul Custom through what looks like a (JCM800 ?) Marshall Half Stack. The other guitarist (the guy with the big frizzy hair) may play a Les Paul Custom also, but his looks like a sunburst color. He also plays through a half stack but I can't make out the brand/type. "Spend all day doing nothing But we sure do it well" - Huck Johns from 'Oh Yeah' Click to Listen to Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesdog Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Hey fo one it is not about the guitar but the sound. Doesnt mean yu gotta buy a guitar blindfolded. Have you tried a pawn shop ...may get some great deals there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Hopefully you've gotten the hint that the particular tone you're looking for is not limited to one guitar, and the band you're fixated on is so obscure that the tone is undoubtedly a generic humbucker sound, for a particular song. If they're a real band they will undoubtedly have more than only one specific tonal coloration to offer. Get over that pointless obsession and find a worthwhile guitar and amp. Effects can do amazing things with the tone of ANY guitar. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmptinesOf Youth Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 your seeking a sound that 10,000 shitty bands all have. why be part of the mediocrity? go buy what i suggested in my other post or something like it, and then go learn some zep and stones. youll get a better start with that than you will with the way your headed. Plus, when you graduate from the 8th grade and discover what real music is, youll appreciate it more. So will anybody that has to listen to you play that has any sense of taste whatsoever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rw2003 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Striper Rookie... Here's a "first" guitar lesson so that you can play something when you're back in GC checking out guitars... Its called an A5 chord aka A Powerchord. (Assuming you are playing a regular guitar right handed) Take your index finger on your left hand and press down on the 4th and 3rd strings behind the 2nd fret (use the top part of your index finger sort of horizontally across the strings as to hold two strings down with the one finger) Then, using a pick in your right hand, strum the 5th, 4th and 3rd strings once and let them ring out for all to hear!!! You can then move the same chord "fingering" across one string to the 6th, 5th and 4th strings and you'll have an E5 or E powerchord. "Spend all day doing nothing But we sure do it well" - Huck Johns from 'Oh Yeah' Click to Listen to Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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