The Electric Guitar Player Thread

[lukin]

I like mine fairly heavy - 11-48

[GoodSkanky]

Originally Posted by lukin

I like mine fairly heavy - 11-48

I may try this... I have no problem bending 10's and usually do this second or third rate Richard Thompson kind of playing. Finger or pick, not many leads.

Do the heavier strings contribute to tone or intonation?

[lukin]

Originally Posted by GoodSkanky

I may try this... I have no problem bending 10's and usually do this second or third rate Richard Thompson kind of playing. Finger or pick, not many leads.

Do the heavier strings contribute to tone or intonation?

I don't do a lot of bending, used to but my style has changed over the years. I think it makes the sound a bit fatter, but it's probably more for how it feels that I like it.

When I got my Les Paul Jr recently it came with 10s and I noticed the intonation wasn't quite perfect (it seemed pretty good but if I put a capo on the 4th or 5th fret I had to retune). When I changed the strings for my usual 11s it almost solved that problem, which is good because I use capos in probably 75% of my songs.

[ewok.online]

Originally Posted by GoodSkanky

Do the heavier strings contribute to tone or intonation?

They definitely impact tone. For me, at least. The way I like to overdrive the amp via just CRANKING IT UP, it helps. Think of it this way (nerd alert...), thicker string = more mass moving in the magnetic field of the pickup = more current generated by the pickup. bam.

And as for bending, I'm so used to thick strings I never notice. My hands are also a bit stronger from also being a drummer, so if I don't have thick strings, I go out of tune just from fretting. .11s on the electrics and .13s on the acoustic.

i use these on my electrics and i love them:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EENCQQ/...hvptwo=&hvqmt=

[GoodSkanky]

Thanks for the tip. I have .10s currently on my Ibanez, but may go to .11s. I don't bend much and I'm also a percussionist by trade.

I've got to pawn or sell some of my old crap... too much stuff in the basement.

[GoodSkanky]

I've got my new Tele Deluxe re-issue in my lap finally!!! YAY!!! Sad to trade the Ibanez, but I have too much stuff around the house. I'm loving it so far.

[lukin]

Awesome! Hope you enjoy it.

I've decided I really need to invest in really good cables, a power supply and a good pedal board (gonna get a Pedal Train one because I like the angle and you can have the powersupply underneath).

Currently I daisy-chain all my pedals and my tone suffers as a result. It's going to cost me a lot - a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, Pedal Train 2 board, 2 sets of George Ls (enough to make 10 patch cables), and two really good leads. I reckon about $800NZD all up (just over $600 USD). It's a lot of money but it will be worth it.

[GoodSkanky]

Originally Posted by lukin

Awesome! Hope you enjoy it.

I've decided I really need to invest in really good cables, a power supply and a good pedal board (gonna get a Pedal Train one because I like the angle and you can have the powersupply underneath).

Currently I daisy-chain all my pedals and my tone suffers as a result. It's going to cost me a lot - a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2, Pedal Train 2 board, 2 sets of George Ls (enough to make 10 patch cables), and two really good leads. I reckon about $800NZD all up (just over $600 USD). It's a lot of money but it will be worth it.

Yes... my old 60 watt amp is toast. I don't gig on guitar anymore. I have a Pod 2.0 and go through headphones (though mostly I try to learn Richard Thompson progression while on the toilet).

The Pod sounds are OK, but pretty limiting and after hear the guitar through an Orange tube amp, you hear the real sounds of the guitar. Real amp... real pedals.

So the pedal board helps with all the noise and hiss from the cables pedals?

[lukin]

Originally Posted by GoodSkanky

Yes... my old 60 watt amp is toast. I don't gig on guitar anymore. I have a Pod 2.0 and go through headphones (though mostly I try to learn Richard Thompson progression while on the toilet).

The Pod sounds are OK, but pretty limiting and after hear the guitar through an Orange tube amp, you hear the real sounds of the guitar. Real amp... real pedals.

So the pedal board helps with all the noise and hiss from the cables pedals?

No, the pedal board itself doesn't help with anything tone wise, it's just that my current pedal board is just one I made myself, a piece of wood sprayed black with the pedals velcroed to it. It's two rows of pedals too and it's just flat so I'd rather have an angled one so it's easier to reach the ones at the back.

I decided I can't afford to do it all at once, so I'm going to get the power supply first, as I reckon that's going to be the most beneficial thing for my tone. Then I'll do the cables, then I'll do the board.

[lukin]

Got the Pedal Power today. The difference it made to my signal is incredible, it's cleaned up all the noise.

I'm probably going to leave it a while before I upgrade my cables and my board now. My patch cables aren't cheap (they're just not the best) so they will do the job for a while longer.

[lukin]

Here's a photo of my current board.

Spoiler:

[GoodSkanky]

Nice. Is the memory man a looper?

I've heard some great guitar as drone and textures done with that Boss digital delay.

[GoodSkanky]

Originally Posted by ewok.online

They definitely impact tone. For me, at least. The way I like to overdrive the amp via just CRANKING IT UP, it helps. Think of it this way (nerd alert...), thicker string = more mass moving in the magnetic field of the pickup = more current generated by the pickup. bam.

And as for bending, I'm so used to thick strings I never notice. My hands are also a bit stronger from also being a drummer, so if I don't have thick strings, I go out of tune just from fretting. .11s on the electrics and .13s on the acoustic.

i use these on my electrics and i love them:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EENCQQ/...hvptwo=&hvqmt=

Once I wear out these stock strings, I'm going to have a set up done with these 11's. It's gonna be sweet!

[lukin]

Originally Posted by GoodSkanky

Nice. Is the memory man a looper?

I've heard some great guitar as drone and textures done with that Boss digital delay.

I does a lot of things, but looping is one of them - up to 30 seconds (and you can get 3 layers going). Once you've got the loop going you can reverse it, that sort of stuff. It has some cool reverse delays, and it's also got the tap tempo too which I like. The DD3 is still good for basic delay stuff.

The Freeze is a really cool pedal - basically whatever you are playing at the exact moment you step on it, it freezes that and holds it until you take your foot off the switch (on momentary mode) or you can have it on latch mode where you click it to hold and then double-click to stop it. I didn't think I would use it much but I have found lots of uses for it - most of them very subtle. It's great for droning stuff, or if I get to a part in a song where it breaks down to just drums and bass and I want just a little bit of the last chord I've played before the breakdown to ring out, I switch it on when the volume is down to the point that I want to sustain it at. I love it.

[GoodSkanky]

Nice... the tap tempo function is nice. I acquired a Boomerang II not too long ago. Since my amp is shot, I can only use it as a pre to my POD thru headphones. Some great effects, but I can't control them well enough to use them in a performance.

Not too many "jazzers" on TBY, but have you heard any of Bill Frisell's performances where he does a loop build? They're quite beautiful.

[lukin]

Originally Posted by GoodSkanky

Nice... the tap tempo function is nice. I acquired a Boomerang II not too long ago. Since my amp is shot, I can only use it as a pre to my POD thru headphones. Some great effects, but I can't control them well enough to use them in a performance.

Not too many "jazzers" on TBY, but have you heard any of Bill Frisell's performances where he does a loop build? They're quite beautiful.

No I haven't unfortunately. Looping pedals are really good, have to be used well though. I've seen people who have turned them into a gimmick.

[GoodSkanky]

Originally Posted by lukin

No I haven't unfortunately. Looping pedals are really good, have to be used well though. I've seen people who have turned them into a gimmick.

Bill does lots of almost alt.country/americana/jazz too which is pretty approachable as well as some avant garde stuff with John Zorn, etc.

I can't think of an album that showcases this, but he'll often end his sets with a long gradual build of loops that are majestic and expertly composed.

[GoodSkanky]

Got the new 72' Tele Deluxe set up with the same set of .11 strings Wok recommended...

To quote the greatest band of all time, Kick Axe... I'm "on the road to rock."

[lukin]

I use 11s as well - when I first changed my LP Jr from the factory strings to the 11s it immediately felt and sounded so much better. The intonation seemed a bit better too.

[GoodSkanky]

Originally Posted by lukin

I use 11s as well - when I first changed my LP Jr from the factory strings to the 11s it immediately felt and sounded so much better. The intonation seemed a bit better too.

The setup definitely helped the tone and intonation! YAY! This guy in my neighborhood does a great job on guitars.

[ewok.online]

My current tracking hovel. I'm running out of space fast.

[GoodSkanky]

Fender Squires...

Why so cheap? I played a Squire Strat the other day. It was buzzy (could have been the amp) and it wasn't setup at all... but otherwise was nice... 1 piece neck, etc.

I wouldn't mind getting another axe I could setup with opening tuning or sonic youth out on...

Anyone know the skinny on these? What sets them apart from real Fenders...

[ewok.online]

Some of the Squier stuff is nicer than the Mexican Fenders.

I have a Squier Strat that I didn't like the electronics in, but I took the neck to build a frankentele, and the neck is like buttah. Maybe one day I'll get better pickups for the Strat and rebuild it. Because the body is nice and I like the finish.

My bass is a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz. I looooooove it. I bought it based on reviews online, and after getting it, had the chance to play some Fender Jazzes and I like mine a LOT more. Took a long time of trial and error to set it up right, but I put new strings on it and futzed with the neck and string height, and it's awesome. Also came with Duncan pickups in it, so bonus.

If you're gonna get a Squier, make sure to play as many as possible to find The One. And then have it set up by somebody who knows what they're doing. If I had the cash, I would have done that with my bass, but I'm cheap.

[GoodSkanky]

Good to know. I see promising looking ones, but always get nervous about their reputation. The one I played would have been fine with a little work.

I just found a *KILLER* guitar guy. He's fixing my Kramer back up (I miss my Ibanez strat-y setup guitar). I've learned alot from him!

***

New question... I just went to the PRFBBQ2012 festival (noise rock Steve Albini worshippers!). It was great and many of the groups use aluminum neck guitars. Anyone worked with these at all?

[GoodSkanky]

Travis Bean's and 70s Kramer's have aluminum necks...

Electrical Guitar Company is doing them now...

http://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/