The New Guitar Topic

[Fonz]

Great rig, dude! You're a tone chaser, aren't you?

[evh5150vanhalen]

Great rig, dude! You're a tone chaser, aren't you?

Lol yeah I am... It never ends lmao

[mr quick]

Daaamn! The tone I'm getting with the Starcaster is absolutely fantastic! It's a mix of Larry Carlton live/Robben Ford w/ Yellowjackets. Can't wait to try it out with this weird mixed rock group tomorrow.

 

T-Rex Tonebug Distortion: Tone maxed, gain zeroed, and level mid.

HT Modulation by Blackstar: Slight, slow chorus with max saturation

Fender Super Champ XD amp completely at 12 o' clock.

 

This'll do well in the studio in a few weeks.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

I've never tried a Super Champ, sadly. How is it? And let us know how it goes with the rock group!

[mr quick]

I will.

 

The super champ is small but powerful. Although it 'snaps' a bit at higher volumes, it is a studio-quality amplifier which does the job it's asked to do. I have no issues with it. Haven't changed the tubes, ever.

[evh5150vanhalen]

Base track was done with the blue Les Paul and the solo was done with the Wolfgang

 

https://soundcloud.com/steven-roache/june4soloadd

[Fonz]

 

Marwin, here's the video I was telling you about some time ago if you haven't seen it already. Even though I generally prefer Larry, I have to say Robben kind of eclipsed him in that performance (not that it's a competition, but you get my point).

[mr quick]

Carlton looks so f*cking weird on stage, and has been for the last decade. He has stopped doing what made him great; challenging expectations and rules. Robben Ford is 'the' blues guy if you ask me. I agree that Carlton was eclipsed by Ford in the vid.

 

I've probably posted this before, but to offer Carlton some retribution:

 

 

Ritenour's solo is from 1:25 to 2:55 - His tone/sound at first is pretty terrible if you ask me, but he starts getting into it at around 2:10, when he makes the guitar absolutely HOWL!

 

Carlton's solo starts at 2:55 and ends at 4:25, at which point a needlessly long bass solo starts. He has a much more organic tone than Ritenour in this instance. As my father put it "You can still tell it's a guitar". It seems that Carlton feels slightly intimidated by Ritenour's solo, and wants to upstage him. Look how focused he is compared to the beginning of the video.

 

 

On a "personal" note, I'm chasing the so-called west-coast fusion sound with my Starcaster(examplified with Carlton in the video above). It's not as easy to obtain as I'd hoped, but with some modelling from the Super Champ, I'm getting pretty close to where I want to be. I'll try to record a quick sound sample today.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[richard1997jones]

Brian May Queen.

[mr quick]

... What about him?

[Fonz]

That performance is fantastic! I know what you mean about Lee's tone—it's kind of saturated, which is a shame because he played some great licks there that would have benefited from better tone. I also noticed Carlton got a bit more technical and focused after Ritenour's solo. That's one thing I love about Carlton, he knows when to slow down and also when to unleash his virtuoso lick bag, although I agree he's lost much of his mojo in recent years.
Have you heard this version of Room 335 (ironically played on a Strat)? Probably the "shreddiest" version of it

I'd love to hear that sample, man! Edited January 24, 2015 by Black_MiD

[mr quick]

Now that's a tone I wouldn't want. It doesn't much sound like he had planned to/wanted to play. Judging by his hair and attire, I think he'd rather be at home hitting the wife and drinking diluted 'murican beer.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

Ahahah, my brother and I sometimes joke about his attire in that concert. Looks like a proper redneck! One thing I noticed about his Strat is that the action seems very low, doesn't look like he's making much of an effort. The downside is how flimsy and thin it sounds.

[mr quick]

Keen eye. Don't know what I'll record, I have never written something for a solo guitar. Maybe just a quick cover of something?

[Fonz]

If you're going for a cover, can you do Misty, please? Love that one

[mr quick]

Tried and failed... The piano and bass turned out alright, but my mic for the guitar was complete sh*t. Sounded like I was playing a single-coil guitar through one of those mini-marshalls.

 

Next on the agenda: Microphone for amps.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

Ahaha, my dad has one of those mini-Marshalls! He bought it in the late 80s or early 90s, I think.
Are you with a band right now?

[mr quick]

No.

 

 

wait what the f*ck I just remembered I play my Nord organ in a blues band. I hate blues, but it's easy money. It has also gotten me a sh*t ton of contacts. Here's the vocalist and band leader:

 

He's the man in the middle. The man with his back turned to the camera handing him a document is the (then) prime minister of Norway. The guy in the purple shirt is an associate.

 

 

Yes, he does drive a "murdered out" Chevrolet Tahoe

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

Yes, he does drive a "murdered out" Chevrolet Tahoe

He does look like that kind of guy But the Prime Minister? That's pretty damn impressive, man. Also, I had no idea you were also keen on keyboards. That's pretty cool!

[mr quick]

Keys are a hobby. It opens up for some chord writing which is much easier and quicker than the guitar. Also nice to have a very simple visual presentation, as well as the ability to create clustered consonant dissonances.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

My dad's crazy about keys almost as much as he is about guitar. I find it useful sometimes, but never managed to commit, for some reason.

One thing I do enjoy is taking piano pieces and arranging them for guitar. Because you're comparatively limited on guitar (i.e. you don't have a full hand for chords and another for melody, unless you play Stanley Jordan style), you have to come up with a few new techniques to adapt that particular piece. Debussy and John Cage pieces are great for this and end up sounding quite good on guitar, IMO.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Black_MiD

[mr quick]

Here's the Stagg in action: https://soundcloud.com/marwinmoody/diatonisk

 

Even though it's tuned to pitch, the intonation is slightly off as you can probably tell. It does have a truss rod, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

My personal opinion on the sound:

 

Strong attack but weak sustain. This gives it a characteristic yet uninteresting, flat sound. Sounds alright if you don't change the dynamics at all through a piece. If not, maybe opt for something higher-range.

 

[Fonz]

Yeah, I know what you mean with the lack of sustain, it's especially noticeable in the higher notes. On the whole it is still a pretty serviceable guitar, it seems. Were you using a pick in that solo, mate?
I don't know what my issue with truss rods is, as I have adjusted a few, but they always frighten me a bit. Go figure...

Edited January 24, 2015 by Black_MiD

[mr quick]

Nah. That would make the poor sustain even more eminent. It's a fickle thing, that guitar.

 

Speaking of scary guitar maintenance, I have to file down the nut on my Ibanez, as I've gone from the factory 010 roundwounds to 012 flats by D'Addario. It's mostly the EAD strings that need help.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Marwin Moody

[Fonz]

Do you do all the adjustments yourself? I mostly do my own setups, but for the more delicate procedures I always chicken out and take it to a tech.

[mr quick]

Never taken a guitar to a tech, except the Cali Strat because Fender were offering to do it for free. This nut, however, may be a challenge if I choose to do it myself. The closest luthier is 35 kilometers out.

 

Sent him an e-mail, because I decided that sh*tty nut has to go. It's just plastic.

[Fonz]

35 kilometers? Won't a regular music store do it? But I do understand the concern, since it's a risky move and putting it in their hands might be a liability.

[mr quick]

Screw the 4Sound guys. I want to end that monopoly.

[Fonz]

Hmm, never heard of them, but I've realised that every music store is populated by "kewl dudez" raping Stairway to Heaven out of tune and rhythm. Is this a universal music shop thing or something? Is it the same with 4sound?

Edited January 25, 2015 by Black_MiD

[mr quick]

4Sound is the biggest (if not the only) chain of music stores in Norway. They buy up local stores and you end up with these terrible little stores which are run by pre-teens who think slash is god, and sell nothing but Epi and Gibson SG's and Les Pauls.

 

Oh alright I bought my 2 most cherished guitars there, but you don't really have a choice.