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Author Topic: Guitar thread  (Read 632477 times)
Sky
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on: February 08, 2005, 01:13:13 PM

I started a reply to a pm from Stray (from a while back, it's not very personal so I hope he doesn't mind, pm if you do, Stray), but I figured maybe it'd spark some conversation from the musicians in the crowd, and imo we need more music talk!

Anyway, here's the quote I was addressing:
Quote
I try downtuning, but the sound just gets muddy, and the strings seem a little loose and "wobbly", if you know what I mean. Is it almost necessary to get a 7-string? Or are nu-metal guitarists using octave pedals or something? Where the hell does all that low end come from, man?
We were talking about tone and gear. I didn't have any experience in newer gear, so at the time I couldn't really provide a decent answer.

Lately, I've been thinking of ditching my cheesy cheapo guitar and buying a 'real' guitar. Also been playing sickly downtuned, inspired by my recent purchase of the live Black Label Society discs. Since I hate the idea of a 7-string guitar, I started looking into baritone guitars, which are very nice indeed. Fills an aural gap I often have playing either the guitar or bass, sounds heavy as hell and great for squeels and bends.

I think for the time being I'm going to shoot for a standard guitar (probably a les paul studio, can't afford custom with the tastier necks).

But one thing of interest I learned from my blues buddy, Jimmy Wolf, who uses a baritone when he plays without a bass player (duo with drummer). He avoids the mud that baritone and downtuned guitars suffer by cranking up the mids most guitarists scoop out for a heavy sound these days. It cleaned up a lot of the sound, though there's obviously a lot farther you can take it, but that little bit helped me out (and was obvious once he said it). Didn't do much for the muddiness when palm-muting, though, but then, I'm still on an extremely downtuned standard guitar.

Anyone else want to talk guitar playing or gear? And if I'm playing a mmog with you and suddenly disappear...I'm playing guitar and forgot I'm logged in ;)
Righ
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Reply #1 on: February 08, 2005, 01:54:27 PM

I have nothing to add here, except that I want one of these basses:


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MisterNoisy
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Reply #2 on: February 08, 2005, 02:02:54 PM

You're well aware of my n00bishness when it comes to all things guitar, but I'm all about this sort of thing, particularly where gear is concerned.  I may not have talent/skill, but I do have disposable income.  :P

Have you checked out the Schecter Hellcat VI?  



Sounds like what you're looking for gear-wise.  I played with one for a little at the Mobile GC and was pretty impressed w/fit/finish.  30" scale(!) and 3 'buckers.  It really punches out that 'chunka-chunka' sound it sounds like you're looking for.

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Reply #3 on: February 08, 2005, 06:49:39 PM

I had the good fortune of speaking with Tommy Victor after that PM (singer/guitar of Prong, current guitarist for Danzig). Straight from the horse's mouth! He gave me the rundown on baritones, and recommended the Schecter C1-EX (the Schecter Scorpion is similar, just a different body shape -- the Hellcat has a 30" scale and is kind of in a category of it's own). It's a 6 string slim neck, with a slightly longer scale to compensate for the big strings (String size is 13 to 62 -- standard tuning is B to B, but can go even lower than that and still sound great. The Hellcat is too crazy for me -- 25 to 95).

Funny that you mentioned this though. I finally gathered enough spare cash that I ordered one this morning, in fact. I'm not sure if it'll replace my SG or Fenders, but I understand what you're saying about that aural gap between bass and guitar. It may not be standard, but somehow this sounds just right. I'm also 6'4", and the extended scale feels perfect...Like a bass. Yet, it isn't a bass.


C1-EX - Simple, but pretty


Scorpion - Same great sound, but a little tacky for my tastes
« Last Edit: February 09, 2005, 05:20:41 AM by Stray »
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Reply #4 on: February 09, 2005, 05:00:16 AM

I think for the time being I'm going to shoot for a standard guitar (probably a les paul studio, can't afford custom with the tastier necks).

Since you like Black Label, why not go for a Zakk model (Supposedly the Epiphone models are still pretty good....but about $2000 dollars cheaper)? From what I understand, he downtunes to the C range on some of his guitars, but still sounds great. Not exactly what baritones are capable of, but that's low enough.

I'm sure it's possible to get a LP Studio to do some of the same things, but I think the ZW necks are a little different than most LP models (not sure about that). I was thinking of doing the same with my SG, but figured it best to keep it how it is, since it's my only Gibson.

A couple of things to do is get the neck set up to handle really thick strings. Supposedly, Zakk's signature GHS strings are perfect for it : He uses very thick guages for rhythm (70), but normal guages on the high notes for leads (10). The EMG active pickups (EMG 81's and 85's) on his models boost a lot of midrange as well (among other things), so you're friend may be on to something.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2005, 07:32:39 AM by Stray »
Sky
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Reply #5 on: February 09, 2005, 08:54:05 AM

He says he shaves the necks down, I'm not sure if he's just talking shaving off the finish or if he actually digs down deeper to change the shape at all. He says he's going for the feel of a baseball bat, heh. But yeah, I was checking out his model, it seems to make a lot of the upgrades I'd need anyway...I just hate to have another guitarist's recognizable pattern on my guitar :) Like playing Eddie's black and red or something. Just feels cheesy.

Part of the issue I have with BLS tuning, they super detune the low string, I prefer standard tuning, which is why I was thinking about the baritones. Get some of the low end but keep the standard tuning. I dunno, might just have to learn to play detuned (I can do drop d, it's just annoying imo, though it makes basic power chords simple, I guess).

That Schecter looks nice, I need to get myself to a decent guitar shop (long drive, over an hour heh). Kinda looks like a PRS imo. I don't like the shallowed body scoop of the Scorpion, though, looks like it's not as friendly to playing on the higher frets. Thanks for the heads-up.

Bought the BLS concert DVD, pretty nice. Besides being a great show (and Trujillo on bass), there is a bit from some guitar instruction thing Zakk did, three solos. I ran through those and watching him riff just brought me back to the days of shred, so I did some shred practice and learned just how much stamina I've lost. Great practice, though, and highlighted the fact that I never learned a good climbing arpeggio to match my descending arpeggios. My landlord must've thought someone else was playing, because I'd rip out the descending and then struggle to find a good picking pattern (hint: alternate picking ain't cutting it, heh) for teh ascending, and it's all sloppy and mistimed...and then rip back down the descending. I got a kick out of sounding like total garbage, oddly enough. Fun to learn something I've let slide for decades. Also hilarious to hear Zakk, who's a boozing, cussing redneck, give a lesson, trying to be polite and aiming it toward younger guitarists, obviously.
Quote from: Mr N
It really punches out that 'chunka-chunka' sound it sounds like you're looking for.
Yeah, that's the dilemma...I want a nice guitar for my more aggressive stuff, and a baritone is perfect. But I really need to get hands-on to see how it fits with all the other stuff I play. I definitely need a good acoustic, too, love playing acoustic guitar, I love the rich tone and percussiveness. Maybe what I really need is a second job ;)
Quote from: Righ
I have nothing to add here, except that I want one of these basses:
Nice looking bass. I'd like to get a Warwick bass if I had the dough. Hell, even some new pickups (bartolini PJs) for my old ESP Custom bass (bought at their shop in hollyweird directly from the luthier!)
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Reply #6 on: February 09, 2005, 08:59:43 AM

Nice looking bass. I'd like to get a Warwick bass if I had the dough. Hell, even some new pickups (bartolini PJs) for my old ESP Custom bass (bought at their shop in hollyweird directly from the luthier!)

I'd love one of those too! All I have is the getting started bass from Ibanez. Of course, I haven't been playing it enough to really get started. Fucking computer games.

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stray
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Reply #7 on: February 09, 2005, 09:52:46 AM

Part of the issue I have with BLS tuning, they super detune the low string, I prefer standard tuning, which is why I was thinking about the baritones. Get some of the low end but keep the standard tuning. I dunno, might just have to learn to play detuned (I can do drop d, it's just annoying imo, though it makes basic power chords simple, I guess).

Heh, I'm what you'd call a "slow hand". Don't feel bad about losing any of the shredding capabilities that you had -- I never really had them to begin with. I'm mainly into rhythm, or songwriting, I guess....Pretty much stink at everything else. So I won't have some of the issues with baritones that I suspect you may have. Hard to say. It could be just that I suck at leads in the first place.  wink

For what it's worth, reviewers on Harmony Central seem to be of all types though. Some lead players, some not, but just about all of them consider it (or the Scorpion) one of the better guitars they've ever played. And for $500, it's a steal. It may not be American made, but very rarely are guitars with the same features that cheap. The only thing I'm going to replace is the bridge pickup with a Dimebucker. But after that, I don't really see much to improve.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2005, 10:09:14 AM by Stray »
Miguel
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Reply #8 on: February 09, 2005, 11:37:39 AM

Here is my experience with detuning:

Dropped D - works well for a heavy sound, and can make some heavy licks a bit easier to play.  Works well because you have a complete octave scale within two strings playing basically only two frets.  smiley

Half step down (E flat) - Metallica did this, and SRV used to play like this.  Songs in this tuning are a bit easier to sing (natural E is a difficult scale to sing in for some reason).  String tension is still ok with a standard scale length.

Dropped C - this is where you tune down a full step (D G C F A D), then drop the low D string down a full step (just like dropped D with a standard tuning).  I'm not a big fan of this, but many a metal band has tried this.  For me, the sound gets too muddy because there is no string tension, and you loose a lot of harmonic content.

7 String (low B) - This is my current favorite tuning, because everything is standard.  7 string guitars also have a little bit longer scale length, which means you can maintain string tension at alternate tunings without loosing sustain.  I posted a few song clips I did with my new 7 string here on F13 about a month ago.

I got my 7 string from the Carvin custom shop, and it's a spawn of Satan.  Gloss black, black chrome hardware, and no fret dots.  I'll take some pics of my gear tonight and post them here, if anyone is interested.

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stray
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Reply #9 on: February 09, 2005, 11:41:19 AM

I got my 7 string from the Carvin custom shop, and it's a spawn of Satan.  Gloss black, black chrome hardware, and no fret dots.  I'll take some pics of my gear tonight and post them here, if anyone is interested.

I'm interested  :) How much did it run anyways?
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Reply #10 on: February 09, 2005, 11:52:11 AM

Quote
How much did it run anyways?

It was about $800 delivered, with case.

The Carvin custom shop does some really fantastic work, especially considering the cost.  About the only complaint I have with this guitar is the pickups.  I'm thinking of switching to an EMG setup, which I basically use on ALL my guitars.

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Sky
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Reply #11 on: February 09, 2005, 12:08:42 PM

Miguel - that was some good stuff, too. I haven't unchecked it in iTunes yet (bad songs get unchecked quickly, only 2100 songs on my work pc, though), it comes up on random now and again and I have to think "Who the heck is this, pretty good!...Oh, that guy!" If you want to show off your gear, please do! When my band was first getting out and about, we used to keep a current Carvin catalog in our van to drool over the PA systems and whatnot. Always been a solid company imo.

I think part of what I dislike about drop-d is that it's so easy to do basic metal stuff, so a TON of players use it. I don't like things the easy way, I guess, but at the same time, the running transposition of what fret on the "E" string I should be playing when in drop d gets annoying to me. So I use it for stuff I wrote years ago in drop d, but I don't write or play with it otherwise.

I was playing my cheesy guitar (real cheesy, an exgirlfriend's that she left me because she felt pity, a Cort strat knock-off) sickly downtuned, as I mentioned. I just tuned it back up last night, forget what the E was at, but it was waaaay down, I think it was A, the rest tuned to that in standard tuning. Jangly and wicked muddy. Sabbath also played in Eb (flat, heh), I think I'm tuned in standard tuning with the low string at D or Db right now.

Another problem I have with nonstandard tuning is that I can play in any key pretty easily in standard E tuning, and as I say about drop d, it's just annoying to constantly try transposing keys in my head, I'd rather just sit back and play ;) If I'm thinking about scales and signatures, I'm not playing well.
Quote
Heh, I'm what you'd call a "slow hand"
I have spent the last couple years rebulding my chops, and I've really spent a lot more time playing blues than anything else. My good friend is a blues connysewer, and he absolutely hates when people start shredding during a blues song. To be fair, he means inappropriately, and we discussed this because one standard guy at a local open mic is ALWAYS shredding at the wrong time, in the wrong song, with his teeth (I'd even slap Hendrix for that crap, heh). So I almost feel bad about having shred chops, heh. I'm putting them in more now that I have a lot better emotion, I've gotten my bends and phrasing up to snuff (acceptable, anyway), so they are fitting in here and there.

But shredding is definitely only one aspect to what I'm shooting for. I'd like to get a band where I can be polyinstrumental and polygenre, play some reggae, blues, metal, rock, jazz, country, just have fun and jam type thing. Shredding just takes a lot of physical practice, no getting around it, heh...
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Reply #12 on: February 10, 2005, 06:30:25 AM

Here's another question: How many guitars, basses, and amps have you owned in your lifetime? Just wondering if you're like me. I'm 27 now, started playing around 12, and off the top of my head, I can think of something around 20 guitars (some pretty good), several basses, and at least 10 amps (some were crappy combos, but not all) that I have passed through my hands. All doomed to pawn shop hell  evil It seems like only recently that I've managed to hold on to my gear for more than a few years (don't get me started on effects pedals heh).
Sky
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Reply #13 on: February 10, 2005, 09:03:08 AM

Oh hell, I don't know. What I do know is that I've never sold anything, it's always been ripped off. I'd estimate maybe a dozen guitars, I find one I like and stick with it. Nothing too fancy, I used to play BC Rich Biches when I was playing a lot of guitar in the band, when I was playing bass, I'd play my guitarist's (very nice) Ibanezes. Ibanezii? For the bass, I started on a Peavey which I had gutted and rebuilt, my sound guy and I redid all the electronics, it was hot as hell, huge body that held a shitton of stickers, super long maple neck. When that got stolen, I used a Rickenbacker for about a year, which was pretty limiting as far as upper fret access, so I bought the ESP custom (kind of a cross between an explorer and a bich) I have now, which has the best neck I've ever played, real long and thin, great action.

Effects, can't count those, either. I was a studio rat in addition to my band being a road dog, we played an average of three or four hours every day for years, not counting individual practice. Part of why I'm such a fan of great live bands. But as a studio rat, I collected a ton of gear, I liked the older effects over the newer digital combo effects units (though that's what I'm using now, because it's cheap and available: a Boss GT-6, decent pedal, but just a placeholder until I can get some decent amps). Stomp pedals, I'd say I've had at least 50 over the years (some traded, most stolen). My favorite stomp pedal is probably the proco rat distortion.

Amps, as a guitarist I was using a Laney full stack. The only thing besides my first guitar my parents bought me, as a high school graduation present (for graduating with honors). Thanks mom and dad, heh. Nice stack for metal stuff, which is where I was then. We had been cobbling old amps together before that, my singer was singing through my old guitar head (for rehearsal, natch). When I moved to bass, I took that guitar head, which was some crazy 60's brand Kustom Lounge or something, but had great raw power without distortion. Put it on a 2-15" Peavey cab loaded out with a couple full range 400W EV speakers. Wicked solid and punchy, I stuck with that cheesy combo through my whole professional bass career, much to the amusement of other bassists....until they heard the tone I pulled from it, then they came with lots of questions, heh. I was alll about the tone, who cares how you get it! After that was stolen, I picked up a cheesy Peavey bass amp (only like 150W, limp) but a couple nice cabs, an Ampeg 8x10" and a Dean Markley 1x15" loaded with my sweet EV 400W full-ranger. That's what I'm playing guitar through as well, these days.

The band also went through a couple PA systems. Got our first one from a retiring local band for a song, complete. We had no clue how to use it at the time, and an art school friend of mine was at a rehearsal and laughed at our setup. Turns out his dad's an electrician and he knows his stuff, so he rewired everything and updated a lot of the cheesy electronics and became our first sound guy (the one who helped customize my peavey bass). When we 'made it' (heh) we bought a sick sound system with 4 4x15"s as the main beef, upgraded our board and rack.
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Reply #14 on: February 10, 2005, 02:37:48 PM

I have two different rigs I use depending on what kind of band I'm playing/practicing with at the time:

Rig #1 - Jazz Setup - I am playing a fretless 5 string Carvin with Tomastik Infield flat wound strings.  Gives that great "muwah" sound for jazz.  For amplification, I'm playing through a Sovtek Mig 100B 100W tube bass head, with a ported 4x10" cabinet.  Great gobs of low end, however it can get a bit growly if I turn it up too much.  I'd love to get a real upright double bass but I don't have two grand to throw around at this time.

Rig #2 - Rock Setup - Playing my new Ibanez 5 string (the Music Man copy, SRX505) with dual humbuckers.  I am using a preamp/power amp setup:  preamp is a SansAmp RBI rack mount preamp, into a QSC 700 watt PLX power amp.  Takes up only 3 rack spaces in total, and weight less than 30 pounds total.  Cabinets vary depending on where I am playing:  I have a 2x12" cab I use, and sometimes I use the 4x10" cabinet from the jazz gigs.  I am currently assembling parts to make up one of Len Moskowitz's Compact Bottom Ends since I am selling my truck, my main avenue of mass gear transportation.  I don't have a ton of room to lug around huge cabinets anymore.

However I don't use any of this stuff for making recordings, with the exception of the Sanamp RBI.  For everything else I am using a Vamp Pro system from Behringer and recording everything direct using a cabinet simulator.

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Reply #15 on: February 10, 2005, 04:09:20 PM

Right now, my primary guitars are an SG Special and an American Standard Strat. Everything is pretty much stock atm. I have a couple Tex Mex Teles and Strats, a Tex Mex Jazz Bass (no bass amp atm), and an old Ibanez as well (not sure what model...I just keep it around for the Floyd Rose). And of course, the Schecter is on it's way.

The only gig worthy amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (40 watts, but tube power!=solid state). When Fenders are plugged in, I'm jacked in through the guitar input. Just Fender tone. Rarely any effects. For the Gibson, I use a V-Amp, but jacked directly into the preamp input, which bypasses the Hot Rod's 12ax7 preamp (Digital modeling preamp with a 6L6 poweramp -- Sweet as hell).

Since I've purchased a Vox Valvetronix, I use it more often though. It isn't nearly as loud as the Hot Rod, but the tone blows away any of the other digital modelers like Line 6 and Behringer. Compare them yourself. It kind of follows the same principle of what I do with combining the Vamp and the Hotrod's 6L6's (by using real tube saturation for the power stage), but with 12AX7's (at least for saturation. The output is still dependent on a solid state power stage). Not only that, but it models famous stomp boxes as well. The only better combo I could think of is if I purchased a Vox Tonelab (stompbox version of the Valvetronix) and ran it through the power amp of the Hot Rod (like I do with the V-Amp).

EDIT: Hmm...I was just reading that previous paragraph over, and on second glance, it seems a little confusing. My bad.

Anyways, point is: Combining power tube saturation with a digital modeling preamp has given me the best tone (and verstatility as well) for the least amount of cash.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2005, 08:21:30 PM by Stray »
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Reply #16 on: February 15, 2005, 03:06:13 AM

Zakk plays a pretty bare bones rig.  His Les Pauls sport EMGs and that's about it.  He tunes 'em down, but you can get the same strings he uses at any big store.  His amplification is strictly 80s and was produced long before the downtuning trend began.  I think he does a  good job at showing that one doesn't need exotic equipment to produce "modern" sounds.
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Reply #17 on: February 15, 2005, 03:11:03 AM

Right now, my primary guitars are an SG Special and an American Standard Strat. Everything is pretty much stock atm. I have a couple Tex Mex Teles and Strats, a Tex Mex Jazz Bass (no bass amp atm), and an old Ibanez as well (not sure what model...I just keep it around for the Floyd Rose). And of course, the Schecter is on it's way.

The only gig worthy amp is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (40 watts, but tube power!=solid state). When Fenders are plugged in, I'm jacked in through the guitar input. Just Fender tone. Rarely any effects. For the Gibson, I use a V-Amp, but jacked directly into the preamp input, which bypasses the Hot Rod's 12ax7 preamp (Digital modeling preamp with a 6L6 poweramp -- Sweet as hell).

Since I've purchased a Vox Valvetronix, I use it more often though. It isn't nearly as loud as the Hot Rod, but the tone blows away any of the other digital modelers like Line 6 and Behringer. Compare them yourself. It kind of follows the same principle of what I do with combining the Vamp and the Hotrod's 6L6's (by using real tube saturation for the power stage), but with 12AX7's (at least for saturation. The output is still dependent on a solid state power stage). Not only that, but it models famous stomp boxes as well. The only better combo I could think of is if I purchased a Vox Tonelab (stompbox version of the Valvetronix) and ran it through the power amp of the Hot Rod (like I do with the V-Amp).

EDIT: Hmm...I was just reading that previous paragraph over, and on second glance, it seems a little confusing. My bad.

Anyways, point is: Combining power tube saturation with a digital modeling preamp has given me the best tone (and verstatility as well) for the least amount of cash.

I've always had a thing for Line6 because they have dedicated themselves to 100% digital.  Their newest software is pretty damn good, IMO.

But if you want to combine digital with loud, run a line out from your Valvetronix, into the line in of your HRD, which will bypass the preamp section of your HRD.
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Reply #18 on: February 16, 2005, 02:24:17 PM

So...Just got that Schecter today. The top string is creating a lot of fret buzz, but since baritones and 7 strings are kind of new to me, I'm not sure if I should try adjusting it myself or not. I don't want to fuck with the truss rod. At a glance, the neck looks OK, so I don't think that's it anyways.

Do you think a simple bridge adjustment may work, or should I just take it to a shop? Did any of you with baritones or 7-strings need additional setup after you got 'em?
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Reply #19 on: February 16, 2005, 02:50:40 PM

Not on the topic of gear (cause my bass is a sucky one for fooling around on), but on the topic of guitars....

Does anyone know of a good place to find scales/drills for bass to build dexterity/speed?

I'm tired of seeing how fast I can play a 12 bar blues progression....

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Reply #20 on: February 16, 2005, 02:50:56 PM

So...Just got that Schecter today. The top string is creating a lot of fret buzz, but since baritones and 7 strings are kind of new to me, I'm not sure if I should try adjusting it myself or not. I don't want to fuck with the truss rod. At a glance, the neck looks OK, so I don't think that's it anyways.

Do you think a simple bridge adjustment may work, or should I just take it to a shop? Did any of you with baritones or 7-strings need additional setup after you got 'em?

Where's it buzzing?  Nearer the headstock or the bridge?

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Reply #21 on: February 16, 2005, 02:51:36 PM

Not on the topic of gear (cause my bass is a sucky one for fooling around on), but on the topic of guitars....

Does anyone know of a good place to find scales/drills for bass to build dexterity/speed?

I'm tired of seeing how fast I can play a 12 bar blues progression....

http://www.activebass.com/lessons/lessdir.asp
http://www.cyberfretbass.com/
« Last Edit: February 16, 2005, 02:55:11 PM by MisterNoisy »

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Reply #22 on: February 16, 2005, 04:16:46 PM

So...Just got that Schecter today. The top string is creating a lot of fret buzz, but since baritones and 7 strings are kind of new to me, I'm not sure if I should try adjusting it myself or not. I don't want to fuck with the truss rod. At a glance, the neck looks OK, so I don't think that's it anyways.

Do you think a simple bridge adjustment may work, or should I just take it to a shop? Did any of you with baritones or 7-strings need additional setup after you got 'em?

Where's it buzzing?  Nearer the headstock or the bridge?

Both....Think I solved most of it though. I called Schecter up and they told me to just loosen the truss rod one turn. I might need to raise the bridge a tiny bit too, not sure. There's still a little buzz, but not as much before, especially when plugged in. Now it sounds like another one I played, so I guess I'm cool.

Next stop: New pickups  :-D

This guitar is frickin' sweet as it is though. And the next chance I get, I'm gonna have to buy a standard tuning C-Series Schecter as well.

Sky: In case you lose interest in the baritones, you should still try one of the normal Schecters. They're a fuckload better than any Gibson or Fender in the same price range. Hell, even better than some models that cost twice as much...and a Schecter is versatile enough to sound like both.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2005, 04:24:53 PM by Stray »
MisterNoisy
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Reply #23 on: February 16, 2005, 06:15:28 PM

Both....Think I solved most of it though. I called Schecter up and they told me to just loosen the truss rod one turn. I might need to raise the bridge a tiny bit too, not sure. There's still a little buzz, but not as much before, especially when plugged in. Now it sounds like another one I played, so I guess I'm cool.

Next stop: New pickups  :-D

Sweet!  :)

Quote
This guitar is frickin' sweet as it is though. And the next chance I get, I'm gonna have to buy a standard tuning C-Series Schecter as well.

Sky: In case you lose interest in the baritones, you should still try one of the normal Schecters. They're a fuckload better than any Gibson or Fender in the same price range. Hell, even better than some models that cost twice as much...and a Schecter is versatile enough to sound like both.



This upcoming Schecter model has me drooling something fierce, but I really dig vintage-style guitars.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2005, 06:38:16 PM by MisterNoisy »

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trias_e
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Reply #24 on: February 16, 2005, 06:26:21 PM

I love my schecter, it's a Blackjack C-1.

I mainly play metal, but this guitar has got some versatility.  The stock pickups have a quite nice sound to my eyes, clean or distortion.

I don't know a ton about guitars by any means, I just know what I like.  And I like this.  Probably better than anything else I've played thats priced around 500 bucks, although the ESP Viper 400 for me definitely was up there as well.


« Last Edit: February 16, 2005, 06:35:40 PM by trias_e »
stray
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Reply #25 on: February 16, 2005, 07:34:04 PM

The C-1 is exactly like mine, except the EX is extended scale. Other than that, same good guitar.

To derail a bit:

I hate drummers.

At least I do right now. Lately, it seems like every one of them wants to be the next Neil Peart. I'm tired of that shit -- play a fucking song damnit! Everything I've tried to get going lately turns into session of watching the drummer getting his rocks off -- at the exclusion of everyone else (i.e. the song). With all due respect to Neil, fuck him. Fuck Keith Moon and fuck Dave Lombardo too. Give me Charlie Watts instead.

Better yet, I'll just use a sequencer.

edit: Heh...Sorry, bad night.

Oh, and don't correct me on Neil. I'm just ranting. I know full well what he's capable of, and that he himself has no problem with song structure. Hell, he's even the primary songwriter for his band. I just don't get the deal with some of the guys I've run into lately. I've accomplished nothing with any of them. Seems to me like they've been playing by themselves for far too long.
« Last Edit: February 16, 2005, 07:37:37 PM by Stray »
Sky
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Reply #26 on: February 17, 2005, 06:39:05 AM

Shit, that's why I'm not in a band. I've sauntered through the musical community in my backwater town and found it sorely lacking. I did find one good drummer, but he's in a long term project that I thought sucked. Too bad, that cat was good on drums and could play guitar, too (which was cool because it let me get some time on the bass).

I like active, syncopated drummers. I don't like drummers who play stock beats, straight 4/4 rock beats, that stuff. That said, I assume a drummer can play to the song and stay in time, etc. If you can't even do that, you need a few more year's practice with people who need practice. I mean, I feel I need a ton of practice, but with higher level stuff, not just playing the song and keeping it in time.

The other side of it is personality. I like strong, confident players, but not egotistical ones. Unfortunately, it seems in this local arena, confidence and ego seem to go hand in hand. One kid I was going to approach for bass duties in my project totally blew it one night. Walked into an open mic night and I was jamming with the aforementioned wicked drummer, improving some tasty metal and shredding some leads (we were talking about doing a totally improvisational metal project. well more than talking, heh) and the bassist walked in. At first I was excited, I wanted him in on this project...and he just played some off the wall shit, out of tune and time, basically killed the jam we had going. When we stopped, he kept asking us if we wanted to play some Primus. After he asked like a dozen times (literally), in the interest of not being seen as the local jerk guitarist, I set the guitar down and hit the bar with the drummer, leaving the kid alone on stage. He then went to the mic and started asking the house if anyone wanted to play Primus. I hate folks who get so hung up on one artist like that, if I really like an artist, I intentionally try to NOT learn their music, to avoid getting stuck on them and not developing my own sound. I'd heard the kid (bassist) was a pita to work with, but then, so am I, heh. But apparently I'm a bit less so....unless you want to play Primus, I guess. There's also a tension, because I used to be the pre-eminent bassist in my podunk town before my band moved on to pursue a professional career, I think he always held that against me and was trying to show off. Of course, I was also the last of the traditional Geezer Butler/Cliff Burton type bassists, after our band most bands started with that slap bass crap. I can appreciate it, I think Les Claypool is nothing short of an amazing genius...just totally not my thing.

Funny thing is...I watched Some Kind of Monster last night, and seeing Cliff always inspires me. I got to the audition scene and was surprised at how many 'big name' bass players (jeordi white, danny lohner, eric avery, etc) just don't have much going on. They could barely play Seek&Destroy, a song that was so overplayed in our old scene that I actually boycotted it (and creeping death). Now.,..I was a guitarist back then, I don't actually know any metallica songs (well, a few like master of puppets, battery, and shortest straw) on bass. But I picked up the bass and wailed through the audition, I guess part of it is that Cliff was such an influence, got me into music theory, and the jammy Geezer, so I tend to jam through pieces more (leaving room for the singer and solos, natch, it's a balancing act). And I'm sure being in my living room cut down on the stress of jamming with metallica, heh. Anyway, point it, I've been working on my guitar chops for a few years now and I can still pick up the bass and destroy my guitar playing, like riding a bike (except for the massive blood blisters because I play so hard hehe).

/morning ramble where's my caffeine whew that was a ramblation sorry
HaemishM
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Reply #27 on: February 17, 2005, 08:09:58 AM

Neil Peart is a great drummer. But like you both said, he plays to the song and adds his personality moments TO the song, instead of in spite of the song. Any asshead who wants to be in a band has to learn it isn't all about him and his instrument. Same with Les Claypool. Outstanding bass player, but if he tried to play the Primus type stuff in a Metallica joint, it would totally fuck the song up, because they wouldn't mesh. I don't play anymore, but I at least understand that colloborative projects like bands require compromise on all fronts, or you end up sounding like Yngwie Malmsteen.

trias_e
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Reply #28 on: February 17, 2005, 08:49:15 AM

What, is there something wrong with liking 'Rising Force'?

......
HaemishM
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Reply #29 on: February 17, 2005, 08:57:01 AM

Nothing wrong with liking Malmsteen, I just think he's a great guitarist who can't write a good song to save his life. He's too caught up in scales and blistering solos to worry about melody, harmony and good hooks.

trias_e
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Reply #30 on: February 17, 2005, 09:02:57 AM

I agree actually, my elipses were more of a contemplation on the probably non-existant possibility of internet sarcasm...
Sky
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Reply #31 on: February 17, 2005, 09:04:49 AM

Ygnwie was extremely talented, and put on a great live show, too.

But his albums were nothing more than musical masturbation, lacking soul entirely. I wonder if I can still play Black Star...
Righ
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Reply #32 on: February 17, 2005, 09:13:11 AM

The Oysterhead album consisting of Claypool, Anastasio and Copeland is brilliance. Peart was the wrong example for the arrogant drummer. You should have used Carl Palmer. Brilliant, but prone to excesses that compromise the music.

The camera adds a thousand barrels. - Steven Colbert
Sky
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Reply #33 on: February 17, 2005, 09:28:16 AM

I've got just about everything Les has put to disc :) Oysterhead does indeed rock, there are a couple tracks floating around the net, maybe from the official site or Les's site, leftovers from the studio sessions. Just a couple nice little ditties. Another great disc is the 2 cds (sold seperately) from a live show the Flying Frog Brigade did. First disc is mostly Les and Sausage tunes plus Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Second disc is the entirity of my favorite Pink Floyd album, Animals. I always wanted to play it live in its entirity, Les lived my vision. Pretty cool.
Miguel
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Reply #34 on: February 17, 2005, 11:22:17 AM

Quote
Funny thing is...I watched Some Kind of Monster last night, and seeing Cliff always inspires me. I got to the audition scene and was surprised at how many 'big name' bass players (jeordi white, danny lohner, eric avery, etc) just don't have much going on.

I'm glad someone else picked up on this!  I too watched this a few nights ago, and thought the exact same things!

Now I wonder a bit:  those additions happened about 35 miles from where I live, could I have done better than those douchebags?  Could I have gotten a 1 million dollar signing deal, and been granted a red name on F13? :)

Where is the talent today?  Where did all the bass gods go?

“We have competent people thinking about this stuff. We’re not just making shit up.” -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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