The Guitarists Thread

[danelectro]

I avoid guitars with floating trems all together(although occasionally I'll be asked to sit in and get stuck with one..drive me crazy cuz I love double stop bends)

I can't avoid it because Strat tone figures heavily into many of my projects and I think blocking it changes the springiness of the tone. The Strat I have now is the first I've owned in many years that hasn't had a tremconverter installed, somehow it stays true during all the oblique bends. Good thing too because I heard Dirkson's discontinued the tremconverter and I wasn't fond of the others out there.

Anyway.........

[Old Scratch]

I played one Fender Tele religiously for most of my performances and studio work. Live, I'd mostly play through a Fender Super Reverb ('62 reissue) ... but found it was simply too big and powerful to lug to all the little shit venues I was playing at the time. So my studio amp, a beaten up little Blues Junior many times found it's way on stage, sitting on a bar stool. I'd just mic the little fucker and was able to pull off a big enough sound for a shit hole with a max capacity of 100 people.

My Tele has since bitten the dust. Well, it really just has a short I'm too lazy to fix. I don't play anymore, live or session ... so it doesn't really matter at this point.

I've got more than a few guitars, my two other favorites being an SG and a Strat ... but they all pretty collect dust at this point.

Most of the time I just fuck around on my Taylor when I get drunk.

I sometimes hate music, man. I've been playing on and off professionally for 20 years now and it ain't never really did me much good....even in the best of times and in the best of bands.

I haven't played a gig in over 2 years ...

~666

[spatdrastik]

I can't avoid it because Strat tone figures heavily into many of my projects and I think blocking it changes the springiness of the tone. The Strat I have now is the first I've owned in many years that hasn't had a tremconverter installed, somehow it stays true during all the oblique bends. Good thing too because I heard Dirkson's discontinued the tremconverter and I wasn't fond of the others out there.

Anyway.........

The stock strat style trems aren't so bad if set up right (i very rarely reach for the bar anyway)..it's those awful locking floyd rose types I really can't stand

[spatdrastik]

I played one Fender Tele religiously for most of my performances and studio work. Live, I'd mostly play through a Fender Super Reverb ('62 reissue) ... but found it was simply too big and powerful to lug to all the little shit venues I was playing at the time. So my studio amp, a beaten up little Blues Junior many times found it's way on stage, sitting on a bar stool. I'd just mic the little fucker and was able to pull off a big enough sound for a shit hole with a max capacity of 100 people.

My Tele has since bitten the dust. Well, it really just has a short I'm too lazy to fix. I don't play anymore, live or session ... so it doesn't really matter at this point.

I've got more than a few guitars, my two other favorites being an SG and a Strat ... but they all pretty collect dust at this point.

Most of the time I just fuck around on my Taylor when I get drunk.

I sometimes hate music, man. I've been playing on and off professionally for 20 years now and it ain't never really did me much good....even in the best of times and in the best of bands.

I haven't played a gig in over 2 years ...

~666

Whoa..that sounds familiar...I got really sick last year and had to sell all my gear to pay the bills. I haven't played a gig in almost 2 years either. A friend of mine has recently brought me back from the dead and I've played on a couple of studio sessions, and he lets me engineer studio sessions in exchange for free studio time(I've got around 30 hours in the bank whenever I'm ready)...apart from that the only playing I do lately is give lessons...I miss my 5 hours a day practice schedule

[irg82]

Guitars:

Ebony 2004 Gibson SG Special

Cream / White (Hendrix Colored) Squire Stratocaster

Traveler Guitar Pro Series (Very Cool, See HERE)

Harmony Stella Acoustic (First Guitar, Piece of SHIT, Mine was bought in 2000 though, not one of the 60s ones: HERE)

Amps:

Vox AD100VT

Squire (?)

Effects:

Will Edit Later

Recording:

ProTools 6.7 (I Think)

MBox1

Drums:

Ludwig Accent 5-Piece

Keyboard/Midi:

M-Audio Axiom 49

Others:

Ukulele (Hand-Made by Maui Luthier)

Hohner Harmonica (Key of C)

Yamaha YRS-24B Recorder

[redrum]

I actually plan on getting a Gretsch before long, probably the Electromatic Pro Jet because I can't afford the Duo Jet.

When I started 3 years ago my nephew let me use his 1962 Gretsch 'Tennessean'.

It was sweet with a beautiful action.

[danelectro]

When I started 3 years ago my nephew let me use his 1962 Gretsch 'Tennessean'.

It was sweet with a beautiful action.

My Mom's hubby just bought a new Gretsch, sweet as can be. I got the itch for one and considered buying a used 62 Country Classic Reissue today, some guy has one listed on Craigslist, but I just don't need another guitar I don't have time to play. I haven't even switched on an amp for more than two months.

[Honeydripper]

One of my goals with this thread is to get at each one of those tones. Not necessarily the exact equipment used by Jimmy although that would be nice, but the strategies each of us might use in achieving a specific tone for a specific song whether its the studio or live version.

I like the contributions so far. The pics are very cool. So three of us have Vox modelers... settings ? I like the UK 70's with the gain turned up three quarters.

And spatdrastik, thanks for the scales tips. Watching the DVDs again latel, one of the things that stood out in my mind is how Jimmy moves up and down the neck while he's playing his solos.

First thing is, all of Page's 70's era gear was frankensteined...guitars and amps..........second thing is, tone can come from the hands as much as from the gear. You could pick up Jimmy's guitar plugged into his amp..still warm from a 3 hr show and "sound" nothing like him.

as for me..

74 Tele w/ B bender/auto drop D, and 3 emg active pu's.

1960 Guild t-100d hollowbody

56 Fender Champ

65 Fender Bassman

Roland RE-201 Space echo tape loop delay

Ibenez tube screamer

Voodoo Lab sparkle drive

Voodoo Lab micro vibe

that's all I have for guitars/gear. Years ago I had 2 Les Paul's, 2 Strats, and many other guitars, shitloads of amps, and tons of effects. After 25+ yrs, I came to the realization that I did'nt need 9/10ths of it. All I need is a pre CBS Fender tube amp with a GREAT clean channel, a guitar that has a true neck, stays in tune, is comfortable "for me" to play, and sings...even when not plugged in. It took me that long to find the perfect match, but I found it. I'm VERY happy w/ my sound.

and the most I paid for anything on my list is the 56 Champ (it's 100% original) other than that....the tele was $475, the Guild i got for $250, the Bassman was free, the Space Echo was Free....as was the tube screamer....both Voodoo Lab pedals were about $80 per.

For the record, I've never owned a new guitar/amp in my life. Always used for me.

[Tea For One]

Guitars:

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Fender Telecaster

Squier Super-Sonic

Squier Stratocaster

Amps:

1981 Marshall JCM-800 2203

Laney LC15R

Effects:

TwinStomp Booster

Dunlop Crybaby Wah

+ loads more that I only use for recording.

Will post pics when I get the chance.

[spatdrastik]

yep, Gretschs are often overlooked but they really do have a nice sound. They look good too but they're rather heavy.

Honeydripper, I like your choice of the Ibanez tube screamer, I think it's a must have

The old ones are great..wouldn't waste my time with newer ones

[Honeydripper]

The old ones are great..wouldn't waste my time with newer ones

Mine is did a mod on it YEARS ago by drilling a hole right in the top of it and installing a proper switchcraft stompswitch. All the Ibanez..or even DOD stompswitches crap out in time. (at least mine always seem to)

[spatdrastik]

Mine is did a mod on it YEARS ago by drilling a hole right in the top of it and installing a proper switchcraft stompswitch. All the Ibanez..or even DOD stompswitches crap out in time. (at least mine always seem to)

I've been using a bad monkey for a while, find it much better than the newer tube screamers...not much in the way of distortion, but it's really transparant if you leave the hi & lo knobs at half. I like to use the level control and the hi tone control to compensate for long cable runs,and the low tone helps to beef up single coils.With the gain past half it adds a pretty decent amount of grunt without messing with your tone...and it's built like a TANK

took me forever to figure out how to change the battery tho!

[JimmyPage1977]

I wish that I was as cool as you guys!

[Evermore]

First thing is, all of Page's 70's era gear was frankensteined...guitars and amps..........second thing is, tone can come from the hands as much as from the gear. You could pick up Jimmy's guitar plugged into his amp..still warm from a 3 hr show and "sound" nothing like him.

I know about the mods to the Les Paul. its the push pull pots for series switching, phase switching and switching each humbucker pickup into a single coil. Do you know what he did with the amps?

And you are right about the hands. The same is said about any great guitarist. Theres a story about either Dweezil Zappa or Ted Nugent I can't remember and how he was able to play Eddies guitar through Eddies rig shortly before a concert. He said that even with the very rig Eddie was about to play he could not get it to sound like Van Halen!

[Honeydripper]

Wow I never really though about playing in that way, I mean I know that everyone has different playing styles, but I thought that with all the right rigging it might something like the real thing.

So your saying Jimmy replaced his humbuckers with single coil pick-ups? I never knew that before. I personally like humbuckers and plan on changing my single coils for seymour duncans. I'm kind of afraid of stuffing the whole thing up though so I've been putting it off.

Jimmy did'nt replace the humbuckers, they were just wired differently then normal. A humbucker is really 2 single coils wrapped side by side and together.....and is designed to reduce the noise a single coil pickup can create. Jimmy's wiring job is known as "coil tapping" and in essence takes the feed from one of the two coils. It creates an "out of phase" twangy sound. On Jimmy's Les Paul the volume pot has a push/pull switch that engages it. It makes for a very versitile guitar which Jimmy needed considering he recorded so much using single coil Fenders.

[Tea For One]

Jimmy did'nt replace the humbuckers, they were just wired differently then normal. A humbucker is really 2 single coils wrapped side by side and together.....and is designed to reduce the noise a single coil pickup can create. Jimmy's wiring job is known as "coil tapping" and in essence takes the feed from one of the two coils. It creates an "out of phase" twangy sound. On Jimmy's Les Paul the volume pot has a push/pull switch that engages it. It makes for a very versitile guitar which Jimmy needed considering he recorded so much using single coil Fenders.

Jimmy may have this mod fitted now, but back in his heyday he didn't. Just changed his sound with subtle use of his volume, tone and picking style.

[GioBrasil]

Anyone here play a nylon string?

I'm from Brasil, the country of bossa nova...

Usually people ask me why do I use steel strings

But i use both

[spatdrastik]

I've done my time in the trenches as a guitar tech, and it seems that this topic is rarely discussed and beginners can really benefit from knowing how to set up and maintain/do minor repairs so I thought I would go into some of it.

How to adjust the intonation of your guitar.

If you find that after you tune up, open chords sound fine but chords further up the neck sound out of tune an intonation adjustment is in order. Also if you have made(or had someone else do) a truss rod adjustment, changed strings gauges, changed string height or if your guitar hasn't been played in months or has been exposed to radical temp changes you'll most likely need to do this.

A strobe tuner is best, but it can be done with any tuner, although it is easier with one that has an analog meter(has a needle) as opposed to a bunch of LED's. If you have a great ear, in a pinch it can be done by ear also.

tune the open string to pitch, then check the note at the 12th fret and the harmonic at the 12th fret. If the note or the harmonic is sharp compared to the note that means the string is too short and the bridge saddle must be moved back, if it's flat the string is too long and the bridge saddle must be moved forward. Bridge saddle adjustments are made with the screws,usually with springs on them) at the back of the bridge. Loosen the string until it comes off the saddle (NEVER, EVER adjust your bridge saddles with the string tuned to pitch!!!! I can't stress this enough...Especially with the wound strings. The saddle will tend to snag on the windings and seriously shorten the life of the string, it may even break, what's worse is that it will damage the saddle...If you break alot of strings right at the saddle this is probably the reason). Move the saddle 1 turn of the screw in the direction you need to go, tune the open string up to pitch and check the 12th fret note and harmonic. Continue this process making smaller and smaller adjustments until the open string, 12th fret note and 12th fret harmonic are in PERFECT tune, there is no such thing as close enough(which is reason in itself to learn to do this yourself, that dude at guitar center doesn't play your guitar, and isn't likely to take the time to really get it right)...this is a very time consuming process, but well worth the effort.

Remember to loosen the string and take it off the saddle before adjusting it, especially on Gibson style "tune a matic" bridges, but it's a good practice on all guitars

Another thing, always tune your strings UP to pitch, if you tune down to the note, tension builds up behind the nut and the first time you bend you will be out of tune. If a string is sharp, loosen it until it is WAY flat and yank on it(to release the tension behind the nut) and then tune it up to pitch, yank on it again and if it's still in tune you're good to go, if they are new strings you will have to do this several times. Also after you have tuned every string go back and check them again, especially if one or more of them was way out of tune to begin with..you're not really in tune until you check them twice without having to tweak any of them.

I hope somebody out there finds this useful

edited to add: Be careful about your pickup height also, the magnetic fields can play havoc with your tuning if they are too close. This is more of an issue with single coil pickups and a HUGE concern with single coil sized humbuckers (hot rail types or stacked humbuckers).

[leddy]

No doubt Jimmy inspired legions of us to pick up an axe and learn to play. I'm interested in seeing what Zep fans do to get that Pagey tone

I do play some Zep stuff but I don't try and get His tone, or anyone elses, I try and get the tone that I like thats my own for the song or piece of music I play. I know some people spend days, weeks and even months trying to get someone elses tone etc, but thats not for me. Talking about pages tone though I do love the sound he has on Black Dog !!

[redrum]

I'm from Brasil, the country of bossa nova...

Usually people ask me why do I use steel strings

But i use both

[silvermedalist]

Here is my brand new Taylor 314 ce guitar. Acoustic/electric. It retails over $2000, the Guitar Center here, which is a rip off, wanted $1700. The House of Guitars sold it to me for $1395 plus tax and included a new velvet hard case. The owner threw in some free stuff including elixir strings. Anyone that ever comes up here needs to see the House of Guitars. Great store. As for the arcticle the former member spatsdasdic posted about tunings above (even though Im sure he is around somewhere? lol), he mentioned the tunings and a strange thing happened to me with a Les Paul studio my ex wife had bought me. The neck was pitched incorrectly. . A rare mistake by Gibson. It was in tune but if you played in the higher frets it was off. I could never figure it out until I brought it to an expert tech. She also had no idea a studio is not as good as a standard or custom. I would have been better served with an epiphone. anyway, here is my new baby! Pay no attention to the 1989 Alvarez in the background.

[redrum]

Here is my brand new Taylor 314 ce guitar. Acoustic/electric. It retails over $2000, the Guitar Center here, which is a rip off, wanted $1700. The House of Guitars sold it to me for $1395 plus tax and included a new velvet hard case. The owner threw in some free stuff including elixir strings. Anyone that ever comes up here needs to see the House of Guitars. Great store. As for the arcticle the former member spatsdasdic posted about tunings above (even though Im sure he is around somewhere? lol), he mentioned the tunings and a strange thing happened to me with a Les Paul studio my ex wife had bought me. The neck was pitched incorrectly. . A rare mistake by Gibson. It was in tune but if you played in the higher frets it was off. I could never figure it out until I brought it to an expert tech. She also had no idea a studio is not as good as a standard or custom. I would have been better served with an epiphone. anyway, here is my new baby! Pay no attention to the 1989 Alvarez in the background.

A girl brought in her new Taylor the other day at the music store and she played and sang and the guitar sounded sweet.