As previously threatened, here’s the first installment in a series on unusual Strat pickup combinations, inspired by a big box of Duncan pickups and a couple of prewired “BYOP” pickguards. I tried a couple of meh combinations that I didn’t like enough to record, but this third experiment seemed worth sharing. Dig this odd combo: Lipstick Tube neck. Alnico II Pro middle. Twang Banger bridge. Comments and post mortem after the clip. Have a listen! (more…)
Readers had a lot to say about a recent post on high-end guitar picks. I focused on some of those ultra-hard picks made from natural materials, such as stone, bone, wood, and horn, plus ones made from synthetics designed to mimic those materials, such as GraphTech’s Tusq series. I’d concluded that, while these picks cost a lot more than garden-variety plastic picks, they offer unique benefits, including stronger fundamentals, more low-end mass, and varying amounts of percussive treble “slice” that can help a guitar track stand out in a mix.
Anyway, several readers spoke highly of V-Picks, a small handmade pick company from Nashville run by Vinni and Nancy Smith. I bought a few, and was deeply impressed. So I got a bunch more and made the set of reference recordings included here. Have a listen! (more…)
Okay, this should be an interesting experiment!
I’ve scored a box stuffed with wildy varied Seymour Duncan replacement pickups for Strat™ guitars, plus a couple of the company’s just-announced BYOP Liberator Pickguards. (These are prewired pickguard assemblies, minus the actual pickups — “BYOP” stands for “Bring Your Own Pickups.”) That means I can pop in whatever pickup I want to try without even firing up the soldering iron.
No, I’m not going to make comparison recordings of different replacement pickup sets (though that would be a worthwhile project). Instead, I’m going to experiment with unusual/unlikely pickup combinations, searching for something cool and unique.
Will I strike pickup-pairing pay dirt? I guess we’ll find out together!
I’ll also be taking a look at some of the alternate three-pickup wiring schemes we’ve been talking about over in The Secret Room, such as the bridge-pickup on/off switch and the middle-pickup fader option.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your experiences in choosing pickups for Strat-style guitars — especially any successes you’ve had in combining pickups that weren’t necessarily intended to go together. If you have a story to share, cough it up in comments!
I have a hunch we’ll uncover some cool new things. Stay tuned.
It’s official — we now have over 500 cool users’ tone secrets over in The Secret Room. Want to learn a foolproof method for adjusting your pickups? Great advice on surviving soundchecks? Simple but brilliant wiring mods? Words of wisdom about technique and musicianship? It’s in there — along with lots of hundreds of other tips. Your reactions will range from “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?” to “Ugh — why would anyone think of that?” 🙂
Right now the most popular secret reveals how to determine how much sustain an electric guitar has — before plugging it in. All you have to do is…
…naw, you’ll have to read it for yourself. All you need to do to join the conversation is submit a secret of your own.
My ears perked up when I heard about Seymour Duncan’s new 59/Custom Hybrid bridge humbucker. I’d never tried a pickup that combined coils from two very different pickups — in this case, the ’59, a vintage-accurate PAF, and the Custom, long described as “a PAF on steroids.”
I was eager to hear how a hybrid pickup would blend with a vintage-style neck PAF. My test guitar was a Hamer 20th Anniversary retrofitted with Antiquity Humbuckers. (It originally had a JB/’59 pair.)
I had several burning questions:
• Could I could get a hotter bridge tone without losing too much treble definition?
• Would the more powerful bridge pickup overpower the neck pickup?
• Could I still get a delicate, chiming clean tone?
• How would it sound in split-coil mode (which solos the hotter Custom coil)?
• How would the split-coil bridge blend with the neck pickup?
I made some before-and-after recordings. Have a listen:
It’s hard to believe it’s only been a week since we launched the Secret Room site. Hundreds and hundreds of guitarists and bassists have posted cool tone tips. Thanks to all those who’ve been generous enough to share their secrets. I can’t believe how many helpful and inspiring ideas we’ve been privileged to post. I’m confident the site will evolve into a fabulous resource for musicians. In fact, it already has!
I’d like to share a my few of my favorite secrets so far:
(more…)
UPDATE: I’m proud to announce that the first part of my report on high-end picks has been selected to appear in the debut issue of Pure Guitar, a new digital guitar mag whose editorial staff includes my two music journo mentors : Tom Wheeler and Jas Obrecht. Also on board: jazz ace Wayne Goins, session superhero Tim Pierce, Nashville’s leading guitar tech, Joe Glaser, and other preeminent axe experts.
You’ll find my article here — but frankly, I recommend starting at the homepage of issue #1 and reading all the way through!
Congrats, guys, on the new mag. I’m psyched to be part of it. :beer:
Holy cow! I had no idea there were so many secrets out there, and so many players eager to divulge them!
In other words: The Secret Room project is off to a roaring start, with hundreds of cool submissions, and I’m working overtime to get them posted.
In the meantime, I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about the process so far, and invite your input in comments. (I’ve closed comments in the Secret Room announcement post, because too many people were posting secrets there, rather than using the submission form.) (more…)
UPDATE: Wow! I’m overwhelmed by the initial response. Hundreds of cool tips! Please bear with me as I process them and send out the access info. I could automate the process, but I want this to be more than just a bunch of random posts, and I want to weed out the silly stuff. —Joe
Do you have a secret? I want it!
No, not your credit card number, or the truth about what you were really doing on the night of September 23rd. Just a cool tip about anything that makes you play better or sound better. The kind of hard-won musical wisdom that’s almost too good to share.
And in exchange for surrendering a precious secret, you get access to the best secrets of many other players, including some whose names you know.
Just contribute a cool tone secret, and you’ll get access to this password-protected site. While there, you’ll be able to comment on the secrets and add ratings. Just to keep things lively, the authors of the highest-rated secrets will win cool gear prizes. In fact, whoever creates the highest-rated post between now and March 1st will receive a Godin Natural Summit CT, a lovely and versatile carved-top solidbody electric guitar that sells for $1,000. The authors of the second and third most popular posts win a their choice of Seymour Duncan pickup sets. (Custom Shop sets excluded.)
The site is already looking pretty cool — but it will be cooler if you contribute! Learn more (and submit a secret) here.
Don’t you love when someone revisits a weird idea from the past — and makes it even weirder?
I got a new bass last week, right before I left for the NAMM show. I finally had a chance to try it out yesterday. I think I’m in love. View the incriminating evidence in this brief video: (more…)