46

The mini bar (off topic & misc) / Re: your first guitar idol?

« on: September 22, 2009, 02:40:31 PM »

I hear a lot of Avenged Sevenfold at my local Guitar center and I pride myself on having once shut up the store playing an Ibanez on clean channel when trying out the Peavey Vypyr

Funny... I once shut up a store full of Green Day emo kids by playing "Wanted... Dead or Alive" on a 12-string acoustic...

47

The mini bar (off topic & misc) / Re: your first guitar idol?

« on: September 21, 2009, 12:40:09 AM »

Yes, i went back to two music vids which had me in awe before i played - Frusciante, RHCP "Suck my kiss" and Stevie Ray Vaughan "Supersition" live (Stevie Wonder cover).  I worked out that it was the raw tones and the reckless ferocity in the way they were playing.  By contrast I had become very precise and considered and my tones too processed.

Budd - i bet you can't stomach 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Sweet Child o mine'  still to this day!

Shit man, I can't stomach "Stairway" or "Sweet Child O' Mine"

48

The mini bar (off topic & misc) / Re: your first guitar idol?

« on: September 20, 2009, 03:36:11 PM »

thanks, i think it's interesting to look back on your first idols and try to figure out what initially attracted you to guitar.  If you find that your playing is in a rut or gone down a path you no longer like, it's an interesting exercise to go back to your first idols or pre-playing idols and try to get a bit of their playing or tone.  Kind of like a new start.

I've done that numerous times, I find it very refreshing. It's like turning a new page. When I first started weaning myself off of Vai and heavier onto my older favorites, I realized what made Vai's music sound sterile to me, and why I dug what I used to, and still dig now.

49

The mini bar (off topic & misc) / Re: your first guitar idol?

« on: September 16, 2009, 08:32:10 PM »

Jimi Hendrix.

Still is.

For a time a few years ago, I was way into Vai and Satch. Not so much anymore. I still dig Satch's music, and the occasional Vai is fun, but I'm done with shredding.

But now I'm also a bigger fan of The Edge from U2, Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead, and David Gilmour.

50

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzioForum Pickups FAQ

« on: September 02, 2009, 05:31:39 PM »

Yes, D Activators come standard with chrome polepieces. Usually, you should be able to order them from your local DiMarzio dealer, they should have them stock; if not, they'll be shipped overseas as a standard pickup, shouldn't be any upcharge.

51

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: Humbucker From Hell

« on: August 26, 2009, 07:21:13 PM »

What is the best body wood for the Humbucker from Hell?

It'll work well in anything. In mahogany, it has a more shimmery, acoustic-like quality, while in swamp ash it's a bit more stratty, and definitely snappier.

52

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzioForum Pickups FAQ

« on: August 18, 2009, 08:15:41 PM »

EDITS: I've included the nice tidbit on how DiMarzio measures output.

53

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The FS-1

« on: August 12, 2009, 09:49:57 AM »

thanks.  Altho i don't try to sound like him ,David Gilmour is one of the guys i respect the most for tone.  I think that's a pretty common opinion.  So the FS-1's are the closest Dimarzio's to Gilmour's recent tones?

I agree, I never try to sound like Gilmour, but personally I don't see anything wrong with taking a page or two out of his book. I respect him incredibly, in the past year he has taught me to SLOW DOWN when I solo, and to take care and thought into each individual note. There's also a grind to his tone that I just love (which comes from that FS-1).

Yes, the FS-1 is what he used in the '70s before he switched to EMGs. If you want the actual pickup he's been using, check out the Duncan SSL-5 Custom, but I prefer the FS-1. The two are very similar: basically overwound strat pickups, but I find that the FS-1 tends to drive harder and better, while the SSL-5 tends to be smoother and darker.

54

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The FS-1

« on: August 11, 2009, 03:33:50 PM »

ahh Nick you're better researched than me.  On his recent solo tour he is definitely using more vintage pickups in a black strat.  i assumed they were vintage fenders (and thought i heard the same info) but could be dimarzio's.   However my understanding was that his main red 57 strat is still loaded with EMG's - Gilmour signature model.   At any rate, on his live solo dvd you can definitely hear the difference between that and the EMGs from the 80's. 

Heh, I'm a Gilmour nut...

The black stratocaster you're referring to is actually known as (quite aptly named) The Black Strat (yeah, real original...). It's a '70 Strat that's been heavily modified over the years: it's got a Fender '83 Reissue '57 Neck, a black pickguard, a Callaham shortened trem arm, and a switch that will mix in the neck pickup with the bridge or middle. In the '80s, it also had a Kahler in the '80s, but it has since been removed; you can see behind the trem, there's wood that filled in where the Kahler previously was, and it's been painted black. This is the strat that the Fender custom shop recreated, if anything this could be considered the Gilmour "custom" strat. He did have his own EMG set, which has since been removed.

If you want the scoop on Gilmour's gear, gilmourish.com is great.

55

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The FS-1

« on: August 10, 2009, 11:02:52 PM »

Dave Gilmour used EMG pickups from the mid 80's onwards.

David Gilmour started using EMGs for The Wall tour (iirc 1980-81, or around then), because the lighting setup and ridiculous electronics-heavy show caused interference with regular single coils. He installed the FS-1 in '74 if my memory serves me right, and then replaced it in '79 when Seymour Duncan wound his own version of the FS-1 for David (this pickup is now mass-produced as the Seymour Duncan SSL-5 Custom).

In '86, after "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" was released, David switched back to his trusty regular non-EMG strats, and continues to use standard single coils to this day.

56

Gear Closet / Re: Compression?

« on: August 08, 2009, 05:06:57 PM »

How do you guys feel about it?  I'm looking for that extra sustain but most pedals reem way over the top with the dynamic squashing.  Call me old fashioned but I like the gratification of beating the tar out of my strings and hearing the pick attack.  Anyone care to share their experiences?  Perhaps someone can suggest a more subtle compression pedal or an alterative pedal for sustain.  Also does anyone have experience using limiter pedals?  Thank you!

I'm actually not a big fan of compression, I'm with you there.

57

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Norton

« on: August 07, 2009, 04:35:00 PM »

Has anyone used the norton in the bridge pole pieces facing the neck?

I haven't, I've always been satisfied with it how it is. It would probably add a touch of top end, which imho would make it overly bright and reduce that low end grind that I love.

58

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Norton

« on: July 31, 2009, 01:43:57 AM »

disconnect it anyway.

+++1

+2. It's at least worth a shot, and is quite replacable if you want it back.

59

Everything you wanted to know about .... / Re: The Norton

« on: July 29, 2009, 06:41:00 PM »

Alright, City.  You win.

The Norton is back in my guitar.  I'm 21 in two weeks and I damn expect you in a blues club to help me inch out the kinks

Haha, sounds like a plan . If you're in northern Jersey/New York, lemme know (I'll probably be there- I spend a lot of time in local blues bars...)

60

The Pickup Place / Re: DiMarzioForum Pickups FAQ

« on: July 15, 2009, 10:55:00 AM »

Ohh BTW I think you should add that the custom JP neck pickup is has been changed to the Liquifire.

LiquiFire and Crunch Lab were released a day before I went on vacation, so I never had a chance to add them. Adding them now...