The New Tone Thread

[minerman]

Gibson SG Gregburst Signature model

Sounds pretty awesome to me. Whaddaya think?

Sounds pretty good Gerg, don't think you've lost anything while you've been away man....I almost fired up the DSL to make some noise this morning, but didn't...

I like the clarity this clip has, I'm assuming the P-90 has a lot to do with that, right??? I mean, all your clips have that quality, but for some reason, this one just stands out a little more, maybe it's just me, I dunno...

Sounds great man!!!

 

[Greg_L]

Thanks miner. The P-90 probably has something to do with better clarity. It's a single coil, after all. I like the bite it has but with some girth underneath. It's definitely less thick than humbuckers or the minihum that was in the guitar. Backing the mic off a little probably helps too. This was real loud. I'm sure I negated some proximity effect by backing the mic off the grill a little.

 

[minerman]

Thanks miner. The P-90 probably has something to do with better clarity. It's a single coil, after all. I like the bite it has but with some girth underneath. It's definitely less thick than humbuckers or the minihum that was in the guitar. Backing the mic off a little probably helps too. This was real loud. I'm sure I negated some proximity effect by backing the mic off the grill a little.

Cool man....As far as I can remember, I've never tried a guitar with a P-90, it's been either humbuckers or single-coils...You've sparked my interest in these p'ups dude...Wonder how a P-90 would sound in my MIM strat???

Something I forget quite often is the proximity effect. I usually stuff the mic as close as I can get it without touching the grillcloth, so I may try to get the mic backed off for a couple clips tomorrow...Depends on how I feel, the last couple days, I've felt like stir-fried shit to be honest...

 

[rayc]

Nice tone. You don't have any reverb or dlay on it but it sounds in a tiny spot here or there to have some - must be ringing on or something.
The song Dee Dee, Richard, Johnny, Jerry, Joey & Johnny wrote according to various credits.
Your version would be just Dee Dee because he did the music (according to him & Hell).
Love the tone - is it all down strokes or is there some occasional up?
That P90 at the bridge certainly make a distinctive noise.
NOICE!
I THINK my Mosrite clone has a jap 60s version of a P90 in the neck position. I wonder if I could swap it around?

 

[Greg_L]

Cool man....As far as I can remember, I've never tried a guitar with a P-90, it's been either humbuckers or single-coils...You've sparked my interest in these p'ups dude...Wonder how a P-90 would sound in my MIM strat???

Something I forget quite often is the proximity effect. I usually stuff the mic as close as I can get it without touching the grillcloth, so I may try to get the mic backed off for a couple clips tomorrow...Depends on how I feel, the last couple days, I've felt like stir-fried shit to be honest...

Stir fried shit is an asian treat!

A P-90 won't fit in any ol guitar without mods. Mine was a direct drop in because it uses the same rout as the original mini humbuckers, but it's not a direct swap for standard humbuckers or Fender single coils. They won't just drop into a humbucker Gibson without some wood cutting. I did have to drill the body for the mounting screws, which go through the P-90 directly into the guitar, but the cavity is the same size as a minihum and it's mounting ring. There's no mounting bracket or pickguard attachment for this type of P-90. Some have dog ears. Anyway, like I said, they're weird shaped. If the cavity in your strat is big enough to hold a P-90, you'd still have to hack at the pickguard. The P-90 is noisy too. It's noisy as fuck. It's a single coil, that's what they do.

 

[Greg_L]

Nice tone. You don't have any reverb or dlay on it but it sounds in a tiny spot here or there to have some - must be ringing on or something.
The song Dee Dee, Richard, Johnny, Jerry, Joey & Johnny wrote according to various credits.
Your version would be just Dee Dee because he did the music (according to him & Hell).
Love the tone - is it all down strokes or is there some occasional up?
That P90 at the bridge certainly make a distinctive noise.
NOICE!
I THINK my Mosrite clone has a jap 60s version of a P90 in the neck position. I wonder if I could swap it around?

Thanks Ray. No upstrokes, all down, baby! The story I've heard of that song was it's predominantly a Dee Dee song with some Richard Hell helping out to keep it from being a standard minute-and-a-half blazing Ramones song. As far as I know, the two Johnnys (Thunders and Ramone) had nothing to do with writing it. Dee Dee really enjoyed spending time with the Heartbreakers because they were all junkies, but Johnny would not allow that song for the Ramones because it's directly about heroin. He obviously relented later because it eventually made it to a Ramones album and became a live staple. The Heartbeakers played it right away, and it was awesome. I actually like The Heartbreakers version better.

Anyway, no, no reverb or delay. Maybe you're hearing some harmonics or something.

There's no telling how a jap clone Mosrite P-90 would fit and where. It might be one-off of it's own kind. All you can do is give it a try! What's the worst that can happen? Original Mosrite single coils looked like P-90s, but were bigger and way way hotter. Fender Jazzmasters have a P-90 looking pickup as well, but it's not a P-90. They're more like a standard Fender single under a huge cover. The Gibson P-90 is like the perfect midpoint between a single coil and a humbucker.



Johnny Thunders used P-90 Les Paul Jrs into cranked Fender Twins or Bassman.

 

[Greg_L]

There aint no P-90s in this one. These guitars are a Mosrite into cranked Marshalls....but this is a Phil Spector production, so it's all kinds of un-Ramones-like.

 

[minerman]

Stir fried shit is an asian treat!

Lol....I hope these fuckin' doctors get me half-way back to normal before too much longer man, seriously. A big reason I didn't fire up the half-stack today is I honestly just couldn't handle the noise. That's bad when I would dread hearing my guitar/amp dude....But, I'm hangin' as tough as I can over here....

A P-90 won't fit in any ol guitar without mods. Mine was a direct drop in because it uses the same rout as the original mini humbuckers, but it's not a direct swap for standard humbuckers or Fender single coils. They won't just drop into a humbucker Gibson without some wood cutting. I did have to drill the body for the mounting screws, which go through the P-90 directly into the guitar, but the cavity is the same size as a minihum and it's mounting ring. There's no mounting bracket or pickguard attachment for this type of P-90. Some have dog ears. Anyway, like I said, they're weird shaped. If the cavity in your strat is big enough to hold a P-90, you'd still have to hack at the pickguard. The P-90 is noisy too. It's noisy as fuck. It's a single coil, that's what they do.

Yeah man, the single-coil noise is probably a recipe for disaster with my high-gain shenanigans....I put the original humbucker back in it last year, but while it's not terrible, it's still not something I'm totally happy with. I had a Duncan Custom Custom in it for about 2 mins, but that p'up just plain sucked in that guitar IMO. In my Ibanez, it's a different story, it works. Maybe it's the different wood, I dunno, maybe it's just me, probably....hahaha

Yeah, thinking about it, putting a P-90 in my strat would be a lot of trouble. The body & pickguard already have a 'bucker in the bridge, but I'd have to get another pickguard to stick a P-90 in it, then there's the "what if I don't like it" thing....hahaha

Mainly just talking outta my ass as usual dude....but, it passes the time I suppose....

And, it keeps our thread goin', something I've actually kinda worried about the last little while, mainly because I wasn't sure if you were gonna come back or not. This thread actually is like therapy for me dude.....

 

[Greg_L]

Lol. This thread is pretty much the only thing worth coming back for nowadays. The rest of the site is pretty disappointing these days for me. I wish the drum section would pick up, but as we know, no one in here uses real drums anymore. I thought about making a drum tone thread, but I'd be the only one in it.

In other news, I'm gonna get on Shawn tomorrow about your Chupacabra. I still doubt he'll use it because we have a big gig coming up, but I'm gonna apply the pressure.

I personally don't see a P-90 being too useful for you and your style. Especially not in a Strat. That would be a headache. You're a humbucking kind of guy. A friend of mine had a Strat with a JB in it, and it was a piece of shit. Sounded terrible to me. Real fat and murky. I don't know why people like those pickups so much. Maybe his was wonky or he still had the Strat 250k pots or something.

 

[minerman]

Lol. This thread is pretty much the only thing worth coming back for nowadays. The rest of the site is pretty disappointing these days for me.

I rarely even go to other parts of this forum, usually check this thread, & that's about it.....There is a wealth of info here on HR though, you just have to search/dig for it....

I wish the drum section would pick up, but as we know, no one in here uses real drums anymore. I thought about making a drum tone thread, but I'd be the only one in it.

Man, I wish I could use real drums at my place. I just can't for now, maybe one day...I know drum vsti's are all I have, but they're getting frustrating for me, especially the hi-hats. Sure, there are like 3-4-5 open sounds (for example), but a real hi-hat has probably 10 times that many variations, not including the sound changes depending on how hard, where, & how you hit it (I know the velocity is supposed to simulate this, & it does somewhat, but it's still not the same)...I try to take the tips you (and other guys) give for real drums & apply 'em to my fake drums. Seriously, I've got a shit-load of drum samples, but here lately they're just all boring & un-inspiring to me...

In other news, I'm gonna get on Shawn tomorrow about your Chupacabra. I still doubt he'll use it because we have a big gig coming up, but I'm gonna apply the pressure.

Man, I just cannot believe he hasn't gotten into that amp. It just blows my mind he's not really opened it up to see what it's really got. IMHO, he's got a great sounding amp, he just doesn't realize how good it sounds...again, just my opinion....I miss that thing, but I know eventually I'll get it back or another one just like it....

I personally don't see a P-90 being too useful for you and your style. Especially not in a Strat. That would be a headache. You're a humbucking kind of guy. A friend of mine had a Strat with a JB in it, and it was a piece of shit. Sounded terrible to me. Real fat and murky. I don't know why people like those pickups so much. Maybe his was wonky or he still had the Strat 250k pots or something.

I think what my strat needs is a dark sounding p'up. It's a bright sounding guitar, so maybe I need something with some of the high end whacked off of it....I dunno, I don't play it much anymore, it used to be my main guitar, until I bought a couple more. I don't wanna spend a whole lotta $$$ on it to be honest, because honestly, it's ok as-is. I'd just like to make it a tad meatier if possible...I've been playing my Ibanez the last little while more than the rest. While the Lester is still my fav, I do like something a little different now & again, that's why I've been thinking of swapping something else into the strat...

 

[JDOD]

I've got a Duncan JB in my guitar, I love it. I find it brighter than the Pearly Gates that I had in the Telecaster, but then the tele had a mahogany body which could have had something to do with it.
I found the Pearly Gates would mush out with hi gain and Palm muting.

I was probably gonna go for a JB in my strat copy.

 

[JDOD]

Hey, let's do some tones.

Gibson SG Gregburst Signature model - P-90 bridge
Marshall JMP 2204
Presence - 4
Bass - 8
Mid - 6
Treb - 4
Preamp vol - 7
Master vol - 7
Marshall 1960B 4x12 - Celestion Vintage 30
Audix i5 on axis, 2" off grill, halfway to edge
No EQ or other tom foolery in DAW

I'mma livin on a chinese cock

Sounds pretty awesome to me. Whaddaya think?

It sounds great and really suits the style of music. I prefer your humbucker clips. But then I just like the sound of humbuckers when using a lot of gain.

You normally use a 57 don't you? What sort of difference do you find between a i5 and a 57?

 

[Greg_L]

It sounds great and really suits the style of music. I prefer your humbucker clips. But then I just like the sound of humbuckers when using a lot of gain.

You normally use a 57 don't you? What sort of difference do you find between a i5 and a 57?

Thanks J. I wouldn't say I normally use a 57. I do use one, and I love it, but I use others too. It just depends on my mood...or really, what's closest and already sitting on a stand. I usually split equal time between the i5 and 57, and the Senn e609 sometimes sees some action too. Those are my three main cab mics. Overall, for a single mic on a single speaker, I think I prefer the i5 most of the time. It's a little smoother and clearer than the 57 which has a little high-mid spike in it. Sometimes it just works out because my 57s are usually somewhere on my drum kit and I'm not moving them.

For recording serious guitar tracks that I wanna keep, I use both the 57 and i5 on the same speaker and blend the two.

 

[JDOD]

Thanks J. I wouldn't say I normally use a 57. I do use one, and I love it, but I use others too. It just depends on my mood...or really, what's closest and already sitting on a stand. I usually split equal time between the i5 and 57, and the Senn e609 sometimes sees some action too. Those are my three main cab mics. Overall, for a single mic on a single speaker, I think I prefer the i5 most of the time. It's a little smoother and clearer than the 57 which has a little high-mid spike in it. Sometimes it just works out because my 57s are usually somewhere on my drum kit and I'm not moving them.

For recording serious guitar tracks that I wanna keep, I use both the 57 and i5 on the same speaker and blend the two.

Cheers, I probably will look at getting a 2nd mic at some point soon - new speaker is probably higher priority though - i5 and e609 seem to be the only other sensible reasonably priced options. At the moment I am also using a 57 for vocals, its alright, but a little difficult to avoid hisses - that's probably shit technique as much as anything though and I'm working on that at the moment. Any idea if either the i5 or 609 will easily double as vocal mics to a better degree than a 57? To be fair, the 57 is alright for vocals - it was fine for Lemmy so, who am I to complain?

 

[Greg_L]

Cheers, I probably will look at getting a 2nd mic at some point soon - new speaker is probably higher priority though - i5 and e609 seem to be the only other sensible reasonably priced options. At the moment I am also using a 57 for vocals, its alright, but a little difficult to avoid hisses - that's probably shit technique as much as anything though and I'm working on that at the moment. Any idea if either the i5 or 609 will easily double as vocal mics to a better degree than a 57? To be fair, the 57 is alright for vocals - it was fine for Lemmy so, who am I to complain?

The i5 would be fine for vocals, if you had to use a basic dynamic mic for vocals. And I really doubt Lemmy used 57s for vocals in the studio. Live, sure, but not for recording. But I don't know, just my guess.

What you need are some mic stands. I saw your pics of a mic propped up on a stompbox propped up on a book or something. Lol

 

[JDOD]

What you need are some mic stands. I saw your pics of a mic propped up on a stompbox propped up on a book or something. Lol

haha, yeah, I wouldn't mind a small mic stand for my week-day apartment. I have a normal boom mic stand at home which is fine. During the week my amp just sits on the floor so the mic sits on top of a Boss HM-2 and a couple of books. If I had a little mic stand - then my Blackstar could sit on top of my bandit.

Yeah, its unlikely he'd have used one in the Studio - suppose he'd have just used whatever the producer stuck in front of him - although saying that, I can't imagine Lemmy is the sort of guy who would have done loads of takes experimenting with different mics. I imagine if he did an initial take and it sounded alright he'd have just left it at that regardless of what mic he was using.

 

[Greg_L]

haha, yeah, I wouldn't mind a small mic stand for my week-day apartment. I have a normal boom mic stand at home which is fine. During the week my amp just sits on the floor so the mic sits on top of a Boss HM-2 and a couple of books. If I had a little mic stand - then my Blackstar could sit on top of my bandit.

Yeah, its unlikely he'd have used one in the Studio - suppose he'd have just used whatever the producer stuck in front of him - although saying that, I can't imagine Lemmy is the sort of guy who would have done loads of takes experimenting with different mics. I imagine if he did an initial take and it sounded alright he'd have just left it at that regardless of what mic he was using.

You could use one of those cab grabber things.
Audix CabGrabber™

I use small boom stands. Like the kind you'd use on a kick drum. Yeah, I got stacks of Marshalls, but I don't record them that way. My cabs are lined up on the ground. At full extension those little boom stands perfectly reach the top speakers in a 4x12, and obviously the bottom speakers are no problem.
ProLine MS112 Desk Boom Mic Stand | Guitar Center

 

[JDOD]

You could use one of those cab grabber things.
Audix CabGrabberâ„¢

I use small boom stands. Like the kind you'd use on a kick drum. Yeah, I got stacks of Marshalls, but I don't record them that way. My cabs are lined up on the ground. At full extension those little boom stands perfectly reach the top speakers in a 4x12, and obviously the bottom speakers are no problem.
ProLine MS112 Desk Boom Mic Stand | Guitar Center

I have a cab-grabber but it doesn't work well enough with a combo - its not got quite enough reach so its not versatile enough (the speaker is too far from the edge of the cab, its fine for live use though. Yeah, I'll probably get something like that one you posted. Its listed as 23 quid from guitar centre - I'm sure PMT or Andertons will do one in the UK delivered for a similar price.

 

[Greg_L]

Yeah I'm not a fan of the cab grabber. They're pretty limiting. One thing I've seen combo guys do with them is use one of those bendy snake attachments on the end of it. Then you get better reach and more placement options.

 

[JDOD]

Yeah I'm not a fan of the cab grabber. They're pretty limiting. One thing I've seen combo guys do with them is use one of those bendy snake attachments on the end of it. Then you get better reach and more placement options.

Oh, I've got the bendy snake attachment (in place of the rigid neck - still not enough reach and if the bendy thing was any longer it would start to go floppy.