Stones Miking technique harmful?

[csonmike]

I read in EQ magazing that Ed Cherney (engineer for the stones) uses a method of finding the sweet spot on an amp that involves touching the tip of a lead connected to the amp while touching the open input on the guitar to hear the hum - finding the most pronounced hum coming from the speaker gives you the sweet spot (a right brilliant idea)

BUT, if using a vintage tube amp, could this possibly...oh i don't know, shock the hell out of you? If not, i'm using it tomorrow. I"ve been shocked very hard before, don't care to repeat it again.

 

[tbone36109]

could you explain that one a littlle more(im just kinda curious)

 

[Light]

No, there is no danger from this. Or rather, if there is, there is something seriously wrong with the amp, and your getting shocks through your guitar strings.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[csonmike]

tbone, if you're talking about the actual method, it's pretty self explanatory. He just says to touch the tip of the lead that's plugged in to the amp, and touch the tip of your jack until it hums. (you could have someone else do this while you listen...probably easier that way) Then you get back about a foot from your amplifier, cuff your hand behind your ear, and move around until you hear the most full and rich hum. He says 'that's where you want to point it.' i mean, the man did record keith and ronnie, so i suppose he's on to something...

 

[Farview]

I don't see why you need to touch the guitar at all. If you just touch the tip of the guitar cable, it will hum.

If you don't get electricuted while playing the guitar, you won't just by touching the cable.

 

[notCardio]

interesting theory

and what Farview and Light said. But I don't necessarily think that the sweet spot for hum would automatically be the sweet spot for the best tone, but what do I know?

And no disrespect to Ed Cherney, but it seems to me that if there were ever a band that you could get away with having sloppy tone on, it would be the Stones. I mean, isn't loud loose and sloppy sorta the whole Stone's vibe?

Something more to experiment with, though. It sure would simplify the one-man show that most of us are running.

 

[tbone36109]

tbone, if you're talking about the actual method, it's pretty self explanatory. He just says to touch the tip of the lead that's plugged in to the amp, and touch the tip of your jack until it hums. (you could have someone else do this while you listen...probably easier that way) Then you get back about a foot from your amplifier, cuff your hand behind your ear, and move around until you hear the most full and rich hum. He says 'that's where you want to point it.' i mean, the man did record keith and ronnie, so i suppose he's on to something...

ok its obvious now that you say that, not really sure what i didnt get about it last night but thanks

 

[Nick The Man]

ive been shocked through strings many times

its crazy!

 

[Farview]

ive been shocked through strings many times

its crazy!

This is why everything needs to be grounded.

 

[Nick The Man]

This is why everything needs to be grounded.

yeah its a little tube amp from 67 i think my dad had it in 7th grade lol

but yeah its easy to get shocked with it!

lets pretend that the question marks are my hair!

 

[Farview]

Thost things are dangerous. All of my vintage amps have been rewired with a grounding plug.

 

[jonnyc]

ive been shocked through strings many times

its crazy!

Wear shoes.

 

[Light]

yeah its a little tube amp from 67 i think my dad had it in 7th grade lol

but yeah its easy to get shocked with it!

lets pretend that the question marks are my hair!

Get it rewired with a grounded plug. It's an easy job, so it should be cheap to get it done. Even without that though, if you are getting shocked through the guitar, there is somehthing wrong with the amp. At the very least you have a blown cap in there somewhere. Get it fixed.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[hungovermorning]

caps

If you're being shocked by a vintage amp and you really really like the tone, get the filter caps changed and have the plugged swapped at the same time. Gets rid of a ton of issues and really opens up the tone of an amp. Any competent tech would do it for you.

 

[tbone36109]

If you're being shocked by a vintage amp and you really really like the tone, get the filter caps changed and have the plugged swapped at the same time. Gets rid of a ton of issues and really opens up the tone of an amp. Any competent tech would do it for you.

well if someone is willing to risk death by electricution im sure they really like the tone

 

[soundchaser59]

But I don't necessarily think that the sweet spot for hum would automatically be the sweet spot for the best tone

Hum is usually a very narrow freq band, or practically a fixed freq. This will tell you where is the sweet spot for that frequency. But not all speakers disperse sound equally in all directions at all frequencies. The sweet spot for 100hz may not be the same sweet spot for 1000hz. Maybe it's just the direction in which the speakers projects the best.

You cannot ignore the effect of the room when you do this. Find the sweet spot, then while holding your ear in that sweet spot, move a small piece of plywood or cardboard around your head and notice how the sound changes. That sweet spot might change if you turn the amp in a different direction, move furniture, change where the guitar player stands, etc.... Just setting another mic next to the first mic can change what the mic hears, just like putting your fist next to your ear can change what your ear hears....