Guitar Megathread II: Unleash the picking fury!!!

[chino3]

I just picked up a 4th gen iPad Pro and am hoping to be able to record with it. Anyone have any experience with this sort of a setup? I’ll be using my Kemper profiler ideally.

[ctgblue]

Anyone know the name of this chord?
It's been drving me crazy...

[MrBourbon]

^i call that chord "The Crowd Pleaser"




Pulled the trigger on a Joyo Baatsin - it's basically a JHS bonsai but instead of all different TS green drive sounds it replicates some of the most famous OD circuits. Timmy, OCD, Sweet Honey etc.

The Joyo Ultimate Drive is a DEAD ON clone of the OCD, and they used the same circuit here. If the rest are half that good this thing is insane.

Here's the company YT vid, which is obviously biased, but the reviews all say this thing is one of the best new drives at any price, and it's FIFTY NINE DOLLARS.



Gets here Monday boys, I'm goin in.

[cjmadscientist]

Axe FX bros, go pick up the Devin Townsend and Steve Stevens artist presets, they’re fantastic (made a bit of modifications to DTs lower gain scenes though)

[VTheKing]

I love when players are super passionate about their cheap gear lol

[EoR]

Found this gem for a nice change of pace:

[CherryPopinski]

So I have a Gibson SG and the humbuckers are stupidly microphonic, should I switch them out? They also don’t seem to handle heavy distortion too well. I think they’re the 498-490T it’s a 2003 SG Faded.

Also should I invest in new electronics? There’s absolutely zero change in dynamics when rolling off the volume knob till about 0-2.

Any recommendations are appreciated

[J_A24]

Beginner here, just got a Martin Dreadnought Jr.

Also own a Tele, sunburst finish.

[VTheKing]

So I have a Gibson SG and the humbuckers are stupidly microphonic, should I switch them out? They also don’t seem to handle heavy distortion too well. I think they’re the 498-490T it’s a 2003 SG Faded.

Also should I invest in new electronics? There’s absolutely zero change in dynamics when rolling off the volume knob till about 0-2.

Any recommendations are appreciated

I currently have an SG with the same set, yeah they're not the easiest pickups to tame. I definitively prefer the PAF-style humbuckers from Gibson.

You can look at adding a treble bleed mod to keep the pickups from muddying up when you're rolling off the volume.

https://www.fender.com/articles/tech...fect-your-tone

[CherryPopinski]

I currently have an SG with the same set, yeah they're not the easiest pickups to tame. I definitively prefer the PAF-style humbuckers from Gibson.

You can look at adding a treble bleed mod to keep the pickups from muddying up when you're rolling off the volume.

https://www.fender.com/articles/tech...fect-your-tone

I did a complete setup on it myself and properly set the pickup height and set the pole pieces to the fretboard radius but they’re still pretty unwieldy

EDIT: What I mean with the volume knobs is turning them from 3-10 absolutely does nothing, any lower is when the volume starts to finally cut out.

[DerkBezerk]

So I have a Gibson SG and the humbuckers are stupidly microphonic, should I switch them out? They also don’t seem to handle heavy distortion too well. I think they’re the 498-490T it’s a 2003 SG Faded.

Also should I invest in new electronics? There’s absolutely zero change in dynamics when rolling off the volume knob till about 0-2.

Any recommendations are appreciated

Could be something loose within the pickup. Does it have metal covers?

If they have gone microphonic and they sound bad to you maybe you've answered your own question re swapping then out?

On the electronics question - If I'm going to swap out the pickups I usually upgrade pots and caps at the same time, especially if they feel cheap. I've only had one of my guitars rewired but that was a lower end RG which had cheap nasty wiring.

I've been looking into pre-wired harnesses recently to play around with. You could look into the same, I'm sure there will be loads of options for an SG which include pots, caps and the switch.

[CherryPopinski]

Could be something loose within the pickup. Does it have metal covers?

If they have gone microphonic and they sound bad to you maybe you've answered your own question re swapping then out?

On the electronics question - If I'm going to swap out the pickups I usually upgrade pots and caps at the same time, especially if they feel cheap. I've only had one of my guitars rewired but that was a lower end RG which had cheap nasty wiring.

I've been looking into pre-wired harnesses recently to play around with. You could look into the same, I'm sure there will be loads of options for an SG which include pots, caps and the switch.

The pickups do not have chrome covers. I’m going to look into pre-wired harnesses but they’re a bit pricey. I’ll also consider some new pickups. I heard the 500T are good for Metal

It doesn’t seem to hard to solder them in myself I just need to buy the equipment

[Sil3nt1]

MCR(yeah cringe) makes some pretty fun songs to jam too...
https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/my-c...r-tab-s22639t0

[chino3]

So some nerds are creaming their jeans over Vais “new technique” of joint shifting...

[CherryPopinski]

So some nerds are creaming their jeans over Vais “new technique” of joint shifting...

Da fukk is that?

[samv12]

PRS Custom SE
Bias FX2
Pro Tools

Tried doing this cover using the single coil split on the PRS ended up being too thin. I want to buy either a high end PRS at this point or the JP Majesty with either Axe Fx 3 or maybe a Kemper. My tone still sucks! I know it’ll break my bank but will probably be worth it.

[VTheKing]

PRS Custom SE
Bias FX2
Pro Tools

Tried doing this cover using the single coil split on the PRS ended up being too thin. I want to buy either a high end PRS at this point or the JP Majesty with either Axe Fx 3 or maybe a Kemper. My tone still sucks! I know it’ll break my bank but will probably be worth it.

[youtube]

I sold my JP6 because I wasn't using it much but now I regret it, haven't found another guitar that sustained and growled as much as it did without getting muddy. EBMM makes top notch guitars.

[Dominik]

PRS Custom SE
Bias FX2
Pro Tools

Tried doing this cover using the single coil split on the PRS ended up being too thin. I want to buy either a high end PRS at this point or the JP Majesty with either Axe Fx 3 or maybe a Kemper. My tone still sucks! I know it’ll break my bank but will probably be worth it.

I played that song live a few times and to make it speak to an audience like the original you need to push the mids a little more because unlike a typical solo in a band context the guitar is taking the place of vocals from start to finish.

The other thing I'd spend some time on is vibrato. If you slow it down you'll notice Joe often holds the note before applying a really smooth controlled vibrato and even when he plays a faster vibrato it never sounds nervous or rushed and it doesn't drift in pitch. Back in the day I spent hours working on that first section, copying his vibrato, before I worked on the rest. A lot of people rush through the tabs, play all the notes, and think it's easy. It's all those nuances, the subtleties in his phrasing, that can take a long time to get right.

This guy looks bored out of his skull but it's important stuff. At 1:48 he makes his point. He'll never sound like that until he puts the time in on the fundamentals Joe's talking about there. Shred is a lot easier than mastering this stuff.

[EoR]

I love melodic metal solos. You can tell this guy is a beast and could just shred all day if he chose but he goes tasteful. The first section is awesome then how it soars into the second.



2:20 first section, then the transition into 2:51 is glorious.

I played that song live a few times and to make it speak to an audience like the original you need to push the mids a little more because unlike a typical solo in a band context the guitar is taking the place of vocals from start to finish.

The other thing I'd spend some time on is vibrato. If you slow it down you'll notice Joe often holds the note before applying a really smooth controlled vibrato and even when he plays a faster vibrato it never sounds nervous or rushed and it doesn't drift in pitch. Back in the day I spent hours working on that first section, copying his vibrato, before I worked on the rest. A lot of people rush through the tabs, play all the notes, and think it's easy. It's all those nuances, the subtleties in his phrasing, that can take a long time to get right.

This guy looks bored out of his skull but it's important stuff. At 1:48 he makes his point. He'll never sound like that until he puts the time in on the fundamentals Joe's talking about there. Shred is a lot easier than mastering this stuff.

Vibrato and note manipulation for even something simple definitely comes with experience. A lesson I gave a friend was just using a small 3 notes each string on high E and B. Just using those 6 notes, play something. Just SOUNDING the note will be horrible and come off as robotic.

You've got: Pre-bending, sliding into/out, different pick attack to accent and soft other notes, combining picking with legato, doubling up on notes, staccato playing, soft/hard vibrato, changing up the tempo, natural/art harmonics, etc etc. All of these approaches done in combination with instinct = time.

[CherryPopinski]

Any recommendations for dialing in a good guitar sound in GarageBand? I have the newest version. The presets are usable but the distorted sounds are like nails on a chalkboard to me. I finally have a recording set-up going so I can mic my real amps, but still trying to get a hang of dialing in good sounds.

[brosapiens]

Any recommendations for dialing in a good guitar sound in GarageBand? I have the newest version. The presets are usable but the distorted sounds are like nails on a chalkboard to me. I finally have a recording set-up going so I can mic my real amps, but still trying to get a hang of dialing in good sounds.

The best guitar tones rarely sound good when soloed. A guitar needs biting high end, needs mids and doesn't really need bass to cut through the mix. That's the opposite of what makes a guitar sound good on its own.

Search for "isolated guitar" on youtube and try to approximate those tones.

[DerkBezerk]

Replying to sub. It's a nightmare trying to dig through pages to find this thread ever since the sticky was removed.

[Dominik]

Vibrato and note manipulation for even something simple definitely comes with experience. A lesson I gave a friend was just using a small 3 notes each string on high E and B. Just using those 6 notes, play something. Just SOUNDING the note will be horrible and come off as robotic.

You've got: Pre-bending, sliding into/out, different pick attack to accent and soft other notes, combining picking with legato, doubling up on notes, staccato playing, soft/hard vibrato, changing up the tempo, natural/art harmonics, etc etc. All of these approaches done in combination with instinct = time.

And once you feel comfortable with all of that take a simple melody like Satriani's 3/4 ballad and try playing it in different ways using bends instead of slides, etc. mixing it up like he does live.

He had a lot of space to improvise back in the trio days with Stu Hamm. I love how he taps those arpeggios on the bass to fill everything out.

Replying to sub. It's a nightmare trying to dig through pages to find this thread ever since the sticky was removed.

This section is filled with negativity so it could use a positive thread at the top. Done.

[DerkBezerk]

This section is filled with negativity so it could use a positive thread at the top. Done.

That's awesome, thanks!

As we're focusing on technique - Does anyone have any suggestions for alternate picking exercises which helped you break through a plateau?

I've realised over the years that I've developed a half arsed version of economy picking when moving through the strings which I believe is holding me back in developing speed and accuracy. I want to hone in on alt picking.

I could of course just play scale runs to a metronome but wondered if anyone can suggest anything a little more enjoyable that helped?

[SwimToTheMoon]

I missed this thread

That's awesome, thanks!

As we're focusing on technique - Does anyone have any suggestions for alternate picking exercises which helped you break through a plateau?

I've realised over the years that I've developed a half arsed version of economy picking when moving through the strings which I believe is holding me back in developing speed and accuracy. I want to hone in on alt picking.

I could of course just play scale runs to a metronome but wondered if anyone can suggest anything a little more enjoyable that helped?

Technical Difficulties, goat song for practicing alternate picking..

[brosapiens]

PSA: Vibrato and proper intonation are THE MOST IMPORTANT factors for sounding pro. Three notes played well will make you sound professional. Sloppy shredding will not.

[CaseyJamess]

Made a random jam over the weekend



PS the ****gy dancing is just some clasic deprecating fun

[KyBrah32]

Imagine jamming with a blues king to your own song. Love them cutting up with each other between riffs

[EoR]

That's awesome, thanks!

As we're focusing on technique - Does anyone have any suggestions for alternate picking exercises which helped you break through a plateau?

I've realised over the years that I've developed a half arsed version of economy picking when moving through the strings which I believe is holding me back in developing speed and accuracy. I want to hone in on alt picking.

I could of course just play scale runs to a metronome but wondered if anyone can suggest anything a little more enjoyable that helped?

Alternate picking really has no one way of being taught. It will come down to the pick you use, your hands. Some of the general consensus is you want some sort of angle to cross string more easily. Some people tilt their pick up, some down - I do it down. The other is don't elbow picking, pick from your wrists and your forearm simple plays the role of moving your vibrate wrist up and down.

Honestly, you can do all the exercises but to go from that Malmsteen speed to Rusty Cooley speed you're going to have to master that small wrist vibration movement. You'll actually end up picking faster than you can fret notes if you do it correctly - so this means you will double up on notes but to me a cool effect.

If you can be bothered you can go through my post history in this thread and find my sound clips I uploaded. I think one called "Alternate idea" is one where I am using legato, legato+picking then do a full alternate pick on a whole tone scale at the end - all while using 2/3/4 note per string combos. That sort of speed you have to master that wrist picking technique.

You can actually pick too fast and the notes start sounding muddy - like the guy who has the record for the fastest bumble bee playing. It begins to sound like sh*t, and you have to play chromatically to get up to that speed. I mean there's no way you could play 2 notes per string at the same speed.

[rollerball]

Honestly, you can do all the exercises but to go from that Malmsteen speed to Rusty Cooley speed you're going to have to master that small wrist vibration movement. You'll actually end up picking faster than you can fret notes if you do it correctly - so this means you will double up on notes but to me a cool effect.
nate pick on a whole tone scale at the end - all while using 2/3/4 note per string combos. That sort of speed you have to master that wrist picking technique.

Rusty Cooley goes into super sloppy elbow picking mode when he goes “hyper speed”. It’s inaccurate and sounds like complete sh*t when he does so.
Rusty Cooley only sounds decent at medium fast speeds when he doesn’t do that locked elbow thing.

Malmsteen has a much more fluid forearm rotation thing. Although sometimes he picks from the elbow as well as the wrist and forearm.

It’s interesting how some players can elbow pick very fluidly aka Vinnie Moore whereas others just sound uncontrolled and mushy.