Fender Strat distorted tones: update
The Interceptor
various pedals. Interesting, but ultimately nothing seemed to come close to
the Les Paul through the same gear.
Don't get me wrong, the Strat sounds great for clean tones, or
clean+compressor, or a wee bit of overdrive. But for distortion - in the
absence of a cranked up Marshall - I won't be using the Strat.
What it makes me wonder is how Ritchie Blackmore might have sounded with,
say, an SG. (I know he had a Gibson 335 on "In Rock" but the production of
that album makes discerning quality tones rather difficult).
Brett
Rufus
...well...yeah...that's why I own three Les Pauls and only one Strat.
It took me about six months or so to warm up to my Strat. I had to
adjust my ear to listening to a Strat - it ain't no Les Paul...it's a
Strat. And I had to find the right amp in my arsenal that worked with it.
And even still, because of the arch in the fretboard I found I had to
adopt a different technique to play the thing without causing pain in my
hands - I play a LOT more Trower and cowboy form stuff on my Fenders,
more power chords on my Les Pauls. I learned a few things along the way...
1) what I thought I liked about a flanger I like even more about a
chorus with my Strat.
2) I use a light(er), boost-ish distortion on my clean channel, and very
seldom channel switch to use the drive channel.
3) SCN pickups - beginning to like them better in my Strat than even in
my Tele...but my Tele seriously screams with them.
4) tone bypass - I keep it parked there.
5) "crunch and chime" as opposed to the "drive" I get out of my Les
Pauls, using combinations of distortion, drive, and (slow) chorus -
part of that goes with a maple neck over a rosewood one; when I go
clean, it really twangs and snaps...which I like.
6) "spank" as opposed to "growl" - I find myself playing a bit funkier
on my Strat...something I don't even try on my Gibsons.
...so, now I pick up whichever suits the mood I'm in. But I've been in
a really heavy Trower mood of late, it seems...
--
- Rufus
VampX
> I find myself playing a bit funkier on my Strat...something I don't
> even try on my Gibsons.
It's just not natural!
--
VeronicaX
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The Interceptor
"VampX" <vero...@vampx.dot.net> wrote in message
news:033c7954$0$1349$c3e...@news.astraweb.com...
Oh I don't know about that - middle position on the Les Paul with an
envelope filter...go against the norms I say.
Brett
boardjunkie
wrote:
Try a hot stacked humbucker in the bridge. I built one recently and
stuffed it into one of my strats....it screams. Less upper mids/highs
too. Still sounds stratty to a degree, but alot more beefy without the
strat screech. That should get ya to Blackmore land with the right amp.
Ray
wrote:
> "VampX" <veroni...@vampx.dot.net> wrote in message
I've seen some pretty convincing 'shaft' sounds produced with an ES
335. But it does come easier with a Fender, no doubt.
Rufus
> On 2009-12-19 18:41:12 +1100, Rufus <n...@home.com> said:
>
>> I find myself playing a bit funkier on my Strat...something I don't
>> even try on my Gibsons.
>
> It's just not natural!
Agreed. I need that twang!
--
- Rufus
Rufus
...close, but not the same as a maple neck - not really percussive enough.
--
- Rufus
VampX
I just feel that Strats sound better with a wah than Les Pauls. It's a
very distinctive sound.
--
VeronicaX
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RS
If you put an EQ inline, you could probably get a strat pickup in
range. It would require rolling off highs as well as boosting mids.
But it's more a feel thing...there's an approach that works, but
single coils are definitely tougher to tame with overdrive. It sounds
like you're not into that tone anyway. Get a bucker in the bridge
position?
jh
SHAFT!
Anyone knows who played it and what he used?
Jochen
The Interceptor
"RS" <R...@saynotospam.com> wrote in message
news:nbfri5d81f3b2llmc...@4ax.com...
Since I think Strats need to look like Strats - i.e. 3 x single coils - I
think I'll stick with the Les Paul for distorted tones. Plus I don't have
to spend any more on that.
What would be interesting would be a Strat with triple humbuckers, all
switchable to single coils.
Brett
TheChris
news:gM2dndtpedsL-7HW...@westnet.com.au:
IMO, every Rainbow/DP album with Blackmore would have sound much better
if the guy just got himself a Les Paul :)
And don't get me started on all the other Strat players :)
TheChris
b47c-47a...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com:
That's what I do with ALL my Strat's - Duncan 'lil 59's... unless I have
a full Humbucker in them..
Rufus
> On 2009-12-20 06:32:17 +1100, Rufus <n...@home.com> said:
>
>> VampX wrote:
>>> On 2009-12-19 18:41:12 +1100, Rufus <n...@home.com> said:
>>>
>>>> I find myself playing a bit funkier on my Strat...something I don't
>>>> even try on my Gibsons.
>>>
>>> It's just not natural!
>>
>> Agreed. I need that twang!
>
> I just feel that Strats sound better with a wah than Les Pauls. It's a
> very distinctive sound.
I sort of agree with that too...but I think it's all about finding the
right wah for the guitar, and now that you mention it that may be part
of why I like my Morley wahs so much - with that really wide sweep/throw
I find I can make a Morley work with any of my guitars - the sweet spot
isn't in the same position for each, but I've learned to find it and
settle in quickly.
And I still can't believe how much I like the sound of my Fenders with
the tone controls in bypass - I've come to think that "tone control" is
more like "tone suck". I could just rip 'em all out and be very happy.
--
- Rufus
Les Cargill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_from_Shaft#Credits
My money is on a Firebird thru (obviously) a wah... COuld
be anything, tho - not likely to be a Strat. LP, P90s
or minis.... the Deluxe was current at the time...
--
Les Cargill
Rufus
This isn't the song, but if the video is from the actual recording
session, it looks like it was a Les Paul -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZzBrxj-Gjo
...but then here's a stage performance, and it's a Strat -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3mfMHGnXI&feature=related
...which only goes to show ya what someone that knows what they're doing
can do...
--
- Rufus
Les Cargill
Sounds like one, really.
> ...but then here's a stage performance, and it's a Strat -
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3mfMHGnXI&feature=related
>
> ...which only goes to show ya what someone that knows what they're doing
> can do...
>
The wah changes everything, too.
--
Les Cargill
Rufus
...like I said - it what you use so much as how you use it.
--
- Rufus
Nil
alt.guitar:
> The wah changes everything, too.
In this case, it mostly obscures the sound of the guitar. Almost
anything could have been used to achieve the same effect.
Rufus
...dats what I think.
--
- Rufus
VampX
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3mfMHGnXI&feature=related
>
> ...which only goes to show ya what someone that knows what they're
> doing can do...
It certainly is a killer bit of guitar work. Beautifully timed, which
is of course what funk is all about - timing.
--
VeronicaX
-------------------------------
Rufus
> On 2009-12-21 10:21:01 +1100, Rufus <n...@home.com> said:
>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3mfMHGnXI&feature=related
>>
>> ...which only goes to show ya what someone that knows what they're
>> doing can do...
>
> It certainly is a killer bit of guitar work. Beautifully timed, which is
> of course what funk is all about - timing.
Yeah...I like well timed, tempered, and expressive over a hail of notes
any day.
--
- Rufus
jh
Hi Les,
thank you very much for the information. Charles Pitts is a name i have
never heard before.
Have to look him up. I LOVE the Wah-Work in Shaft.
regards
Jochen
Wrong_Note_Rod
I did on ALL of my fender and fender clones.
the gibsons, however, i kept them. Both of them, I roll the treble off just
a bit on the bridge pickup.
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