Hey axe mans. I'll ask a luthier to make me a guitar. A Les Paul. I already have the humbucker Slash uses on the neck (Alnico II Pro) cause I love his tone. But i'm thinking on putting a EMG in the bridge position. Can i do it? A friend of mine said you can't mix actives and passives on the same guitar. Is it true?

Hmmm I've certainly never seen that combination.

But also, on a LP Bridge, please do yourself a favor and get a classic Gbison style PAF Humbucker. You can't beat that classic LP Bridge sound AND they're pretty damn quiet too.

7salles said:

I know man, i love the classic Les Paul Sound, but I am going after a heavyer sound.
Got it?
I'll let the vintage OD sound for the neck, with the Slash' humbucker. But i want something crazier on the bridge.

Phew, that's gonna be really wild!

7salles said:

7salles said:

Not to be a complete smart ass but...
I'm a little confused. Somebody is making you a Les Paul? Is it the Gibson factory? If not, get the one pick-up in it and find out what kind of sound there is.

Guitar tone is more than the pick-ups. It's the instrument, the amp, the effects and a few other things. With a hand-made instrument, it might be a good idea to try a few different pick-ups to get the tone you like. Slash is awesome but find your own mixture for tone.


[This message was edited Wed May 21 10:41:33 PDT 2003 by Slave2daGroove]

--- "Somebody is making you a Les Paul? Is it the Gibson factory?" ---

No, it's a guy, he is well known in my place. He uses good woods, and he made a friend of mine a guitar. He will recieve this week the axe.

---"get the one pick-up in it and find out what kind of sound there is."---

Sorry I didn't understand it. The last part. English is not my main language. what is "get the one pick-up in it?"

---"Guitar tone is more than the pick-ups. It's the instrument, the amp, the effects and a few other things. With a hand-made instrument, it might be a good idea to try a few different pick-ups to get the tone you like. Slash is awesome but find your own mixture for tone."---

How can I try different pick ups without buying it? All i can do is go to harmony central and read what peoplo have to say about it.

Thanks for the feedback man, I'm waiting for your next post.

7salles said:

7salles-

Sorry, I didn't mean to be a smart ass.

All I was saying is;
1) Your guitar will not actually be a Les Paul. It will be better. Hand crafted, checked out, tweaked and perfected.

2) You said you already bought the Alnico II Pro pick-up. I was just saying that once you put that new pick-up in your new instrument, it may not sound like you want it. Acoustics are different in different instruments.

3) You will have a point of reference (for sound) when you put the pick-up in your instrument. If it sounds too "tinty" or whatever, then base your research on the that pick-up sounds in your guitar.

For example if everyone says it sounds warm and full but on your instrument it sounds the opposite, then you have a point of reference.

The other thought is that maybe the Luthier has a recommendation for the way he crafted the instrument. Tell him what you're looking for (tone wise) and he may tell you to take the new pick-up back to the store and buy another.
He knows his instrument and what it can do.

Just my 2 cents.

Ok! Thanks for the attention man. Good observations.

How about a Seymour Duncan Jazz for the neck pickup and a Seymour JB in the bridge position?

Don't forget that Slash uses a Little Boss GE-7 eq stompbox where he boosts the mids.

Dimarzio PAF PROS are great also.

I have 'em in my Jem and you can get all the violin tones-the Vai, Beck, Eric Johnson, Holdsworth tones.

As I've said many times, boost the mids. Add 480 ms of delay with 20% feedback/repeat and you can get the Prince Sign O The Times/Lovesexy Live tour tones.

I think you're going to have a problem wiring the two pickups together. Ain't saying it's not POSSIBLE, but I imagine it will be a wiring nightmare... you'll have to take the active PU and do all the regular wiring for THAT, and then take the final output signal and wire it to the switch...

well.

I don't know what I'm talking about. I've got EMGs on one strat and regurlar fenders on another one - I think combining them would be a bear, because the active ones are powered by a battery, but the regular ones are not, so you'll need to have isolated circuitry for each pickup, joining the sounds only at the very end of the train.

But, what the hell do I know. The greatest thing about active pickups is that you don't get the Mic-to-mouth JOLT. Ditto with using a wireless. I used my EMGs for years and finally decided I wanted the real strat tone - it was tinnier and brighter, but I just love it.

Glad I could help! HA!

I'm so confused.
hehe.
But thanks OTAN, cranshaw62, hectim and slave2tehgroove. I think it's better for me to decide first what wood i'm gonna want in it. I know some pick ups don't work well on some kinds of woods.

Thennn i talk to the luthier and tell him what i want. then he will give suggestions, theeen i'll choose the pick up.

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents on this one. I've been playing guitar for close to 18 years now. I got caught up in the "want tone" phase of playing and here is what I have found and come to the realization : you can play the EXACT rig that someone plays but it will still sound like U. There are many factor's in someone's tone :

1. Gear
2. Technique
3. Feel

Can anyone attempt to emulate their Fav player by mastering all of these attributes? Odds are 'no' and you'll sound like a "close but no cigar" clone. Go for your own sound! It's okay to like someone's tone but incorporate it into finding your sound. Here are a few things I have found that help beef up your tone:

1. Jumbo Frets (big big sound)
2. Extra heavy picks (you want a very positive response when you play a string)
3. As heavy a string gauge as you can possibly stand. There is some tradeoffs in bendability but given (1) and (2), you will REALLY like the sound of 11's. Yes, they are somewhat difficult to bend but the sound is well well worth it!

I guarantee if you try these 3 things, you will be way happier with your sound than playing the "change pickup" game. Take it from me...and it's not as expensive to beat!

Hope this helps! Good luck on your quest to tone!

DavJGar

Great post, DavJGar.


Another trick is to raise your action. I learned about pickup/string heights and heavier strings in college -- totally changed my tone and playing. I was playing a Charvette (jackson knock-off) with 9-gauge strings. I moved up to 10s in college.

A few years ago, when I bought a strat (ash-maple neck with Kinman Blues in it), I went from 10 to 11. Wonderful, meatier sound. Now, I play 12s tuned down a half-step. And, the bending ain't so bad now (probably because of the Eb tuning). I use Dunlop 1.14 picks, which also help push out the sound, as DavJGar said. The difference between my sound and playing between those 2 guitars is HUGE.

What a journey.

But, as everyone else has said, start with an idea of how you want to sound and start with the cheaper options -- by all means: Pickups and amps cost a LOT of money.

That sounds like a great guitar! I finally settled with the Kinman's on my quest for tone as well. I reason I was drawn to them at first, was due to their noiseless quality. After playing with them, I realized how much they sounded like the vintage sound I love so much! The Eb tuning is a great way to get the "bendability" back with your axe. I also wholeheartedly agree with your last statement regarding the alternatives to finding your tone that are cheaper than new pickups or amps. Picks really do make a difference in tone. But for every one of me that likes extra heavy picks, there is a George Benson that swears by Fender Medium Picks. Benson has great tone as well so I guess it all boils down to what you ultimately feel comfortable playing. When you are comfortable, you start to develop your OWN sound. Of course 11's, a set of Kinmans, and an extra heavy pick (I like the Dunlop Red Jazz III's and the purple stubby picks - 2mm), you are most definitely on your way ...

I found a posting having to do with the "quest for tone" by Tuck Andress. For those that don't know about Tuck, he is a MONSTER fingerstyle player and this entry on his website drives home the "I'm going to sound like me" point...Enjoy!

http://www.tuckandpatti.com/fault.html

I understand this point of view. But as a matter of fact.
If I ws Slash' friend and If i played on his set up. And i played the Guns N Roses riffs, it would sound like him. I am not saying i want to sound like him on his playing his phrases, but his TONE, is something I am going after. No only him, i already said i want something crazier on the bridge. But for the neck position i want his sound or similar. It's as simple as that.

You probably already have these but here they are incase you don't...He uses 11's and heavy picks 2 :

http://cosmos.oninetspeed...sound.html

http://www.snakepit.org/equip.html

Ted sounds like Ted even through Eddie's gear:

http://www.guitarmag.com/...s9801.html

It's impossible to Van Halen get the same sound out of Santana gear as he does with his own gear, for example. Sorry but that's impossible. His phrasing will be the same, his approach, his picking. But the SOUND will be diferrent. The pick ups are vintage not ceramic, the wood is different. everything is different.

ehhehe. I don't want the same pick too.
He is not even my favorite guitarrist. I just like his tone for soloing. God..

I take Nuno bettencourt over him any day.

DavJGar said:

Oh my gosh! Tuck is a BEAST. His "Reckless Precision" CD breaks my face every time I hear it.