ezbass

17 hours ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

I'm sure I heard somewhere that Rhett Shull isn't keen on TS9s

3 hours ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

Yeah, I didn't bother to watch any of the videos YT suggested (it wasn't what I'd been looking for, after all), but I strongly suspect you're right: most of them probably don't even dislike Tube Screamers that strongly and are just playing up their opinions for clicks.

Rhett's more of a 'Gibson' type tone player, thus his antipathy towards the TS. However, one of his YT buddies was determined to convert him and brought round a plethora of TSs and Rhett actually found a couple he liked and, IIRC, one of those being a bass TS.

From what I understand, if you’re using a Strat type guitar, into a Fender type amp (SRV, etc), Tubescreamers are pretty much a go to. However, if you’re using a Humbucker equipped guitar into something like a Marshall (Satriani for example), the EQ bump from a TS isn’t where you want it, you’re probably better off with something like a Boss OD1. All depends on what tone you’re going for.

There’s nothing wrong with learning on electric. However, it is generally easier to play than an acoustic and learning on an acoustic will help with your fingering strength and technique more, which can be very easily transferred to electric, not so much the other way around.

And… 

4 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

That's when I also started listening more closely to the guitar tracks on a lot of my favourite stuff, and realised that there's a whole lot less distortion going on there than I'd always assumed. 

^Very true. 

With regard to fuzz, I discovered that you can have it set up for searing, violin type lead sounds (I’m think Eric Johnson here) but, back the volume on the guitar off and it delivers a very nicely, slightly overdriven tone and most stops in between. In short, classic fuzzes clean up really nicely.

Ooh, that sure is purdy ! GLWTS

From the pictures, it looks like it is floating in a carved out well (like a lot of Floyd Roses). Unfortunately, with my limited experience with FRs, this rules out flat loading it with lots of springs, like a Strat. Therefore, I imagine that you’d have to insert a couple of blocks of wood, either side of the string block to stop it moving back or forward. Once happy with their positioning, you could glue them in place. Hopefully, some wiser folk will chime in with a different solution.

2 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

5xxx series - I doubt, shy of a stupid lottery win, I could justify the 6xxx series. 

Same. To be fair, the 5 series are really, really good and the price difference between a 5420 and 6120 is huge and the law of diminishing returns says you’ll not be getting an awful lot more. 5420, plus some TV Jones pickups and you’ll be pretty much 95% of the way there, for a fraction of the cost.

I’ve learnt pretty all I know about Fender offset guitars from Mike Adam’s, AKA puisheen, on YouTube and Instagram.

Nice. I see it has a Mustang bridge, a sensible upgrade from the standard, threaded affair.

10 minutes ago, knirirr said:

In the end I was able to bag a nice Japanese Fender, which is now having some work done on it. 

Pics when it’s returned please.

I’ve not known posts to delete automatically on GC.

I don’t have any experience with the Jag/JM trem I'm afraid, although I am intrigued by them. I think that I'm probably not alone here and perhaps why there has been a dearth or replies, that and it being a week with Christmas right in the middle (what day is it?).

6 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

As noted above, LPs are big in that for me - humbuckers being the real problem there I think; they all just sound like mud in my hands. I suspect I might get on better with one loaded with p90s.... certainly enjoy my HB DC Jnr.

Filter-trons are an interesting ‘bucker option. Unlike PAF types, they don’t have that muddy honk.

Good to know .

2 hours ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

I always thought the second tone control was just for the bridge pickup on a typical Strat - I could be quite mistaken, especially as I've never owned one!

I could be remembering wrong, it's been a long while since I've had one.

1 hour ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

shrill bridge pickup

On my last 2 Strats I replaced the bridge pickups. The 1st one was with a Seymour Duncan mini humbucker of some description (it was a long while ago, but I think it was a JB Jnr) and it wasn’t bad. On The 2nd one I used a DiMarzio SDS-1, which is voiced like a P90 and I liked that better. I still had to wire both to an independent tone control to tame the highs, something I do with Teles too.

That’s a very fine guitar, good choice.

Conversely, an Epiphone Uptown Kat, with replacement pickups is a potential route.

If you’re happy to consider a double cutaway, then the Casino or the Casino Coupé (if you can find one) is a fine P90 beast. This is my modified Coupé…

At least it wasn’t a bass, where that sort of thing can be a real bash to the wallet. You can still use those strings of course (if you can stop that slippage), you’ll just have to put up with poor intonation on the G string. That said, I’d just bite the bullet and get some acoustic strings, your ears will thank you.

Listening to a lot of Simple Minds recently, Charlie Burchill definitely deserves mention in this respect.