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Thanks for the link - that site doesn't have John Pearse and doesn't have the La Bella strings I use. It doesn't seem to have single strings also which I need for my custom archtop set and because I also buy 3 or 4 extra 1E and 2B strings so my strings last much longer (I just change those).
Just Strings has 40$ for international shipping plus VAT and fees when the strings arrive... But I did the math and it's worht it. Strings are much cheaper in the US and the euro is also strong against the euro. What i do is I order large quantities like once a year so i don't pay 40$ for shipping all the time.
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02-11-2012 03:52 PM
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The set up I currently enjoy playing jazz with most is 11 TI Flats on CV50 tele through a Mesa/Boogie Studio 22.
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Ok! I know it's a lot to ask but could you (or anyone else who plays flats on a tele) post some kind of audio clip. Just a couple of notes would be fine. I'd love to hear how you make it sound.
Originally Posted by bleakanddivine
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maybe you try daddario halfrounds (0.12)! you probably get them in argentina and they aren't too expansive + you get a warm tone being able to work with overdrive or distortion.
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I'm like 99% sure that I can't get them here.. But thanks for the tip Originally Posted by hans halmackenreuter
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What really turns me off with these halfround strings is the stickiness that they have for quite a while until they are settle down. Originally Posted by hans halmackenreuter
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Hello, Originally Posted by aniss1001
I'm like 99% sure that I can't get them here.. But thanks for the tip
I prefer GHS "Brite Flats". They are a ground round-wound, but are not as bright sounding as D'Addario Half Rounds. They are of course available in various guages. Best wishes!
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Hmm.. What do you mean by "unbalanced"? As I posted here I just got my guitar back from the luthier with the new PAF pup and it simply doesn't sound good at all Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
Humbuckers can be a little unbalanced some times... But they still are the best pickups for jazz imo. The filter knob can shape your sound a little but it's not exactly powerfull... and it won't change your clean tone. For that matter you need some EQ pedal
Sco's sound to me is typical 335, Boogie and RAT with a very light picking and lots of legatto (I guess volume and tone maxes out). He is very expressive in a "voice like" way,that is probably the hardest part to get.
So now I'm gonna change the tone control circuit since I have no idea what else to do. As it is now it is simply unusable.
Hmm.. I remember the RAT filter to be quite powerful but it is off course many years ago so I dunno. But I was reffering to using it at low settings for a CLEAN sound which I believe is what Scofield does most of the time too.
Ah and I've never heard anyone mention the word "typical" in combination with Scofield or his sound
He seems to me to be as atypical as they get...
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Kenny Vaughan uses flats on his Tele, but, ah, I'm not Kenny Vaughan -
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Sometimes it's hard to dial a fat clear sound without boomy / muddy on the bass and piercing on the highs. You can easilly get one but it's hard to get both although it's possible. Amps also tend do be unbalanced which is favored by many rock players but not so much for jazz. I love EQ pedals to achieve a balanced sound across all the guitar spectrum.
But "a little unbalanced" is very different from "doesn't good at all" or "unusable". When I put my BK Stormy Mondays on both my guitars I loved the sound although it has been hard for me to achieve a 100% balanced sound. But it sounds aewsome (it's a PAF as yours).
I don't find the filter on the RAT very powerfull but I am used to EQ pedals to shape my sound. I don't think it's a good tool to darken your tone - the RAT itself (even at low gain settings) changes the EQ of your tone, it's far from transparent. A lot of people use an EQ after ODs exactly because these pedals tend to change your original tone - I will have one after my RAT / TS pedals.
Why is Scofield's sound atypical? I think his expression on the instrument is hard to emulate but his equipment is not very complicated. (You probably know much more than I about Scofield but does he uses the RAT always on? So he must have two RATs on his boards right, one always on and the other for his distortion sounds)
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Well, people have different tastes. I love flatwounds on a Tele. But I love round wounds on a Tele too if I want that more traditional Tele sound. Flatwounds will kill some of the sustain and brightness of a Tele, but they'll do that on any guitar.
If you can get the 'jazz tone' you want out of a Tele with round wounds on it, then you're done.
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That was what I experienced with the PAFs on my old ES175, and I was never quite satisfied with the sound despite the PAFs grail status. Eventually I learned that it can be a characteristic with some (many?) humbuckers. Single coils solved that for me - better balance between highs and lows so the treble doesn't go shrill while the bass is still clear. A favorite PU of mine is Pete Biltofts HCC (a single coil with blade pole piece, dressed on top like a CC and fitting in a humbucker PU ring). Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
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Yes - but then single coils don't sound "fat" to me... that's why i prefer to deal with unbalanced humbuckers. To me an EQ pedal solves the issues usually.
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Just curious.. what is the spacing between your CC pu and the bottom of your strings? Originally Posted by oldane
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Mr beaumont from this forum exact/s/ed some excellent tones from his Tele strung with flats, D'Addarios, if memory serves. I don't know if the clips are still up on his site.
I have no experience of the Fenders you posted, though they don't seem to get mentioned very often here (or anywhere else).
If you're shooting for the sound in the Scofield clips, maybe forget about flatwounds altogether? If you can't source "half-way" strings such as GHS Rollerwounds or D'Addario halfwounds, just go back to your easily available nickel plated roundwounds. After all, Ed Bickert has apparently always used them, in light gauge! (with a plain 3rd?).
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OK! I'm starting to understand the problem and why PTChristopher recommends the greasebucket tone control circuit, which as far as my researh has taught me doesn't increase the lows as you roll of the highs like a conventional circuit. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
And yes right now it doesn't sound very good. I now play with the treble on the amp set to zero and the tone knob set around 3. The lower strings sound "muddy" to say the least but this is the only way to make the higher strings sounds acceptable I find.
I have listened a lot to Sco yes but I'm far less knowledgable on gear that you are. But yes I believe that he uses the RAT sort of like a preamp to add some gain to his CLEAN sound. Atleast he has done so in the past, but he is constantly changing his gear and sound so I dunno. I also believe that he would set the RAT distortion very low and the filter high, while playing with both tone and volume on the guitar at max.
Not sure whether he uses an extra RAT (live) sometimes for a more distorted sound, but if you listen to his recordings you'll find that he plays with one sound ONLY on all the tunes of the album.
But when I said his sounds is atypical I wasn't reffering to gear, simply the way he sounds. He doesn't sound remotely like any other guitarist I've ever heard. He uses an unusual amount of gain for starters and has a very bluesy tone that us uncommon in jazz. Don't really know how to describe this, but I definately can't hear anything typical about his sound. He's as ODD they get.
He also has an odd way of picking as you say. After I started using Transcribe! to slow things down I noticed that a lot of his notes are insinuated rather than played clearly, which is one of the reasons I find him so hard to transcribe.Last edited by aniss1001; 02-12-2012 at 05:13 PM.
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Don't mind playing with knobs on zero if it sounds good to you... Getting a balanced sound in all the guitar is a struggle for me too :/
I have listened to a lot of Sco's but I never got much into what gear he uses. He doesn't seem to change his sound during a tune but sometimes he uses his "clean" sound and others he uses a distorted sound (in live gigs at least) that's why I assumed if he had his RAT always on he would need an extra one for gain sounds.. Or maybe he just messes with the pedal during tunes! I always assumed he had his RAT off on his "clean" sounds.
Oh that's the thing with words sometimes - I didn't read "atypical" as "personal". He does have a very personal sound and a very personal way of expressing humself on the instruments (like the "ghost notes" you mentioned).Last edited by jorgemg1984; 02-12-2012 at 05:27 PM.
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4mm (I just measured it) to the top of the PU blade (which is curved with a 12" radius so it follows the fretboard/string curvature). Normally, I don't set it to a specific measure but to how it sounds. Too close, and the sound is too harsh, too far and the sound is too muffled. I figure the optimum distance can depend on the particular string set and its magnetic properties. It likely also depends on the strength of the PU magnets (they are swappable on Pete Biltofts PUs). Originally Posted by SamBooka
You have a Lollar CC in your Epiphone (in your avatar), right?
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Thanks. I will have to measure.
Mine is a Biltoff with AlVs (although I have some IIs and IIIs from when I ordered the PU)
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That Sco sound you like is very much a studio produced tone. Originally Posted by aniss1001
Stereo reverb and stereo chorus. There is not much rate on the chorus but there is a big stereo image.
The distortion is like a soft overdrive. Might I suggest a pedal called and Okko Diablo.
This guy (Gregs Guitars) uses one all the time. he has WAY to much drive on this clip but it's easy to back it off.
Warmest and most subtle and responsive overdrive I ever bought.
OKKO Diablo Overdrive
With the Humbucker in the Tele you should be able to get very close to that Sco sound.
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Not sure I mind but I just don't think it should be necesarry. Can't help thinking that something is wrong. And besides it isn't a great sound on the lower strings. I guess eventually I'll have to get an EQ pedal or something but for now it isn't an option. Originally Posted by jorgemg1984
Ah and when I said "if you listen to his recordings you'll find that he plays with one sound ONLY on all the tunes of the album" I meant that he plays with the same sound the entire ALBUM. And he doesn't have a clean sound vs. a lead sound it seems. Atleast this is the case on several of my favorite albums.
What he does live I don't know, only saw him once many years ago in Copenhagen, but I don't think he has a fixed setup. He's always experimenting yet keeps it simple. From most live clips I've seen he doesn't have a lead sound vs. a clean sound live either. Yes occasionally he uses his chorus-organ-like thing and even more occasionally a wah wah, But I don't think I've ever seen one where he suddenly hits the RAT pedal to get a lead sound. Not sure though ..
And about his playing; He also uses a lot of 1/2 or 1/4 note bends and artificial harmonics, which again adds to his atypical sound as well as making him really hard for me to transcribe. Also his frasing / timing is very peculiar. And yes in general he is by far the most expressive (jazz) guitarist I've ever heard. Just one of the reasons I love him.
Just curious.. have you checked out the album "Works for me"? Try listening to a tune (again doesn't matter which since he plays with the same sound on all of them). Is that a weird sound or what? Isn't he playing with the bridge pickup? And do you like this sound? Personally I didn't at 1st but now I love it
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Yes I figured that much. Sounds like a nice gain and a tiny (barely noticable) tad of chorus. Don't know much about this stereo thing but eventually I'll look into it. Originally Posted by Philco
OK thanks. I'll check it out. Allthough I'm currently contemplating buying a RAT clone and modding the crap out of it. Originally Posted by Philco
That's the best news I've had in a loooong time Originally Posted by Philco
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Man you're the king when it comes to Scofield I just found curious he used his RAT on also for his clean sounds
I never thought of it bue he does seem to always use the same sounds trough an entire record, interesting... Oh and he is a fan os stereo steups, he used to have two Mesa Boogies live all the time. With the AC-30 and the Two-Rock maybe he just goes the 2x12 route.
It sounds like the bridge pickup (or bridge and neck)... it sounds great, I love Scofield! If I were you I would care about getting a good sound and, after that, getting your own sound. You'll waste a lot of time trying to sound like Scofield
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Mine has Alnico II - like I wrote, that may make a difference af far as the distance to the strings goes. Apart from that, ones personal tone preference is also in play here. Originally Posted by SamBooka
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Re: Jorge
Well I'm not really trying to BE Sco I'm just trying to achieve the sound I have in my head which happens to be pretty close to his so I use this a refference when describing my ideal sound to others rather than using words like warm, fat, full etc.
I'd say we simply share TASTE. Funny thing. The best amp I've ever played on was the Vox AC30. Man it SINGS :P And this had nothing to do with Sco since it was back in my rock/blues/funk days before I got into jazz. At this point I did like Sco but he wasn't my main thing and I had no idea what amps he used.
About his frasing; Is it me or is he rather complicated? If you listen to the tune "Not you again" (same link as before) at 0:58 you'll hear an example of this. I transcribed the 1st chorus and got stuck there (it's the last chord of the 1st chorus.. the Bb7 going to the EbM7). The notes took me some time to make out (again weird picking) but he is simply playing a c# minor pentatonic over that Bb7 chord. But the frasing.. man I spent a long time trying to reproduce it but I had to give up and move on to the 2nd chorus...
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