Changing of taste in tones

[vchizzle]

I've really loved using the HFS pickup in a solid mahogany body(McCarty, in my case) for heavier rock tones. For the last couple years, I've really been liking the 5708 and 5909 pickups for those same tones. Now, I have multiple guitars to be able to keep guitars with both, but, I really have a hard time choosing what I want to use in rehearsals and for gigs. I guess there are worse problems to have. What's a guy to do???:biggrin:

Neck pickup, I've pretty much decided the 5708 is my favorite pickup with the 5909 close behind. I could change my neck pickup in every guitar and not think twice about it.

How have your tastes changed over time? How do you deal with those changes...binge and purge everything to new taste, just buy more gear so you have it all?

 

[Hopeful Sinner]

This is going to sound superficial but I swear it isn't, delusional perhaps...

I used to play uncovered pickups exclusively. I would not own a covered pickup. Now I love covers! I even took the covers off a set of RP pickups and put them on my Dragon 1 pickups in the 96 CU22. I'm convinced they sound better!!!

So......just me???

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I think somewhere around the age of 32, I decided I was never going to actively pursue being in a high-gain rock setting ever again (unless someone in Slayer died), so I have moved almost completely to clean tones and split coil settings. My favorite guitar has remained the same, but I purged my amps.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I don't know if my taste in tones has changed much through the years. If they have it's subtle.

Never been a huge fan of distortion or over the top gain, nor overly trebly sounds. Love cleans and light / medium overdrives. Neck single coils and bridge humbuckers. I don't have much time for really dry tones. I like a bit of something, be it a touch of 'verb or delay or chorus. That said, dry has it's place and sounds great for certain things.

 

[vchizzle]

This is going to sound superficial but I swear it isn't, delusional perhaps...

I used to play uncovered pickups exclusively. I would not own a covered pickup. Now I love covers! I even took the covers off a set of RP pickups and put them on my Dragon 1 pickups in the 96 CU22. I'm convinced they sound better!!!

So......just me???

I actually still prefer uncovered bridge pickups. Although, I'm loving the covered 5708 bridge in my McStd right now.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

The covered DII in the neck of my SE has really been "doing it" for me.

 

[jfb]

Then - No mids, lots of gain.
Now - Plenty of mids, less gain.

 

[László]

How have your tastes changed over time? How do you deal with those changes...binge and purge everything to new taste, just buy more gear so you have it all?

I don't know that my taste has undergone radical change since 1966...it's more that I've layered additional musical ideas and associated sounds over the years.

I've also listened and simply refined the tone as the years have gone by. But I don't play a single sound now that I wouldn't have easily recognized in the late 60s. I just use different things to get there.

 

[gush]

Back in the day it was all about the distortion. I was like a fish out of water without max distortion. That was then, today I care deeply about tone and dont use much overdrive. On my 5150 I use low gain input and seldom put my gain past 4. I use recording shows as a means of monitoring my tone and since we have a few weekends off from gigging right now I currently have my rig set up at home with my tascam. I have been recording with several different mics and different mic placment just to see what really works the best. Experimenting with sm57,perception220,AT2035,senn609 and akg 418.

 

[AP515]

The sound I hear in my head hasn't changed, but the tone I play has. To me I have been getting closer that what I have heard all along. I'm pretty close to it now.

 

[gush]

I forgot to mention that my tastes have changed since high school too. My attention to detail has changed as well. I dont want to sound like a garage band bastardising classic music either. Just because you know the chords to the song doesnt mean you know it. I remember being in a band with some older guys back in the day, we were to come to rehearsal knowing some tune. I learned it but was using my high gain, divebombing mindset. The other guitar player got really pissed at me because of my approach to this particular tune. He took his guitar off refusing to play the song if thats how we were going to do it. I couldnt understand why he was so upset. Now Im that guy. I figure at my age I may not be able to gig like this forever. Amps will get heavier, 9:00 will seem too late to be out, you fill in the blank. I want to make a statement, I want people to say "hey, that sounds dam good!" I want to satisfy myself. I want to tackle songs that other bands wont. I have four good singers in my band and our vocal harmonies kick ass. Im very proud of that. I wish I was a better guitar player but my job is demanding and my family needs me. Just cant devote as much time to improving my skills like I want. When we play Carry On Wayward Son at our next show and we nail the vocals I will forget about how bad I need to practice, at least until next practice!

 

[Boogie]

I don't think my taste in tone changes, but my emphasis and preferences shift with the musical project currently at hand. The whole "to HFS or not to HFS, that is the question..." issue cycled again for me. Out went the 57/08s and back in went the HFS/VB. Am I happier? No, but I wasn't with the 57/08s, either. They just don't balance with a P-90 guitar and since I need to switch guitars throughout the night, I'd like not to monkey with gain controls. But in all, I prefer the 57/08s, tonally, over the HFS. That's not a change in taste for me, but probably how I deal with complacency. Sometimes a little change is good for the musical soul.

The biggest change has been in how I accomplish my amp tone goals. For the last 3 years I've moved from multi-channel amps to single channel with pedals. Even better, I'm only using 1 channel of a 3 channel amp. Lower wattage and higher master volume settings. It's now less difficult to get the amp where I love it and have it remain there consistently gig after gig.

 

[John]

For me, I think I just noticed how I've gradually turned down the gain on my distorted tones. Starting out, I liked to have stuff at full blast with loads of brightness, but now I appreciate both darker tones (and the neck pickup for soloing more often), and the added flexibility at lower gain stages where I can add some of the aggression on my own by picking harder. I also appreciate the midrange portion of my eq section more.

 

[cobrafast1]

Personally, I like the looks of the uncovered pickups. I changed out my stock SE pickups for a set of ToneRider Alnico II zebra pickups. The number II magnets allow for more sustain and I use a bit of distortion and compression to get a really smooth unraspy tone. Works great for the music I like to play. My American Strat and my Parker Fly Deluxe still have the stock pickups. I like the sound of them, so why mess with success. I recently purchased a VFE Distortion 3 pedal. This pedal has lots of degrees of distortion by using various circuits that are variably switchable. It's a cool pedal. I don't overdrive my treble, mids, or bass either. I do like a cleanly distorted tone for blues leads.

 

[bluefade]

I've really loved using the HFS pickup in a solid mahogany body(McCarty, in my case) for heavier rock tones. For the last couple years, I've really been liking the 5708 and 5909 pickups for those same tones. Now, I have multiple guitars to be able to keep guitars with both, but, I really have a hard time choosing what I want to use in rehearsals and for gigs. I guess there are worse problems to have. What's a guy to do???:biggrin:

Neck pickup, I've pretty much decided the 5708 is my favorite pickup with the 5909 close behind. I could change my neck pickup in every guitar and not think twice about it.

How have your tastes changed over time? How do you deal with those changes...binge and purge everything to new taste, just buy more gear so you have it all?

I WENT TO 408's,EVERYTHING ELSE IS OLD TECHNOLOGY !! I'VE GOT A PS WITH 5708's. AS MUCH AS I LOVE MY PS, I WOULD LOVE IT MORE WITH 408'S IN IT!!! NUFF SAID??

 

[vchizzle]

I WENT TO 408's,EVERYTHING ELSE IS OLD TECHNOLOGY !! I'VE GOT A PS WITH 5708's. AS MUCH AS I LOVE MY PS, I WOULD LOVE IT MORE WITH 408'S IN IT!!! NUFF SAID??

I haven't bonded with a guitar with 408's yet. I can't say whether I like them or not. Glad they do it for you. You speak as though "old technology" = less good. In a market where "old" dominates as superior, it will take time. Just like the modeling industry has advanced and become more accepted, and for some preferred.