More Clips, Less Talk

Thanks for the kind words Les!
I'm tickled to death with the sound, stability and ease of use of my new Roland interface, prior to that I've used Echo and M-Audio interfaces, and while I've managed to do a lot of recording, It always seemed like a fight to get audio interfaces to cooperate. This new one just works - no hassles, 16 tracks of analog input recording at once, and I've even moved my recording resolution up to 24 bit 96Khz!
You've probably mention this in another thread, but what are you using for audio interface(s)?

Maertl513: Great job of showing the range of sounds of the 513! Nice tones!

Tom
 
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File in the department of be careful what you ask for.

I did this one right after I got my HB1 spruce goldtop back from PTC, They changed it from an aftermarket piezo to a PRS piezo and moved the battery compartment from under the bridge pup (really?) to the regular battery position. Hated loosening/removing strings to change the battery - it had been dangling out of the lower f hole for a while.

Painfully out of tune, slow and awkward. Probably take 3,458 as I comment to the cat in the beginning. Still full of clams and I'm not really any better 2 years later.

Piezo because Les hates piezo.

WTF is up with my right hand pinkie?? <-- a favorite subject for my past instructors.

Did I mention painfully out of tune?

Warning: it only goes downhill when you click the play button. You have been warned.


Obligatory equipment notes:
PRS HB1 spruce goldtop piezo
Crate Telluride acoustic amp
no pedals
mic is on the Sony videocam.
 
@rugerpc, this is the fancy cup of tea plec grip, isn´t it. It´s supposed to have its origin in UK.
But foremost: You can give your guitar guts and it sounds nice.
 
Very nice Ruger! I love the Rain Song, and love to play it on my P22. I actually learned to play it in standard tuning as a kid, which is all kinds of painful acrobatics. Then I found out the tuning Page uses, and how much easier it is in that tuning. Doh!

Also, pinky positions, along with ugly solo faces, are always forgiven. It's in the guitar rules! Look it up!

Tom
 
LSchefman said:
We have a lot of talk about guitars and tone here. And that's great, because one of the reasons we come here is to talk about our passion for this stuff!

But --

But there's only so far that talk will take us. Words do not adequately describe or convey the tone of an instrument. I mentioned this in another thread, but the old saw, "Talking about music is like dancing about architecture," is true.

Several members here post clips of their instruments - in music tracks with other instruments - and solo - regularly. That's the best! Tag was my inspiration for doing so, he started way back in the day on TGP.

You don't have to be a great, or even a very good player, to post clips. It's OK to be yourself. This should be a "zone of encouragement" and not a place where we critique each others' playing.

But...we have these wonderful guitars, amps, processors, etc. And it's so easy, and so inexpensive, to record them - we can do it with a PHONE if need be.

It's cool to ooh and aah over pictures of the guitars. That's fine, but they're designed to make music. NGD? Show me a picture AND post a clip of how it sounds. And how you sound on it. And what you like to play. That's the fun part.

If a friend comes over, do you just pull out a guitar and say, "Look at this?"

Or do you plug it in and play a little, maybe let the friend play it, hear it, etc? Well, my feeling is, if you're going to show it to the world, why not play it for the world?

Don't be shy! It's OK to be you.

For those who don't know me: I've posted clips of every guitar and amp within a few days of getting it. I wish I was a better player, but I do it anyway. I try to set a good example.

EDIT:

I wanted to add a thing or two...

For 16 years I've participated in various guitar forums: the original PRS Forum, TGP, BAM, VR and here. And there'll be statements like, "Pickup A sounds so much better than pickup B." And my thought is always, "In whose hands? And on what style of music? And if it's so much better, WTF, SHOW US!!"

You want to make a point about a guitar you have that you're critical of? How about a clip? This bridge sounds better than that bridge? Your new guitar sounds so great?

I'll believe it if you can demonstrate it in a clip.

Etc.

We are fortunate enough to live in an age where anyone - seriously, anyone - can engage in telecommunications. You are all TV stars and recording artists. You have a point to make - and this goes double for criticisms as far as I'm concerned - show us. You can do it.

The usual saying around here is "Pics or it didn't happen." Well, for me it's "Clips or it didn't happen."
Click to expand...

Hey Mr. Les,
I really appreciate you remembering that. That goes all the way back to 2001 when I first joined news groups then TGP which I think was part of the original PRS forum or something like that. My memory is not what it once was.

Anyway, I am still it total agreement, and feel just like I did then. People raving about flavor of the day pups blowing away stock Gibsons or Fenders or whatever. I tried tons of them, and Fender and Gibson still make my favorite pups. The newer PRS are very good as well. Some of these (not all) after market pups sound downright awful in comparison. People make excuses for not making clips, but there is rarely a legitimate one. If you can play well enough to rave about a product, you should be a good enough player to not be embarrassed by your playing, and if you are posting on the net, you more than likely have a way to make a clip and post it on one of the infinite free sites. I still remember falling for the Pernumbuco neck rants. Thank goodness I was able to get a refund on that stinker. There were a few clips here and there, but no good A/B test showing the "unreal sustain, notes and harmonics popping off the neck", etc etc characteristics. Of course there wasnt, because its not true. Lol!

No one should feel embarrassed about their playing. Everyone has started from ground zero. If you can play some chords and songs cleanly, bend notes and play some riffs and licks in time and in key, you are good enough to do a nice comparison clip. IMO, play the exact same things with whatever you are playing, and make comments based on what you are hearing in the room. I think making it as objective as is possible is important, and all of us as players benefit. Not only that, but as much as I like talking about this stuff, I LOVE listening to it!!!

As always, just my opinion, and thanks again for the mention Les. We have been friends while both agreeing and disagreeing on many subjects, with no animosity, over many years. Thats a true friend and the way it should be. :)
 
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rugerpc said:
File in the department of be careful what you ask for.

I did this one right after I got my HB1 spruce goldtop back from PTC, They changed it from an aftermarket piezo to a PRS piezo and moved the battery compartment from under the bridge pup (really?) to the regular battery position. Hated loosening/removing strings to change the battery - it had been dangling out of the lower f hole for a while.

Painfully out of tune, slow and awkward. Probably take 3,458 as I comment to the cat in the beginning. Still full of clams and I'm not really any better 2 years later.

Piezo because Les hates piezo.

WTF is up with my right hand pinkie?? <-- a favorite subject for my past instructors.

Did I mention painfully out of tune?

Warning: it only goes downhill when you click the play button. You have been warned.


Obligatory equipment notes:
PRS HB1 spruce goldtop piezo
Crate Telluride acoustic amp
no pedals
mic is on the Sony videocam.
Click to expand...

I thought the playing was really, really nice on that, Bill! Not only that but...the piezo didn't sound too bad!

Actually, I can't play those kinds of chord changes any more until (I hope) my hand heals. So you're one up on me. I may have to re-learn how to play the guitar completely, which will be weird, but an interesting challenge.

As my son says, if Django can do it...
 
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goat-n-gitter said:
Very nice Ruger! I love the Rain Song, and love to play it on my P22. I actually learned to play it in standard tuning as a kid, which is all kinds of painful acrobatics. Then I found out the tuning Page uses, and how much easier it is in that tuning. Doh!

Also, pinky positions, along with ugly solo faces, are always forgiven. It's in the guitar rules! Look it up!

Tom
Click to expand...

guitar rules? Ok, I'll take it!

And that song must be near impossible without Page's tuning!

LSchefman said:
I thought the playing was really, really nice on that, Bill! Not only that but...the piezo didn't sound too bad!

Actually, I can't play those kinds of chord changes any more until (I hope) my hand heals. So you're one up on me.
Click to expand...

I can't play them now! :eek:
 
Tag said:
As always, just my opinion, and thanks again for the mention Les. We have been friends while both agreeing and disagreeing on many subjects, with no animosity, over many years. Thats a true friend and the way it should be. :)
Click to expand...

Tag, you probably don't even remember that you're the one who got me into trying my first Two-Rock amp when you sent me clips maybe 12 years ago or so. Remember? I was saying, "Well, I need an amp I can rock with, and TRs seem like they're just for fusion playing..." and then you sent me rock clips on your Two-Rock. I remember thinking, "Damn, this sounds really, really good! I want one!"

So a clip proved your point about the amp. And that was an inspiration for me to act on it. I learned something important that way.

My purpose in this thread was to say to everyone, "Hey, if you can hold a guitar and play a chord, you can do a clip. You can demonstrate a product. Let's do more than talk about gear, let's post clips and hear what we really can't adequately express in mere words."

We have had so many wide-ranging discussions over the past 15 years, and we've been friends for a long time. That's what's great about the web. Would we have ever even crossed paths in our lives without the old PRS Forum and later TGP? Probably not.

I'm glad for your friendship and for that of all the folks who've shared thoughts and ideas - and yes, even disagreed - with me over the years.

PS- I've never played a Pernambuco neck guitar, so I have no idea if I should disagree or not. LOL!
 
Allright, last weekend I modified my DGT with the excellent Abraxas pickups made by Tim Mills of Bare Knuckle, Cornwall, UK.

This is the resulting sound: click

I'm really happy with it, now my DGT rings like a bell and no longer tends to "scream" as with the original pickups. Those were fine with me at first, but proved to be a bit ear-wearing the longer I played them.

Modifications didn't stop on the pickups, I also changed the control layout, using three push/pull-potentiometers, the individual volumes now splitting each pickup separately and the tone pot working as a phase reversal switch, too.
 
Les - great thread. So far I've checked the youtube clips, need to listen to the soundcloud ones yet. Great job by all so far!
I most often record when I get a new idea and it's usually sloppy or not performance worthy. Only record so I don't forget.

Boogie said:
For some, the thought of getting up in front of your family and playing is as frightening as facing Godzilla, let alone getting on stage in front of a couple hundred people, or worse, put it on the Intarwebby for everyone to cast stones upon. But if you're not shy, post away!

My concern is more from the quality perspective...performance and recording-wise. I'm a horrific perfectionist and try to break myself of the habit by releasing stuff way before it's "soup" but still I cringe at the thought. I'll do what I can.
Click to expand...
Preachin' to the choir brother, preachin' to the choir. Quality...I'm never happy. Even when I accept it.

jfb said:
I usually capture some tone tests when I get new gear. The captures are usually done with a phone camera. I switch phones more than I change clothes some weeks, but I do know this was an iPhone. Given the date I believe it was an iPhone 5. I don't think I've ever posted this here, so for your pleasure or perhaps not. Hah!

This is shortly after receiving the first PS I had built at the end of 2013. It's a hog body and neck with a maple top and ebony board. It's covered in gloss nitro and has Elixir 11s tuned to Drop C. The pups are 57/08s. It's a PRS silent jack cable that's 18 or so feet. The amp is a Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet on Channel 1, yeah...channel 1. All knobs set at noon because that's how I roll. The volume was bedroom level. The cabinet is an Orange 4x12. I don't know what pick I was using. I assume a Jazz III, but I might have made the switch to Red Bear Style No. 9 in XH by this time. The wanking is all made up on the spot since I am just trying to get an idea of the tone. While I wouldn't move a knob from noon it's still nice to hear what stuff sounds like while not playing.

Click to expand...
\m/ channel 1 AND low output 5708 pickups....beastly!
 
JoJo said:
Allright, last weekend I modified my DGT with the excellent Abraxas pickups made by Tim Mills of Bare Knuckle, Cornwall, UK.

This is the resulting sound: click

I'm really happy with it, now my DGT rings like a bell and no longer tends to "scream" as with the original pickups. Those were fine with me at first, but proved to be a bit ear-wearing the longer I played them.

Modifications didn't stop on the pickups, I also changed the control layout, using three push/pull-potentiometers, the individual volumes now splitting each pickup separately and the tone pot working as a phase reversal switch, too.
Click to expand...


Great job on that Peter Greene tune! I have those Abraxas pickups in a tremonti SE and absolutely love them. I did have some crawlers in a singlecut but, alas I sold that with the pickups in it. Cheers!
 
I don't know what these old guys are griping about, I can open those videos perfectly and they're great! So many different styles, tastes...it's very cool.

Jesse, bro, did you have a fire extinguisher handy? \m/ :cool:
 
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