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Post subject: Mod or Rocker??
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:48 pm
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OK, I need a bit of assistance here.

I want to tweak my Strats a bit [cap and resistor, new pickups, etc] so it sounds like me playing - and not every other strat plater [no offense intended] but I want to keep the "stock" look of my Strats.

How can I get over the hump of not wanting to alter St. Leo's design, but personalizing tone?

:?:


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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:51 pm
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changing capacitors or resistors wont alter the look of your guitar.

personally i think tone depends more on the person playing than the equipment used or altered.

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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 3:57 pm
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nikininja wrote:
changing capacitors or resistors wont alter the look of your guitar.

personally i think tone depends more on the person playing than the equipment used or altered.


Yup, I agree. You might find yourself dissappointed when you're finished. Your strat might sound more trebly, middy, bassy or crunchy after you're done....but you'll still sound like you playing a stratocaster.

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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:04 pm
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If you haven't a specific destination in mind then mess with your pedals rather than your guitar to find different sounds.

I thought I had enough drive pedals to last a lifetime. But I got hold of a DigiTech Distortion Factory not so long ago: that one has sims of seven nicely different distortion pedals so lots of range to experiment with (far more than you'll get by switching out caps on your guitar's pots).

One of the settings is a replica of DigiTech's own Metal Master pedal. I'd never have bought a pedal with the word "metal" on it in a thousand years, but in fact that one gives a very pleasing fruity sound, slightly reminicent of some Brian May tones, and I'm getting babyish pleasure from it. A very distinctive tone, unlike most players, and food for further thought.

I'm obviously not suggesting that particular tone, or pedal to you. Just that this is a way to find a huge range of sounds which you can develop to find your own tones.

Cheers - C


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Post subject: Re: Mod or Rocker??
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:54 pm
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shane0685 wrote:
How can I get over the hump of not wanting to alter St. Leo's design, but personalizing tone? :?:


You might want to consider a tone mod that turns one Tone control into a master tone and the other into a Midrange control. That would give you quite a wide range of personal tones.

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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:38 am
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Ceri wrote:
If you haven't a specific destination in mind then mess with your pedals rather than your guitar to find different sounds.

I thought I had enough drive pedals to last a lifetime. But I got hold of a DigiTech Distortion Factory not so long ago: that one has sims of seven nicely different distortion pedals so lots of range to experiment with (far more than you'll get by switching out caps on your guitar's pots).

One of the settings is a replica of DigiTech's own Metal Master pedal. I'd never have bought a pedal with the word "metal" on it in a thousand years, but in fact that one gives a very pleasing fruity sound, slightly reminicent of some Brian May tones, and I'm getting babyish pleasure from it. A very distinctive tone, unlike most players, and food for further thought.

I'm obviously not suggesting that particular tone, or pedal to you. Just that this is a way to find a huge range of sounds which you can develop to find your own tones.

Cheers - C

i agree with trying different pedals.
which is your favorite pedal combo.


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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:09 pm
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Ceri wrote:
If you haven't a specific destination in mind then mess with your pedals rather than your guitar to find different sounds.

I thought I had enough drive pedals to last a lifetime. But I got hold of a DigiTech Distortion Factory not so long ago: that one has sims of seven nicely different distortion pedals so lots of range to experiment with (far more than you'll get by switching out caps on your guitar's pots).

One of the settings is a replica of DigiTech's own Metal Master pedal. I'd never have bought a pedal with the word "metal" on it in a thousand years, but in fact that one gives a very pleasing fruity sound, slightly reminicent of some Brian May tones, and I'm getting babyish pleasure from it. A very distinctive tone, unlike most players, and food for further thought.

I'm obviously not suggesting that particular tone, or pedal to you. Just that this is a way to find a huge range of sounds which you can develop to find your own tones.

Cheers - C



ceri is usually spot on with a lot of his advice...

and this is no exception...even though there are countless different configurations for your strat...the bottom line is that you'll still be playing a strat...

if you deviate too much from the original intent...buy a different guitar...

i respect your desire to be different from the average joe player...who doesnt?
i chose to get an american vintage 62 reissue partly because i dont know too many people with them...but mostly because if it was good enough back in 62 to rock...then i am sure that it will still work today!

if you dont know for sure what changes you want to make sonically (and i am not saying you dont have any idea...just none that you mentioned in your post) then why not mess around with pedals and amp configs first...this way you can get a baseline reading on your sound.

after you see your limitations sound wise...you will have a better grasp on how to change your sound...and thus will narrow down your options for modding!

ultimately everyone here wants you to be completely happy with your set-up...if this is a case of you just wanting to upgrade your axe...dont listen to anyone here and just do what you want!!!!!
if you are truly trying to fine tune your sound?...start with pedals and move organically thru tunings...then possibly to hardware changes...

this way your instrument remains relative to you and you wont find yourself out-growing your gear as your skills improve!

i hope this helps...


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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:10 pm
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I went through this myself and changed pickups to the CS 69's and although there are differences in tone of the pickups compared to the stock ones, I'm not sure the average listener will notice that much difference. I can easily tell the difference, but Im not sure other people would notice that drastic of a difference. I really like certain nuances with the CS 69's compared to the stock pickups, however I then missed certain things about the stock pickups. My solution was to leave the CS 69's in one Strat and buy another to keep it stock. Like some other forumites have already said, I still sound like myself when I play either one. I don't use alot of pedals, but that may be the answer you're looking for.


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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:34 pm
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Wow-

Lots of great advice, thanks everyone.

I'd have to agree with the pedal suggestions - I've got three strats, an '83 Standard, a 2001 MIM [with the awesome flame job] and a 2001 American Hod Rodded Texas Special [my #1]. For effects I use a DigiTech GNX4. I play in a church worship team; so the GNX4 gives me the versatility to change from a hard rock sound to a more worshipful tone. Right now I've got a Plexi Marshall tone similar to Lincoln Brewster. [If you haven't heard of him, do a Google search. He's great]

This my be a completely separate issue for me - have I been so schizophrenic in my playing I've lost "me"? Ok, that's a bit deep for right now - I may just have to invest in the supermodel cd for the GNX4 and build a "Shane" patch.

Thanks again, all. The collective IQ in this group is amazing!

Shane~


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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 8:21 am
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Another note: Your amp is going to affect your tone more than the guitar. A stock strat though many different ss and tube amps is going to to sound very strat-like, but very different in tone.


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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2008 9:26 am
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dgonz wrote:
Another note: Your amp is going to affect your tone more than the guitar. A stock strat though many different ss and tube amps is going to to sound very strat-like, but very different in tone.


You can also try using your fingers instead of a pick for a different tone.


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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:24 pm
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I've found that LOTS of your tone comes from your fretting hand and your pick attack.

You will alter the treble/mid/bass by changing capacitors, but it'll probably still sound like a Strat. You can throw in different pickups. Maybe mix in a single coil sized humbucker to get the difference that you're looking for.

Good Luck and let us know how it turns out

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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:26 pm
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ratboy wrote:
dgonz wrote:
Another note: Your amp is going to affect your tone more than the guitar. A stock strat though many different ss and tube amps is going to to sound very strat-like, but very different in tone.


You can also try using your fingers instead of a pick for a different tone.



and to take that one step further...i know that the pick you use can affect tone as well...thats why brian may used a coin...

but i think you get the picture

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