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Post subject: Controlling brightness with a maple neck strat
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 2:12 pm
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Hi Everyone, this is my first post here. I have a 2004 American Standard Strat with a maple neck, and my primary amp is a Peavey Classic 30 that I recently retubed with Groove Tubes. I'm playing in a praise band now, and I decided to use my strat, since we already have two guys playing acoustics. The strat sounds great as usual, but in some cases I'm having some trouble controlling the brightness, occasional unpleasant "spikes" in the higher frequencies. Would a compression/sustainer pedal be useful here for mellowing out/thickening the sound just a tad? I don't want to lose that signature strat sound that I love so much.

Thanks for all the useful info I have found on these forums already.
jclements2


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:33 pm
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Welcome to the fender Forums.

I play both a rosewood and maple neck 2004 American Standard. Between your tone contols on the guitar and the 3 band EQ on your amp (I like your amp BTW) you should be fine. I like to roll off a little treble on both of my strats just like I roll off a little volume so I have some place to go to make a statement.

I think that compression is always a good idea for a live performance. It will help the spikes you mention, if I understand you corectly.

Happy playing, pal. :)


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:33 pm
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Welcome to the fender Forums.

I play both a rosewood and maple neck 2004 American Standard. Between your tone contols on the guitar and the 3 band EQ on your amp (I like your amp BTW) you should be fine. I like to roll off a little treble on both of my strats just like I roll off a little volume so I have some place to go to make a statement.

I think that compression is always a good idea for a live performance. It will help the spikes you mention, if I understand you corectly.

Happy playing, pal. :)


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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:48 pm
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Tone control reigns it in for me. Mike

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Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:06 pm
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You know, I had a strat like that, once....it was a highway one, and it just came out TOO BRIGHT when the tone was all the way out, and seemed to go from WAY too bright to way to down on the tone control really easily. I even tried switching out the pick ups, but I think I went with the wrong set (fat 50's thinking the bottom end would balance out the highs). WELL, that didn't work, and I never did get the sound I wanted out of it, so I traded it in for another guitar....sometimes I regret it, though...probably just because I didn't keep tinkering with it till I solved it. Anybody else besides us two with that problem?


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:36 am
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I continued to experiment last night and I'm making some headway. I cut back the treble on the amp's eq quite a bit and I backed off the tone just a little on the guitar, as well as the volume on the guitar just the slightest. I also switched to my second channel and just push the pregain up to about 3, which kept a nice mellow tone with just a bit of breakup and bite if I attacked a little harder. I think I may go this evening and experiment with a compressor/sustainer pedal as well. Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it and welcome any other tips and tricks anyone might be able to offer.

Thanks
jclements2


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 7:51 am
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Some suggestions -

-Try using the 2 and 4 positions. (and others)

-Roll off highs on guitar AND amp.

-If using reverb, turn down intensity/depth.

-A Compressor would help with the spikes.

Good luck and welcome aboard! :wink:

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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:10 am
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The word "spikes" just makes me wonder if something else is going on. Don't know what, mind you! Just it's a surprising way of describing a sound that is merely overly bright. Sounds more like an intermittent thing?

I wonder if the OP has more to add...

Compressors are excellent, but take some care with that pedal. It is one that often disappoints beginners because it seems so subtle compared to the likes of distortion pedals. And yet it is possible to muchly over do compression. It can be one of those things where it sounds fine to the player, but to the audience or on playback it is in fact turned up far too high. A little can be quite enough - same as with most other effects. Go cautiously on it...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:19 am
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I've been playing about 10 years, but haven't been playing the strat long, and this is my first time playing with a group that is playing such mellow tunes. With 2 acoustic guitars as the "meat and potatoes", so to speak, I'm working towards a subtle sound that will cut through and let me add some icing to the cake, if you will. I've just never needed pay such attention to the details of my tone before. I'm having a lot of fun with it though. I was at Guitar Center buying new tubes for my amp and chatting with the guy (kid) behind the counter who proclaimed the the Stratocaster is his least favorite guitar period. How one can listen to SRV play "Lenny" live at Carnegie Hall and not fall in love with that tone...well it's just beyone me.


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 8:34 am
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Definitely check out a compressor. I like the Aphex Punch Factory (dumb name, but nice compressor)


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:38 am
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Could the spiking be a volume thing, where the amp gets suddenly louder and quieter? That may be a power tube problem, which does happen with new tubes on occassion.

Other than that, I'd say to try this before buying anything...

- turn the guitar's tone knob from 10 to 8 or so
- take off some of the presence and/or treble from the amp

Unless there is some other issue, this should keep it from being to shrill. I can play a mim strat directly into a peavey classic and get some great tones, none of which are overly trebly at all, unless I want to make them so.


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:46 am
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Some excellent suggestions here so far.

You may also try adjusting the pickups a little farther away from the strings.

What strings are you using? Some strings are just brighter sounding.

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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:36 am
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jclements2 wrote:
I've just never needed pay such attention to the details of my tone before


but nonetheless the most important point to consider, especially when a stratocaster is concerned for what I know. The tone, play with the tone.

Setting your amp with the volume and the tone tune down a bit is a very good idea. I suggest you to try it.

Ben.


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:17 am
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I'll clarify by saying that the term "shrill" is much more fitting for I'm describing than "spikes". These shrill moments are noticeable to me when I'm trying to blend into the background while our vocalists are singing. I think the uber dynamic nature of this guitar is part of it as well. I did move from Fender Super Bullet 9's to 10's, and I like that much better, the sound is less "tinny". I think when I leave work today I'll drop in and play with a couple compressor pedals. Has anyone used an EQ pedal with their strat?

Thanks for all the responses, it's awesome to finally stumble across forums that aren't filled with profanity, poor grammar, etc.. Everyone here has been extremely helpful.

jclements2


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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:23 am
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I neglected to respond to you Benitto. When I said that I've never needed to pay such close attention to tone before, I didn't mean that tone hasn't always been important to me (which is what it sounded like when I reread it). The previous groups that I've played with were harder rock, and my Strat stayed sidelined while I used my SG with lots of overdrive for everything. In the last couple years I haven't played with anyone, and I started taking out my Strat to play alone more often. Now that I've started with this new group, the music is so different that it's almost like learning to play again. My strat cuts through the mix so well that there's not much room for mistakes, and every detail of my tone is noticeable (at least to me). When playing heavily distorted chords through humbuckers with a much louder band that wasn't the case.


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