Fine tuning my tone- Help needed

  • Wow that delay trick thickened the sound perfectly, I wonder if you mix down to mono will there be phasing issue?

    In general its working in mono. In fact both tones, the original and the delayed both are added to give the combiltered result in mono. Whenever you start panning the delay (or better delays) slightly left and right of the original you should double check switching to mono.

    Ne travaillez jamais.

  • Definition first , clarity second, guitar volume/dynamics then if needed EQ...
    i like using the default EQ and only using the volume knob to boost it (leaving the EQ flat.)


    Ant when we get this sorted i am having a beer (maybe 6).
    KEEP AT IT. know you will


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • you could compensate for that by increasing Clarity (AMPLIFIER module, page 2)
    hth

    I will try that next as it seems to be missing something. Still feel it lacks that vintage tone in TJ clip. Maybe still too much gain?


    @DonPetersen any thoughts on the frequency response I posted above? How can I get such a sharp EQ cut like that? Also, that last lift in highs? I tried to mimic it in the stomp EQ but had zero luck. That slight boost in treble adds a lot of clarity in the tone, GNR have a very treblely tone yet it works.

  • Feels like I am getting really closer to the tone I want but its more than just the Kemper. Its my picking style too. Tried to slant the pick slightly and it changed the tone closer to what I like. Its really hard to pick like this though. I lowered my pick ups several times as it seemed to be too powerful. Any ideas on reverb settings?


    Edit- Maybe its one of those thick jazz picks instead of slanting the pick?

  • Edit- Maybe its one of those thick jazz picks instead of slanting the pick?

    There is the "what picks are you using"-thread. Over there I noticed, that mine are obviously on the thin side. All rock and metal with just 0.5 or 0.6 vintage Nylons from Dunlop. Who cares, I am happy with my sound :D

    Ne travaillez jamais.

  • There is the "what picks are you using"-thread. Over there I noticed, that mine are obviously on the thin side. All rock and metal with just 0.5 or 0.6 vintage Nylons from Dunlop. Who cares, I am happy with my sound :D

    I watched a few slant picking videos and it differently gives it that tone I like.

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  • Many of those fast picking monsters play with Dunlop Jazz III picks (there are different materials and will give you different sounds and they are not as thick as other options). They work very well for that slant picking.

  • Worked on setting my guitar up more and it actually made a big difference in tone. Its amazing how adjusting the neck flat as possible impacted the tone, after all these years I had no idea. Listening to TJs clip it sounds like there is a mid hump post stack, that will be my next thing to figure out. Plus I still need a touch less gain.

  • @schreckmusic i have rhe same problem with topjimi's and other vendors profiles. Any progres?

    Unfortunately no. I've tried so many things and it seemed like I was making the tone worse. Even when I thought I had the tone somewhat close, it would get completely lost in the mix. I am not giving up yet and will hopefully work on it more this weekend.


    The next step is installing my new Callaham ABR-1 bridge (the same that TJ uses on his LP) He told me it cleans up all the harsh highs on his LP.

  • I wonder how Jimi/Andy recorded it and mixed it for their site and vid...
    that would be my last resort to find out, exactly what they ran and did


    Great Ant dont give up man.


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.

  • Unfortunately no. I've tried so many things and it seemed like I was making the tone worse. Even when I thought I had the tone somewhat close, it would get completely lost in the mix. I am not giving up yet and will hopefully work on it more this weekend.
    The next step is installing my new Callaham ABR-1 bridge (the same that TJ uses on his LP) He told me it cleans up all the harsh highs on his LP.


    Hello Schreck,


    While I very much admire you passion and determination in seeking to accurately copy/recreate a specific tone you really like (in this case, one of Top Jimi's demos), a friendly word of caution might be in order, here.


    This is a rabbit hole that has no bottom. At the end of the day, the best you can do is approach (as in a Limit) a final tone "goal". With careful work, you can get arbitrarily close...but it will never be exact. There are just too many variables...the final being the fact that a not insignificant contribution to the Top Jimi sound is the original player's (here, I assume it is Jimi, himself) touch. Even if it is a relatively simple rhythm line, there is still going to be something altogether unique about Jimi's touch and attack. In other words, if you were there with Jimi on that very day he recorded his demo, and picked up his guitar and played the same phrase...your recorded guitar is going to sound different then his. Two guitarists can play the exact same notes, through the exact same equipment, using the same timing/tempo...and there will still be discernible differences. That is, after all, why we call guitar-playing both an art (as well as a skill), and the guitarist is also known as an "artist".


    I guess what I am trying to say is this...don't become obsessed with nailing a specific tone to the nth decimal point. That is an exercise in futility. I have heard some of your recordings, and IMHO you did a damn fine job in recreating the tone that Jimi achieves in his demo video. Please also bear in mind that TJ's demos are recorded in a professional studio setting, using mic preamps (and other ancillary studio gear) that are far from "run-of-the-mill" gear used by your everyday ordinary joe six-pack. And as I stated previously, even if you had the same gear and the exact same recording setup, some percentage of that elusive tone will lie solely in the guitarist's unique "voice" (touch, attack, inflection, vibrato, conscious or unconscious palm muting and string damping, etc., etc., etc.)


    I speak from experience. I chased a few "Holy Grail" tones in my day. Yngwie's Alcatrazz and early solo period being one such example. It can be quite fun and educational, as long as you keep things in perspective, and recognize that it isn't so much the destination, as it is the journey that brings fulfillment.


    Cheers,
    John

  • Thanks John, what amazes me is Ant sent me a recording one day and i thought it was better than Jimi's tone LOL
    It was that Rock tone and he tweaked it a bit, it sounded killer to me.


    But crap, i dont wanna frustrate him more so ill shut up :)


    Ash

    Have a beer and don't sneer. -CJ. Two non powered Kempers -Two mission stereo FRFR Cabs - Ditto X4 -TC electronic Mimiq.