Joined: 14 May 2004 Posts: 278 Location: Austin, TX
Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 7:23 pm Post subject: Scott answers your questions – round 15 - 5/9/05
Hey Scott, thanks for taking some time to take questions. I wanted to put V-60's in my Strat, and I had my guitartech listen to some of your albums. He thought he heared DiMarzio Virtual Vintage p/u's, and he had some laying around, so we put them in, but for some reason they don't work too well. As soon as I start driving my amp, I get a real fuzzy mid-rangey tone, and I'm losing lots of clarity. The specs of my amp:
Class A, 38 Watts output, 4 EL-84 output tubes, 4 12AX7's and 1 12AT7 in the preamp, and 1 GZ34 rectifier tube, Celestion G12H 30 Watt speaker (16 ohms)
Generally, I run my signal through a Maxon OD808, and a Z-VEX Super Hard-on clean boost. Obviously though, I think it has something to do my amp. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Fred B.
Nashville, TN
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I'm not sure what records your tech listened to, but Well To The Bone is all recorded with V60's and the Live CD is Virtual Vintage 2.2's. If your sound changed that drastically after putting the new pickups in, I'd have to say either the pickups aren't wired correctly, or you got different Virtual Vintage pickups than I use. There are quite a few models, and judging from what you said, it sounds like your pickups are really high output - that can cause fuzzyness, lack of clarity, mid honk, etc. I hate high output pickups - most of them sound like crap and totally mask the sound of the guitar.
Hey Scott!
I got four questions...
1. Do you use batteries on each of your pedals or a power supply?
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In the studio I use non-alkaline batteries, live I use a power supply.
2. On your live rig how many settings do you use? For example 1 clean(for chords comping), 2crunch(SRV type of sound?), 3lead(overdriven fat and singing sustain) etc..
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Clean using the RC Booster, bluesy using the Maxon OD-9, high gain using the Maxon SD-9, and over-the-top using the SD-9 and OD-9 together.
3. Do you have a guitar tech or do you do things by yourself? like sewtting up your rig, amps, stringing and tuning your guitar, winding up cables and other stuff?
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Guitar techs are for pussies and guys that can afford them. I do it myself.
4. At your prime age, what stuff do you listen to nowadays? and what gift do you want on your next birthday? by the way when is your birthday?
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You mean old age right? I don't listen to any one style in particular and I feel sorry for people that do. When I want to listen to music I let my iPod surprise me. It's got rock, blues, jazz, country, funk, and lots of other stuff. I just listened to Weather Report "Tale Spinnin' - what a great record! My birthday is Aug 26 and I want a new Betty Crocker indoor grill.
Any updates on the possibility of a US tour. Of course, I would like for Atlanta to be one your stops. I will even help promote the show here if necessary.If all else fails, a trip to LA will be in my future.Thanks for all the great music and being kind enough to answer all our questions!
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Still working on that for the fall - it depends on how many shows we can get in South America to pay for the ridiculously bad offers from clubs in the states.
By the way, what's the deal with the V-60 LP anyways? Are they stacked humbuckers, like the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage p/u's? What are they designed to do?
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They're just designed to sound great! They're real single coil pickups that sound as good if not better than the pickups on the old vintage strats. They do hum though, so on my guitars that I use live, I've been using Kinman noiseless pickups.
Hi
First of all I would like to tell you that I consider you to be one of the worlds best improvisers regardless of instrument! (Never thougt I would say this about a guitarplayer)
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Thanks!
Now my question:
As your basic clean sound is´nt totally clean (as for example the super clean rythm strat sounds from the 80´s) have you ever considered using a good fuzz pedal - set to a moderate "fuzziness" - and then reducing the volume of the guitar to achive the wonderful warm, full but edgy "clean" (well...) sounds that can be obtained this way?
Captain Coconut 2 seems like a great pedal to me, but you might not be into this kind of "Hendrix territory"?
/Peter
ps. Missed your gig in Stockholm as I was away skiing the mountains up north, which also was nice! Hope that you will return to play at "Fasching" again in the future. ds
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That's pretty much what I already do, but using the RC Booster which I like more than Captain Coconut.
hey scott. for me, the best way to put it all together is to learn stuff from recordings. i've transcribed lots of metheny, scofield, and mike stern. for their faster lines, i have no problem playing them note for note, up to tempo. but your phrases are near impossible to play fast ... i have the notes written out, but find playing your faster ideas up to tempo to be quite challenging. any comments on your fretboard fingerings - 3, 4 notest per string ??? HELP!
In particular, you play some wicked shit in a solo on the end of a cut with Jeff Berlin (players)... the solo is in F major and you do some awesome stuff over an F major 7 sound right at the end ... I think it's the last or second to last track on the album ...
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Thanks - it's great that you're transcribing a lot. As far as my fingerings... basically I have no rules, I just try to find the easiest fingerings where I can do the most hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides, and pick as little as possible.
First of all, I've heard everything you've ever done - in my opinion, the LIVE album is the best recording of yours ... it's awesome, cut for cut. Even my 7 year old daughter makes me play the Hillibilly In the Band tuen over and over ... btw, are you using a looper or delay effect in the intro of that tune?
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Yes it's just a delay set to a dotted quarter note and when you play eighth notes, it makes sixteenths. I used it on the studio version too, only I rented a banjo.
Although you've always deployed limited use of the tremelo bar in your playing, I've noticed that since Well To The Bone, your use of the tremolo bar is MUCH more prominent. You don't just use it to embellish a note at the end of a phrase .... it seems like you are actually "nesting" tremelo usage right in the middle of a melody (i.e. Lady P) or in mid-phrase during soloing. It's as if the tremelo bar never leaves your hand.
The sound is wicked. Do you hold the bar constantly, ready for use at anytime? It seems like you must - otherwise, you'd be reaching for it all the time.
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Yes, it's in my hand almost all the time. I shortened it so it's not so easy to press down, and for tone because it doesn't sound good to pick too close to the neck.
After hearing your live album i was stunned...AMAZING!
I think Tacos are good...too!?! I dig the tune
When do you come to Norway??
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That's up to our agent - I hope we can come soon!
I've read that you like Scofield.
What are your opinions on John Scofields "Blue matter era"?
Have you played with him?
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I don't know his records enough to know what period that is. I have Still Warm and a few more recent ones. I first heard him on Billy Cobham/George Duke Live and I've been a fan ever since. We've never played together.
What's your favorite beer???
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I'm not really a beer guy - I like mixed drinks more. Kamakazi is my current favorite.
Cheers from Norway
(Have you heard Knut Værnes? If not...check him out!!)
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Never heard him - I'll ask my students if they have any of his stuff.
As always, thanks for taking the time to do this.
1-I'm figuring that your new maple neck Suhr has been "Plek'd" when it was set up- do you notice a big difference in the way it feels?
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It wasn't Plek'd - I'll probably do it when I need a fret job.
2-When you recorded the "Illicit" album was it a conscious decision to move away from the sort of "rotating cast" of musicians of the first 4 TT albums, and get a consistent "band" together? Or did it just work out that way by fate after the four of you started playing together?
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It just worked out that way - Willis and I never really wanted a rotating cast, but some guys left the band to go on the road with other people, some guys couldn't go on the road with us because they were doing a lot of session work in town , and there were some musical clashes that didn't work. Kinsey and Covington just fit really well musically and they were free to go on the road, so that became our first real band.
3-Have you ever jammed with Buckethead, or seen him play live? What did you think?
peace
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I've never heard him play live or on record. Like his hat though.
Hello Scott!
I would like to know what kind of modification was done on your old Marshall: Do you now have a separate channel with more gain or was the original circuit modded?
best regards and thanks,
Fabian
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The original circuit was modded - now it has a master volume and an FX loop. That amp sounds really good - I've been using it on my La Ve Lee gigs.
P.S. Do you really like pantera?
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I don't listen to them a lot, but I like the power and tightness of that band. I really liked that tune "Walk". Great heavy guitar tones on that record!
Dear Scott!
I've got several questions for you!
1) What do you think of Nuno bettecourt. I know you guys play at the same club, so you probably know each other pretty well.
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I've never met him or heard his playing.
2) I saw a photo...you with John McLaughlin. So I wonder if you ever had any kind of experience with one of the monsters guitarists?(John Scofield or Pat Metheny). Do you get something from that sort of relations?
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I've only met Scofield twice and I've never met Metheny, but I'm sure I'd like him because we both have a healthy hatred of Kenny G.
3)Did you have benefits from being great guitar player, I mean having sex with gorgeous girl (like pornstar or strip dancer)
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Oh yeah, porn stars and Penthouse models love jazz fusion and they're always waiting to rape me as soon as I get off stage. But I'm 50 now and sometimes I'm too tired.
4) Is it still possible to have Tribal Tech in Moscow?
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Yes, for 10 million dollars. Just kidding... probably not. We were asked to go this year but nobody wanted to do it because we don't want to play old material anymore. If we ever do another album, we might do some gigs.
Thanks again for being such a great musician as well as a great man.
Two questions fer ya:
1) On the Suhr website, they mention that you tried the Wilkinson VG300 bridge and loved it until you tried it live -- then you hated it. I have that bridge on several guitars, and I believe it's used on the new Ibanez Andy Timmons model (AT300). I'm curious what you didn't like about it when you tried it live. Feel? Tone?
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Answered in #4
2) In an earlier thread, I asked about the possibility of posting some backing tracks of your material. You replied that you'd ask the rest of the band. Any luck on that front?
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To be honest I forgot about it - there's a lot involved in doing that and I've got other stuff to do that's more important, like writing some new music.
Comment: cool interview and lesson in the May issue of Guitar Techniques. The licks really capture your vibe and I'm spending a lot of time trying to absorb the theory and attitude behind 'em. The more I listen to SH Live and try to dissect what you do, the more amazed I become.
Cheers,
Bert
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Thanks Bert!
First, thanks a lot to share your time and experience with us, it's a great thing .I'm a french fan, I saw you live "chez Paulette" near Nancy and it was a great moment of music!
-Why don't you come more often in France?It would be great to see you every time you play in Europe.
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That's a question for our agent.
-I've made some transcriptions ("Hole diggin'" & "Dolemite") because it's a amazing source of inspiration and ideas for chorus.In that kind of tunes, how do you approach improvisation?Do you play and play many times before finding the right solo or you have just one take and it's done?
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Answered in #2
-I play with many guitars (nice ones I think, like Parker, Vigier, Godin and G&L through a Vox AD30VT) but my prefered one is the G&L Asat with just 2 single coil's pickups, I really like the sound, neck of this one, especially because you can't 'lie" with that kind of guitar when you play, if you play nice it sounds nice, if you play bad it sounds bad...no whammy bar or whatever, you have to play nice things!!!
Did you ever try this guitar?Or G&L guitars?
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I've never tried them.
-Thank you for your live recording, it is great, and do not hesitate to come in France, even if I have to welcome you at my place with your band!!!
_________________
Stephane, best guitar player of...my room and probably my home!
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Thanks Stephane!
Hey Scott!
I have a question for you. Not that I'm trying to copy your sound or anything, but I'm looking for a really good amp head in the price range of about 2,000 to 2,300 to capture a superb fusion sound, but also versitile enough to play blues, rock, and Jazz through. I'm really in love with your sound from Facefirst, and I know you used a poweramp/preamp back then and I'm trying to avoid that route. I would be playing this through the new Suhr classic guitar I just ordered with Humbucker/single/humbucker configuration. I think I would play this through a Mesa cab, any advice on speakers or anything like that. Right now I'm looking at a bogner shiva, but I think there is something better than that for me. What are your thoughts?
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I love my OD-100 through Celestion Greenbacks.
By the way, I love the new live album! Out of all my Metheny, Scofield, all of your stuff, and all the other stuff I have, its been in my car cd player for the last month nonstop.
Thanks!!!
Hi there Scott. I was wondering about how you've said you wish to be able to listen back to a recording of yourself and feel satisfied with what you hear. What is it that you aren't satisfied with? Tone? Ideas not going where you wanted them to? You feel you didn't listen enough to the rest of the band?
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Hey, sounds like you've just listened to one of my records!
And have these feelings become stronger as you've advanced as a player or do you see any 'improvement' in this area? Does this self-criticism concern improvising or your playing in general? I'm just curious because a lot of people tell me I'm a good improviser and I can have a heck of a time playing live but when/if I listen to it afterwards it usually sounds like a lot of crap to me. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks for your music,
Oscar
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Yeah, people tell me I'm a good improviser too, but you know what they say - one man's good solo is another man's pile of crap. I just do the best I can and try to enjoy the fact that other people enjoy listening to me.
I have a custom Warmoth Strat very close to your Suhr strat (similar radius 14.5, same frets, same gotoh bridge( very bright) same wood, alder, brazilian rosewood instead of indian) and 3 avn-56 kinman's...could you realised how fan of your tone I am? je,je,je.
By the way... To my ears these pickups sounds great, great tone, but...
Do you think that they sound like strat pickups? to me there are 40% of real strat tone and the other 60% sounds like Fender Noiseless or Duncan Stacks.
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There's still a big difference between noiseless pickups and real single coils. But the Kinman's are the closest thing I've heard yet to John's V60's.
What about the new Suhr pickups, and the Dimarzio V.vintage?
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The Virtual Vintage 2.2's are great too - a little less bass than the Kinman's but it's not a huge difference.
What kind of tone difference are between 4x12 and 4x10 cabs?
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Huge! An open back 4x10 has lots of mids and not as much bass as a 4x12.
Instead of the Boss Ce-2 and the Arion, What kind of chorus pedal do you like for a clean chordal stuff?
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I use the Black Cat Vibe live and I also have a Mojo Vibe that sounds good too. In the studio I use the Yamaha UD-Stomp sometimes. Allan Holdsworth wrote some chorus patches in it that are really great.
Thank you Scott, Great new album¡¡¡¡¡ Great Music ¡¡¡¡¡¡
Ignacio Diaz from Chile
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Thanks!
Greetings,
So I have a very serious question;
Do you think it's ok to name the band after the guitarist? and not the singer? Isn't that breaking some kind of music code? Sure Van Halen did it, but there are 2 of them.
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All bands, as well as household products, should be named after guitarists.
Ha, just kidding, of course, Just wanted to say I'm really digging the new cd, and keep up the good work.
Cheers,
Tim
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Thanks Tim!
What up Scott! I know you're a dog lover. Any particular favorite breed? What do you think of springer spaniels? just curious...
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I love Springer Spaniels, and I've always wanted a Bull Terrier, so maybe that'll happen someday (the wife doesn't like them though). I love Beagles but they're escape artists and they follow their nose, sometimes to very far away places.
hi scott,
on tore down house, you´ve used the plexi and the CAE 3+...i´m tryin´to figure out on which songs...did you use pedals on both amps? i guess there´s some tube screamer with the plexi, but did you also use pedals on slightly distorted CAE amps? did you mostly use the second channel on the CAE? is the CAE the slightly clearer sound with more presence like on mocha or you get off on me? (whereas i´d believe dolomite´s the marshall...???)
thanks a lot for this record - these are the best sounding strat sounds ever recorded!!
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Thanks!
Dolemite, Guitar School - plexi & TS-808
Mocha - plexi & Voodoo 1
Tore Down House, Xanax rhythm, You Get Off rhythm - CAE ch 1 & TS-808
Xanax solo - CAE ch 1 & TS-808
Harpoon, I Hate You, You Get Off solo - CAE ch 3 & Voodoo 1
Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Kristiansand, Norway
Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 8:01 pm Post subject:
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3)Did you have benefits from being great guitar player, I mean having sex with gorgeous girl (like pornstar or strip dancer)
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Oh yeah, porn stars and Penthouse models love jazz fusion and they're always waiting to rape me as soon as I get off stage. But I'm 50 now and sometimes I'm too tired.
Poor Scott! _________________ Ed really had sex with his girlfriend
3)Did you have benefits from being great guitar player, I mean having sex with gorgeous girl (like pornstar or strip dancer)
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Oh yeah, porn stars and Penthouse models love jazz fusion and they're always waiting to rape me as soon as I get off stage. But I'm 50 now and sometimes I'm too tired.
I was waiting for the answer to that question since I saw it!! Just begging for a classic humourous answer from Scott! hehe..
True though, I was present at a gig, about half a dozen really hot semi-naked porn stars fell on him after the show. It's real bad out there!! _________________ ...to deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human...
Hey, followup to my question about the VG300 Wilkinson trems. The answer says "Answered in #4" but the blurb in #4 is about a different trem: the V100. That's a pretty different beast from the ones I was asking about. Maybe Suhr got it wrong and he never actually tried the VG300/VSV bent saddle variety. Anybody know?
Sorry about that - I've never tried the VG300, only the V100.
About the guitar tech thing, I guess Kreosote doesn't realize I have a sense of humor. I've had a guitar tech on every sideman gig I've ever done.
Scott
no offence was taken, dude, and none was intended. Just wanted to provoke a reaction. Guess I should've put one of those gay smileys next to the remark. Sorry
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