Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

All things guitar, Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, Tokai, Ibanez etc. etc. etc.

Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

Everyone should know the bluesy sound of a Strat neck pickup and the gritty or quacky in-between positions depending on the gain level. Tele's have their bark and the spanky middle position. Les Pauls seem to have an extra level of power, gain and sustain that you just don't normally find in a flat guitar.

More than that, everyone should try a strat into a marshall at mid gain, and a Tele into a vox, and a Les Paul into a soldano, then put a boost infront of it. Try a 335 or a jazzbox with only a neck pickup into a clean amp. Touch the tone controls.

What comes after that? P90s were a surprise for me because I always thought of them as an ugly vintage thing. I just hadn't paired them with the right amp and settings. P90s are so versatile and a great... "food group"?

What's next? Gold foils? Filtertrons? What's underrated?

Describe the guitar/pickup/amp/settings/sound.

User avatar
sizzlingbadger
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 8485
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2011 7:12 am
Location: Wire Wrapper
Has liked: 1277 times
Been liked: 1446 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by sizzlingbadger »

P90's into a medium gain Marshall are fantastic. They can straddle the Jazz to Rock food groups.
"Revolt Against the Solid State"

User avatar
StrummersOfThunder
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 7709
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 2:23 pm
Has liked: 924 times
Been liked: 1465 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by StrummersOfThunder »

Jaguar mid position lead voice thru a 6g16 reverb tank into a fender blackface (or transitional brownface ala Bassman 6g6b) with some palm mute for plocky drippy nirvana

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...

User avatar
kdawg2a
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 3477
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:28 pm
Location: U S and A
Has liked: 252 times
Been liked: 1118 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by kdawg2a »

Zaulkin wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...
Make sure you try some original Teisco ones and not the plethora of modern variations with 'gold foil ' in their title. The original ones that earn all the praise are the models with the pole pieces to the side, not in the middle.
They really are great sounding pickups but a lot of the mystique was because they sounded good for something so cheap. Now they cost a ton!
IMG_20240202_123614.jpg
IMG_20240202_123614.jpg (996.88 KiB) Viewed 2473 times
1935 Martin D-45, 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo,1950 Fender Broadcaster, 1954 Fender Strat, 1958 Gibson Moderne prototype, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.

User avatar
kdawg2a
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 3477
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:28 pm
Location: U S and A
Has liked: 252 times
Been liked: 1118 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by kdawg2a »

Humbuckers are so prolific on an infinite amount of guitars and for the most part they err towards the higher end of the output / gain spectrum. The experience of a lower output, unpotted PAF style humbucker is a thing of beauty. Clean jangle with a hint of grit. Lovely!
1935 Martin D-45, 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo,1950 Fender Broadcaster, 1954 Fender Strat, 1958 Gibson Moderne prototype, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.

User avatar
TmcB
I may have a problem
Posts: 7922
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:17 pm
Location: Kapiti
Has liked: 715 times
Been liked: 617 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by TmcB »

Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy
GrantB wrote:Tony, your taste is, as always, very refined. Or as HG would say, "bloody awful".
Family Music Store - http://familymusic.co.nz

User avatar
bender
Darth Fader
Posts: 11943
Joined: Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:46 pm
Location: Dorkland
Has liked: 424 times
Been liked: 1038 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by bender »

Zaulkin wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...
I have a set of humbucker sized gold foils available at the moment if that would tickle your fancy.

User avatar
kdawg2a
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 3477
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:28 pm
Location: U S and A
Has liked: 252 times
Been liked: 1118 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by kdawg2a »

TmcB wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:11 am Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy
Agreed. I suspect a filtertron equipped 335 (like the Chris Cornell one) may turn out to be my ultimate itch scratcher.
1935 Martin D-45, 1942 Gibson Southern Jumbo,1950 Fender Broadcaster, 1954 Fender Strat, 1958 Gibson Moderne prototype, 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
1958 Fender twin, 1965 Vox AC30, 1966 Marshall JTM 45, 1977 Dumble OD Special.
Big black garbage bag full of original Klon Centaurs and TS808s.

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

bender wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:15 am
Zaulkin wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...
I have a set of humbucker sized gold foils available at the moment if that would tickle your fancy.
Go away please

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

kdawg2a wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:54 am
Zaulkin wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:27 am I really do want to try some gold foils at the moment...
Make sure you try some original Teisco ones and not the plethora of modern variations with 'gold foil ' in their title. The original ones that earn all the praise are the models with the pole pieces to the side, not in the middle.
They really are great sounding pickups but a lot of the mystique was because they sounded good for something so cheap. Now they cost a ton!IMG_20240202_123614.jpg
Great info and so true.
kdawg2a wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:00 am Humbuckers are so prolific on an infinite amount of guitars and for the most part they err towards the higher end of the output / gain spectrum. The experience of a lower output, unpotted PAF style humbucker is a thing of beauty. Clean jangle with a hint of grit. Lovely!
Yes! I put thornbuckers in Keons Suhr and those were refreshing.

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

TmcB wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:11 am Filtertrons and Firebird pickups.

They might be the Goldilocks that you’ve been looking for if humbuckers are dark and hot, single coils too thin and noisy, and P90’s are too ballsy
Yeah. I need to give them a proper try I reckon.

User avatar
jeremyb
Chorus of Organs
Posts: 43077
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2008 9:03 am
Has liked: 8469 times
Been liked: 4411 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by jeremyb »

I've had an idea recently about a filtertron bridge / P90 necked doublecut with a bigsby style trem, I think theres a lot there to enjoy...
Standing on top of the world

User avatar
Litterick
PRS
PRS
Posts: 915
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 1:19 pm
Has liked: 305 times
Been liked: 112 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Litterick »

I do not think everyone must try any of those experiences.

User avatar
Zaulkin
Vintage Post Junkie
Vintage Post Junkie
Posts: 5518
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 4:01 pm
Has liked: 806 times
Been liked: 572 times

Re: Guitar food groups and must try guitar sounds

Post by Zaulkin »

Litterick wrote: Tue Feb 06, 2024 11:32 am I do not think everyone must try any of those experiences.
Well you've got me there. I like to try lots of different flavours because they are inspiring to me and it brings me a lot of happiness, but many people can be content with what they've got. I like 'genre bending'.

If I think back to my Dad's upbringing - you got the guitar that you could afford and that became your sound, and there's nothing wrong with not collecting them all.

Post Reply