Electric Guitar solo picking sound question.

[viva_360]

Hi i got this weird question to ask about, when you play a solo or just messing with some notes on the high strings, do you get this pick sound when you pick the string?

Well i use a solid state amp, the Line 6 spider 2 .... i noticed this when i use headphones and i used to notice this when i had my Crate 120watt also soli state.

But yesterday when i had to take my guitar for tuning the truss rod and action. i tested my guitar in a Laney head, I think it just had one tube i think, and i really didn't notice this pick sound. But the gain on the amp was dime to 5 o'cock to the max so i was so damn confused when i got back home .....

After i tested it and this pick sound was better thne before due to the set up but it was still there but to not much ....

Because as you listen to your favourite artists playing you never notice it .. whne they solo...


Can someone fill me in this knowledge or problem?

It's reall hard to describe it ...

THanks and cheers!

 

[sumairetsu]

That picking sound is there on the recordings, it's just not really noticed by the untrained ear. As long as you use a pick, you're always going to have that sound, though it will not be as noticeable with distortion.

 

[Thidrek]

When songs get mastered the producers usually try to delete "bad" sounds like these so you won't be able to hear it on records, afaik.

 

[lycanthropyhowl]

try soloing with the pick up selector in the neck position.

 

[viva_360]

Alots of thanks for the reply ... but i will try with the neck pickp but i remembered that picking sound became worse ehehe i mean you could hear itmore wit the neck pickup i think ....

But does it have to do with more distortion? Or more Mids? or ... because Metal these days most people scoop mids ... does it have to do with that?

Over do people just a wah wah pedal to filter the pick sound??

Or is it that people just a boost pedal such as a tube screamer to solo?

 

[Erik]

I daresay it's 90% in your picking technique and not in technical matters like pedals and amps

 

[viva_360]

I have to admit i pick really hard on the strings even on the last 3 ones ... damn i need to take lessons then ... in which i have no time .... due to work ...

SHIT ..

 

[Warheart666]

I don't know about you guys, but if I reduce the treble just a bit, it helps with the picking noise...and it also could be the type of pick you're using, and the tone of your guitar. My guitar's pretty shitty, but if I mess around with it and the amp enough, I can get exctly the sound I want.

 

[viva_360]

Hi warheart 666 what type of picks are you using?

I was testing like pick sound using 0.88mm and 1.00mm picks ... all dunlop tortex..

I don't know about you guys, but if I reduce the treble just a bit, it helps with the picking noise...and it also could be the type of pick you're using, and the tone of your guitar. My guitar's pretty shitty, but if I mess around with it and the amp enough, I can get exctly the sound I want.

 

[Warheart666]

I use either Fender Tortoiseshell Mediums (Blue) of Heavys (Clear or Pink), which doesn't list the mm size, so I'm not sure. Everyone tells me the mediums are shitty, but they give me a good balance between chunk and smoothness for playing on the higher strings.

 

[Scourge of Malice]

too much reverb maybe?

 

[viva_360]

I don't use reverb ..

 

[Majesty]

I got down my picking noises by changing pick and well... ...practicing lol

(I use a stagg 2mm pick)

 

[Deathscythe1911]

If it bothers you that much, fingerpick, though it probably wouldn't go well with metal lol. Actually the pick sound happens a lot in metal, you can hear it pretty prominently on the solos in Master of Puppets if you know what to look for.