finger tapping.

TSR forgot to mention high action also gives you more control over vibrato and more harmonics.

Adrian Smith and Dave Murray also use high action, I think.

I, however would point out 3 better ways for YJM to get more sustain:

1. Remove that goddamn tonerobbing pickguard from you signature model.
2. Ask Fender to make your axe neck-thru.
3. Get an amp that feeds back nicely, you'll have infinite sustain.
 
Well, regarding sustain, there is all kinds of crap involved...for instance, a floating trem will usually rob you of sustain, while a fixed is better, a TOM is good, but a bridge where the strings feed through the body is best.

I don't think people will ever stop arguing about bolt-vs. neck-thru...I like em' both. I don't have any guitars with set neck, so I can't say for that. For me, I get a bit more sustain with my neck-thru, but I think the bridge helps too, because it is a original floyd which is more bulky and probably resonates more...I dunno.

Then you have the woods for the neck, fingerboard, body, and fret size...all will have an affect on sustain.......there are so many factors that it seems tiresome to worry about them all.

But...I think you're definitely right about getting a cranking amp. My Marshall definitely was more than adequate for this. I could hit a note and just let it sing, while making all the orgasmic guitar virtuoso faces. :D
:eek:
 
BTW, I tried tapping with my ring finger and guess what - it's more fluent than ever.

I guess that this has something to do with I was introduced to computers at a very early age and I can do nothing, but BASH things with the index and middle fingers on my right hand. :)

Ok now reccommend some song with cool (but not overly wierd) tapping.


Oh, and !!!NO METALLICA, FOLKS!!!
 
Great!

































My a--!

Instead of practicing tapping I ended up practicing left hand stretching (that 3rd to 7th fret legato, eeeeeggghhhhh... o_O).

I guess it was my fault, anyway! :)
 
Actually, I think active pickups are noisier than passive ones.

It all comes from the fact that active pickups are called active, because they have a built-in amplifier. Not a stack, of course, but a small one that increases the output of the pickup and allows for instance the boosting of desired frequency ranges. (If I recall correct, B.C.Rich offers some custom shop guitars with more knobs and switches than a regular shuttle cockpit. :D )

A few years ago I went out to update the pickups on my Epiphone. I had decided to get EMG-81's, because Hetfield had them and he sounded good. (Ah, those were the good'ole Metallica days...) Anyway, I marched into a music store that I had been recommended and asked for new pickups. I had my axe along and enquired for the EMGs. The clerk asked to see my guitar and as I opened the case he exclaimed: "DON'T YOU FUCKING PUT EMG'S ON AN EPIPHONE!!!".

The moral of the story (as I picked up from the two-hour lecture on pickup selection that ensued) was that sustain and tone come most of all from the body and neck of the guitar. The better crafted the body, the better the tone. And when looking to improve ones tone, the first thing to ask should be: "Is my guitar worthy of active pickups?" :D

I walked out with passive Seymour Duncans and have been happy with them. (Of course my Epiphone is sooooo crappy that the pickups don't matter much. ;) )

So, passive pickups are a bit more forgiving when it comes to playing mistakes. The active pickups amplify it all - every little snap, hiss and tinkle. (And give three times the output of passive pickups.)

Well... I hope that my ramblings are of some help. :D
 
@'Shuggah - What you're talking about is called GAIN. With the same gain passives will have much more noise than actives (more gain needed from your amp/modeler). As for mistake hiding....


Timo Tolkki and Kirk Hammet use dual 81s.

Almost all guitar rock players use passives.

I don't think they matter THAT much, it's more your fingers than your guitar and amp.
 
I am by no means an expert on pickupology. Perhaps I was a bit off the mark on my last post, but it has been a while since my tragic lesson and my memories of it are a bit fuzzy to say the least. Sorry if I caused confusion. :D