Do you guys know of any good web sites/threads/articles out there (not necessarily in this forum) that explain how to develop guitar tone with your pick and strings? Metal tone, that is.
Guitar pick/tone web sites
- Thread starter Genius Gone Insane
- Start date
Use big fucking strings. Preferably stainless steel, but nickel isn't bad if your pickups are already bright.
For true metal you must make picks with the bones of infants. No way around it. Small, furry animals might be a good approximation if there aren't any overly-active Catholics with low memory capacities in the area, but for TR00 U83R-1337 M3T4! they just won't work.
Jeff
For true metal you must make picks with the bones of infants. No way around it. Small, furry animals might be a good approximation if there aren't any overly-active Catholics with low memory capacities in the area, but for TR00 U83R-1337 M3T4! they just won't work.
Jeff
Sweetnothing
¯\(º_o)/¯
STINNETT
Bad / Nationwide
Are you trying to figure out something specific or are you just looking for interesting reading material?
Yes, I'm looking for this:
soft parallel picking + small strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
hard parallel picking + thick strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
soft diagonal picking + small strings + lower tuning = XXX sound
hard diagonal picking + small strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
etc...etc...etc...
In other words, there are too many fucking variables for me to do all this shit on my own, especially with the tuning issue.
I want a sharper attack, and I play in drop B
soft parallel picking + small strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
hard parallel picking + thick strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
soft diagonal picking + small strings + lower tuning = XXX sound
hard diagonal picking + small strings + standard tuning = XXX sound
etc...etc...etc...
In other words, there are too many fucking variables for me to do all this shit on my own, especially with the tuning issue.
I want a sharper attack, and I play in drop B
The pick shape and thickness also impact the sound.
Thick strings are more full sounding and tighter, and they make low tunings sound more 'natural' and less rubbery because of that. They're also brighter, as there is more tension on the string. Finally, tuning will typically be more stable (unless your guitar is losing the will to live) and you can hit harder with less pitch fluctuation.
Thin strings are easier to play for some people, but nobody picked them up for the tone.
Parallel picking is too hard to manage (the angle is just not easy to do if your guitar isn't on your chin) and the pick attack is more 'pop' and less 'thwack'.
Softer picking sounds just like that - softer - and harder picking is going to have more of an attack (no shit!) and a thicker sound but some people have trouble managing timing and hitting hard at the same time. My advice, if you're one of those people - practice more with hard attack and make a point of picking harder, you'll get in the habit.
The tuning issue is almost identical to string size - it's all about tension. You'll have more thickness, brightness, and stability (in terms of pitch) with more tension. I'd recommend balancing out string gauges with tuning (for example I use 11-50 when I'm in E standard, 13-60 in C#, et cetera - note that these are big strings by metal standards, for those tunings at least).
Also, guitars tuned too low - even with proper strings - may be drowned out by the bass or subdued by drums, and even more important is whatever singer may be fronting the band. Singers have this tendency to be limited to a specific set of notes, often called a 'range' by the singer and 'a fucking pain in the ass, you tone-deaf camera whore' by everyone else, and due to the importance of keeping a singer capable of feeding and clothing itself (as such are in high demand right now) the rest of the band must, regrettably, accommodate.
Just grab a fixed-bridge guitar and some big strings so you can experiment. It's not something that can be explained too well by anything but sound and feel - I'll put up a clip or two when I have the time, if nobody else beats me to it, but it may be a while so take a day or two off and tinker.
Jeff
Thick strings are more full sounding and tighter, and they make low tunings sound more 'natural' and less rubbery because of that. They're also brighter, as there is more tension on the string. Finally, tuning will typically be more stable (unless your guitar is losing the will to live) and you can hit harder with less pitch fluctuation.
Thin strings are easier to play for some people, but nobody picked them up for the tone.
Parallel picking is too hard to manage (the angle is just not easy to do if your guitar isn't on your chin) and the pick attack is more 'pop' and less 'thwack'.
Softer picking sounds just like that - softer - and harder picking is going to have more of an attack (no shit!) and a thicker sound but some people have trouble managing timing and hitting hard at the same time. My advice, if you're one of those people - practice more with hard attack and make a point of picking harder, you'll get in the habit.
The tuning issue is almost identical to string size - it's all about tension. You'll have more thickness, brightness, and stability (in terms of pitch) with more tension. I'd recommend balancing out string gauges with tuning (for example I use 11-50 when I'm in E standard, 13-60 in C#, et cetera - note that these are big strings by metal standards, for those tunings at least).
Also, guitars tuned too low - even with proper strings - may be drowned out by the bass or subdued by drums, and even more important is whatever singer may be fronting the band. Singers have this tendency to be limited to a specific set of notes, often called a 'range' by the singer and 'a fucking pain in the ass, you tone-deaf camera whore' by everyone else, and due to the importance of keeping a singer capable of feeding and clothing itself (as such are in high demand right now) the rest of the band must, regrettably, accommodate.
Just grab a fixed-bridge guitar and some big strings so you can experiment. It's not something that can be explained too well by anything but sound and feel - I'll put up a clip or two when I have the time, if nobody else beats me to it, but it may be a while so take a day or two off and tinker.
Jeff
STINNETT
Bad / Nationwide
Seems like you would just tune your guitar how you like, B in your case, and experiment with different picking approaches until you get the effect you desire. Obviously a more parallel picking angle will yield a stronger attack, but it can impede your playing a bit. An angled pick attack glides across the string easier so you might have a softer attack...or you might get too much pick noise...or you might get a little bit of scratch that seems to accentuate the sound you're after....but no matter how you address this it's ultimately determined by your individual characteristics of articulation. How firmly you hold the pick, how you allow the pick to move with the strings, etc. The way I sound when I attack my strings with a very parallel approach is not going to be the same as your sound. Some people sound really good in low tunings with thinner strings. Some people sound like shit.
Thinner strings in lower tunings are obviously going to give more and respond to your picking in a more exagerated fashion. Whether or not that lends more attack to your sound is up to the same individual variables.
Realistically, I think there are actually too many variables to even pretend to generalize this sort of thing. Just the other day, I commented about how much I like the really thick contoured picks for fast, defined playing, and a couple people commented about how shitty those picks were for that. That doesn't make it true, it just makes it true for them. I still stand by them for myself. Just further proof of individual variables.
I think you're trying to overdefine something that is way too clouded.
Thanks, that helps a lot...
I've always used a thick, sharp pick (black dunlop), and picked really hard, but I recently noticed that if I use a flimsier, softer pick, and play soft, I get a WAY better tone, especially out of notes that aren't palm muted.
The problem is that palm muted notes sound really scratchy, even though they may be a bit sharper...
I guess a question I have then is, do you use a more rounded, sharper pick's scratch to develop the tone? Fuck, I'd just like to hear some people's input.
I've always used a thick, sharp pick (black dunlop), and picked really hard, but I recently noticed that if I use a flimsier, softer pick, and play soft, I get a WAY better tone, especially out of notes that aren't palm muted.
The problem is that palm muted notes sound really scratchy, even though they may be a bit sharper...
I guess a question I have then is, do you use a more rounded, sharper pick's scratch to develop the tone? Fuck, I'd just like to hear some people's input.
STINNETT
Bad / Nationwide
I greatly prefer the tone when playing softer myself, for all but the most brutal downpicked chuggs, and I always do so with very thick picks. I used to use 2mm Dunlop Gator Grips until I switched to the Big Stubbies. I let the pick move within my grip to determine how hard I'm attacking the strings. I also despise the sound of my pick scratching on the strings..that's why I use the Stubbies because they just glide across them. That must be why people say they have no "bite"...
Anyway, have you tried playing more softly but with a thick pick? A thick pick with a blunter edge (not a blunter point) may cut down on your scratchiness problem.
I say, use a thick pick so that you have the capacity for that sort of direct and positive response, but allow your grip and your playing to be able to adjust to modify your attack.
Yes I've tried thick, but the pick is sharp. I have not tried a dull one. Maybe my answer lies there...I'll head to GC this afternoon and try it out.
Sweetnothing
¯\(º_o)/¯
I'm the worst guy in the world to ask about this, my right hand is terrible most of the times, it's always picking hard.
In my experience, in your tuning, a 52 had more attack and highend than my usual 56, but less mids.
Action has something to do with attack, higher action=less attack and tension.
Of course it depends on the neck scale you have, on Ibanez or similar scale lengths it will be different. ( all my guitars but the Viper have gibson scale)
About picks, the best balance I've found is the green tortex ones, they are thick enough for me without making the usual "pop" on thicker picks.
My pick is a little angled to the string, and I play closer to the neck pickup ( but in the "middle" of both pickups)
Of course this is just my experience, hope sharing it has helped a little.
In my experience, in your tuning, a 52 had more attack and highend than my usual 56, but less mids.
Action has something to do with attack, higher action=less attack and tension.
Of course it depends on the neck scale you have, on Ibanez or similar scale lengths it will be different. ( all my guitars but the Viper have gibson scale)
About picks, the best balance I've found is the green tortex ones, they are thick enough for me without making the usual "pop" on thicker picks.
My pick is a little angled to the string, and I play closer to the neck pickup ( but in the "middle" of both pickups)
Of course this is just my experience, hope sharing it has helped a little.
And what about pickups? I use EMG 81s always... I got them for crunch--they're not hurting the attack, right?
Sweetnothing
¯\(º_o)/¯
To me, they are bright and have high output, that helps a lot ( at least for me).
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
Try out some different materials... you say black, do you mean the sharp tortex's or the JazzIII's?
I used to use Jazz III's but hated the attack - I've switched to the Jazz III sized green tortex's - love 'em!
I used to use Jazz III's but hated the attack - I've switched to the Jazz III sized green tortex's - love 'em!
tortex black 1.35 mm is what i've been using for ~7 years...
tried the purple .71 dunlops and wow, a lot of scratching there!
tried the purple .71 dunlops and wow, a lot of scratching there!
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
Higher action raises tension, unless your guitar is so uber-metal that the laws of physics do not apply to it.
Longer scale lengths will have more tension (so a Strat, with its 25.5" scale length, will have more tension than a Gibson with a 24.75" scale, but it will have much less than a 30" baritone - all other things held the same, of course).
Off that topic, I can't stand the way those .88s feel - I can feel them bending when I really pound the strings, and the tip is too rounded for me to be really precise with it. What problems are you guys having with sharp, pointy picks?
Jeff
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
None, and I agree - I'm not a fan of the standard .88's. In Jazz Shape, however, they rule ass for tone and playability.
Jazz shape? I'm using Sharpies (1.5mm), and I've used Jazz IIIs in every flavor, what's the deal with .88s in 'jazz shape'?
Jeff
Jeff
