Guitar Player's Thread

[Lowberg]

The PA-2 is just a clean boost. Its not supposed to color the sound, just boosts the output signal. Making your pickups hotter, not sounding different. But I have heard from many that it ads a lot of noise too like hissing and stuff.

btw the toneport survived after airing out...whew

 

[The Emptier]

diminished sweepies



this ones just fun



more sweeps, tad sloppy



a song im working on, i like the beginning the best

 

[Delanoir]

The PA-2 is just a clean boost. Its not supposed to color the sound, just boosts the output signal. Making your pickups hotter, not sounding different. But I have heard from many that it ads a lot of noise too like hissing and stuff.

btw the toneport survived after airing out...whew

Thanks, that makes sense. Is that what the MM-04 does, too?

And I'm glad your toneport made it.

I was thinking about getting one myself, so I could save for a worthwhile amp instead of wasting money on a cheaper practice amp I'd never really use later, and have trouble recording with anyway.

 

[children of COB]

I'm glad about your Toneport Lowberg, now go and record pirate songs

@Zakk: Damn man you are getting quite good! The song was cool, but maybe try to do drums in GP at least for the next time so you can show more or less how will the final song start looking like. The riffs are quite nice

Actually, you won a decent deal on that one

What? You mean it was good that it got damaged? It wasn't that bad, specially for the price it costed.

 

[Ensi]

Question for Ensi and Mitch, or whoever else has an EMG PA-2...

I've heard that it's effect is similar to using a floor pedal, and that the effect preserves a lot of the original tone, but what exactly does it do? All I know is that it's, judging by the name, a gain boost. Is that all it really does?

To put it simple:

A gain knob on your guitar.

Nothing else.

Thanks, that makes sense. Is that what the MM-04 does, too?

And I'm glad your toneport made it.

I was thinking about getting one myself, so I could save for a worthwhile amp instead of wasting money on a cheaper practice amp I'd never really use later, and have trouble recording with anyway.

The MM-04 does the same thing yeah, but it has an EQ in it. Which you can customize by switches on the unit.

It's also on all the time, after what i've heard.

 

[Ensi]

Btw does pickup output do anything much to the tone?

I loosened the strings, took off the floyd, to change back to the springs and screws that came with my EMG. Because it kept falling with the springs I got with the duncan. And I thought I would give it a try with the jumper off, so I get normal output mode.

Is it just the gain? Or more boost?

 

[Lowberg]

Pickup output technically shouldn't change the tone from your guitar, just a boost in output. But it may change how your amp reacts to certain frequencies, changing the tone you get from your amp if that makes sense.

 

[arvoitus]

To put it simple:

A gain knob on your guitar.

Nothing else.



The MM-04 does the same thing yeah, but it has an EQ in it. Which you can customize by switches on the unit.

It's also on all the time, after what i've heard.

The MM-04 is totally different then the EMG PA2. You can't compare them.

The PA2 is a boost. Nothing more.

The MM-04 (or JE1000) can be compared with a whole overdrive unit/stompbox.

 

[Ensi]

Pickup output technically shouldn't change the tone from your guitar, just a boost in output. But it may change how your amp reacts to certain frequencies, changing the tone you get from your amp if that makes sense.

I see, thanks for the info.

It sounds less sterile now. Clean playing still sounds a bit distorted, but not as much as it was when the jumper was in place.

Now to find a switch so I can fill up that empty hole!

Btw good your toneport survived!

 

[Delanoir]

Yeah, lowering the output would make the pickup less "hot" so to speak. So that the way the amp worked with it would be less prone to breaking up and such. Like the difference in tone in how close your strings are to the pickup itself when you're adjusting the height.

EDIT: And I wonder if I should replace a PA-2 on this guitar with the MM-04 (or JE1000)...

 

[Ensi]

Yeah, lowering the output would make the pickup less "hot" so to speak. So that the way the amp worked with it would be less prone to breaking up and such. Like the difference in tone in how close your strings are to the pickup itself when you're adjusting the height.

Hmm.. haven't messed around with the pickup height to compare tones that much.

EDIT: And I wonder if I should replace a PA-2 on this guitar with the MM-04

Do it. It'll be better than the PA-2.

(or JE1000)...

Good luck soldier.

 

[Lowberg]

I had problems with the MM-04 and my J50-BC sounding good for a while. it just sound too distorted and messy. But I found that lowering my pickup height made it sound cleaner and more defined

I use it with the least amount of EQ coloration, I just use switch number 2. I tried the Alexi setting 2+4 and it didn't sound as good. I noticed the EQ on the MM-04 cuts a lot of the high frequencies out, more so as you increase the settings. I forget off the top of my head which order the switching goes

 

[Ensi]

I had problems with the MM-04 and my J50-BC sounding good for a while. it just sound too distorted and messy. But I found that lowering my pickup height made it sound cleaner and more defined

I'm going to try that right now.

 

[Delanoir]

He's right, I was just about to say that the closer the pickup is to the strings, the more it gets that breakup and typical "bridge" sound. Most guitars have the neck much lower in comparison, which also plays into why it sounds different, aside from it literally being closer to the neck. So if you're looking for more of that kind of feel, lowering it would definitely help.

And thanks for the help, I'll try and find more info on the MM-04, since all you've told me is basically all I currently know about it. And I'm pretty sure that Alexi's new signature EMG is just going to basically be the H2 or H4 with the MM-04, so there's no point in getting that as I don't particularly love his tone anyway. But I'm going to check out the MM-04.

EDIT: Wait, I wonder what the AB (Afterburner) is... it sounds basically the same as the PA-2, based on the website description.

 

[Epi]

Here's a little recording I found on my HDD the other day:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6m5mh9

The song is Bullet For My Valentine's Waking the Demon. I think I've recorded it as a drumtest because at that time I was learning to use Addictive Drums.

Oh, and this was recorded somewhere around last spring or something.

 

[Lowberg]

FUCK SCHOOL

 

[arvoitus]

And I'm pretty sure that Alexi's new signature EMG is just going to basically be the H2 or H4 with the MM-04, so there's no point in getting that as I don't particularly love his tone anyway. But I'm going to check out the MM-04.
.

http://espguitars.com/guitars_alexi.html :

EMG HZ F-H2 p.u.
w/ MM-04 on-off boost switch

 

[umosay]

Here's a little recording I found on my HDD the other day:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6m5mh9

The song is Bullet For My Valentine's Waking the Demon. I think I've recorded it as a drumtest because at that time I was learning to use Addictive Drums.

Oh, and this was recorded somewhere around last spring or something.

Nice production!

 

[children of COB]

Good job Epi, it sounds awesome!

 

[Delanoir]

Haha, nice. Look's like we were right.

Guess I'll replace the PA-2 with an MM-04, if I can find one. Still don't know what the Afterburner does, though. Sounds the same (in description) as the PA-2.