Heavy Palm-Muting - Note goes # like a mother*ucker - Solutions?

miguelrx10d

miguelrx10d

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May 2, 2011
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I know this has been already covered but i have some other questions as well...

I'm a hard hitter (altough with the right technique) and everytime I record some riffs I always get this unbalanced pitch between palm mutes and open chords that drives me nuts.
My guitar is a Rhoads with a 25.5'' scale and I play in Drop D. Been using Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom 10-13-17-52-30-42-52, which I think would be the ideal?

Or do I need thicker strings? Maybe:

- D'Addarios EXL117 11-14-19-32-44-56
- Dunlops Zakk Wylde 10-13-17-36-52-60

I use Tortex Sharp 0.88 picks btw

What do you usually do in this situations? If I have to change string gauge which one should I go for?

Thanks guys :headbang:
 
Perhaps a silly question, but you haven't mentioned if your guitar has been setup properly with that gauge and for that tuning. Has it?
 
Not silly at all mate :)

Well this guitar is basically new, I just changed the strings a couple of times and adjusted the springs in the back till the floyd rose got in line with the body. The intonation stayed cool so I haven't touched in that. Am I missing something? Should I adjust something else? Different springs in the back?
 
Well I hit really hard but also feel that if I hit with less pressure the chugs don't come out the way they should. I do just like this video (min 3:30) somebody posted in a related thread

 
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Hummm I guess I have to work my technique to be more stable and stop hammering that shit then... anyway I need to buy some strings, should I keep my usual ernies .52 or buying one of the other sets mentioned could work out better? thanks people :worship:
 
Don't overlook tuning the low string a bit flat as well, I always have to go 10-15cents flat to avoid picking it out of tune. Also heavily depends on how thick your picks are; I used to have loads of tuning issues when I was using 1+mm picks, but am on .73mm now and life is much better.
 
Yup, it's definitely possible (and ideal) to pick aggressively but not put excess pressure on the bridge - that, and a .54 or .56 for the low D IMO (and .42 for A/.30 for D)
Click to expand...

thanks man, altough I only have that three options mentioned. Ernies: 10-13-17-52-30-42-52 or D'Addarios: 11-14-19-32-44-56. Which set would you choose? :)

JeffTD said:
Don't overlook tuning the low string a bit flat as well, I always have to go 10-15cents flat to avoid picking it out of tune. Also heavily depends on how thick your picks are; I used to have loads of tuning issues when I was using 1+mm picks, but am on .73mm now and life is much better.
Click to expand...

ohh really nice tips. thanks Jeff. I'll try that and also get some .73 picks :)

I love this forum :kickass:
 
when i tune i pick as hard as i intend on playing and i tune to the attack of the note and that helps alot. you might want to try muting the unused string with a paper towel folded a bunch and also the strings above the nut. sometimes harmonic rich guitars will squeal a lot without very good technique. post a clip and it would be a little easier to possibly diagnose.
 
in my experience this is almost always due to playing technique... you can get a plenty heavy sound by picking a little lighter if you choke up towards the neck
 
In my experience bigger strings would make it even worse, silly question, have you tried other strings in the same size? I play elixirs 10-52 in Drop D. D standard, Drop C, AND C# standard on a 25.5 and don't have this problem..

Are you saying the strings literally go out of pitch because of your playing? Id try locking tuners if your guitar is a fixed bridge.

Ah reread and it says you got a floyd... Well I can tell you every floyd rose guitar I've played (including my own which was professionally set up) will go out of tune even when locked down, and always has a weird static noise when I palm mute, I pick HARD :)
 
miguelrx10d said:
Well I hit really hard but also feel that if I hit with less pressure the chugs don't come out the way they should. I do just like this video (min 3:30) somebody posted in a related thread
Click to expand...
I'm not talking about how hard you hit with the pick, but the pressure you put on the bridge/strings with your palm while muting. Place the palm more on the bridge (just have a little bit touch the strings) and with less pressure. Could make a difference.
And the pressure you put on the strings with your fretting hand can also make everything go sharp (some people tend to clamp down with their fretting hand more when they want to hit harder as well).
 
Loki Laufeyiarson said:
I'm not talking about how hard you hit with the pick, but the pressure you put on the bridge/strings with your palm while muting. Place the palm more on the bridge (just have a little bit touch the strings) and with less pressure. Could make a difference.
And the pressure you put on the strings with your fretting hand can also make everything go sharp (some people tend to clamp down with their fretting hand more when they want to hit harder as well).
Click to expand...
This has to be his problem :)
 
thanks for the replies guys
when i tune i pick as hard as i intend on playing and i tune to the attack of the note and that helps alot
Click to expand...
Tune "Hard"?

Edit: How hard do you hit the notes while tuning?
Click to expand...

well i do this but can't tune too much flat because my riffs usually alternate heavilly between open chords (usually in tune) and palm mutes (that go sharp almost one semitone :bah:), so I would still get an unstable pitch behaviour. However it helps a bit, specially when recording by song sections.

In my experience bigger strings would make it even worse, silly question, have you tried other strings in the same size? I play elixirs 10-52 in Drop D.
Click to expand...
Tried Elixirs two times and dind't like them very much... they last long tho :)

in my experience this is almost always due to playing technique... you can get a plenty heavy sound by picking a little lighter if you choke up towards the neck
Click to expand...
I'm not talking about how hard you hit with the pick, but the pressure you put on the bridge/strings with your palm while muting. Place the palm more on the bridge (just have a little bit touch the strings) and with less pressure. Could make a difference.
Click to expand...

Yea I guess that's it. I'll start experimenting with my right hand position, pressure levels on the bridge and picking a little lighter... see how it works out

Block Off the floyd
Click to expand...
thought about it, but I can't live without that thing :D

Since we are in the equipment subforum and I need a set of strings (for Drop D) what you guys would put up:

Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottom: 10-13-17-52-30-42-52 (my usual set)
Ernie ball Beefy Slinky: 11-15-22p-30-42-54
D'Addario EXL117: 11-14-19-32-44-56

Cheers :headbang:
 
I play really hard and the thing that helped the most was un-floating the bridge, I did it Eddie Van Halen style with a coin (so the bridge only goes down now) but something like the Tremol No could be handy if you still like doing crazy Dimebag squeelz and don't want to affect the guitar at all.

http://www.allparts.com/Tremol-No-Products-s/273.htm
 
yeah i locked the bridge down aswell and bought the Dunlop heavy core strings, that helped the going sharp thing alot!

also i use dunlop jazz iii carbon picks.

those are the two things i would not do without when tracking.
 
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