Tech Questions Thread

[waif]

I was joking, tbh...I gotta admit that their guitarist is very good at sounding boring. Can't sweep at all myself...

Also no camera, which is a problem I need to rectify once I get 600 dollars and for some reason have nothing better to spend it on (not fucking likely)

 

[razoredge]

I think the grip you use on the pick makes more of a difference than the width.

I get the same thing every once in a while. Trick is to let up a bit without letting go of the strings so that you get a smooth slide between chords.

Im finding how I hold the pick seems to change for different things. real thight and short for peddling riffs, a bit looser for single note stuff, then it needs to be longer for picking chords and somewhat loose and long for strumming. But thats me and I dont think about it much, alot of it comes more natural with practice.

The slide squeak - was less of a problem years ago when I was playing all the time. Finger tip calous must have some revelence too ? Softer fingers bite in more ? Im just getting my chops back now and starting to concentrate on these finer points. Has taken me a year.... yikes ! Hands arent what they used to be, which still needed work then. I envy the natural players. Now its just for fun and keepin on... keepin on.

 

[Symbiant]

Basically, instead of starting a new thread every time it might be best to have one thread for all technical questions

Note: this is not for shopping questions


So...what difference does a cable's cost make? Last time I bought a cable at guitar center, the asshole there tried to convince me that I needed the most expensive cable in the store (I retaliated by buying the cheapest). He got quite obnoxious about it. However, the cable is fine, and has lasted quite a while. I haven't noticed any difference in the sound I get from various cables of varying qualities...so...what is the difference?

I went to college for engineering so i can touch down on this question.

yeah buying cheap you will prob have to replace your cables, but that all depends on how you treat your cables and wind them. I use Planet Waves cables...

http://www.planetwaves.com/

Also cables with decent shielding are important to reduce the amount of RF interference, you know trying to cut out the radio signals or CB radios from playing through your amp. To fully cancel that out you would have to normal your guitar equipment meaning instead of using a ts you would have to switch to a trs quarter inch cable or even XLR..

Sound is everything. even the picks you use effect your sound...

 

[waif]

Im finding how I hold the pick seems to change for different things. real thight and short for peddling riffs, a bit looser for single note stuff, then it needs to be longer for picking chords and somewhat loose and long for strumming. But thats me and I dont think about it much, alot of it comes more natural with practice.

I usually grip pretty short because you have to for harmonics...

 

[panzerfaust666]

Im finding how I hold the pick seems to change for different things. real thight and short for peddling riffs, a bit looser for single note stuff, then it needs to be longer for picking chords and somewhat loose and long for strumming. But thats me and I dont think about it much, alot of it comes more natural with practice.

The slide squeak - was less of a problem years ago when I was playing all the time. Finger tip calous must have some revelence too ? Softer fingers bite in more ? Im just getting my chops back now and starting to concentrate on these finer points. Has taken me a year.... yikes ! Hands arent what they used to be, which still needed work then. I envy the natural players. Now its just for fun and keepin on... keepin on.

its not necessarily even the grip you use, but the position of your hand, and the angle of your pick to the string ( experiement with all ways that you could move the pick.)

 

[Symbiant]

I hold my pick so that the tip is prepared for pinch harmonics at any time and strum like that. You can also get a brighter snap on the strings this way and accent your chords harder... Especially when doing power chords on the d string...

 

[razoredge]

doest the harmonic come from your thumb glancing the string ? I have no problems with them, except on the low E string, for some reason that seems like a hard string to get to sound off. D & G forget it, I work hard not to active harmonics on them.

 

[waif]

You pick the note, but you hit it with both the pick and your thumb. Tricky, but you get the hang of it.
Seems harder to do beyond the 12 fret, and the higher the string the harder.

 

[razoredge]

its not necessarily even the grip you use, but the position of your hand, and the angle of your pick to the string ( experiement with all ways that you could move the pick.)

my pick floats around some which is something I like to some degree, I get to where I can adjust without thinking about it and dont have a death grip on the pick. I never drop them. The only time it really bothers me is if I've been in a long fast peddling riff for awhile and it starts to get away from me and dont have even the mili second to get it back on point.

 

[Symbiant]

I have no prob doing P/H anywhere on the fret board. Just takes time. try different picks too and see which ones you are more comfortable with.

I use tortex

http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=8&pmh=products/picks

The blue ones there 1.0 mm

 

[panzerfaust666]

I use Dunlop Jazz III. most versitile picks, try em out.

 

[Symbiant]

I'll buy one and see what it is like.

Cheers..

 

[razoredge]

I've been using the blue planet waves for years, they work good for me. Not sure what they are made out of.

I know what harmonics are, most people dont realize this but Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top was one of the first to use them constantly, a looooong time ago. I have found that sometimes Im making some other noises I dont want when my finger and thumb are so close to the strings, Im working that out too.

No one elses has found the low E string harmonics harder to activate ? Seems the hand position needs to be up further from where it rests for mutes. Different guitars may be different too, or better yet the pups.

Its amazing how important the pick hand techniques are, possibly more important than the fretboard.

 

[panzerfaust666]

well no, because harmonics are quite simple.If were talking pinch harmonics, you make them by picking and immediately following with with flesh( the thumb)

 

[razoredge]

E string doesnt light up easy on my guitar at all, even sitting and messing with it staying right there on one note and making adjustments. I dont use them that much, too much gets cheezy

 

[forbidden fruit]

Yeah it seems some harmonics on some strings & frets come easier with the pick hand in different positions over the pickups.
Just experiment.

 

[waif]

Yeah, low E harmonics are harder. However, I rarely use harmonics in stuff I write, so it doesn't matter much.

@Symbiant: I use those picks too. Love 'em

 

[Vimana]

I can do pinched harmonics with ease, although I don't use my thumb, I use my middle finger.

 

[waif]

Huh?
How?

 

[Vimana]

Its kinda hard to explain, I kinda just have my middle fingernail hit the string at the same time as my pick.