Making Music

[Mel81x+]

Been a while since I posted in here but here's the dilemma. So, I have a progression with a floating bass-line going from G->F->Bb->C and it cycles in two bars (4/4 for now). Now, my question to you both @Dr. Gonzo and @Happy Blue is that if you wanted a bridge what notes from the key of G or its aux would you use? You can do a 3 note or four note or 8 note bar if you want but I am looking to use the floating bass line in there. In essence, I'd like a root or its note complimentary notes to create a mood switch. I'll try and post something when I get a chance because honestly I am trying to push my fingers here and this little exercise is terribly taxing.

P.S. If you want to skip the G and like any other key that's totally okay too I just used G because of the way I want to play this piece. Oh and before I forget its G-Maj.

[Dr. Gonzo]

8 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Been a while since I posted in here but here's the dilemma. So, I have a progression with a floating bass-line going from G->F->Bb->C and it cycles in two bars (4/4 for now). Now, my question to you both @Dr. Gonzo and @Happy Blue is that if you wanted a bridge what notes from the key of G or its aux would you use? You can do a 3 note or four note or 8 note bar if you want but I am looking to use the floating bass line in there. In essence, I'd like a root or its note complimentary notes to create a mood switch. I'll try and post something when I get a chance because honestly I am trying to push my fingers here and this little exercise is terribly taxing.

P.S. If you want to skip the G and like any other key that's totally okay too I just used G because of the way I want to play this piece. Oh and before I forget its G-Maj.

Tomorrow (because I won’t have time today) I’ll pull out my bass and fuck around on it to try to help you out.

Fair warning though: I’m pretty shit at the bass 

[Happy Blue]

On 10/02/2023 at 05:05, Mel81x said:

Been a while since I posted in here but here's the dilemma. So, I have a progression with a floating bass-line going from G->F->Bb->C and it cycles in two bars (4/4 for now). Now, my question to you both @Dr. Gonzo and @Happy Blue is that if you wanted a bridge what notes from the key of G or its aux would you use? You can do a 3 note or four note or 8 note bar if you want but I am looking to use the floating bass line in there. In essence, I'd like a root or its note complimentary notes to create a mood switch. I'll try and post something when I get a chance because honestly I am trying to push my fingers here and this little exercise is terribly taxing.

P.S. If you want to skip the G and like any other key that's totally okay too I just used G because of the way I want to play this piece. Oh and before I forget its G-Maj.

How i approach writing music is to not tie myself down with any root note and just experiment with patterns so just try different shapes around the key you want it in

[Mel81x+]

40 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

How i approach writing music is to not tie myself down with any root note and just experiment with patterns so just try different shapes around the key you want it in

I think that works only if you don't have a melody line sort of in your head or a mood you're after. Generally I'll play in a key and switch around it but this time it seems like no matter what I try I am not getting that smooth transition.

[Happy Blue]

2 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

I think that works only if you don't have a melody line sort of in your head or a mood you're after. Generally I'll play in a key and switch around it but this time it seems like no matter what I try I am not getting that smooth transition.

Upload what you've got and we will play around with it, see what we can come up with

[Mel81x+]

On 10/02/2023 at 19:05, Dr. Gonzo said:

Tomorrow (because I won’t have time today) I’ll pull out my bass and fuck around on it to try to help you out.

Fair warning though: I’m pretty shit at the bass 

 

On 11/02/2023 at 12:17, Happy Blue said:

Upload what you've got and we will play around with it, see what we can come up with

https://voca.ro/1ojVwNnRNVqe

Here's a rough push. Still needs a lot of cleanup on the treble line but it should give you an idea of why I am having a hard time transitioning.

[Dr. Gonzo]

I hurt my back yesterday so I’m not sure I can even lift a bass or guitar today 

[Mel81x+]

On 13/02/2023 at 01:26, Dr. Gonzo said:

I hurt my back yesterday so I’m not sure I can even lift a bass or guitar today 

Bummer. Have you been to a doctor about it? If you can't lift anything heavy might be a while before it heals.

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Bummer. Have you been to a doctor about it? If you can't lift anything heavy might be a while before it heals.

I have yeah, I’ve been given some muscle relaxers which I haven’t taken lol but I think I’m alright to lift things now, it was just incredibly painful the first few days.

I’ve got one meeting tomorrow and then I’m not working for the rest of the day - so I should be able to try tomorrow.

[Mel81x+]

On 16/02/2023 at 22:16, Dr. Gonzo said:

I have yeah, I’ve been given some muscle relaxers which I haven’t taken lol but I think I’m alright to lift things now, it was just incredibly painful the first few days.

I’ve got one meeting tomorrow and then I’m not working for the rest of the day - so I should be able to try tomorrow.

Glad to hear you're feeling better. Went for a run on Friday and then as I was about to sleep my calf muscle tightened up and omg the pain. Luckily its subsided now and I can actually walk around without any pain. 

On the music front, I managed to move past the main riff into a semi-break so that's good now I want to move to a harder more grungier riff so working on that.

[Happy Blue]

@Mel81x @Dr. GonzoWife just bought me this for my Birthday, ESP LTD 256 in satin black  not a huge fan of this bridge type but im not going to tell her to send it back lol ..got a bit of fret buzz at the 1st fret, shame they cant come out the shop set up properly, now got to piss about with it. just worked out it's got a coil split, could be useful .. you guys got any new gear recently?

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Happy Blue said:

@Mel81x @Dr. GonzoWife just bought me this for my Birthday, ESP LTD 256 in satin black  not a huge fan of this bridge type but im not going to tell her to send it back lol ..got a bit of fret buzz at the 1st fret, shame they cant come out the shop set up properly, now got to piss about with it. just worked out it's got a coil split, could be useful .. you guys got any new gear recently?

I haven’t got anything since the Pod… other than strings but I don’t think that counts as gear lol.

Love the way that satin black looks. Those are supposed to be some of the best bang for your buck guitars around, so I’m sure once you set it up you’ll love it. Coil split should be cool cos you can do a bit of a Jimmy Page thing and go from Les Paul tones to Tele-ish tones on the same guitar.

The eclipse body & neck are probably my favourite style of those Les Paul style guitars!

Guitars needing setups after shipment is pretty normal tbh. Once they get to Europe from the factory they’re set up at inspection and then shipped off to stores and warehouses all over the continent. If they get to a physical retail store they’re sometimes set up again, and some online dealers set up and inspect before shipping. Then it’s shipped again - the box gets knocked around, there’s temperature and humidity changes… it makes things shift a bit.

Fortunately guitars with tuneomatic bridges are pretty simple to set up, hardest thing is probably the neck relief… but it’s the same as on any other guitar. Coming from floyd roses, it should be a piece of piss for you getting that bridge set up just the way you want it. They’re actually excellent because of their simplicity imo.

[Happy Blue]

5 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I haven’t got anything since the Pod… other than strings but I don’t think that counts as gear lol.

Love the way that satin black looks. Those are supposed to be some of the best bang for your buck guitars around, so I’m sure once you set it up you’ll love it. Coil split should be cool cos you can do a bit of a Jimmy Page thing and go from Les Paul tones to Tele-ish tones on the same guitar.

The eclipse body & neck are probably my favourite style of those Les Paul style guitars!

Guitars needing setups after shipment is pretty normal tbh. Once they get to Europe from the factory they’re set up at inspection and then shipped off to stores and warehouses all over the continent. If they get to a physical retail store they’re sometimes set up again, and some online dealers set up and inspect before shipping. Then it’s shipped again - the box gets knocked around, there’s temperature and humidity changes… it makes things shift a bit.

Fortunately guitars with tuneomatic bridges are pretty simple to set up, hardest thing is probably the neck relief… but it’s the same as on any other guitar. Coming from floyd roses, it should be a piece of piss for you getting that bridge set up just the way you want it. They’re actually excellent because of their simplicity imo.

How's it going with the pod? still loving the valeton gp200, thinking about getting the headrush frfr 2000w speaker for it. what do you have your pod hooked upto?

Yeah, the black satin looks even better in hand. just had my first play on the esp, very impressed with it, has a real chunky tone which cleans up nice with the coil tap. the neck is super slim, it's easier to reach them awkward notes, the whole guitar is fairly slim unlike the Les Pauls which are chunky. my only gripe is the bridge as i'm used to the floyds which have really low action compared to the tuneomatic but sure i'll get used to it. 

My plan is to stick a set of 12-56's on and tune to B-standard, love the Carcass tone and that's the tuning and strings they use. i'm guessing this will make my fret buzz worse though with the thicker strings and less tension? really don't want to lift the bridge any higher if i can help it

[Dr. Gonzo]

19 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

How's it going with the pod? still loving the valeton gp200, thinking about getting the headrush frfr 2000w speaker for it. what do you have your pod hooked upto?

Yeah, the black satin looks even better in hand. just had my first play on the esp, very impressed with it, has a real chunky tone which cleans up nice with the coil tap. the neck is super slim, it's easier to reach them awkward notes, the whole guitar is fairly slim unlike the Les Pauls which are chunky. my only gripe is the bridge as i'm used to the floyds which have really low action compared to the tuneomatic but sure i'll get used to it. 

My plan is to stick a set of 12-56's on and tune to B-standard, love the Carcass tone and that's the tuning and strings they use. i'm guessing this will make my fret buzz worse though with the thicker strings and less tension? really don't want to life the bridge any higher if i can help it

I use my pod with some monitor headphones I've got, as well as with my studio monitor speakers I've got at my PC when I don't want to play with headphones on. Sounds really good through both. When I'm playing with other people, I usually just run it through the FX return of my friend's amp (it's a Bugera... no idea what model it is) and use his 2x12 Mesa cab & have the cab-sim on the pod turned off.

You should be able to get a pretty low action after you adjust the neck relief. Putting on thicker strings usually requires a bit of adjustment with the neck because there's more tension pulling on it from the strings. Is it buzzing more on certain strings or frets?

[Happy Blue]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I use my pod with some monitor headphones I've got, as well as with my studio monitor speakers I've got at my PC when I don't want to play with headphones on. Sounds really good through both. When I'm playing with other people, I usually just run it through the FX return of my friend's amp (it's a Bugera... no idea what model it is) and use his 2x12 Mesa cab & have the cab-sim on the pod turned off.

You should be able to get a pretty low action after you adjust the neck relief. Putting on thicker strings usually requires a bit of adjustment with the neck because there's more tension pulling on it from the strings. Is it buzzing more on certain strings or frets?

Mesa cabs for the rectifier sound great, think they have V30's in. the buzzing is at the 1st fret, it's only slight so it's not far out. the strings slope down slightly from the bridge and get real low from the 3rd fret to the 1st.im guessing the fix here is to increase the amount of relief in the neck by loosening the truss rod?  ...wish it just had a hipshot bridge, nice low and straight 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Happy Blue said:

Mesa cabs for the rectifier sound great, think they have V30's in. the buzzing is at the 1st fret, it's only slight so it's not far out. the strings slope down slightly from the bridge and get real low from the 3rd fret to the 1st.im guessing the fix here is to increase the amount of relief in the neck by loosening the truss rod?  ...wish it just had a hipshot bridge, nice low and straight 

Is it only buzzing at the 1st… or the 1st through the 3rd. If it’s only the first fret and nowhere else, it could be the nut. The groves might not be cut right for thicker strings or it could be sitting too low. Unfortunately idk how to fix those without paying someone else to do it for me.

But honestly my first bet would be it needs some neck relief adjustment. Usually with buzzy frets yeah you’d loosen it like you say and it adds some bow into the neck. I do 1/8th of a turn at a time… and if I ever do more than one turn when I adjust the neck (most of the time for me a 1/8th fixes it for me) I go really slow in between turns. Idk why there’s probably not a good reason for that I’m just copying the person who taught me how.

My guess is if it’s only slightly buzzing loosening it a quarter of a turn will do the trick!

[Happy Blue]

58 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Is it only buzzing at the 1st… or the 1st through the 3rd. If it’s only the first fret and nowhere else, it could be the nut. The groves might not be cut right for thicker strings or it could be sitting too low. Unfortunately idk how to fix those without paying someone else to do it for me.

But honestly my first bet would be it needs some neck relief adjustment. Usually with buzzy frets yeah you’d loosen it like you say and it adds some bow into the neck. I do 1/8th of a turn at a time… and if I ever do more than one turn when I adjust the neck (most of the time for me a 1/8th fixes it for me) I go really slow in between turns. Idk why there’s probably not a good reason for that I’m just copying the person who taught me how.

My guess is if it’s only slightly buzzing loosening it a quarter of a turn will do the trick!

It went with a crack, it was a bit tight  see how it settles over night. looks like the strings are higher in the middle now around the 11th/12th fret. only did a little turn too, maybe the nut was the problem like you said. well see how it is tomorrow after it's settled

[Dr. Gonzo]

53 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

It went with a crack, it was a bit tight  see how it settles over night. looks like the strings are higher in the middle now around the 11th/12th fret. only did a little turn too, maybe the nut was the problem like you said. well see how it is tomorrow after it's settled

Lower the action on the bridge to where you’d normally like it… or close to it & see if it still buzzed after you’ve let it settled. Hopefully it fixes it.

[Happy Blue]

10 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Lower the action on the bridge to where you’d normally like it… or close to it & see if it still buzzed after you’ve let it settled. Hopefully it fixes it.

Seem to have sorted it now, slight acoustic buzz but plugged in can get every note  ..see what happens when i put the 12-56's on  it will be 3 steps down in B-standard, yes the strings will be thicker but in a low tuning, it's in E standard right now with probably 10's looking at them

[Dr. Gonzo]

3 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

Seem to have sorted it now, slight acoustic buzz but plugged in can get every note  ..see what happens when i put the 12-56's on  it will be 3 steps down in B-standard, yes the strings will be thicker but in a low tuning, it's in E standard right now with probably 10's looking at them

Yeah as long as that buzz can’t be heard plugged in that’s fine. I think with the thicker strings you’ll need to see how they sit in the slots of the nut - Floyd’s might be a pain in the arse but at least you never have to worry about the strings being too big or small for the slots in the nut!

It’s ESP though so I’d assume they’re prepared for people wanting to downtune with thicker strings! Might be a non-issue

[Happy Blue]

5 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Yeah as long as that buzz can’t be heard plugged in that’s fine. I think with the thicker strings you’ll need to see how they sit in the slots of the nut - Floyd’s might be a pain in the arse but at least you never have to worry about the strings being too big or small for the slots in the nut!

It’s ESP though so I’d assume they’re prepared for people wanting to downtune with thicker strings! Might be a non-issue

Yeah, when you have a floyd in tune just leave it the fuck alone   ..stuck the new strings on, seem fine just had to lift the bridge a little but nothing drastic. the 56 gauge just about fits the nut, maybe should of gone for a 54

[Dr. Gonzo]

44 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

Yeah, when you have a floyd in tune just leave it the fuck alone   ..stuck the new strings on, seem fine just had to lift the bridge a little but nothing drastic. the 56 gauge just about fits the nut, maybe should of gone for a 54

If it fits fine, that’s perfect! I probably would have fucked with the neck again instead of the bridge with the higher tension from the thicker strings, but if the neck looks fine… raising the action from the bridge a bit shouldn’t change too much.

Enjoy mate, it’s a cool guitar. How do you like the pickups?

[Happy Blue]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

If it fits fine, that’s perfect! I probably would have fucked with the neck again instead of the bridge with the higher tension from the thicker strings, but if the neck looks fine… raising the action from the bridge a bit shouldn’t change too much.

Enjoy mate, it’s a cool guitar. How do you like the pickups?

Are the strings at a higher tension though because they are on looser being tuned down 3 steps?  ..thanks mate, it really does seem a great guitar for the £440 price point, think you can get them even cheaper state side now. really like the pickups, beefy sound but clear and they must be really hot because it's easy to make them scream and squeal ..this is what the they say about them

The Pickups

The ESP Designed LH-150 humbucker pickups give you all the growl that you'd expect coming from a guitar of this shape, but if you pull the Tone control knob it activates the split coil circut, giving you two Single Coil pickups to play with and offering you a whole host of new tones with which to experiment. Whilst these pickups sound simply sublime with high-gain distortion, they also produce incredibly clear, bright clean tones too whether in Humbucker or Single Coil mode, making the guitar as versatile as you could want it to be.

[Dr. Gonzo]

17 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

Are the strings at a higher tension though because they are on looser being tuned down 3 steps?  ..thanks mate, it really does seem a great guitar for the £440 price point, think you can get them even cheaper state side now. really like the pickups, beefy sound but clear and they must be really hot because it's easy to make them scream and squeal ..this is what the they say about them

The Pickups

The ESP Designed LH-150 humbucker pickups give you all the growl that you'd expect coming from a guitar of this shape, but if you pull the Tone control knob it activates the split coil circut, giving you two Single Coil pickups to play with and offering you a whole host of new tones with which to experiment. Whilst these pickups sound simply sublime with high-gain distortion, they also produce incredibly clear, bright clean tones too whether in Humbucker or Single Coil mode, making the guitar as versatile as you could want it to be.

That’s a good point I’ve got no idea if it’s higher tension or not when it’s tuned down a few steps

[Mel81x+]

On 05/05/2023 at 19:34, Happy Blue said:

@Mel81x @Dr. GonzoWife just bought me this for my Birthday, ESP LTD 256 in satin black  not a huge fan of this bridge type but im not going to tell her to send it back lol ..got a bit of fret buzz at the 1st fret, shame they cant come out the shop set up properly, now got to piss about with it. just worked out it's got a coil split, could be useful .. you guys got any new gear recently?

Nothing in a while been trying to get a band together but that is a nice looking guitar. Also, Happy Belated Birthday!!