Making Music

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Sounds super too. It's such a nice instrument for speed playing too. 

The active/passive flipping thing, if it works right... just seems like it's a solid bass option for anyone not willing to spend a ton on a good bass.

[Mel81x+]

9 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

The active/passive flipping thing, if it works right... just seems like it's a solid bass option for anyone not willing to spend a ton on a good bass.

It works but the thing that is very interesting about it is that when you go from Active to Passive the EQ drop is so high that you have to boost the amp more than a normal passive bass. Not the end of the world but it's definitely not churning out as much output as let's say a basic Fender/MusicMan. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Mel81x said:

It works but the thing that is very interesting about it is that when you go from Active to Passive the EQ drop is so high that you have to boost the amp more than a normal passive bass. Not the end of the world but it's definitely not churning out as much output as let's say a basic Fender/MusicMan. 

I think Fishman's got some pickups that work similarly (but very expensive) - they're very, very, very popular in metal (bands like Kreator for instance like them because their older songs were played on passives & their modern songs were played with EMG actives - and I think Kreator have always been brilliant live, but when you see them live now they manage to get tones very true to their albums). I wonder if that's an issue with those pickups too. I assume so?

As someone who's had guitars with both passives and actives... tbh I mostly prefer medium to high output passives to active pickups. I really don't know why other than my ears just like passives better. And with basses, I prefer active pickups... I think for the same reason. Just sounds better to my ears when I'm playing. I think it's got something to do with the way I play on either instrument.

With active pickups on guitars... I feel like regardless of what amp/amp model I'm using... it always sounds a bit the same and I don't feel the same tonal variety between amp types. I'm not sure if that's in my head or not or if its got to do with how I play. But with guitar I like hearing the character of the amp/amp model I've picked come through more, which just seems to generally be more noticeable with passive pickups regardless of the output of those pickups.

[Mel81x+]

15 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think Fishman's got some pickups that work similarly (but very expensive) - they're very, very, very popular in metal (bands like Kreator for instance like them because their older songs were played on passives & their modern songs were played with EMG actives - and I think Kreator have always been brilliant live, but when you see them live now they manage to get tones very true to their albums). I wonder if that's an issue with those pickups too. I assume so?

As someone who's had guitars with both passives and actives... tbh I mostly prefer medium to high output passives to active pickups. I really don't know why other than my ears just like passives better. And with basses, I prefer active pickups... I think for the same reason. Just sounds better to my ears when I'm playing. I think it's got something to do with the way I play on either instrument.

With active pickups on guitars... I feel like regardless of what amp/amp model I'm using... it always sounds a bit the same and I don't feel the same tonal variety between amp types. I'm not sure if that's in my head or not or if its got to do with how I play. But with guitar I like hearing the character of the amp/amp model I've picked come through more, which just seems to generally be more noticeable with passive pickups regardless of the output of those pickups.

I think that's a fair assessment of how it all works. To me, active pickups on a bass are when you want a lot of punch in your dynamics while passive are for pretty much a lot of songs where you need to hang in the background and the let the true sound of the instrument shine. Passive, to me, is also great when you want to pair it with sound gear for more breadth in the music, active pickups can be very annoying when you try to run them through sound gear as you get such an elevated sound drive already its hard to use clipping, etc properly. I think playing an instrument varies so much between people that you never really get the same sound on a bass if two people play it just because everyone's fingers work differently. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, Mel81x said:

I think that's a fair assessment of how it all works. To me, active pickups on a bass are when you want a lot of punch in your dynamics while passive are for pretty much a lot of songs where you need to hang in the background and the let the true sound of the instrument shine. Passive, to me, is also great when you want to pair it with sound gear for more breadth in the music, active pickups can be very annoying when you try to run them through sound gear as you get such an elevated sound drive already its hard to use clipping, etc properly. I think playing an instrument varies so much between people that you never really get the same sound on a bass if two people play it just because everyone's fingers work differently. 

I find the compression of active pickups on the bass to be very helpful for me as I'm dogshit at the bass & need a thick pick to play it decently. The compression has my notes sound consistent whereas with passives I think whenever I play a bass with passives you can tell exactly how dogshit I am at the bass .

With guitar I generally like higher output passives (although I think medium output pickups sound better). I'm much better at guitar than bass, I feel a lot more comfortable playing a guitar... I feel like I've got a lot more control over my picking dynamics compared to when I play the bass. So I feel like high output passives (especially those single-coil sized rail pickups on my Jackson) give me this great balance between the plus sides of what I like about passive pickups and active pickups. I'm also much more comfortable dialing in tones on an amp/pedals (or amp sims and pedals, like plugins or my Line 6) to where with passives I feel like I can generally get exactly the tone I hear in my head from the guitars I'm using (especially with the Line 6).

I think on guitar with active pickups it's still possible to do the same thing... it's just harder and requires a lot more tweaking to get the sounds I want. And I'm sure you know... you can spend so much time chasing tones you get lost in it and lose sight of actually playing to try to get the sounds you're seeking. I know lots of people swear by active pickups, especially for the genre I like to play the most (metal) and I think actives in a lot of applications are great. But for me personally, I just find it much easier to work with passive pickups. And if I need that extra compression... I've got ways of adding it either with fucking with amp settings or simply by just adding a compressor to my signal.

I also think it really helps just being very very familiar with your instrument and how the pickups in it work... and with my Jackson, I've played that thing so much in the 3 years I've owned it (and because of the pandemic and me having a lot of time for over a year of lockdown, I maybe have played that instrument more than I've played instruments I've owned for much longer)... I feel I know that guitar better than any other guitar I've ever played. And honestly I love those pickups that came stock in it more than I ever thought I would/could - I always thought those rail single-coil sized humbuckers were a bit gimicky... but I think they're actually incredibly versatile despite having outrageously high output.

[Happy Blue]

@Dr. Gonzo @Mel81x Picked up a new 7 string today. Jackson Monarkh SCX7, Nazgul & Sentient pickups, been after one for years but these are from 2016 so super hard to find, especially in as new condition like this one  ...it sounds shit  bit of an anti climax after such a long wait lol. i think it's the strings, the 7th looks like a bass string while the rest are super thin, probably 9's ha. got some ernie ball 10-62's coming tomorrow so hopefully that does the trick, if not it looks nice ha

[Dr. Gonzo]

2 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

@Dr. Gonzo @Mel81x Picked up a new 7 string today. Jackson Monarkh SCX7, Nazgul & Sentient pickups, been after one for years but these are from 2016 so super hard to find, especially in as new condition like this one  ...it sounds shit  bit of an anti climax after such a long wait lol. i think it's the strings, the 7th looks like a bass string while the rest are super thin, probably 9's ha. got some ernie ball 10-62's coming tomorrow so hopefully that does the trick, if not it looks nice ha

Looks really good! Tbh I think those headstocks on Jacksons look a bit weird lol, but I generally like inline headstocks better because I'm a dumb arsehole that likes his tuning pegs all on the same side 

Those pickups are meant to be fucking great, so if it still sounds shit after you change strings... I'd fuck around with the height of the pickups & see if that fixes things.

[Mel81x+]

Im with Dr. Gonzo on this one, get the strings and fiddle around with the pickup heights and I think it will start sounding a lot better. Congrats on the purchase I think it looks great.

[Happy Blue]

6 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Looks really good! Tbh I think those headstocks on Jacksons look a bit weird lol, but I generally like inline headstocks better because I'm a dumb arsehole that likes his tuning pegs all on the same side 

Those pickups are meant to be fucking great, so if it still sounds shit after you change strings... I'd fuck around with the height of the pickups & see if that fixes things.

The headstock is an acquired taste  but i don't mind it like this reversed. the main reason i wanted it was the pickups and being a 7 string single cut. don't think it was very popular, you don't see many video's about but they was like £800 when they came out lol  ..i'll have a good play around with it later, apparently it was set up by the guitar shop i bought it from lol

[Happy Blue]

7 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

Im with Dr. Gonzo on this one, get the strings and fiddle around with the pickup heights and I think it will start sounding a lot better. Congrats on the purchase I think it looks great.

Thanks Mel, i'll see what i can do with it. it should sound great with the Nazgul in the bridge, i'll play around with it. here's the full spec

Product Description

 

The Jackson Monarkh SCX7 a singlecut 7-string designed for today's metal musician. It's equipped with some of the best modern high output humbuckers around, a smooth high access cutaway and a graphite reinforced neck for ultimate support for thick strings.

7 String Support

Jackson use an all-mahogany body with a 1 piece maple set neck with graphite reinforcement for encompassing low frequencies. These woods are both known to be able to take the high tension of a 7-string, but also sound great in lower tunings. Even if you want to tune lower than the standard B, you're covered.

Nazgul and Sentient Seymour Duncan Pickups

The Seymour Duncan Nazgul and Sentient humucker combo is a pro level pairing capable of immense modern tones. You'll find them used by some of the biggest names in contemporary metal. The bridge position Nazgul is an extremely tight, harmonically clear pickup suited to staccato riffing and huge, deep chords. Switch over to the Sentient to get a gentler crisp voicing - ideal for smoother lead tones or cleans.

Specificiations

Body

• BODY FINISH Gloss
• BODY SHAPE Monarkh 
• BODY MATERIAL Mahogany 
• BODY BINDING White

Neck

• NECK MATERIAL Maple
• NECK CONSTRUCTION Set-Neck with Graphite Reinforcement and Scarf Joint 
• NECK FINISH Gloss / Painted
• NECK BINDING White
• SCALE LENGTH 25.5" (648 mm) 
• FINGERBOARD RADIUS 12"-16" Compound Radius (304.8 mm to 406.4 mm)
• FINGERBOARD MATERIAL Laurel 
• NUMBER OF FRETS 24
• FRET SIZE Jumbo
• NUT MATERIAL Black Plastic
• NUT WIDTH 1.875" (47.6 mm)
• POSITION INLAYS Reverse Pearloid Sharkfin
• TRUSS ROD NUT Truss Rod Adjustment at Nut

Electronics

• BRIDGE PICKUP Seymour Duncan® Nazgûl
• NECK PICKUP Seymour Duncan® Sentient
• CONTROLS Volume 1. (Neck Pickup), Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup), Tone
• PICKUP SWITCHING 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup

Hardware

• BRIDGE Jackson® TOM-Style Adjustable with Anchored Tailpiece 
• HARDWARE FINISH Black 
• TUNING MACHINES Jackson® Sealed Die-Cast
• PICKGUARD None
• CONTROL KNOBS Dome-Style
• SWITCH TIP Black

[Happy Blue]

@Mel81x @Dr. Gonzo

All sorted. the strings that was on it had been on since 2016   when you ping them i got a dull thud instead of a twang lol but now it's got a new set on and raised the pickups it sounds mean as fuck in F tuning, it stays in tune too which is a bonus ha

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

@Mel81x @Dr. Gonzo

All sorted. the strings that was on it had been on since 2016   when you ping them i got a dull thud instead of a twang lol but now it's got a new set on and raised the pickups it sounds mean as fuck in F tuning, it stays in tune too which is a bonus ha

Holy shit 8 year old strings!

[Happy Blue]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Holy shit 8 year old strings!

Yeah  i called the guitar shop, they basically found it in the warehouse when they was having a sort out so it's been sat in there for 8 years straight from the factory lol  ..have you tried this tuning F-A#-D#-G#-F-A# ? it's brutal. just leave the last A# off if trying on a 6 string, it's how Carnifex are tuned

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

Yeah  i called the guitar shop, they basically found it in the warehouse when they was having a sort out so it's been sat in there for 8 years straight from the factory lol  ..have you tried this tuning F-A#-D#-G#-F-A# ? it's brutal. just leave the last A# off if trying on a 6 string, it's how Carnifex are tuned

 

I haven’t no… is that downtuned… or uptuned lol. I think either way my guitars wouldn’t be ready for the difference in tension and would need a bit of a setup

[Happy Blue]

18 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I haven’t no… is that downtuned… or uptuned lol. I think either way my guitars wouldn’t be ready for the difference in tension and would need a bit of a setup

Down tuned, I dont go higher than D  probably as low as you can go without it getting silly. Think Meshuggah are in that tuning too

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 hour ago, Happy Blue said:

Down tuned, I dont go higher than D  probably as low as you can go without it getting silly. Think Meshuggah are in that tuning too

There’s a couple of thrash bands that tune up to F and F#… so when I saw F# I though “hmmm” but also Carnifex don’t sound uptuned lol

I think the lowest I can go on any of my guitars without it feeling like I’ve got spaghetti for strings is B

[Happy Blue]

53 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

There’s a couple of thrash bands that tune up to F and F#… so when I saw F# I though “hmmm” but also Carnifex don’t sound uptuned lol

I think the lowest I can go on any of my guitars without it feeling like I’ve got spaghetti for strings is B

Have they got the screechy vocals to match?  B standard is my favourite tuning, can't beat that Carcass tone

[Mel81x+]

So, I went out and got this 

Now, first impressions are quite good especially for the XY capsule and how it records stuff. If you're sitting in a room and have the mic right at your neck (not the bridge or the hole of the acoustic) then you get some fantastic recordings. The problem, however, is that because its recording it with potential pad and other options you have to then take it to something like Logic or your DAW and then raise the level. 

I'll be trying this out in a more noisier setting today with two guitars, a bass, a drum and two vocals to see how this fairs but its already going to be going in my gig bag to everything I do just because of how versatile it is. Has XLR jacks, jacks for instruments, splits into channels, creates WAV files for each channel and allows you to even playback with monitoring. What more could one really ask for.

[Dr. Gonzo]

5 hours ago, Mel81x said:

So, I went out and got this 

Now, first impressions are quite good especially for the XY capsule and how it records stuff. If you're sitting in a room and have the mic right at your neck (not the bridge or the hole of the acoustic) then you get some fantastic recordings. The problem, however, is that because its recording it with potential pad and other options you have to then take it to something like Logic or your DAW and then raise the level. 

I'll be trying this out in a more noisier setting today with two guitars, a bass, a drum and two vocals to see how this fairs but its already going to be going in my gig bag to everything I do just because of how versatile it is. Has XLR jacks, jacks for instruments, splits into channels, creates WAV files for each channel and allows you to even playback with monitoring. What more could one really ask for.

My friend has one of these and takes it everywhere. He’s got a couple mic attachments for it too.

[Mel81x+]

I have to say, this entire series is really great for anyone not just drummers. How they break down songs and add their own interpretations is great. I love the jazz drum timing on the Metallica song and it was really good. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

After seeing Megadeth live I thought “fuck it, I’ll buy one of those Dave Mustaine signature guitars”

Like fuck I will. Their price is outrageous! Even the Epiphone and the Kramer are an insane price!

[Dr. Gonzo]

So @Mel81x what do I do about: knowing that the Mustaine guitars are way overpriced (no way would I buy one of the Gibson ones unfortunately... the ones that are actually like the ones he has on stage are $8k+, $4k for one that looks like shit in comparison lol)... but also me really really really wanting one.

I looked up how much his signature models from Jackson in the 90s go for and... it's $10k lol, so I won't be getting one of those either.

[Mel81x+]

On 10/10/2023 at 02:38, Dr. Gonzo said:

So @Mel81x what do I do about: knowing that the Mustaine guitars are way overpriced (no way would I buy one of the Gibson ones unfortunately... the ones that are actually like the ones he has on stage are $8k+, $4k for one that looks like shit in comparison lol)... but also me really really really wanting one.

I looked up how much his signature models from Jackson in the 90s go for and... it's $10k lol, so I won't be getting one of those either.

1. It's a unique guitar with a very specific set of tech. That's a nice problem because you can always just buy something close to it and replace all the parts thereby making it Must-Gonzo Guitar and add all the things you'd want in that guitar. 
2. You can also then change the neck and stock head and get something more custom done with the same specs.
3. Do what I did and just save up and buy one. Don't tell the significant other unless sleeping outside the house is an option.
4. Write to Dave Mustaine and tell him hes the best and you are dying of a deadly disease and your life's ambition was to play on a guitar just like his. (hes a nice guy so who knows)
5. Sleep with Dave Mustaine (wont get you the guitar but it would be a cool story)

[Mel81x+]

In other news, since I am free of any work commitments till the end of the month I opened one of two boxes this morning. Both are BOSS pedals but I am going through them slowly versus ruining the fun.

Now, I have previous owned an RC-3 and will say its one of the best song-writing tools I have ever used when it comes to not touching a DAW but this thing is that on steroids and has a rhythm block with a SMF loader that you can load drum tracks into from WAV (think writing a drum piece and then just putting it in). Now you have overdubin layers with a 6hr recording time and a way to push that with your rhythm and ... it has fills, pre and outro capabilities on the rhythm pieces too. Still learning my way around it but its a very good piece of kit according to me.

[Dr. Gonzo]

3 hours ago, Mel81x said:

In other news, since I am free of any work commitments till the end of the month I opened one of two boxes this morning. Both are BOSS pedals but I am going through them slowly versus ruining the fun.

Now, I have previous owned an RC-3 and will say its one of the best song-writing tools I have ever used when it comes to not touching a DAW but this thing is that on steroids and has a rhythm block with a SMF loader that you can load drum tracks into from WAV (think writing a drum piece and then just putting it in). Now you have overdubin layers with a 6hr recording time and a way to push that with your rhythm and ... it has fills, pre and outro capabilities on the rhythm pieces too. Still learning my way around it but its a very good piece of kit according to me.

That's very cool - sounds like an incredibly useful tool. Especially with the WAV drum track feature. As someone who's only ever really tried writing songs with a DAW, I can see the appeal of trying to minimize how much I use it for the writing process - being sat at a computer writing does sort of make it feel like I'm at work again. If all I was doing was programming drums at the computer, then coming back to the DAW just for recording... I could see writing feeling a lot more creative.

Enjoy!