Looking for some help with feedback on certain guitars

J

Jeff W.

New Member
I've had an Axe-fx 3 for a few years. I pretty much have my presets dialed in for live applications, with a few exceptions.
My main guitar is a PRS custom 24 for standard tuning in Eb, My main guitar in Drop C is a PRS custom CE24, both these guitars work great and I have no issues.
My main backups are both PRS, one standard from 2004, and a S2, both function as intended.

So here's the issue.....
I have a Gibson Les Paul standard that no matter what I try, I'm getting a quick random 3.2k feedback screech on moderate high gain to high gain amps at stage volumes. I've tried my singers Les Paul studio and Epi custom and both are doing the same thing. He uses a Headrush and gets the same issue from time to time.
I also have a PRS silver sky that does the same thing but at 3k. I originally tried just cutting the 3k with a PEQ, but that changed the overall tone too much for my liking.

I've talked to one other Fractal user that's had the same issue, but he couldn't remember the fix and no longer has the guitar it was happening with.

Has anyone else had this issue? If so, what is the fix?
 
pickup swap? Pot value change? Noisegate setting?

More realistically, presets built for the lp. Less gain means less feedback.
 
Budda said:
pickup swap? Pot value change? Noisegate setting?

More realistically, presets built for the lp. Less gain means less feedback.
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Thanks for the feedback. Pickup swap has crossed my mind, but I bought a Les Paul for a reason, it has that unique Gibson tone. Same could be said for the Pots. Plus this isn't a show stopper because I have several other guitars that work just fine.

As for the noise gate, I've tried several settings, some help more than others, but at cost of sustain or overall tone. I've messed with the input1/instr Impedance, tried different gate types, I just don't have the knowledge in gates to optimize it correctly. I mean, I can mess with the threshold, ratio, attack and release and make a guess because I do have a good understanding on how they work, but not to the level as a true sound engineer.

As for using a preset build for a Les Paul, that's what I'm trying to do. My crunch scene is a Brit 800 2204 high with gain at 7 bass at 10 mid at 10 treble at 5 presence at 5 master at 1.73. There's not a lot of gain there and it's fine, but I use a Klone chiron with gain .66 and treble at 6.61 and it starts feeding back. Again, this only at very high stage volumes, with an FRFR monitor. I can not duplicate out of studio monitors very easy.

It's not a constant issue. It seems to only happen at very loud stage volumes and only when I'm doing a quick palm mute on the higher string with my hand over the pickup. I can duplicate it without even playing a chord.

When we play out with our PA I have a lot better control and don't seem to have hardly any issues. There are just a lot venues we play that run the stage volumes at stupid high volumes.
 
You could be experiencing tweeter squeal, which is when the tweeter's magnet couples with the pickup. That'd explain why it's occurring in multiple presets and different guitars, while at high volume.

Increasing the distance to the speaker or reducing the volume can help.
 
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I also wouldnt run a jcm800 with bass that high at high volume, modeller or irl (just got my 2204 back). Try 4-6 and mids at 5. Your settings pre chiron seem like a poor setup with an LP.

Also you can put a loooot of pickups in a les paul and it’ll sound like a les paul. Thats what guitars do :)
 
I was really just hoping someone else has had this issue and knows a fix, not guesses. Although I do appreciate the feedback. I know of someone that has but he didn’t remember the fix. So I hoping someone else did.
 
Budda said:
Did you try any of the suggestions?
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Trying to avoid changing pickups until I find someone that’s had this issue. As for the actual preset changes in the tone, that’s irrelevant, because it’s not even my high gain and the crunch channel sounds phenomenal the way it is with all the parameter settings that I didn’t list, like IR/Dynacab, (recently switched to dynacabs, but was doing it with regular IRs too). It’s a live preset so there is high and low cuts that are pretty aggressive.
If I can’t find someone that’s an actual sound engineer for live sounds that’s seen this issue, or someone that’s fixed it through the AxeFx themselves, I probably just swap the pickups

I’m pretty there’s a fix within the axefx outside of the amp block that will fix it. Possibly another gate, or some type of compressor, expander, filter, or EQ, or any combination of them.

My band is at an end of summer slowdown so I have time to work on it, before we pick up again in a few weeks.
 
So i go thru this at times, so what year Les Paul and what pickups are in it? My 19 standard does this on the stock neck bb1 so try and roll the volume knob back to around 8 or so. This is what has been my work around with that guitar.
 
Jeff W. said:
If I can’t find someone that’s an actual sound engineer for live sounds that’s seen this issue, or someone that’s fixed it through the AxeFx themselves, I probably just swap the pickups
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You've already had input from live sound engineers who have seen this before. ;)

Here's one (hint: trying it is way easier than swapping pickups)...

Greg Ferguson said:
You could be experiencing tweeter squeal, which is when the tweeter's magnet couples with the pickup. That'd explain why it's occurring in multiple presets and different guitars, while at high volume.

Increasing the distance to the speaker or reducing the volume can help.
Click to expand...
 
Rex said:
You've already had input from live sound engineers who have seen this before. ;)

Here's one (hint: trying it is way easier than swapping pickups
Click to expand...
SDMF said:
So i go thru this at times, so what year Les Paul and what pickups are in it? My 19 standard does this on the stock neck bb1 so try and roll the volume knob back to around 8 or so. This is what has been my work around with that guitar.
Click to expand...
It’s a 2019 standard, stock pickups. Rolling the volume off a bit is what I’ve been doing. Just feel there should be a way to control it with a block adjustment. I don’t have this issue with any of my PRS guitars (except the silver sky). My Fender Tele does fine, a couple of late 80’s Ibanez’s do fine. Don’t have the issue running through a Mesa dual rectifier with a 4/12 cranked. Doesn’t even happen as much on my AX8.
 
Around mid to late 2018 or so the burstbuckers that were installed were not potted and that’s what is causing the issue. I ended up swapping mine out.

You may be able to use a gate and knock it down, I couldn’t with mine.
 
Yes- I have an LP with unpotted custombuckers and it’ll squeal like crazy on higher gain settings. My other LP’s don’t. Is there a block for this? No idea.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I was able to come up with a fix.
In the past I had tried a PEQ and cut the 3k after the amp and cab block but that changed my tone too much. By moving the filter to the front of the chain before any drive or amp block and put a 3.5k notch filter in, the effect on the tone is negligible and the problem is gone. I will at some point probably switch to Duncans, but this has been something I wanted to get fixed while I have downtime.
 
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