My Bad Habit With The Axe FX

jesussaddle

jesussaddle

Power User
Hey, is this familiar to anyone wishing to compose full tracks of music?

I put on fresh strings [as I did 10 minutes ago]. My Axe FX sounds unbelievable - no matter what pickup or preset I use. So good that I jam for hours (without very much productive stuff happening because I can't put the guitar down long enough to set up recording software, add additional instruments and write other parts and so forth...)

[I must mention that my guitar is a BC Rich Bitch with just a single knob, dedicated to volume. There is no tone pot. Presumably this at least has some strong advantages or give me some advice if I may want to change it, because it definitely has a bearing on the problem..)

Then, after a number of hours of enjoyment and productive practice I realize that the strings are not as fresh and the presets don't sound as good.

I try to dial in presets "better" and adjust settings to get the guitar sounding right in the mix..

(I suppose their are similar cycles with regard to warmed up joints versus tired joints; and fresh ears versus fatigued ears...but I think there may be a satisfactory solution to at least the "guitar sound" issue I am referring to, per the next paragraph..)

If this is not uncommon, what would really help is possibly to know roughly what EQ settings might brighten up the sound without becoming unnatural. I know it has been said to dial in a preset for worn-in strings rather than fresh ones, but this is impractical for me because the worn-in strings don't feel very inspirational. The harmonics start sounding a little out of place and the brightness isn't the only thing missing really. But if I have presets that are dialed in for somewhat fresh strings (of course not 1st hour strings - that would be foolish - but maybe hour 4 or 6), it would be nice to have a rough guess as to what parametric EQ curve might approximate undoing the change in tone at, say, hour 15. The idea would be to drop this block into every preset I make. (If you say, "just use your ears" then okay, but I am not particularly good at EQ'ing, and prefer to reduce bands of EQ rather than boost them, because I do not always think boosting sounds very natural, for whatever reason.)

Anyone have a guess as to what the parametric EQ settings would be?

[Edit - Although this is always a factor, I don't entirely think its ear fatigue. When I start over a day later the guitar presets don't sound as good and the nuances of picking aren't as beautiful to me. It could partially be sinus or ear related - I live on a small mountain so there are elevation changes going to and from work. I struggle with not liking the EQ of presets, and with the fact that ambient presets are clear enough one day and not as clear the next - and that harmonics sound musical and then stiff. Finding strings that will continue to sound roughly the same for several days of play would certainly help my confidence ]
 
Last edited:
Elixers are supposed to last longer. The strings I use are 9.5 gauge, and custom fat bottom gauges. Maybe I should indeed look into it. (My fingers can't handle 10's very well.. 9.5 works well for me and sounds a bit better.) I am avoiding DR strings because they occasionally sounded unstable, although I loved their brightness and they did seem to last. Are there coated strings in these 9.5 gauges?
 
Last edited:
Try Elixir Nanowebs of just try something different. Strings are pretty inexpensive.

What about cleaning your strings? Do you do that? Some folks don't. I find it can do wonders for how they feel. Nothing fancy. Just use whatever polish you use in the body.
 
I just make sure I'm jamming to a metronome or drum beat and call it practice. So far it's had a positive impact on my playing.
:D:D:D
 
I think some brands seem to last longer sounding fresh than others, so it's probably worth trying out different ones for longevity. For me Ernie Balls seem to last longer, but my body chemistry doesn't seem to corrode strings very fast at all. You could also try all nickle strings, or cobalt strings to see if they if they last longer.
 
What brand of strings do you use? Do you perspire a lot when playing? I find Ernie Balls sound awesome on my guitars. I switched from D'Addario 2 years ago, difference was night and day for clarity and sustain.
 
Fresh strings are nice I have to agree but my personal bad habit is that I'm really lazy at changing them. I use regular Ernie Balls in my electrics and Elixir Nanowebs in my acoustic. The acoustic gets a string change only if I have a really important recording coming up. Same goes for the electrics that were used on the last important recordings so that would mean my freshest strings are at least 6 months old. Are they as good as fresh strings? No way but there are so many things I can do with the Axe-Fx that I feel like I don't need a string change. I start a fresh preset almost every time that I start the unit so my situation may be a bit unique.

There are two schools for string change. 1) Fresh strings sound better and you change your strings frequently. 2) Strings that sound and perform the same way every time give you something you can rely on so you avoid changing strings.
 
jlynnb1 said:
my guess is its more your ears adjusting than it is the strings changing that much. no way a brand new set of coated strings would change THAT much over the first few hours unless you sweat pure acid...
Click to expand...
this, ill go so much as to not record or set anything up on fresh out the pack strings because while yes they sound fantastic...its very tough to record more than a song or 2 at that freshness (and im not endorsed by a string company so tearing off a set to restring after a couple hours is a no go for me :rolleyes:) so ill break em in before i put down anything serious. when i record i make sure everything is written and i know where everything is going so i can just go in, dial the sound, and bang em out as fast as i can

oh, and as far as brands im a daddario guy, i gave their new NYXLs a go and was pleasantly surprised by how long they stayed nice and steel-y. a little more cash per pack but the mileage you get should definitely make up for it at least
 
I was using Elixirs a couple of years and - although they are lasting for months - wasn't exactly happy with them because:
- they sound a bit dull compared to other strings,
- of all strings I've tried Elixirs are one of the stiffest strings to bend,
- because of thick layer of coat pick scratching is difficult to get.

Plain Ernie Balls are not for me - even if they are sounds great my sweat eats them in an instant. They're unplayable after a week of playing 1-2 hours a day, even if I clean them after every session.

Recently I've tried Coated Titanium EB Slinky strings and they were much better - they sounds great, they are easy to bend and lasts much longer than regular Slinkys. But they don't last nowhere near as long as Elixirs (I had to change them after a month) and with the price at the same level as Elixirs they are much more expensive.

Right now I have EB Cobalt Slinkys installed and so far (couple of days) they are the best strings I've ever had. They sounds amazing and bending is pure pleasure. But I must say that there's no direct comparison in my case, because they were installed by my luthier after significant upgrade (changing old nickel frets to stainless steel frets and replacing graphite nut to bone). So the only thing I can compare in time is how long they will last... will see.

Next I plan to try D'Addario EXP and see how long their micro-coat will last. After that I will have a pretty good overview and I will decide which strings I will stick with.

So, back to the topic - I would suggest that you try some different strings (especially made of various metal alloys) and see for yourself which ones suits you best in terms of tone stability and durability. Every person have different pH of sweat so the choice of strings is very personal, especially if we are taking into consideration not only their tone, but how long they last at their prime as well.
 
NYXL's I can't believe the difference they made for me. If you buy them I a 3 pack the price is a bit more reasonable, but I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've been playing for over 30 years and have tried just about every type and brand available, but I've finally found my strings.
 
ML SOUND LAB said:
2) Strings that sound and perform the same way every time give you something you can rely on so you avoid changing strings.
Click to expand...
This is my standard method too.

(ok, who am I kidding? I just don't like changing strings ;-)

But yea, I do prefer strings once they're broken in and not quite as bright... and once they get there I can go for months and know that my sound will be consistent. Of course they'll eventually wear out and then I make sure to change and break them in before I gig or create new presets.
 
Ear fatigue sets in after a few hours. It's not your strings. Common issue with lengthy mixing sessions - you keep making everything brighter and the next morning your mix sounds like someone's running their nails down a blackboard.

Take regular breaks and (maybe) recalibrate your ears by listening to a reference track occasionally.
 
Matt_B_77 said:
Try Elixir Nanowebs of just try something different. Strings are pretty inexpensive.

What about cleaning your strings? Do you do that? Some folks don't. I find it can do wonders for how they feel. Nothing fancy. Just use whatever polish you use in the body.
Click to expand...

I do have a question about this. I use a cloth, both over and under my strings - I'm just not sure what cloth is best?
 
kavoo said:
I was using Elixirs a couple of years and - although they are lasting for months - wasn't exactly happy with them because:
- they sound a bit dull compared to other strings,
- of all strings I've tried Elixirs are one of the stiffest strings to bend,
- because of thick layer of coat pick scratching is difficult to get.

Plain Ernie Balls are not for me - even if they are sounds great my sweat eats them in an instant. They're unplayable after a week of playing 1-2 hours a day, even if I clean them after every session.

Recently I've tried Coated Titanium EB Slinky strings and they were much better - they sounds great, they are easy to bend and lasts much longer than regular Slinkys. But they don't last nowhere near as long as Elixirs (I had to change them after a month) and with the price at the same level as Elixirs they are much more expensive.

Right now I have EB Cobalt Slinkys installed and so far (couple of days) they are the best strings I've ever had. They sounds amazing and bending is pure pleasure. But I must say that there's no direct comparison in my case, because they were installed by my luthier after significant upgrade (changing old nickel frets to stainless steel frets and replacing graphite nut to bone). So the only thing I can compare in time is how long they will last... will see.

Next I plan to try D'Addario EXP and see how long their micro-coat will last. After that I will have a pretty good overview and I will decide which strings I will stick with.

So, back to the topic - I would suggest that you try some different strings (especially made of various metal alloys) and see for yourself which ones suits you best in terms of tone stability and durability. Every person have different pH of sweat so the choice of strings is very personal, especially if we are taking into consideration not only their tone, but how long they last at their prime as well.
Click to expand...

I've just been using the D'addario 9.5 strings, but there are a number of suggestions to try on this thread. I will see if I can get a more lasting set that's to my liking. Apparently the NYXL strings are not claiming to last longer, but do sound interesting, as far as staying in tune.

There seem to be so many options to try. If the market gets only a little bigger, maybe there will grow a need for a "guitar cream woman" or man who drives into our neighborhood ringing a bell, with a studio/shop truck with Axe FX FRFR and cab rigs, and lets us try all the goodies, gives advice, and hones in our Axe FX presets. What would the bell sound like - the opening to an ACDC song?.
 
When in doubt you could always record your guitar before strings then after.. then a few hours later.
Maybe it will help you sleep at night. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom