Switching from Amplitube to Axe FX, challenge!

[spytunes]

All right chaps!

I made this in Amplitube, on Friday I'm getting my Axe Fx so all vids will be made in that in the future.

This and a few other things lined up well and I launched this today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNwbGWdkejM the question is:

Can you get closer to the sound of SRV?

Video response

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

Can you get closer to the sound of SRV?

This "challenge" has less to do with the Axe-FX, and more to do with the individual player.

I could play through all of the same gear as my heros till the end of time, and still sound nothing like them. FORTUNATELY, I still sound like ME no matter who's gear I'm playing through.

Now, if your request was more along the lines of "Can the Axe-FX more accurately duplicate the equipment in SRV's rig than whatever is used in this clip?" that's different, and I'm pretty sure it can.

 

[electronpirate]

Yup. Good luck, but SRV is about his PLAYING. Not the amp. He's pretty unique.

If you're asking whether the Axe-FX can do that...yes.

If someone wants to have at it. Would be fun anyway.

 

[fremen]

Check the samples of "testify" posted by the user Gene and Eddie or something like that.

 

[steadystate]

I've heard he strung with .013s to .058s. That right there puts me out of the running. I use .008s. Then there is his technique. I'm not going to achieve his tone, no matter what amp.

 

[Stratman68]

And tuned down 1/2 step

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

And used this guitar...

With those teeth. :?

 

[s0c9]

I use .008s.

OMG !! Did not know they made that light a guage !!
Never ever seen those in a store that I can recall.
Do they stay in tune ?

 

[fremen]

No and I break them in less than an hour

 

[shasha]

I use .008s.

OMG !! Did not know they made that light a guage !!
Never ever seen those in a store that I can recall.
Do they stay in tune ?

Hendrix, Page, Iommi, May, all kinds of guys played with very light gauge strings at some point in their careers. I believe that Hendrix would double on high E strings or something and some of them even used banjo strings.

I think that the whole heavy gauge thing is a macho thing more than anything else. Now a lot of guys will 'brag' about playing with heavy strings and they forget to tell you that they tune down. It makes more sense with dropped tunings.

I've heard great stuff played on light and heavy gauge, it's about what works for you. Of course I'm sure that someone will chime in about how light gauge strings are for girls or something.

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

I think that the whole heavy gauge thing is a macho thing more than anything else. Now a lot of guys will 'brag' about playing with heavy strings and they forget to tell you that they tune down. It makes more sense with dropped tunings.

10's, standard tuned. It's not a brag, it's just what I like, and not just because I like the way 10's feel.

Your tone will get thinner as you use smaller gauge strings, that's just a simple fact of physics, and I have used different gauges to get different tones, AND different feel for years.

I (normally) use 11's on my Hollowbody, as you just can't get that smooth "Jazzy" tone with anything smaller. It's my only 6 string at the moment though, so I have it strung with 10's to get a more aggressive blues/rock tone.

If I where tuning down, though, (not just drop D) I would definitely go thicker, as I hate floppy strings, but even when I do drop D I like a heavy bottom, as it gives it a more even tone, and feel.

My point, there is a lot more to strings than just being "macho." There are real physical reasons, related to tone, and feel, for using different gauges.

Also of note, when I play my dad's guitars (he uses 9's,) it feels really sloppy, and I have to take a minute to get used to them or I will over-bend all over the place. I can't imagine using 8's, I'd probably break the high E the moment I went for my first bend. Talk about cheese cutters.

 

[electronpirate]

Well, this is OT, but I play .10's, and sometimes .11's. I have small hands, but I beat the crap out of strings as a rule. I can play .009's easier, but when I'm bouncing around, I need heavier gauges to counter my heavy right hand.

My da-in-law plays .13's. I took a turn at his Gretsch Country Gent, and my fingers were meat for a week. (He plays old skool Elvis/Scotty stuff, and he can do that with his carpenter's heavy fingers. It's not macho, it's what some people play.

Watching SRV play, it doesn't surprise me. He has large fingers, and not kind with his right technique.

Back to OT, the point behind this challenge is to recreate his tone, which is pretty easily done. But recreating his technique, which really is playing with a clean amp, and working strings hard enough to get that overdriven sound. There's SOME dirt, but mostly it's SRV killing the strings. (Even Dumble complained that SRV could get distortion out of even his cleanest design.)

Ron

 

[mworkman]

Your tone will get thinner as you use smaller gauge strings, that's just a simple fact of physics, and I have used different gauges to get different tones, AND different feel for years.

This is some of the biggest BS that gets propagated on forums. The good Rev. Billy Gibbons, if I am not mistaken, uses .08's and NOBODY would describe his tone as thinner.

The guy I take lessons from plays .09's and the tones he gets are just incredible. I have heard him live several times... he plays with Danny Carey (Tool) and between their heavier fusion originals and covers from Led Zep, Jethro Tull, SRV, ZZ Top, Billy Cobham, and more... his tone has never sounded thinner.

He is sought out by manufacturers because of the tone he gets. Most recently the guys doing the Strymon pedals. Bogner has had him come up and give his opinion on various amps / mods over time.

Thinner gauge doesn't mean thinner tone.

If it is a question of feel and what works for a specific guitar player then I think gauge has a larger bearing.

 

[fremen]

I've used 010 on an Eb tuned guitar for years but switched back to 009 since two years. I don't play everyday, sometimes I don't touch my guitar for more than one week, and as a consequence I get pain in my fingers easily. I switched to 009 to avoid tendinitis and other problems

 

[porieux]

I use .008s.

OMG !! Did not know they made that light a guage !!
Never ever seen those in a store that I can recall.
Do they stay in tune ?

Hendrix, Page, Iommi, May, all kinds of guys played with very light gauge strings at some point in their careers. I believe that Hendrix would double on high E strings or something and some of them even used banjo strings.

I think that the whole heavy gauge thing is a macho thing more than anything else. Now a lot of guys will 'brag' about playing with heavy strings and they forget to tell you that they tune down. It makes more sense with dropped tunings.

I've heard great stuff played on light and heavy gauge, it's about what works for you. Of course I'm sure that someone will chime in about how light gauge strings are for girls or something.

People should use whatever gauge they want, but I have to take exception to the idea that heavy string gauge is just a 'macho' thing. Heavier strings definitely have more tone and dynamics; when needed you can hit them much harder than usual and get more sound which is IMO simply more musically responsive. You can't do that with light gauge strings, they will simply break or at best it won't change anything. This is just a fact; it may not matter to some people and that is fine, but there is no point arguing about it.

My preferred gauge is .11 due to feel, tone, and responsiveness. My Parker Fly Mojo is set up for .09s though and it drives me crazy.

 

[steadystate]

I use .008s.

OMG !! Did not know they made that light a guage !!
Never ever seen those in a store that I can recall.
Do they stay in tune ?

They stay in tune just fine. They also seem to last as long as heavier strings (for me). I used to use heavier strings, but I started developing nerve problems in my left arm/hand and had to go to a lighter gauge.

My own experience tells me that heavier strings sound very different than light ones. A heavier string has greater mass, a higher tension for a given pitch and length, a different harmonic structure, etc. This affects several aspects of the tone. I prefer the sound of heavy strings, but I just can't physically play with them

I believe you can get great tone from any gauge, but to me, there is most definitely a difference. This isn't entirely off topic, as I think I could get closer to SRV tone if I used heavier strings.

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

Your tone will get thinner as you use smaller gauge strings, that's just a simple fact of physics, and I have used different gauges to get different tones, AND different feel for years.

This is some of the biggest BS that gets propagated on forums.

No, it's not.

Both physics, and my personal experience agrees with me.

 

[mworkman]

[quote="Guitar-Tiz":2bi7ye6p]Your tone will get thinner as you use smaller gauge strings, that's just a simple fact of physics, and I have used different gauges to get different tones, AND different feel for years.

This is some of the biggest BS that gets propagated on forums.

No, it's not.

Both physics, and my personal experience agrees with me.[/quote:2bi7ye6p]

Whatever Mr. Wizard. Maybe it is how I interpret what you wrote but I took thinner to mean somehow inferior tone.

There have been great recordings from guitar players playing every gauge of string. So you are going to categorically lump all the "thinner" gauge string players as having some kind of inferior tone?

You are going to say SRV's tone is superior to Billy Gibbons? You may prefer one to the other but both of those guys got great tone using entirely different gauges.

My personal experience tells me that thinner gauge doesn't mean inferior tone. Like I said I heard a professional player who's played with some of the best players and get tones ranging from the heaviest to the cleanest on .09 gauge. Same thing with the range of players I've listen in variety of genres who are all of the map in term of gauge... all of them have been able to cultivate their own tone on their gauge of choice.

I wonder how many people could pick out the different between two gauge of strings played through the same amp.

At the end of the day people are going to believe what they want to believe. There will be two camps... those that say it matters and and those that don't and neither camp is going to convince the other.

So for me whatever differences there may be between gauges has more to do with feel (tension, ease of bending, etc.) than with tone. To me your hands / technique have the greatest impact on tone. Followed by your equipment. And probably dead last gauge.

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

Whatever Mr. Wizard. Maybe it is how I interpret what you wrote but I took thinner to mean somehow inferior tone.

Where did I say that?

Seriously, where in anything I posted did I say I thought that a thinner tone was an inferior tone?

It's funny, because I swore I said nothing about anything being inferior.

I swore that all I had said, to sum it up, was that thinner strings sound thinner, and that my personal tone preference is for something thicker, and thicker strings give me a thicker tone, which makes me happy.

It's a simple fact to grasp. Even my 7 year old gets this simple principal, thicker strings are going to sound thicker, thinner ones are going to sound thinner. There is no reason add any positive or negative connotations either way.

A preference is just a preference. I like many peoples tones, even some thinner sounding ones, and there is no one "good" tone. Heck I hate the way Strats sound, but I like Jimi Hendrix's tone, because somehow he makes them sound good to me.

So quit being so negative, Mr Grumpy.

 

[Guitar-Tiz]

I wonder how many people could pick out the different between two gauge of strings played through the same amp..

Been there done that, same amp, same settings, even the SAME guitar, and same sting brands, and yes, it was a VERY noticeable difference.

Like I said before, my personal experience tells me your wrong.

I have played guitar for over 19 years, and have gone through a LOT of strings of different brands, and coatings, and gauges, and you name it, and the best thing was it was pretty cheap to do. Plus, at an average of $5 a set, (and since you should be doing it at least once a month anyway) it's something I suggest every tone chaser do until they get the right set. And not just gauges either. Even different brands can have a slight variance in their voicing, due to how they are wound, and the type, and grade of metals they use.

Again, though, I'm not saying any gauge, or brand, or material is any better, or worse than any other, I'm just saying they sound different. And just as MY optimum amp setting may be totally different than yours on the same amp, and still sound equally as good, your string preference can be just as different, and still sound equally as good.

I find it sad that there is a need to explain any of this.