testing my new mahogany strat type guitar with the MP1

[El Chiguete]

Hi all,

Many have seen that I assembled a mahogany strat a few weeks ago and I have to say it took me all this time to try to get the correct tone from it but after A LOT of trial and error I've learned A LOT on how to add eq and get the tone you are looking for, mostly using the Rane MPE 28 rack eq to add the final touches to the sound! Here are the settings used on this clip:

Guitar: mahogany strat body and neck with rosewood board, Dimarzio Dual Sound (Super Distortion) and gotoh floyd trem
MP1: OD1(6), OD2(6), Master(5), B(2), M(2), T(0), P(0)
Rane eq: 100hz(+2), 125hz(+2), 160hz(+2), 250hz(-4), 500(-2), 2k(-2), 2.5k(-2), 3.15k(+2)

What you think?

[vansinn]

I find it difficult judging it's tone from this clip.
Sounds like you're playing through some emulation that isn't fully in sync with the real world.
You don't write what you may have done on the Rane with frequencies above 3.15K; methinks something in the 6-8K range is aggressive, making it too gritty.
How did you set the MP-1 EQ?

Anyways, if I ear-filter this away, I hear a nicely balanced axe with a different [humbucked] sound spectrum than that of the typical Stratcat, and a healthy amount of sustain   - more than expected from an FR copy (not that Gotoh doesn't make nice stuff).

[El Chiguete]

Well maybe what you are hearing is that a I duplicated the track and panned them like 65% right and left and then added a 7ms delay on the right side... here is a link of the track again duplicated but both in center https://soundcloud.com/user719224247/ejemplo-general-custom-mahogany-strat-dimarzio-superdistortion-ada-mp1-rane-mpe-28-center

Also I didn't add any more eq than what you see there in my original post.

[MarshallJMP]

Well i think it sound really good,sound is good,intonation is good,i hear no buzzing or anything,so job well DONE

[rabidgerry]

No way El, good job!  I Ozzy riffs at the end I felt sounderd the best!  Well near the end....you know what I mean.  Great sound.

That's a good tone in my opinion also.  Is it me or does it not sound "stratish"?  I defo getting more of a Les Paul tone to it?  Les Paul's are Mahogony right?  I know flying V's are quite often (mine is alder though).

I felt there was a lot of life to this tone, and sparkle.

Would you consider a lot of processing went into adjusting your MP1?  Or to put it another way, have you heavily EQ'd?

[rnolan]

Well i think it sound really good,sound is good,intonation is good,i hear no buzzing or anything,so job well DONE

+1  Go El. though I do hear the artifacts Van was referring to in the first clip (6/8khz ?). The Mahogany seems to do a really nice job in the mids, nice and warm.  Being really picky though (hope you don't mind), there's a lack of distinction between notes (and I don't attribute this to your playing BTW), I'm not convinced that you have the right PUs for it given the wood.  My take is that for those PUs they need sharp defined wood (Maple/Basswood), you've gone all Mahogany (softer soul full warm well rounded).   I like the overall tone you're getting, I have an issue with the distinction between the notes, they aren't as succinct as I'd like them (hope this make some sense  :wave: )

Also I recon it needs more bottom end...

[El Chiguete]

No way El, good job!  I Ozzy riffs at the end I felt sounderd the best!  Well near the end....you know what I mean.  Great sound.

Funny you mention the Ozzy riffs because I used a couple of the songs of that album to referance to get my eq in that ballpark before recording 

That's a good tone in my opinion also.  Is it me or does it not sound "stratish"?  I defo getting more of a Les Paul tone to it?  Les Paul's are Mahogony right?  I know flying V's are quite often (mine is alder though).

Well thats because its an mahogany body and neck strat  so that Gibson tone was what I was looking for on this guitar build

Would you consider a lot of processing went into adjusting your MP1?  Or to put it another way, have you heavily EQ'd?

I wouldnt consider that I "hevily EQ'ed" it, I just use my Rane rack EQ to touch these frequencies 100hz(+2), 125hz(+2), 160hz(+2), 250hz(-4), 500(-2), 2k(-2), 2.5k(-2), 3.15k(+2) and on the recording I just put a High Pass and a Low Pass filter.

[El Chiguete]

+1  Go El. though I do hear the artifacts Van was referring to in the first clip (6/8khz ?).

So how about on the second clip I posted on the soundcloud link? If you still hear it what would you advise to do?

The Mahogany seems to do a really nice job in the mids, nice and warm.  Being really picky though (hope you don't mind), there's a lack of distinction between notes (and I don't attribute this to your playing BTW), I'm not convinced that you have the right PUs for it given the wood.  My take is that for those PUs they need sharp defined wood (Maple/Basswood), you've gone all Mahogany (softer sole full warm well rounded).   I like the overall tone you're getting, I have an issue with the distinction between the notes, they aren't as succinct as I'd like them (hope this make some sense  :wave: )

Well my view on this is that those older records didn't have that note definition that newer metal recordings have (specially in comparison with the stuff of today with active pickups) and I actually tried to take away some of that definition when I was comparing the tone Iwas recording with the one of songs of the classic heavy metal bands. As for the pickup and wood combination I would say that for my taste it cant be a better choice jejeje the reason why I say that is that EVERYONE in the late 70's early 80's put a Dimarzio Super Distortion in there Gibsons!!! Ace, Randy, Maiden, Judas... the list goes on! If you played Heavy Metal in that time I think that it was a no brainer to upgrade the pickup to a Super Distortion.

Also I recon it needs more bottom end...

It could (and it sounds great BTW with it) but because I was trying to have that tone from that era I didn't add much.

I appreciate your comments. Anything else you want to point out Im happy to discuss it.

[rabidgerry]

I would say that for my taste it cant be a better choice jejeje the reason why I say that is that EVERYONE in the late 70's early 80's put a Dimarzio Super Distortion in there Gibsons!!! Ace, Randy, Maiden, Judas... the list goes on! If you played Heavy Metal in that time I think that it was a no brainer to upgrade the pickup to a Super Distortion.

Yup!!  Awesome, totally have the same opinion as you here El

Lately though I have just discovered an axe that the DP100 does not work in  >:(  but I will find a way of fixing it or else I'll smash up the guitar

El what speakers are you using? or Impulses or what ever?  Let me know as I wanna try it out.

[El Chiguete]

I use a pair of H75-LD speakers from Scumback Speackers, check them out [urls]http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/h_series.html[/url] also I used a SM57 mic.

I'm too stuborn tu use impulses and any effect/amp/mic/speaker emulation becuase even tho I only play live 1 or 2 times a year I want to have the sound I have home there! Many people use all kind of emulations and pluggins to record at home and live they sound TOTALLY different and I dont want that.

[rabidgerry]

I only asked as I didn't know what you used to achieve the speaker sound so I forgot you were hellbent on cabs only for recording.

So scumbacks it is then, have to try get an impulse of them.

I don't know anyone personally who uses impulses over here except me.  I know my tone is pretty much the same at home and live but it does differ.  But this is more so because I am still getting my live sound to be more like my recording sound.  It used to be the other way about, but as time and things evolve in my setup it has changed around.  I know Judas Priest were like this for certain era.  Like Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith, those albums are nothing like the tones they had live for the period so it just goes to show you the big guns aren't afraid to use what is available to them and I try think the same but without out straying to far know what I mean?

I read an article about Dave Murray one time, he said doing anything that is available to you tools wise in the studio you should not be afraid to use or regard as cheating.  He elaborated more but I can't remember all he said.  So I have taken influence from this also and I don't mind using impulses of speakers I do not own, as I always still sound like me anyways (tone is in the fingers and all that jazz) and like Dave I make use of tools I have for recording/in studio that I may not have in a live environment.  This article was from 1988.  If I find it I will send it to you.  He was using solidstate back then.

But still great sound on the clip, I liked it. 

[rnolan]

So how about on the second clip I posted on the soundcloud link? If you still hear it what would you advise to do?

I only heard it on the first clip, 2nd clip was fine.  I probably wouldn't have noticed it except Van commented on it. Also I didn't realise you were chasing a specific sound/era and have adjusted accordingly. :wave: