Playing with no amp and other questions

A couple of questions....

I've read alot of things that suggest I should be training my ear to hear the scales and such that I'm playing. That made me think that alot of my practice is with no amp. I seem to be able to tell when a string is out of tune, but will practicing with no amp affect my 'ear'?

Also, I have a Peavy 15w modelling amp, and it seems that nearly any kind of distortion or overdrive makes the sustain go on forever. Is there a specific kind of adjustment I can do to adjust the length of the sustain? maybe the gain? pre or post gain? I seem to be stuck with nearly none to way too long.


And if anyone knows.....why do the magnets in my single coil pickups stick up out of the cover at different heights but the ones in the humbucker are level with the cover? How far from the strings should the pickups be? And is the string hieght above the fretboard supposed to get higher as you go from nut to bridge or should they be level along the fretboard?


Thanks for any tips

Hi GuitardedGeezer,

You won't hurt your 'ear' by practicing without an amp. I think it's better than playing with too many effects, you're actually hearing the tone of the guitar but many things will sound richer when you're plugged in.
With the amp, try putting the pre and post gain at about 5 and see how that effects the sustain, both of these gains will increase it.
The uneven magnets, I believe, are the way the old Stratocasters used to come and when they make newer guitars with this style, they're emulating the original single coil design. The string height should be about the same from the nut to the bridge, you may need to get your guitar tuned up by a pro, this will make it easier to play and it will stay in tune better. A guitar 'set up' usually runs $50-$100.

Neal

Thanks, Neal. Turning down the gain really helped. And I'm glad to hear I can practice without my amp (my wife is probably really glad to hear it too). I told her if it's too loud she's too old and she hit me. =;)

I'm thinking I will soon be getting the guitar professionally set up. I'm not sure I want to do without it that long though.

GG

HaHaa! Spoken like a true rebel rocker, and responded to like a true partner
Having your guitar set up by a pro is worth it and shouldn't take longer than a week. If you're worried about house volume, I think that amp has a headphone jack on the back too.

Neal :)

Neal,

What should a beginner ask or look for when taking their guitar in to get a pro tune and setup?

I've learned how to properly tune my Strat and have tried my hand at intonation, but somehow I'm not sure I've got it dialed in. In particular, some of the strings just don't "sound right". For instance, I've got one that buzzes while none of the others do. Or one that just seems to ring out of tune, but when checked is in tune.

I think I've done all I can with my limited knowledge and it's time to let a pro handle it.

Hi fredhe12,

I would go by reputation, if someone is good it's going to show. I start by asking my friends who play who they go to and if a name keeps popping up that's usually a good sign. If you don't have anyone to ask locally I would do a google search or call the most reputable music stores in your area and kinda feel 'em out. A store/shop that is doing guitar repair is going to know how to setup your guitar correctly.
If a shop or person seems really busy and on top of their game, that's a good sign too, it means that a lot of people are using them.
If you go and see live local bands and they're good, I would ask the guitar player who he/she recommends.

It sounds like the buzzing on one string would be the action, which is the height of the strings off the neck. You said it was a strat so I'm thinking it probably has 6 saddles. The string needs to be raised off the neck a little bit more. You could try that, you'll probably need an allen wrench to do it. If that doesn't get rid of the buzz on that string, then take it to a pro.

As far as the intonation goes, most of the time you can hear it by ear. Play a harmonic at the 12th fret on each string, and play the note at the 12th fret. These notes should have the same pitch, you will be able to tell if it's really sharp, or flat. If it's really out of whack, take it to a pro. However when you get it back, check it the same way, and you can hear how it sounds for future reference.

Let us know how it goes, and if we can help you with anything else.

I play with an amp quite a bit myself, don't always want to hook everything up when I pick. I'll tell you a little trick that I found out about by accident, if you put the headstock on a wall, or a wood surface (table, desk, side of a bookshelf) it will give you more volume. You're passing along the vibration from the guitar, so it increases the volume a little bit.

Play the strings just holding the guitar, and then put the headstock on one of those surfaces, and listen to the difference. I don't know what this would do if you were hooked up to an amp, but it can help you hear more when playing without one.

JD

Thanks Neal + JD for the advice.

I know exactly who to ask regarding this.

As far as adjusting the action, I will try this some more. I've played with it, but the result is that the string in question (can't remember now, but its either G or D string) is much higher than the rest when I try this solution.

Hmmm, better leave it to an expert.

Thanks again guys.

Originally Posted by: fredhe12Hmmm, better leave it to an expert.

Yep.

I remember pestering every tech that set up my guitar about what they did for a few years until I understood how to do a good set up. In the end, I could do a pretty solid set up. Still, a good tech will do much more that you can probably really ever do unless you become a real student of the set up. The can still do things I would want to do like fret dressing and all that. A good set up heavily out weighs the cost.

You're welcome, wish it would have worked out better. It's starting to sound like a truss rod adjustment is what you need, and it is definitely best to leave that to an expert. Let us know how it goes, and if we caan be of any more help to you.

JD

No problem!

Originally Posted by: GuitardedGeezerI've read alot of things that suggest I should be training my ear to hear the scales and such that I'm playing. That made me think that alot of my practice is with no amp. I seem to be able to tell when a string is out of tune, but will practicing with no amp affect my 'ear'?

If you play electric guitar, I recommend that you always practice with an amp, because the amp is half your sound.

As far as ear training goes, try practicing without the amp OR the guitar. Just try singing the scales away from your instrument. Of course, you'll need to check yourself (or give yourself a starting pitch), so keep your guitar nearby or use a keyboard instead. Using a keyboard may help you to visualize the distance between notes (intervals) more easily too.