Thanks in advance and excuse my english.
STRINGSSSSSSS
I use 010 strings in my lovely wi64, but I used to use 011 in my old, flat, not so good sounding g2v to give it a little more fatness... Well I'm happy with my string's gauge and I'm very custom to more than 010 strings, but sometimes I think a 09 strings could be nicer for some fast things... Everytime I play a fried's guitar with 09 strings I feel just like malstem -anybody has the rigth to dream- and when return to my guitar it feels sooooooo heavy. Could someone tell me what the diference in tone between the diferents string's gauge is? I can hear it when play my friend's guitar... but can't put it on words yet.
Thanks in advance and excuse my english.
Thanks in advance and excuse my english.
# 1
The first principle of guitar sound is understanding that the strings are THE most important part of the instrument. They may not have the sex appeal of a new set op pickups, but really, the guitar is entirely built around the strings. Every part of the guitar is designed to support the string's job of vibrating in ways that are controled by the player. 'Kinda puts a whole new light on that little five-buck package!
So, as you said, the heavier gauge strings helped to 'fatten up' the sound of your old axe. You don't get any sound out of an electric guitar unless there is a vibrating magnetic mass within the field of your pickups. More mass = more sound. A heavier string usually produces more of the fundamental note, with fewer harmonics, than a thinner string at the same pitch. This also makes it sound 'fatter'.
Your friend's guitar, with the thinner strings on it, is probably easier to play than yours, but I bet it sounds a bit 'thin'. (By the way, congratulations on your new axe; I happen to be a Washburn fan myself.)
Stevie Ray Vaughn got a lot of his killer tone from his heavy strings. A set of .011 GHS Boomers can feel like a half-dozen coat hangers to someone who's used to those .009 'spider webs'!
As with just about everything else, it comes down to the music you play. If your sound is mostly based on the effects and the amplifier settings you use, then the strings become less important. Thin strings make deep bends and dive-bombing, whammy-bar zoomies playable. If the guitar itself is the major part of your sound, you may want to stay with .010 strings, or even try a set of .011's for a while.
Try playing a guitar on its own, without an amp. If it sounds good like that, it will sound even better plugged in. If it does'nt give good tone on its own, plugging in will just make it louder.
Whatever you choose, keep 'em CLEAN! A fresh set of strings has a clear, rich sound that gradually gets muted as oil from your fingers traps dirt in the wound strings and causes corrosion in the plain ones.
So, as you said, the heavier gauge strings helped to 'fatten up' the sound of your old axe. You don't get any sound out of an electric guitar unless there is a vibrating magnetic mass within the field of your pickups. More mass = more sound. A heavier string usually produces more of the fundamental note, with fewer harmonics, than a thinner string at the same pitch. This also makes it sound 'fatter'.
Your friend's guitar, with the thinner strings on it, is probably easier to play than yours, but I bet it sounds a bit 'thin'. (By the way, congratulations on your new axe; I happen to be a Washburn fan myself.)
Stevie Ray Vaughn got a lot of his killer tone from his heavy strings. A set of .011 GHS Boomers can feel like a half-dozen coat hangers to someone who's used to those .009 'spider webs'!
As with just about everything else, it comes down to the music you play. If your sound is mostly based on the effects and the amplifier settings you use, then the strings become less important. Thin strings make deep bends and dive-bombing, whammy-bar zoomies playable. If the guitar itself is the major part of your sound, you may want to stay with .010 strings, or even try a set of .011's for a while.
Try playing a guitar on its own, without an amp. If it sounds good like that, it will sound even better plugged in. If it does'nt give good tone on its own, plugging in will just make it louder.
Whatever you choose, keep 'em CLEAN! A fresh set of strings has a clear, rich sound that gradually gets muted as oil from your fingers traps dirt in the wound strings and causes corrosion in the plain ones.
# 2
That's jut what I thought, but beside, I used to punch -when I need- the strings very hard. I think that a heavier set of strings give more estabillity to the sound. Ligth strings's sound tend to be deformed by a strong picking or struming. And yes, the best way to practique is unpluging the guitar, leting the lady sing by herself... Thanks again.
# 3
Your point about pick attack is well taken. I use the same gauge of strings (.010) on my electric-acoustic and on my electric guitars. This males it a bit easier to move from one to another, but I still have to adjust my playing style to acommodate the different instruments. The electric guitars need a very gentle touch, while the acoustics can be played more agressively.
I like your phrase "letting the lady sing by herself". That sums up a good approach to the instrument, and the music.
I like your phrase "letting the lady sing by herself". That sums up a good approach to the instrument, and the music.
# 4
You said something about the Stevie Ray Vaughn's killer tones... Could you tell me which song of SRV can I try? I know the importance of that guy in the styles's history but I've never heard him... you'll see, he's not popular in my country...
# 5
Alberto;
It'r good to hear from you again.
You can find a listing of his recordings, plus a few posthumous tribute discs, at just about any online music store. Here's the URL for CDNOW:
http://cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/mb_from=bbuilt/pagename=/RP/CDN/mainmenu.html
In the Search Menu at the top of the page, select "Search By Artist", type "Stevie Ray Vaughn" into the title box, and click "Go".
I have a special fondness for one of the last discs he cut before he died in a helicopter crash. He plays duets with my personal favourite, Albert King. To get a solid background on SRV's material, you should pick up one, (or both), of the 'best of' recordings.
'Anybody else wanna jump in with some suggestions? A man who's never heard SRV is in for some 'culture shock'!
Be prepared for a flamboyant mix of tone, taste, and blazing technique. His slow version of "Tin Pan Alley" will send chills down your spine. His fast stuff, like "Scuttlebuttin'" or "Stang's Swang" will make you work hard just to keep up with it with your ears!
By the way, how do you like your new Washburn WI64? I've been drooling over a TGR (green) one in a shop here.
It'r good to hear from you again.
You can find a listing of his recordings, plus a few posthumous tribute discs, at just about any online music store. Here's the URL for CDNOW:
http://cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/mb_from=bbuilt/pagename=/RP/CDN/mainmenu.html
In the Search Menu at the top of the page, select "Search By Artist", type "Stevie Ray Vaughn" into the title box, and click "Go".
I have a special fondness for one of the last discs he cut before he died in a helicopter crash. He plays duets with my personal favourite, Albert King. To get a solid background on SRV's material, you should pick up one, (or both), of the 'best of' recordings.
'Anybody else wanna jump in with some suggestions? A man who's never heard SRV is in for some 'culture shock'!
Be prepared for a flamboyant mix of tone, taste, and blazing technique. His slow version of "Tin Pan Alley" will send chills down your spine. His fast stuff, like "Scuttlebuttin'" or "Stang's Swang" will make you work hard just to keep up with it with your ears!
By the way, how do you like your new Washburn WI64? I've been drooling over a TGR (green) one in a shop here.
# 6
Thanks for the information, and I recognize I'm not a players listener... some of the things I heard when was a teenager, was the usual fast virtuoso stuff, nothing important, vai, Eddie van hallen, Malstem, Satriani you know. In those days I used to study and practise very hard just to see the face of my friends, and hear praises, but I feel very ashamed of those days. Once I had to play a cover with my band in those days, it was "la ciudad de la furia" of Soda Stereo, an argentinian pop rock band -I'm chilean- and I did't know the song and I've never heard Soda Stereo because I thought they were plastic music and their guitar player wasn't fast an clean enough, he didn't use complex modes, that stupid things. I went to the store and bought by mistake another album "Dynamo" and when I was going home from the store, a friend leanded me "Desintegration" by The Cure. Those two albums made me forget and hate all the engineering work over the guitar. There are great players that can say so much with so few things, people that just know what they are trying to say. At least for me the trully hard thing to have is to say what you want to, talk to the persons, not to the score.
In this time I've been listening a lot of Yo la tengo and Sonic Youth, I like that "controled noise" and all the creative ways to express that you can find in there... I don't have a favourite, I can't have just one. Someday I readed ridiculuos post about the best guitar, and the best player. The mistake is not understand that the music is maded by people, by diferent ways to percive the world and the life, so the result MUST BE diferent as well. There are Stratocasters, and Les Pauls, because in the world there are diverse things to put in sound... otherwise you are being clasist, racist. To hear music is to hear the person who wanted to tell you something which is important enough to make a piece of music, is an act of respect and comunication.
But one of the people I like to hear is Mark Knophler -It's writed in the right way?- from Dires Straits, David Gilmour -those two guys allways know what want to tell you. Please try "Brothers in Arms" by Dires Straits and tell me if a virtuoso can compose and play that-, Jimmy Page, Aungust Young, and don't know... many many many many many others... anyway I don't like players very much, I prefer bands. I think there's not great thing about to be a solist, the hard thing is to have five guys playing the same note at the samen time with the same intention.
About the Wi64 It's gonna be a pleasure to recomend you the lady... I'll paste a review I wrote in harmony central whit some adds.
Features:9
A very good guitar, 1999 Korean made for lowering the prices, 22 frets. Mahogany neck and body the neck is set so you get a lot of resonance and sustain as in a very expen$ive PRS; the woods are PERFECTLY ensambled, so it's just as if you have a one piece guitar. 3 way pick up selector and 2 humbuckers, the standars washburn ones.
The strange Voice Contour Control which is a weack point at least to me; there are not tone controls because the tone knobs have been replaced for vcc knobs: it supossed that turning the vcc knobs you can move from the sound of a humbucker to a single coil pickup, but let me tell you... it's just bull****, you can't get a really sweet single coil tone, beacuse you don't have the W I D E R frecuencies range of a good single coil, it just take out some gain from your humbucker and it rings just as if you would have lowered the volume and added some hig frecuencies in a eq. The only thing it can achieve is a kind of P-90 pick up sound, I'm planning to change this thins for the classics and very usefull tone controls, you can do it and it's not a hard thing to do.
Tune-o-Matic Bridge with Buzz Feintein Tuning System: this is an ansowe feature. The Buzz Feintein Tuning System makes the guitar tune PERFECT, really PERFECT, very stable beside. I have owned more than teen guitars in my life and have played various more, and this is the best intonation that I've ever ever heard. The courious thing is I can't see any diference in the guitar construction... don't know how this tuning system works, but it does. Well, the good intonation is helped by Grover-non locking tuners... non locking but good tuners anyway.
I would give a 10 but the vcc controls are not what I want from a rock guitar. You know, when you chose an instrument you'r expecting a real thing, somethig serious to create serious things whit it, and not little toys to sell the thing to teenagers. Great construction anyway.
Sound: 10
I play basically... almost everything excepting metal. But when I bought the axe I was hearing a lot of sonic youth, yo la tengo, my bloody valentine, soda stereo, el otro yo, pixies, and somethig I allways like to play is Cure and Smiths... Beside Zepellin, Rolling Stones. A lot of Blues as well. I use the guitar throug a Digitech RP-3 into a 100w tube power amp that I made by myself -I love that creature- with a myself made too 2x12 celestion gt-75.
What I really like about the wi64 is that it's really have caracteristic sound... don't know really why all the guys are trying to get the starz sound when you must create YOUR tone... what I said at the beginin was just an example to let you see what I'm around, but the guitar has it's own sound and allows you to create into the humbukers boundaries. Though it's a VERY versatile instrument, you can go from clean to dirty, and from bright to dark. It's something common on most of the washburn guitars -I owned the g2v and was the same thing... but maybe too much, it was a kind of flat guitar... very versatile yes, but a little unpersonal thus-.
The standar washburn humbuckers tend to mid boost, like a vintage humbucker -60's gibson sg- but just a little bit. Don't get me wrong, those are not a pair of Dimarzio clasic paff and that's cool, because they have a good performance on all the frecuencies, but with a little tendency to mids; the quality of the tone is excellent... Rich and Full, very fat. I've thought about change the mics for something really pro, because is a great constructed guitar so you can make use of the advantage and put some additions on, but at this time my beauty is ok.
To create atmospheres as in a keyboard I play kinda of hi-fi things too whit a lot of delays and modulators, and no problems at all.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
From factory was uhmm... right, but nothing -guitars I mean- comes in the perfect way from factory... becuase the perfect way is something absolutey personal.. The action was ok... a little high maybe but with 09 strings, and it helped to make it feel good. When I taked it home I changed the strings for 010 and lowered the action just a little... Don't know what you think, but the only way to get a clean sound is a hig action... any fool can be satriani, malstem or vai with a buzzzzzzing guitar and furious distortion with a lot of rever. The goal is try to play by your self, make it rings clean an rich -fast if you think it's important- unpluged. In few words, the most crucial step in your gear is the guitar player.
The action could be lowered somethig more, but it cause some scarce buzz in the 13 fret to up with the 5th and 6th strings. I'm a cleanliness maniac and I like to punch the strings very violently sometimes so a not so low action is suitable for me if I want to sound absolutely clear all the time, beside the fact that doesn't exist in the universe a very low action - I mean a VERY VERY low action, the one you like when you are learning to play and trying to be better than your friends- without buzzing noises.
The pickups where far away from the strings and was fixed in two minutes.
About the finish... almost perfect, yeah... almost. Though the work and the woods are near to sublime, there's a little split on the neck and when you buy an instrumet you want it unblemished... that's all.
The electronic stuff can't be better... nothing, nothing and nothing is noisy there. Sometimes I play before the pc's screen whit a lot of distortion and if the guitar doesn't sound noisy before a screen it's because is simply quiet.
Reliability/Durability: 10
I've giged for 8 months whit the wi64 and we -the guitar and me- are healthfull mates. I don't have nothing to say about it, it's really strude.
I have a squier stratocaster too, and I use the both in gig, but for different prouposes as you can see, so I trully don't have a backup, I depend on my guitars and they make they work without problems.
I use the guitar for practice too all the time. Everything is fine.
Obviouslly it's a guitar and not an M-16 assault weapon... If you don't treat your instrument whit the respect it deserves you'r going to have problems no matters what guitar you own.
Customer Support: 10
Once I sended an email to washbur asking for information about to change the fkng vcc for the traditional tone controls and they replyed in two days whit the information.
The warranty by the local store was for 6 months. The usual thing at least in my country.
Overall Rating: 10
I been playing for the 12 last years of my sad life, and I own a mexican squier strato which is a great guitar for the price as well. There's nothig I would like to ask about the wi64 -and neither about the strato- because they are not pro guitars if you take a while for check out the prices, I'm sure there're amazing guitars as prs, parker, fender, gibson, etc, but let me tell you that I can't notice the diference between my lady and a Gibson Les Paul custom, and for less than the half of the price. Is far away better than any epiphone guitar or another mid priced range instrument. If it where stoled... the fist thing I'd do is to cry, the second one is kill the stoler, his family, all his friends and pets, and finally I'd bougth a new one -in cherry color as my current wi64-. The only thing I don't like is the vcc, and the most lovely thing in the beauty is the quality of the contruction... If you know something about guitars you'll catch me, It's something in the wood, in the way it was ensambled, in the -THE MOST IMPORTANT THING KID- intonation, the action, the fit.
This is the best guitar I ever owned considering the price -don't forget about that- I've owned corts, squiers, epiphones, jacksons, guilds, and nothing is near the wi64. I think I'll never quit this guitar, maybe if I become famous I should try a PRO MONSTER... but in this moment nobody pay my rent for my music, however I really think there's nothing the wi64 can't do whit normal tone controls and a pair of pro pickups.
Have in mind too the importance of the rest of your gear... don't go with the brands, go with the tone and with the intelligence to set up a good combination.
Well that's all Lordathestrings... I'll try SRV and please take a view of Brothers in Arms...
Excuse my english... I learned to speak listening The Smiths, Cure and Morrissey, but to write is something diferent.
In this time I've been listening a lot of Yo la tengo and Sonic Youth, I like that "controled noise" and all the creative ways to express that you can find in there... I don't have a favourite, I can't have just one. Someday I readed ridiculuos post about the best guitar, and the best player. The mistake is not understand that the music is maded by people, by diferent ways to percive the world and the life, so the result MUST BE diferent as well. There are Stratocasters, and Les Pauls, because in the world there are diverse things to put in sound... otherwise you are being clasist, racist. To hear music is to hear the person who wanted to tell you something which is important enough to make a piece of music, is an act of respect and comunication.
But one of the people I like to hear is Mark Knophler -It's writed in the right way?- from Dires Straits, David Gilmour -those two guys allways know what want to tell you. Please try "Brothers in Arms" by Dires Straits and tell me if a virtuoso can compose and play that-, Jimmy Page, Aungust Young, and don't know... many many many many many others... anyway I don't like players very much, I prefer bands. I think there's not great thing about to be a solist, the hard thing is to have five guys playing the same note at the samen time with the same intention.
About the Wi64 It's gonna be a pleasure to recomend you the lady... I'll paste a review I wrote in harmony central whit some adds.
Features:9
A very good guitar, 1999 Korean made for lowering the prices, 22 frets. Mahogany neck and body the neck is set so you get a lot of resonance and sustain as in a very expen$ive PRS; the woods are PERFECTLY ensambled, so it's just as if you have a one piece guitar. 3 way pick up selector and 2 humbuckers, the standars washburn ones.
The strange Voice Contour Control which is a weack point at least to me; there are not tone controls because the tone knobs have been replaced for vcc knobs: it supossed that turning the vcc knobs you can move from the sound of a humbucker to a single coil pickup, but let me tell you... it's just bull****, you can't get a really sweet single coil tone, beacuse you don't have the W I D E R frecuencies range of a good single coil, it just take out some gain from your humbucker and it rings just as if you would have lowered the volume and added some hig frecuencies in a eq. The only thing it can achieve is a kind of P-90 pick up sound, I'm planning to change this thins for the classics and very usefull tone controls, you can do it and it's not a hard thing to do.
Tune-o-Matic Bridge with Buzz Feintein Tuning System: this is an ansowe feature. The Buzz Feintein Tuning System makes the guitar tune PERFECT, really PERFECT, very stable beside. I have owned more than teen guitars in my life and have played various more, and this is the best intonation that I've ever ever heard. The courious thing is I can't see any diference in the guitar construction... don't know how this tuning system works, but it does. Well, the good intonation is helped by Grover-non locking tuners... non locking but good tuners anyway.
I would give a 10 but the vcc controls are not what I want from a rock guitar. You know, when you chose an instrument you'r expecting a real thing, somethig serious to create serious things whit it, and not little toys to sell the thing to teenagers. Great construction anyway.
Sound: 10
I play basically... almost everything excepting metal. But when I bought the axe I was hearing a lot of sonic youth, yo la tengo, my bloody valentine, soda stereo, el otro yo, pixies, and somethig I allways like to play is Cure and Smiths... Beside Zepellin, Rolling Stones. A lot of Blues as well. I use the guitar throug a Digitech RP-3 into a 100w tube power amp that I made by myself -I love that creature- with a myself made too 2x12 celestion gt-75.
What I really like about the wi64 is that it's really have caracteristic sound... don't know really why all the guys are trying to get the starz sound when you must create YOUR tone... what I said at the beginin was just an example to let you see what I'm around, but the guitar has it's own sound and allows you to create into the humbukers boundaries. Though it's a VERY versatile instrument, you can go from clean to dirty, and from bright to dark. It's something common on most of the washburn guitars -I owned the g2v and was the same thing... but maybe too much, it was a kind of flat guitar... very versatile yes, but a little unpersonal thus-.
The standar washburn humbuckers tend to mid boost, like a vintage humbucker -60's gibson sg- but just a little bit. Don't get me wrong, those are not a pair of Dimarzio clasic paff and that's cool, because they have a good performance on all the frecuencies, but with a little tendency to mids; the quality of the tone is excellent... Rich and Full, very fat. I've thought about change the mics for something really pro, because is a great constructed guitar so you can make use of the advantage and put some additions on, but at this time my beauty is ok.
To create atmospheres as in a keyboard I play kinda of hi-fi things too whit a lot of delays and modulators, and no problems at all.
Action, Fit, & Finish: 9
From factory was uhmm... right, but nothing -guitars I mean- comes in the perfect way from factory... becuase the perfect way is something absolutey personal.. The action was ok... a little high maybe but with 09 strings, and it helped to make it feel good. When I taked it home I changed the strings for 010 and lowered the action just a little... Don't know what you think, but the only way to get a clean sound is a hig action... any fool can be satriani, malstem or vai with a buzzzzzzing guitar and furious distortion with a lot of rever. The goal is try to play by your self, make it rings clean an rich -fast if you think it's important- unpluged. In few words, the most crucial step in your gear is the guitar player.
The action could be lowered somethig more, but it cause some scarce buzz in the 13 fret to up with the 5th and 6th strings. I'm a cleanliness maniac and I like to punch the strings very violently sometimes so a not so low action is suitable for me if I want to sound absolutely clear all the time, beside the fact that doesn't exist in the universe a very low action - I mean a VERY VERY low action, the one you like when you are learning to play and trying to be better than your friends- without buzzing noises.
The pickups where far away from the strings and was fixed in two minutes.
About the finish... almost perfect, yeah... almost. Though the work and the woods are near to sublime, there's a little split on the neck and when you buy an instrumet you want it unblemished... that's all.
The electronic stuff can't be better... nothing, nothing and nothing is noisy there. Sometimes I play before the pc's screen whit a lot of distortion and if the guitar doesn't sound noisy before a screen it's because is simply quiet.
Reliability/Durability: 10
I've giged for 8 months whit the wi64 and we -the guitar and me- are healthfull mates. I don't have nothing to say about it, it's really strude.
I have a squier stratocaster too, and I use the both in gig, but for different prouposes as you can see, so I trully don't have a backup, I depend on my guitars and they make they work without problems.
I use the guitar for practice too all the time. Everything is fine.
Obviouslly it's a guitar and not an M-16 assault weapon... If you don't treat your instrument whit the respect it deserves you'r going to have problems no matters what guitar you own.
Customer Support: 10
Once I sended an email to washbur asking for information about to change the fkng vcc for the traditional tone controls and they replyed in two days whit the information.
The warranty by the local store was for 6 months. The usual thing at least in my country.
Overall Rating: 10
I been playing for the 12 last years of my sad life, and I own a mexican squier strato which is a great guitar for the price as well. There's nothig I would like to ask about the wi64 -and neither about the strato- because they are not pro guitars if you take a while for check out the prices, I'm sure there're amazing guitars as prs, parker, fender, gibson, etc, but let me tell you that I can't notice the diference between my lady and a Gibson Les Paul custom, and for less than the half of the price. Is far away better than any epiphone guitar or another mid priced range instrument. If it where stoled... the fist thing I'd do is to cry, the second one is kill the stoler, his family, all his friends and pets, and finally I'd bougth a new one -in cherry color as my current wi64-. The only thing I don't like is the vcc, and the most lovely thing in the beauty is the quality of the contruction... If you know something about guitars you'll catch me, It's something in the wood, in the way it was ensambled, in the -THE MOST IMPORTANT THING KID- intonation, the action, the fit.
This is the best guitar I ever owned considering the price -don't forget about that- I've owned corts, squiers, epiphones, jacksons, guilds, and nothing is near the wi64. I think I'll never quit this guitar, maybe if I become famous I should try a PRO MONSTER... but in this moment nobody pay my rent for my music, however I really think there's nothing the wi64 can't do whit normal tone controls and a pair of pro pickups.
Have in mind too the importance of the rest of your gear... don't go with the brands, go with the tone and with the intelligence to set up a good combination.
Well that's all Lordathestrings... I'll try SRV and please take a view of Brothers in Arms...
Excuse my english... I learned to speak listening The Smiths, Cure and Morrissey, but to write is something diferent.
# 7
Alberto, Alberto... such richness of expression! You write a guitar review that turns into a story of life. Don't worry about your English. If I tried to write in Spanish, you would have NO idea what I was trying to say!
From your description, it sounds like Washburn is still making the same kind of pickups they used in my old A-20. It's a strange-looking thing, but it sounds wonderful. The trouble is, I keep bashing my knuckles on the volume knob for the neck pickup. I haven't played a WI64 yet, but it looks to me like I would have the same problem with it. Your point about the VCC is something I needed to know.
"Brothers In Arms" has been one of my favourites for years. You might try "Live Wire/Blues Power" by Albert King. The man brings so much joy to his music, you can hear him laughing on some of the tracks.
From your description, it sounds like Washburn is still making the same kind of pickups they used in my old A-20. It's a strange-looking thing, but it sounds wonderful. The trouble is, I keep bashing my knuckles on the volume knob for the neck pickup. I haven't played a WI64 yet, but it looks to me like I would have the same problem with it. Your point about the VCC is something I needed to know.
"Brothers In Arms" has been one of my favourites for years. You might try "Live Wire/Blues Power" by Albert King. The man brings so much joy to his music, you can hear him laughing on some of the tracks.
# 8
Hello Lord... I've recived your mesage some time ago, and I answered to your email address, but you never gave any signal of life... So I come here to put my mesage on the board. Is good to know about you.
-------------------------------------------------
Yes I tryed some SRV stuff in a friend's house... not exactly the songs you said, but was amazing anyway. It was something like all the things you are waiting to hear from a virtuoso: velocity, complex harmonization -impossible tecnique- but with style, whit class. That guy didn't need to speak not even to buy a box of cigarretes... His language was a stratocaster.
The last friday I went to a Yo La Tengo's concert here in my city... you'll know, is not common to have some people from the other side of the world around here, and is easier to have the top 10, the MTV bands than a little cult band as YLT. The show was one of the most warm, intimate and honest things that I've seen. You know, I went to U2 pop mart tour too and you wasn't quite sure if those guys were real or not, if among all the glance there was something near to our real lifes... The YLT concert puted me in a very annoy situation, because all my life as a player I've been making a tone around the humbukers due to a particular guitar player from this part of the planet that I like very much, beside I thougth the best way to learn was getting specialized in one area. It was a long time ago but I got used to play in a humbucker style -If you want an example of that, when someone asked me about blues I said B.B. King and Not Clapton = Lucile and not stratocaster- though when you get older learn more and bands like YLT, Sonic Youth, My bloody Valentine, and things like that showed me the another side of the spectre, because they are absolutelly "fender bands". Well, I finaly have the guitar I love with a tube amp -copied some fender schematic with a elecro friend- everything, even the patches in the pedalboard are concived for humbuckes, and now I'm starting to pay more attention to my squier strato... I should have made up a gear in a more wide concept.
When I read your last mesage about your knukling problem I was wondering for maybe a half hour how it could be possible... don't know, your style of struming must be very personal... Well I don't know your guitars... and could not find them on the web. I'm sure that Washburn is the most cheap professional instrument you can have, they make superb guitars at incredible prices, but not everything in the washburn family -as in any family- is pinked colour, you know there are really awfull guitars as the bt, wr and rs series that I tryed, are not so good, and somethings not good at all. I don't know your beloved Yamaha neither, but I haven't liked the ones I've played... However did you know a beautifull quote form Andres Segovia: "Among God's creatures two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and shapes, in order not to be separated from the man" I don't belive in God and I don't like dogs but the sentence is great anyway.
I allways remember an extrange guitar I played just for a couple of weeks a lot of years ago, and I'd buy it inmediatly if I found it around there... It was a Teisco, japanese guitar from the 50's or something near that time, semi hollow body, green, the tuners were completly stained and were very hard to turn, the intonation was a serious matter as well... but its voice was so peculiar, like a little a.m. radio.
There are some more things to share, but I'll save them for another time. Tell me something about your life and your string ladies. By the way where are you from?
Best regards.
Alberto.
-------------------------------------------------
Yes I tryed some SRV stuff in a friend's house... not exactly the songs you said, but was amazing anyway. It was something like all the things you are waiting to hear from a virtuoso: velocity, complex harmonization -impossible tecnique- but with style, whit class. That guy didn't need to speak not even to buy a box of cigarretes... His language was a stratocaster.
The last friday I went to a Yo La Tengo's concert here in my city... you'll know, is not common to have some people from the other side of the world around here, and is easier to have the top 10, the MTV bands than a little cult band as YLT. The show was one of the most warm, intimate and honest things that I've seen. You know, I went to U2 pop mart tour too and you wasn't quite sure if those guys were real or not, if among all the glance there was something near to our real lifes... The YLT concert puted me in a very annoy situation, because all my life as a player I've been making a tone around the humbukers due to a particular guitar player from this part of the planet that I like very much, beside I thougth the best way to learn was getting specialized in one area. It was a long time ago but I got used to play in a humbucker style -If you want an example of that, when someone asked me about blues I said B.B. King and Not Clapton = Lucile and not stratocaster- though when you get older learn more and bands like YLT, Sonic Youth, My bloody Valentine, and things like that showed me the another side of the spectre, because they are absolutelly "fender bands". Well, I finaly have the guitar I love with a tube amp -copied some fender schematic with a elecro friend- everything, even the patches in the pedalboard are concived for humbuckes, and now I'm starting to pay more attention to my squier strato... I should have made up a gear in a more wide concept.
When I read your last mesage about your knukling problem I was wondering for maybe a half hour how it could be possible... don't know, your style of struming must be very personal... Well I don't know your guitars... and could not find them on the web. I'm sure that Washburn is the most cheap professional instrument you can have, they make superb guitars at incredible prices, but not everything in the washburn family -as in any family- is pinked colour, you know there are really awfull guitars as the bt, wr and rs series that I tryed, are not so good, and somethings not good at all. I don't know your beloved Yamaha neither, but I haven't liked the ones I've played... However did you know a beautifull quote form Andres Segovia: "Among God's creatures two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and shapes, in order not to be separated from the man" I don't belive in God and I don't like dogs but the sentence is great anyway.
I allways remember an extrange guitar I played just for a couple of weeks a lot of years ago, and I'd buy it inmediatly if I found it around there... It was a Teisco, japanese guitar from the 50's or something near that time, semi hollow body, green, the tuners were completly stained and were very hard to turn, the intonation was a serious matter as well... but its voice was so peculiar, like a little a.m. radio.
There are some more things to share, but I'll save them for another time. Tell me something about your life and your string ladies. By the way where are you from?
Best regards.
Alberto.
# 9
The SRV cd to get is 'In Step'.
Collect all the others afterwards, except for the essential "Texas Flood".
Collect all the others afterwards, except for the essential "Texas Flood".
# 10
Originally Posted by: Elmo45The SRV cd to get is 'In Step'.
Collect all the others afterwards, except for the essential "Texas Flood".
I recently "lucked into" an eBay deal for a copy of "The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble," a two-CD set. Great stuff. (Has "Texas Flood," too.) :cool:
Saw another thread on this forum about books with info on Stevie's tone, and now of course I can't locate all the ones I have with him in them. One that doesn't say anything about his strings, but does have standard notation and tab for "Pride and Joy," is HL00695348, Blues/Rock Guitar Masters by Andy Aledort. It's from the Signature Licks Series. It does mention that he tuned down a half step. (Low to high: Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb.)
I think I saw a reference in one book to SRV using a .013 1st string, and on up to .056. Whew.
--
Doug C.
# 11
