Controlling feedback?

[Jigsisme]

I may be weird but I've noticed that I like to ride feedback in my playing...Do you? Well tonight I wanted to "dial it in" so to speak...Let me try to explain what I want: I like the presence of the feedback right behind my chugs in rythm but not when I stop picking...how do you control it? Me, I tend to back off the gain but then I'll loose a bit of the brutal. Next I try and keep the gain up and use the guitar's volume to control. I tend to let the style of song tell me which to do.

Was just curious to hear your preferred way... guess I could use a gate.

[ICTGoober]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Do it like Nugent does, and just move around onstage to find the right spots.

[Silence Kid]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Pedals do this.

[Wattage]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Volume and a guitar that sings best thing ever

[Mincer]

Re: Controlling feedback?

I know Robert Fripp would mark places on the studio floor to stand for specific notes. That's how he did David Bowie's 'Heroes'.

[IM4Tone]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Volume, Gain, Mids, and proximity and orientation to the speaker relative to the guitar are the factors. Experiment with each variable one at a time. Each venue will be different. Santana will walk around the stage on sound checks to find the spot where he gets controlled feedback for infinite sustain. He's a master at this technique IMO.

[Darg1911]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Do it like Nugent does, and just move around onstage to find the right spots.

Probably found spots all over the stage when all he was playing was the Byrdland. Including standing on top of the stacks.

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Controlling feedback?

This just got released at NAMM, check it out.

http://digitech.com/en/products/freqout

[darthphineas]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Do it like Nugent does, and just move around onstage to find the right spots.

exactly. he uses soundcheck to find his preferred sweet spots, marks them, and uses them as needed during the show.

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Controlling feedback?

Don't go buying pedals and bull**** for this. You simply need to learn your gear... know the sweet spots at different volumes etc.

[Dave Locher]

Re: Controlling feedback?

"Stand in the right place" is easy at home or rehearsal, but not as easy live for a couple reasons: 1) sometimes small or cramped stage, 2) sometimes not much of a soundcheck before launch, 3) sometimes monitors mess with it. But when you DO hit it...bliss.

I had not played live in front of an audience since 2001 and last March we got back together for two shows. At the first show, nothing. Small stage, so-so sound system. At the second show with a much bigger stage I managed, mostly by accident, to find a spot that would give me infinite sustain/feedback for high notes. That was a much better night for me.

Equipment and technique are more important in my opinion. Some guitars just resonate better and are more lively. Some amps crank out the right frequencies to get that guitar humming. The right combo can overcome most of the obstacles I mentioned above. I had a '62 SG with a Super D pickup and I could sustain pretty much any note at any volume as long as I wanted from anywhere in front of the speakers just because of the way it interacted with my amp. Even unplugged I could keep a note going forever on that guitar with my Stunning Finger Vibrato (r). I had a couple other guitars at the same time that just would not go there. The right combination is magic. The wrong combo means doom and failure.

[IM4Tone]

Re: Controlling feedback?

I'm going to have to 'dig out' my Boss FB-2 which I haven't used in years now to refresh my memory on how it sounds. I think they're now discontinued....

[Mincer]

Re: Controlling feedback?

The Boss pedals can sound pretty cool- I used one for years when recording, and you'd never know it was fake. I think Digitech's new FreqOut pedal is a feedback pedal for guitar, and it sounds quite good.