Help getting a Joe Barden sound

[tone4days]

Re: Help getting a Joe Barden sound

if you think you want a duckbucker for the neck, then get a vintage rails for the neck instead ... essentially the same pickup tonally with different configuration ... my guess is that you bend strings (reading from your influences) ... you'll get a DRAMATICALLY better response with a rail pickup over the duckbucker in the neck and middle positions ... those teeny tiny pole pieces cant handle the bending very well at all ...

as for what you want, have you considered some of the real bill lawrence pickups from bill and becky lawrence in sunny california? ... i think they might interest you

also, have you considered the idea of making the two guitars sound different so as not to overlap the tonal pallet of the two? ... one nice thing about two guitars is that we get to try different sounds from each ... unless, of course, you need a 'hot spare' where you can count on them benig very sonically similar

if you are worried about taming a 'too bright' guitar, i bet a 59 in the bridge would work well , and combine (when split) with the middle very nicely ...

hope this helps
good luck
t4d

[zionstrat]

Re: Help getting a Joe Barden sound

Thanks benjy 24- I do need to keep knophleresq as my primary sound but also prefer blades- If I was going pure strat noiseless I think I would go kineman based on buddies strats-

Tone 4 days- Yeah, I forgot, bending is another reason I love my barden rails! Oh, well back to the real world, I haven't used Blawrence in years and will have to check out their site- I built a 335 copy in 70s and I used one of his full sized rails for one of the most 'pure' jazz sounds i have ever heard-

On the Duncan side, was looking at vintage rails but was worried that it has even less power than the duck and I was afraid it might be too bright as well-But mayebe I could but the vintage in the neck, with cool rail mid to better match a JB on the bridge- Or in the middle wiht a cool in the neck knowing that the vintage would contribute less in 2 and 4 than the bridge and the neck?

Also completely agree with your 'clone' issue, but what I forgot to tell you is why I want to upgrade the parker- I've got the Zion that I talk about, and a PRS ce24 that I want to leave at home, but keep a little of both of their sounds- I'm nuts about the feel and the piezo sound of the Parker and it's got a great big cavity and pickgaurd, so it should be fun to mod- I would much rather direct lightning to $400 guitar, espcially considerig I will not be able to replace those Bardens!

Good info all! Thanks!

[zionstrat]

Re: Help getting a Joe Barden sound

Rats- Thought I had made my mind up but think I just learned that vintage (and duckbusters) are only 2 conductor? Why would anyone make a dual blade that you can't tap? Am I missing something?

I'm guessing it would be well beyond me to try to tap myself

Cool rails is 4 conductor, but think I'm going to think this over a little more-

thx for input!

[zionstrat]

Finshed mod- Was Help getting a Joe Barden sound

Folks-
Thanks again for a lot of really good input- The nitefly mod went extremely well and here's a summary for anyone thinking in the same direction:

1. Spin a split is even better than on my zion/bardens! In single coil it's rather vintage, it warms up just a little when you add 2nd rails and really get's thick with all rails on- Center positions are even more radical than on the zion (guessing because there is more variety in these 3 pups)- Sounds a little bit like a vari-tone with differnt frequenices empnazised-

2. JB worked extremely well in bridge position- But it's surprisingly clear and bright- Almost tele like- It is spliting in position 2 and it's incredibly strat like, and I thihk I will get good crunch out of it by rolling off some treble.

3. Crusier is good in the mid positon, but a bit 'colorless' on it's own- In other words, positions 2 and 4 quack nicely, but 3's not really good or bad- It's pretty clean and may turn out to be a good rythem position when I get the rest of the band in the room. I wired it to ground out the north coil with the split so that it remains hum canecling.

4. Cool rail is excelent in neck position- Not only a great 4 position sound, but probalby the clearest neck I've ever had (more defined than the barden on my strat), but also crunches up very nicely-

5. Stewart mac cocentric pot is excellent! A bit tight on wirign space so had to plan out leads carefully, but extremely smooth! Went with a .044 with the tone in the center and the split roll off on the outside-

So on all levels the mission seems acomplished- The zion and it's bardens can safely stay at home, and the parker gives me very simiar sounds and the pizo to boot-

I'm extremely satisified with a total investment under $600 -

Also, if you have a strat wired guitar and dual rails, you really should consider the spin a split option- Have never done it with dual full sized hums but planning one now-

Cheers and thanks again!

[tone4days]

Re: Help getting a Joe Barden sound

glad it all worked out so well for you .. any chance you could post some sound clips to show her off?

cheers
t4d

[zionstrat]

Re: Help getting a Joe Barden sound

Tone-
You never would believe my background was in recording because I'm not extremely good with mp3 posting to the web kind of things

I've got to change out an adat card, but after that I can probably get you something-

Cheers