banner

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

    I remember a pretty early interview with Yngwie where he couldn't understand people saying he played too fast and he mentioned that heard Vivian Campbell play something so fast he had a hard time understanding how he did it.

    It's not often that yngwie has said that a guitarist was faster than he was.

    One thing I've noticed about his playing is that it's as unique as other famous guitarists and that he prefers tones outside of what people consider cool and that he is pretty good at giving another guitarists room for "his thing" rather than stamping all over it.

    His live performances with Def Leppard has him doing some very "unVivian" stuff but I realized he's letting Phil Collen shine as much as he does.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

      Originally posted by dpaterson View Post
      Put it this way: would be great if it took out some of the excruciating highs and moved the resonant frequency to somewhere in the mids.??? Problem solved if it works!!! LOL!!!
      FWIW, the small value cap trick comes from Bill Lawrence (and has been recycled by younger pickups makers in the meantime... and was even mentioned in the old Duncan FAQ's, available online in the early 2000's... but it would be OT to talk too much about it here). I've mentioned it 'cause it's a solution in some situations IME. For example, I've various switchables caps in a "cable simulator box" to beef up the mds and tame the highrange and it works great for me on stage (when I play a bright Strat through my not less bright Marshall amp for instance).

      Now, digital devices are IME way less sensitive to "stray capacitance": I don't know at all if a Marshall code would tend to "hear it" or not. Let us know if it does something or not...

      Anyway: of course, I don't neglect the guitars themselves but since your OP seemed to complain about a missing key element, I've prefered to evoke a non mentioned aspect of electronics than to talk about lutherie.

      Knowing that pickups are easy to swap, if I was in your situation, I'd try to mount successively all my pickups in each guitar, just to hear how they sound in other instruments.

      I hope you'll reach your goal, with or without added cap. :-)
      Duncan user since the 80's...

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

        You know ive heard Vivian Campbell play those songs with different guitars with all different pickups and it sounds the same. In short the pickup isnt the missing link in this equation. It might eeek you a thin pubic hair closer but its not going to be crucial last piece.

        You can hear the tone, its pretty compressed and boosted. I think the way hes boosting the amp is more part and partial to the tone than what the pickup is doing. A boosted 800 series tone with a compressor should get you 95% of it.

        There is also the possibility and this is not a dig that you just dont play enough like him to get it to sound like him.
        "It keeps you fit - the alcohol, nasty women, sweat on stage, bad food - it's all very good for you." -Bon Scott

        "Let me put it this way: the 5150 will treat
        you better than any girlfriend, because it screams louder, it's easier to pick up, and it shuts up when you take your plug out." -Rip Glitter

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

          Seeing Viv in a tiny music store clinic about that time, I will say that he is a bit of an odd player- sort of like Jake E Lee in that his rhythm playing is pretty unique to him. He was using whatever amp the store had then with an LP and it still sounded like Dio's 2nd album (which sounded different than the 1st). I agree that his tone was fairly generic metal-rock at the time, but the way he played sort of transcended that.
          Administrator of the SDUGF

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

            Oh wow. So many great responses. I really do thank you all.
            Originally posted by Aceman View Post
            Hey Dale,

            First, let me say good luck. I don';t know that I have ever been on any quest for exactly "that" tone. Hope you find it before your head explodes or whatever happens to the micro-tonally obsessed.

            Next - The recorded Viv Campbell tones are generally regarded as fairly weak. So not sure why you must have this tone. The tone in that vid seems fairly generic arena rock with some pushed mids to me.

            Now for the tough love part: If you tried "every plug in known to man" and a Kemper - one of two things: One, try the SuperDistortion. The other is "It's just you."

            I am fairly confident I could grab most any humbucker guitar, Floyded or not, and get something pretty darn close to that with my Roland Cube 30, a little bit of extra mids, a little reduction of highs on the guitar tone knob, and just a touch of delay. I'd play for beer that with a Jackson DX10 and a Duncan Distortion, or an Ibanez RG4ex and a ToneZone with a graphic eq that I could nail it inside 20 minutes. As mentioned - to my ears also, there is nothing Uber-special about that sound.

            So good luck. when you do find that magic combo, let us know...
            I think let me begin by saying this: it's actually "Dio WITH Vivian Campbell" that I'm after i.e. cannot say I've been interested in, nor overly keen on, Vivian's work or tone thereafter. Truth be told: I have been listening to, and watching, Dio, pretty much daily (I kid you not), since 1984 i.e. no day is complete without it. Point is: I know the tones of which you speak VERY well (I'd have to say I am familiar with their every nuance) and I could actually possibly agree with you that the tones on the albums may be a little weak (although it pains me to admit it). But it's that particular tone on that video that does it for me. I know it (the video) is old and was made from a VHS tape (of which I have a treasured copy of course) so already some of the highs are no longer existent in the audio. But that tone on that video has some sort of "woody, gnarly, midrangy, Charvel-ish" tone (that's about the best description I can come up with) and that is what I'm after and I too hope I dial it in before my head explodes. This is my third, and final, attempt to get my musical act together the point being that I've been after that tone since 1984 when I put my first band together (unfortunately attempts one and two ended up being nothing more than drinking and partying sessions so nothing ever came of them but, now things are very different i.e. I'm finally tackling this in the way that I should have all of those years ago i.e. sober and very serious and just sorry it took me THIS long to mature (and I'm two years older than you).

            In most all cases I'd agree with you by saying "it could be me" (given that I'm OBVIOUSLY obsessive about most things). But not in this case I don't think. I've tried the EQ route with pedals and amps. but it's almost as if with my black Jackson and the Blaze I'm trying to EQ a range of frequencies that just don't exist or are not there to begin with (hope that makes sense). I guess it's fair to note also that I have an issue with EQ'ing my own recordings. No offense to anyone (and I know some will laugh at me) but to me it's cheating i.e. my live sound is what counts to me and what I must sound like on a recording (one take) and not what magic or trickery I can apply in a mix (and one of the reasons why I still mic. up my amps. as opposed to going digital). So I guess there's much at play here.

            I don't know if this is going to shed any light on the subject but take a look at the graphic below. It's a recording that I made on Friday (after feeling as though I was going nuts) of all three guitars. All I did was put them in a line, plug one in at a time, and tried as best I could to just strum them in a consistent fashion. What jumps out to me is the first section. The first section is the waveform from my white Jackson (the one that's "doing it for me" at this time). The middle and last section are my black Jackson and the Blaze respectively. Those waveforms are telling me that both the black Jackson and the Blaze are lacking dynamics or, to be fair, are less dynamic that my white Jackson (that's my interpretation anyway). If I didn't know any better: in just looking at those waveforms I'd say that middle and last waveform are being compressed (and for this test I simply plugged the guitars directly into my audio interface i.e. no pedals or anything else). The ONLY unknown though is the fact that I put a 1M volume pot in the white Jackson some time ago. Could that make SUCH a big difference??? Problem is though: last week I put a 1M volume pot. in my black Jackson and took it out after five minutes i.e. it was WAY too shrill and over the top. I should have recorded it though (and maybe tomorrow I'll put a 1M volume pot. back into the black Jackson and record and compare again). Worth mentioning that when you listen to the recording that produced those waveforms: the difference between the white Jackson and the other two is very audible i.e. it's a sort of warm and rounded tone whereas the other two are heavy on bass and treble and seem to lack lack warmth and mids. It's very hard to tell the difference between the black Jackson and the Blaze though. It is rather concerning to me that the amplitude of the first waveform (white Jackson) is higher than the other two because of the three guitars it's supposed to have the weakest pickups of all (could it really be that I strummed that much harder on my first recording???).

            Check it out for what it's worth:

            Click image for larger version

Name:	Guitar Comparison.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	60.6 KB
ID:	5810575

            Comments???

            Regards,

            Dale.
            Last edited by dpaterson; 11-25-2018, 02:04 PM.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

              In response to the other posts (sorry: not going to quote them all i.e. my posts are already too long for most people's liking I know!!! LOL!!!).


              Aceman:

              Love the comment about only the dog being able to hear!!! LOL!!! Maybe that's the problem. My dog leaves my (home) studio the moment I turn an amp. on (within a second I might add). Dunno if she's hearing something I cannot hear or if my playing is that bad or if she's just sick and tired of hearing "Stand Up And Shout" (maybe all three)!!! LOL!!!


              freefrog:

              I watched all of those videos. Fascinating. And I wonder just how many people actually know about this and take it into account (well: particularly new players anyway). Not something I would even have thought of at the best of times and what a difference it makes. I use AKG wireless so not something that's affecting me though (although I must state that in my test above I was using a short instrument cable so as to avoid introducing anything extra into the recordings). And it just made me think of something: I got a Judas Priest on Blu-ray the other day and was fascinated to see that cables were still being used (Wacken last year). I wonder if there's a good reason for that??? There must be i.e. just don't know what it is.

              Also and was just thinking: I wonder if it's possible that there are overtones (at the top) that we cannot hear under normal circumstances but that the CODE amps. being SS amps. are "interpreting" differently??? Maybe a cap. or two for fun??? Will test tomorrow I reckon.


              Jacew, Howlermonkey, Edgecrusher, Mincer (hope I've not left anybody out) (and for the other posters I've "Liked" your posts i.e. nothing to add):

              Well first: I ain't gonna rest UNTIL I can play every single note of every single Dio song (at very least from Holy Diver) until I CAN play like Vivian!!! LOL!!! I'm gettin' there. Unfortunately I'm a bit of a perfectionist (or anal) (or both) i.e. I know those songs so well that I know the instant a note is wrong or out of place and this does hamper progress I'll tell ya!!!

              I do honestly believe that it's my guitars (and hopefully the pickups hence my starting this thread in the first place). I've eliminated everything else (at least I think I have). I've never had the privilege of meeting Vivian or seeing him play live but I have to disagree and say that even Vivian sounds different with different guitars and pickups (at least on the videos and DVD's and CD's and whatever else I have). Just think the difference between his sound on the Charvel's and on his (then) apparently prized Gibson LP (for example). Nah. Even if he was right here with my gear: he'd not sound the same I'm afraid. Come to think of it actually: maybe I've made a mistake in the topic of this thread. It's Vivian's tone in Dio's "Special From The Spectrum 1984" that I'm after i.e. not Vivian's tone generally speaking. Maybe that puts things in a totally different light. Dunno. And if so: apologies for the confusion. Another reason I say this: there's a chap on YouTube that's demoing BIAS AMP 2 for BIAS (let me find the link and post it). So I bought that darn stuff (out of sheer frustration). I followed his instructions for getting a specific tone to the letter. NO chance i.e. not even close not with ANY one of my guitars. Now alright: he's playing a Gibson LP. But still. I would have expected something even CLOSE to HIS sound. But all I got was was my usual, let's call it, thin sound with loads of bass and loads of treble and very little in the middle (and that was with all THREE of my guitars). Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=urSN9eSSgbQ. If you watch the end there's even a bit of "Stand Up And Shout" as well as some killer Zakk tone (at very least I can play those rhythm sections as well as him anyway so in this case it sure ain't my playing).


              Anyways. Thanks everyone for the great replies. Very much appreciated.

              Regards,

              Dale.
              Last edited by dpaterson; 11-25-2018, 02:34 PM.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                And so (and in a crass attempt to wrap this all up) (and just dyin' to press the "Buy now" button!!! LOL!!!).

                Given all of the above what do you all think and say??? Must say that the tone guide for the Invaders are catching my eye (seems to make sense as I have, apparently, two "dark" guitars both of which have loads of bass and treble but lack mids. so far as I can tell).

                Click image for larger version

Name:	SD.JPG
Views:	1
Size:	118.1 KB
ID:	5810576

                Click image for larger version

Name:	Di.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	46.9 KB
ID:	5810577

                Suppose worst case scenario I could order an Invader as well as the Dimarzio (the SD Distortion looks like it may just add to my woes) and put them in each of the Jackson's (although really don't want to mess with the white Jackson that's actually "doing it' for me at this point in time). Or put one in the Blaze and one in the black Jackson (but don't wanna mess with the Blaze either). Not sure if this is done but I suppose I could put both into the black Jackson (see which gets me closest to my desired tone in the bridge) i.e. will just have odd pickups from different manufacturers in the same guitar (not sure I can live with that either!!! LOL!!!). Decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

                Regards,

                Dale.
                Last edited by dpaterson; 11-25-2018, 02:30 PM.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                  I use AKG wireless so not something that's affecting me though (although I must state that in my test above I was using a short instrument cable so as to avoid introducing anything extra into the recordings)
                  I don't know if your wireless system includes a "cable emulation" which is present in Line6 transmitters, for example: https://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/71982/


                  IF there's no cable simulation in your AKG system, it's as if you plugged your guitar to the amp through the short cable going to your wireless emitter... So, it should sound like the "Zerocap cable" in one the vids that I've evoked: bright and scooped.

                  FWIW, I've a couple of guitars with GK3 transducers which do the same... and in each 10 inch cord going from the guitar to the GK3, I've added a 750pF capacitor in order to emulate a "normally long" guitar cable. Without it, the sound was too jangly and shrill, even with powerful PU's...

                  And yes, it's a possible reason why Judas Priest still uses guitar cables on stage.

                  Regarding Marshall codes (that I've never played): a possible problem with DIGITAL amp sims is a "high pitched veil" due to sampling. I've struggled with this issue for years, when I was using digital modelers in a power amp.

                  About 1M volume pots: it adds 1.5dB @ resonant frequency when compared to a 500k pot.

                  Now, I don't "see" the screenshot about your white Jackson as "more dynamic" than the others: for me it's just louder and therefore, seems warmer. It would be interesting to transplant the pickup of the white guitar in your black and Blaze models, just to listen what happens...

                  FWIW (my 2 cents).
                  Last edited by freefrog; 11-25-2018, 02:25 PM.
                  Duncan user since the 80's...

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                    Hello again.
                    Originally posted by freefrog View Post
                    I don't know if your wireless system includes a "cable emulation" which is present in Line6 transmitters, for example: https://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/71982/


                    IF there's no cable simulation in your AKG system, it's as if you plugged your guitar to the amp through the short cable going to your wireless emitter... So, it should sound like the "Zerocap cable" in one the vids that I've evoked: bright and scooped.

                    FWIW, I've a couple of guitars with GK3 transducers which do the same... and in each 10 inch cord going from the guitar to the GK3, I've added a 750pF capacitor in order to emulate a "normally long" guitar cable. Without it, the sound was too jangly and shrill, even with powerful PU's...

                    And yes, it's a possible reason why Judas Priest still uses guitar cables on stage.

                    Regarding Marshall codes (that I've never played): a possible problem with DIGITAL amp sims is a "high pitched veil" due to sampling. I've struggled with this issue for years, when I was using digital modelers in a power amp.

                    About 1M volume pots: it adds 1.5dB @ resonant frequency when compared to a 500k pot.

                    Now, I don't "see" the screenshot about your white Jackson as "more dynamic" than the others: for me it's just louder and therefore, seems warmer. It would be interesting to transplant the pickup of the white guitar in your black and Blaze models, just to listen what happens...

                    FWIW (my 2 cents).
                    Oh WOW!!! You bring up some things that sound awfully familiar I'm afraid!!! I've marked them in your quote above.

                    My transmitters don't have cables. They're called "guitar bugs" (if I remember correctly) i.e. the whole transmitter is a tiny little thing with a 1/4" jack that plugs direct into the guitar. So if I were to experiment with your idea where would I put this cap.??? Also: in series or parallel???

                    You mention "bright and scooped". And "scooped" is probably a good word to use for the tone I'm getting (with the black Jackson and Blaze). Although this being said: the tone is no different when using a three foot guitar cable???

                    You also mention "jangly and shrill". Sounds VERY familiar!!!

                    Must say I don't really have an issue with the CODE amps. (not that I can hear anyway). To get to my "close" or preferred tones: I've pretty much got bass at zero and mid. and treble at ten with prescence at around eight and resonance at just about zero. And distortion and gain dialed WAY back (they say this happens when you begin to "mature" as a guitar player!!! LOL!!!). But of course with these being modelling amps. those figures may not mean much (as they would, say, if we were talking straight JCM800 valves here) i.e. totally dependent on the pre-amp., power-amp, and cab. selected.

                    With regards to the rest:

                    You think that 1M pot. could play a part in my little test??? Guess I'll test tomorrow and see. This being said: it may explain why the black Jackson sounded WAY TOO MUCH with a 1M pot. i.e. it could be that the resonant frequency is much higher than the white Jackson not??? In other words: is it possible that maybe the 1M pot. was just accentuating an already uncomfortable resonant frequency??? And how much of this resonant frequency is due to pickups and how much of this resident frequency is dependent on overall construction and materials???

                    As far as your comment about the dynamics. Not sure. That was just my interpretation of what I was seeing. All I can tell you though is that the recorded audio for the white Jackson is somehow "clearer" and a word that immediately springs to mind is "articulate" i.e. almost as if each and every single note is "there" and "defined". Dunno how else to describe it.

                    But you really want to hear something funny and odd??? For the first year of being at this again: the black Jackson was by far my favorite i.e. I thought it sounded WONDERFUL. That was until I started getting my playing under wraps!!! I loved that SUPER overdone distortion with loads of delay and reverb. All THAT does is cover up mistakes and bad playing!!! LOL!!! Now: distortion and gain are dialed back VERY much and I play with NO reverb and one single delay iteration on the second amp. (this just for a stereo effect ala Vivian Campbell on the Holy Diver album). As I said: I read somewhere that this is what happens when you mature as a guitar player!!! LOL!!! (Dunno if it's true but I can say that I now cringe when I listen to recordings I made a year or so ago!!! LOL!!!). Oddly enough: I used to call my sound back then "the Jackson jangle" (but I don't want my black Jackson to "jangle" no more!!! LOL!!!).

                    Regards,

                    Dale.

                    P.S.

                    Maybe I make some short recordings of all three guitars tomorrow (same riff and without changing any amp. settings or anything else). That may clear things up a bit. Cannot do it now i.e. close to midnight and I have these things called "neighbours" who are not "Dio lovers" at all. And believe it or not: two CODE50's are VERY loud even at quarter tilt (really dunno why they've been relegated to "beginner" status or "bedroom amp." i.e. my Alto PA is rated at something like 2 300W RMS and I can tell you that the two CODE50's on their own, and with both the amps. and PA on ten, cut through that PA like it doesn't exist).
                    Last edited by dpaterson; 11-25-2018, 03:42 PM.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                      Hi Dale,

                      It's late here too so I'll reply in a few words before to go sleeping. :-)

                      Originally posted by dpaterson View Post
                      My transmitters don't have cables. They're called "guitar bugs" (if I remember correctly) i.e. the whole transmitter is a tiny little thing with a 1/4" jack that plugs direct into the guitar. So if I were to experiment with your idea where would I put this cap.??? Also: in series or parallel???
                      All you have to do is unscrewing the female jack plug of your guitar then putting a cap between hot and ground. With alligator clips, it will take you a few minutes to do the test without harming anything. If you have sveral caps to test, just keep in mind that 1ft equals roughly 50pF. So, the 750pF caps in my GK3 cords mimic 15ft cables, for example.

                      You think that 1M pot. could play a part in my little test???
                      I just think that it boosts the output signal of 1.5dB @ resonant peak.


                      GThis being said: it may explain why the black Jackson sounded WAY TOO MUCH with a 1M pot. i.e. it could be that the resonant frequency is much higher than the white Jackson not??? In other words: is it possible that maybe the 1M pot. was just accentuating an already uncomfortable resonant frequency??? And how much of this resonant frequency is due to pickups and how much of this resident frequency is dependent on overall construction and materials???
                      You're right: the 1M pot was probably enhancing a too high pitched resonant peak.

                      In any case, the resonant peak of a passive pickup is defined by its inductance AND the "stray capacitance" of pickups + pots + inner and outer wiring.

                      Inductance depends on construction and materials. Generally, high DCR implies high inductance (and more inductance = more mids) but it's not always the case...

                      "More later" if necessary.

                      Good night and regards,

                      FF
                      Last edited by freefrog; 11-26-2018, 12:09 AM.
                      Duncan user since the 80's...

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                        I haven't read any other responses, but for some reason I thought he played a Full Shred. I could be wrong though, and I probably am.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                          Good morning all and sundry!!!

                          Hope everyone slept well. I didn't. This is the type of thing that could keep me awake for days!!! LOL!!! So in light of this: there is one Dimarzio Super Distortion DP100 F-Spaced pickup on the way. Yeh. A bit of a change of heart I know but I'm erring on the side of caution i.e. the pickup in Vivian's Charvel in that concert is definitely not an Invader (at least that I'm sure of because I've pulled, albeit lousy quality, screenshots from the video and enhanced them and definitely not an Invader). Now although I'm feeling kinda bad about this (given that all of you have been so very helpful to me here on SD's own forums): once I've installed the pickup and have it working (this is something I've never done before) in my black Jackson I will then order an Invader and put it into my white Jackson. This will be a great combination of the two guitars I think.

                          Originally posted by JOLLY View Post
                          I haven't read any other responses, but for some reason I thought he played a Full Shred. I could be wrong though, and I probably am.
                          Thanks for the input and don't worry about it i.e. I've actually got no idea myself, even after spending DAYS trying to find out, as to what pickups he used back then. General consensus SEEMS to be that there were Invaders in the white Charvel at first and then changed to Dimarzio Super Distortion. But I've seen posts where it's been suggested that he's used anything from SD Distortion to SD Custom pickups and who knows what else (you get the picture). There is indeed a pic. floating around of his white Charvel (which, by the way, I believe didn't even belong to him) with an Invader but as noted above the pickup in the concert (the link is posted in my first post on this thread in case you're wondering) sure ain't no Invader. Fortunately for me: it's not Vivian's overall and general tone that I'm after (already apologised for the title of this thread) but rather the tone in that particular concert so it kinda narrows things down a bit. But yeh: thanks to you and all others for taking the time and going to the trouble of replying to me here.

                          I must say though: I sure have learned a new thing of two thanks to this thread i.e. makes it worth it even if these pickups don't facilitate my getting the tone that I'm after. In particular this capacitance issue. It's quite a big deal in my opinion and I'm thinking it's probably an even bigger deal given that I'm using SS amps. which really do tend to be "toppy". I actually had noticed last week the difference between my tone using my wireless system and an instrument cable (albeit that the instrument cable was only a 3 foot cable). Definitely my tone is more "scooped" (more treble, less mids.) with wireless (this edited i.e. made a mistake originally) than with an instrument cable (but I have to admit that because I'd been obsessing for days and days on end about this I thought it was just my ears and that I was just being "full of it" but, apparently, not so i.e. at least there is now an explanation for this).

                          As far as my Blaze and the SD Full Shred pickup is concerned: I happened to find a great video by SD on YouTube in which many different pickups are compared https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbRlcdNHYDM. Unfortunately and because of the amp. and genre I couldn't really get an idea of what the Invader may sound like for what I'm looking for tonewise. But what is REALLY obvious to me is the fact that the SD Full Shred is not as bright as most of the other pickups compared (well: this is subjective i.e. what I may be perceiving as "not bright" could be interpreted as bright but with lower mids.). To my ears: I could clearly hear the same type of tone I'm getting with my Blaze. This all being said: I did actually hear the difference between the Invader and the others within the confines of what the chap is playing. Must also say that the Nazgul "does it for me" at least insofar as what the chap is playing is concerned. Quite amazing to me the difference the pickups make tonally.

                          Anyways. This is a new chapter for me. I've spent a lot of time tweaking setups (mics., amps., software, lighting, you name it) but I've never bothered with getting "down and dirty" with my guitars themselves (well: other than the usual stuff of checking intonation, neck relief from time to time, pickup height, that type of thing) (and obviously CLEANING them obsessively!!! LOL!!!). But yeh: gonna make some short recordings now and then when I've fitted the new pickup: this all for the purposes of comparison obviously.

                          Still gonna muck about with caps. though i.e. from my, albeit limited, understanding now: would make a difference regardless of pickups used particularly as I'm using wireless and SS amps.

                          Thanks again everyone. Your input has been invaluable and is really very much appreciated.

                          Be nice to continue discussions along these lines though if anybody is keen (and if it warrants further discussion of course).

                          Regards,

                          Dale.

                          P.S.

                          By the way there is indeed a thread on these very forums giving some info. re: the Dimarzio Super Distortion and the SD Invader: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/show...per-Distortion (which ironically steered me in the Dimarzio direction).
                          Last edited by dpaterson; 11-26-2018, 03:00 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                            I have to say, those early Dio tones sound way too bright to be an Invader, unless there was some serious EQ-ing during production.
                            Administrator of the SDUGF

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                              Youre overthinking it

                              All you needed was:
                              1) charvel superstrat or similar --- kramer, ESP m-i, etc --- with an invader or a duncan distortion...probably distortion, though everyone seems to say invader
                              2) a les paul with dimarzio super distortions
                              3) something marshally (marshall or copies thereof, laney, etc.)
                              Last edited by Adieu; 11-26-2018, 11:48 AM.
                              "New stuff always sucks" -Me

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Vivian Campbell's Dio tone from 1984 - which pickups

                                I think you will never nail a guitar sound you are hearing from home/PA speakers using regular guitar cab in a room. What you are hearing is a recorded sound coming out of a microphone place close to a cab (99% of the time and big chance it'll be a SM57).
                                I'm using an Avid Eleven Rack and you'll be shocked to hear how you can tweak your sound just by swapping the cab, the mic, the position (close/far) and the angle (front/edge). This is having a greater impact on the final result you are hearing than any pickup.
                                Also, you need good reference monitors. (I think you mentioned modeler thru an Alto, but an Alto is very colored).
                                I never tried a Marshall Code but this would not be the tool I would use to "precisely" recreate the sound I hear on record. You can get an Eleven Rack for pretty cheap these days, but if you have the budget I would suggest an Axe FX + an Atomic CLR. These will get you where you want to land (even with your current guitars).

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X