Inflames626
New member
Also might try the highly regarded Ibanez Roadstar guitars from the 80s-early 90s.
Another easily impressed Gen Z guitarist...
- Thread starter Inflames626
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Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Don't quote me on that, but I do remember seeing pictures of Alexi with an Eclipse (fixed bridge) in the studio somewhere.
Inflames626
New member
He was less than two years older than me. I remember hearing of him in the late 90s when he was in Jesper Stromblad's power metal side band Sinergy on their first (purple) album--back when he was with Jackson. Then I heard CoB.
I remember seeing this maybe in the early-mid 00s. He always struck me as Randy Rhoads if Randy had been born in 1979 and played modern metal.
In the second example you can hear his unison bends are a little flat. He also hits a fret during his tapping and kills the note. He nails it the second time.
No concern about perfection of pitch or intonation. Just practicing it until it's right.
No need for an Evertune here because the pitches are changing too fast. And you need the tension of notes rubbing against each other to create the dissonant, aggressive sound.
If only he had been paired with a Whammy pedal.
Where I disagreed with Alexi is I found his rhythm tone to be harsh and cheap sounding, like playing rhythm on an old school solid state amp with a presence boost. Not sure why he had an onboard preamp with a knob when just stepping on a boost or flipping a switch would have been easier and more precise.
I also fault him for his lack of a neck pickup. Seems unnecessary and he could have had more variation in his playing had he played solos from the neck position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j723qPG-qhA
I remember seeing this maybe in the early-mid 00s. He always struck me as Randy Rhoads if Randy had been born in 1979 and played modern metal.
In the second example you can hear his unison bends are a little flat. He also hits a fret during his tapping and kills the note. He nails it the second time.
No concern about perfection of pitch or intonation. Just practicing it until it's right.
No need for an Evertune here because the pitches are changing too fast. And you need the tension of notes rubbing against each other to create the dissonant, aggressive sound.
If only he had been paired with a Whammy pedal.
Where I disagreed with Alexi is I found his rhythm tone to be harsh and cheap sounding, like playing rhythm on an old school solid state amp with a presence boost. Not sure why he had an onboard preamp with a knob when just stepping on a boost or flipping a switch would have been easier and more precise.
I also fault him for his lack of a neck pickup. Seems unnecessary and he could have had more variation in his playing had he played solos from the neck position.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j723qPG-qhA
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I used to love old COB. It was one of the first Metal bands that I heard along with In Flames. Later on, I started feeling like they were a bit too Power-y for me. But listening back, I don't think it's that bad. Lots of hooks and killer melodies.
But yeah, agreed. I don't love his rhythm tone. His playing is great, but his tone was always kinda bleh (to me). Always appeared to me as the usual "you need mids to cut thru the mix" and "low-end is the bass' duty" approach taken to the extreme that not always yields good results.
But yeah, agreed. I don't love his rhythm tone. His playing is great, but his tone was always kinda bleh (to me). Always appeared to me as the usual "you need mids to cut thru the mix" and "low-end is the bass' duty" approach taken to the extreme that not always yields good results.
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Inflames626
New member
That's why I kind of stay away from stuff like SD Distortions for rhythms. Staying away from that boosted scratchy sound and saving it for the solos so they cut through.
I thought people started liking them less around Blooddrunk because of a sound change.
I didn't follow them super closely but for me Hatecrew Deathroll was peak.
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
That is a viscerally uncool thing to subject an audience to. Side note, the only time I’ve seen Alexi with anything but an RRV style is the very short period after all his Jacksons got stolen and they couldn’t make him any more in time so he moved to ESP because they could have the replacements so much sooner.
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Inflames626
New member
They're just recording video and texting on their phones anyway--something deeply disrespectful to do at a concert. I'd have no problem disrespecting the audience back with audible tuning.
The longer they have their phones out, the more I'd want to restring a Floyd Rose from scratch on stage until they get the message and put their phones away.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
I don't think his problem was his pickup, though. Rather those Lee Jackson preamps that were all mids and nothing else. And well, his taste.
I actually like fatter-sounding pickups for leads and sharper/thinner pickups for rhythms. I like my leads nice and melodic. I like my rhythms nasty and aggressive.
Not to say I know better, though. I mean, Alexi was a guitar god. I'm just some random dude on a forum. That's just not the kind of tone that I like.
Inflames626
New member
I wouldn't have expected that tone out of the Krank he was using. More a Marshall solid state.
Inflames626
New member
Fairly sure his bridge pickup was close at an EMG HZ4 as well.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Didn't know he used a Krank. It makes sense, though. Everyone in the 2000's was using one. I don't know how many albums he used it for, though. I think his iconic rig is the Lee Jackson preamps. He used a JVM towards the end for touring.
I think it's just the way he dials them in. Kranks are SO easy to mess up and sound horrible. That's why so many people hated them.
Also, his pickup was just an FH-2, actually. Not a 4. It's just his preamp that was unique to his pickup setup. His pickup was just an F-spaced H-2 (PAF-type 8-ish-K wind with a Ceramic Magnet, similar to the Jackson J50 he was using before).
Inflames626
New member
You can see the Krank he is plugged into in the video on the bottom left corner.
Inflames626
New member
You're right dude. Specs are close if not identical.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.emgpickups.com/pub/media/Mageants/A/L/ALXSignature0230-0178a%20.pdf
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.emgpickups.com/pub/media/Mageants/h/z/hz_h1_h2_b245_0230-0295e.pdf
Only now I've realized the white and green wires go to different coils based on whether the pickup is a bridge or neck pickup. Which means I'll have to redo my H1s to my Triple Shots because I used SD's color connect guide and wired both pickups the same way to the Triple Shot.
El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
Can’t say I’ve had an audience be that rude but that would be a hilarious thing to do to psych them out. You should do that and film it so people can watch it and repost it over and over on the very devices they were disrespecting you with in the first place.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
Oh, yeah, you're right. Hard to tell the settings from the vid, but I bet that Sweep knob was set high. Honestly, I don't really know why they even bother with that knob's range. Those sound good in a range from like 9-10 o'clock-ish. Anything below, it's a muddy boomy bloated mess. Anything above and it's icepick to the ear.
Inflames626
New member
I think the irony would be lost on them. I'd be doing it to extend a middle finger subtly to them for not acting like this is a 1988-91 concert and putting their phones away.
They'd think by filming and sharing it on social media they were getting back at me for my making them watch me change strings for 20-30 minutes.
It would be lost on the online audience and would probably do me more harm than the people at the show.
Edit: some idiot would say I don't know what I'm doing because I load the ball end at the capstan and use it as a lock, which along with the locking nut and saddle, means my string locks at 3 places.
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El Dunco
Sock Supplier to RHCP
But these go to 11…
Inflames626
New member
It wouldn't be KRANK'ed if it didn't.
Rex_Rocker
Well-known member
LOL.
I think they were good amps, just a bit too late. They were very 90's-sounding. And also, the name is ridiculous.
But for the most part, they were well-built with BEEFY Schumacher transfomers. They were also LOUD.
They did make it to a bunch of iconic records at the time.
I think they were good amps, just a bit too late. They were very 90's-sounding. And also, the name is ridiculous.
But for the most part, they were well-built with BEEFY Schumacher transfomers. They were also LOUD.
They did make it to a bunch of iconic records at the time.
Inflames626
New member
I just associate them with...I dunno...bros?
They're all like, "Hey, come check out my rig."
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