Bill Steer's Pickups??

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

He uses a noise gate.

I have two Explorer Pros with unpotted pickups and I too need a noise gate.

The ISP Technologies decimator pedal is your friend. AND...they just released a new design that is supposed to be even better...I can't even imagine how it could be better.

You guys have been awesome here. I honestly didn't know what to think when I started this thread and I halfway thought it would just sit here.

Seriously...thank you ALLLLLLLLL for taking part.
If it lives on....great.

If this is it now...I consider my questions answered.

\m/,

 

[Darth Nihilus]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I would tend to agree, BUT... T-Tops are un-potted so I think that it would be difficult for someone using high gain amps to use a T-Top without a bunch of microphonics.
I have had experience with this. I owned a '74 SG Standard with T-Tops. They sounded amazing, but along with volume and gain came the squeal. I don't think noise gates take of microphonic squeal. I had a discussion on this forum about replacement pickups for T-Tops and it was suggested the Jazz pickups were in the neighborhood; and personally, the Jazz neck is my favorite.
I ended up selling the guitar anyway, so....

It's true that the T-Top pickups are unpotted but two things about Bill Steer:
1) His pickups were squealing at the show when he'd sustain a note too long and
2) Bill does NOT use a lot of gain. He's stated even back in the day that he doesn't
like a very saturated tone.

 

[Darth Nihilus]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

He wasn't using a noise gate at the shows. He had three pedals, one was a MXR micro amp, the other was another light colored MXR that I couldn't identify and a TC Electronic Polytune tuner. No pedal board, just three pedals on the ground old school style

 

[SGFanatic]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Dude, I love death metal and grindcore. I think a lot of people here do too. It's just not talked about like it is on sso and mgo.

He uses a noise gate.

I have two Explorer Pros with unpotted pickups and I too need a noise gate.

The ISP Technologies decimator pedal is your friend. AND...they just released a new design that is supposed to be even better...I can't even imagine how it could be better.

You guys have been awesome here. I honestly didn't know what to think when I started this thread and I halfway thought it would just sit here.

Seriously...thank you ALLLLLLLLL for taking part.
If it lives on....great.

If this is it now...I consider my questions answered.

\m/,

 

[SGFanatic]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Right. That's what I was figured. He basically has a heavy rock tone tuned low. I just assumed it would be still too much gain for un-potted pickups.

It's true that the T-Top pickups are unpotted but two things about Bill Steer:
1) His pickups were squealing at the show when he'd sustain a note too long and
2) Bill does NOT use a lot of gain. He's stated even back in the day that he doesn't
like a very saturated tone.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I didn't see his pedals at the show I was at.

He said in one of the interviews that I checked out before starting this thread that he has to use a gate.

If he doesn't use one NOW then more power to him.

Maybe they just gate him at the board...is that possible??

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I didn't see his pedals at the show I was at.

He said in one of the interviews that I checked out before starting this thread that he has to use a gate.

If he doesn't use one NOW then more power to him.

Maybe they just gate him at the board...is that possible??

He also could have the rack version of the decimator in his rig instead of the pedal, or any type of rackmount noise gate.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

He also could have the rack version of the decimator in his rig instead of the pedal, or any type of rackmount noise gate.

I agree with your idea. Bill Steer...excuse me.. MISTER Steer may very well be a caveman about his guitar tone but Carcass as a live experience is extremely well produced.

I was blown away by how clear they were and how loud they WEREN'T.

Immolation opened for them and they were really loud and unpronounced but Carcass was like listening to the stereo loud. You could hear every note. It was amazing.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I agree with your idea. Bill Steer...excuse me.. MISTER Steer may very well be a caveman about his guitar tone but Carcass as a live experience is extremely well produced.

I was blown away by how clear they were and how loud they WEREN'T.

Immolation opened for them and they were really loud and unpronounced but Carcass was like listening to the stereo loud. You could hear every note. It was amazing.

I'm gonna have to catch them on tour then. I'm a big fan of Carcass, and definitely of Bill Sheer's playing. The reason why they're probably well produced is because they must have one hell of a sound man. Those guys make the magic happen.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I'm gonna have to catch them on tour then. I'm a big fan of Carcass, and definitely of Bill Sheer's playing. The reason why they're probably well produced is because they must have one hell of a sound man. Those guys make the magic happen.

Oh definitely. No doubt...their sound guy was the t!ts. He apparently took a 20 minute break when Immolation was on

The Donnas are another group with an insane sound guy. Allison Robertson keeps all her guitars stock and her SG Classic with P-90s wasn't even audibly humming from the audience. SHE has a SSSSSSSSSICK live tone.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Oh definitely. No doubt...their sound guy was the t!ts. He apparently took a 20 minute break when Immolation was on

The Donnas are another group with an insane sound guy. Allison Robertson keeps all her guitars stock and her SG Classic with P-90s wasn't even audibly humming from the audience. SHE has a SSSSSSSSSICK live tone.

Bill Sheer uses the old Peavey 5150 right?

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Yep.
That's what he owns.
When he rents, it's either the 5150 or the 6505.
He also likes old hotrodded Marshalls but for Carcass it is the 5150.

But yeah...you've got it.

Why?? You picking one up

I know I looked.

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Yep.
That's what he owns.
When he rents, it's either the 5150 or the 6505.
He also likes old hotrodded Marshalls but for Carcass it is the 5150.

But yeah...you've got it.

Why?? You picking one up

I know I looked.

I've actually considered getting one at some point. I was just curious :smokin:

Would be a nice addition :cool2:

 

[SlappyTappy]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

5150s are terribly noisy. I don't know how he'd do it without a gate. I manage with my Mesa Express and Seth Lover pickups, but I dunno if I'd do without a gate with that Peavey...
The Boss NS-2 is my personal favorite gate.
He must be using the Micro Amp instead of the Marshall Guvnor these days.

 

[SlappyTappy]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

I agree with your idea. Bill Steer...excuse me.. MISTER Steer may very well be a caveman about his guitar tone but Carcass as a live experience is extremely well produced.

I was blown away by how clear they were and how loud they WEREN'T.

Immolation opened for them and they were really loud and unpronounced but Carcass was like listening to the stereo loud. You could hear every note. It was amazing.

I had a similar experience the last time I saw Primus. I was shocked at the clarity and the fact that I didn't even reach for my earplugs. "Why can't other bands be mixed like this?" was all I could ponder. I was soo excited to see Katatonia and Opeth, and Katatonia's mix rendered their set unlistenable. The bass drowed out everything.

 

[p4vl]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

He must be using the Micro Amp instead of the Marshall Guvnor these days.

Did he use that as an OD to boost the 5150's gain channels? For that matter, can you use the Guvnor Plus as a TS9/TS808-style boost for gain channels? I like OD pedals with lots of EQ options.

 

[SlappyTappy]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Did he use that as an OD to boost the 5150's gain channels? For that matter, can you use the Guvnor Plus as a TS9/TS808-style boost for gain channels? I like OD pedals with lots of EQ options.

In interviews around the Heartwork era he said he was driving the front end of his 5150s with the Guvnor. My understanding is it's an OD pedal.

 

[Darth Nihilus]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

He doesn't use a gate because he's not using a lot of gain and also because their stage volume is VERY low.

The Peavey 6505 is the same amp as the 5150. I own one and at low/medium volume with low gain, it's pretty quiet. BTW, I modded mine by adding a bias trim pot therefore making the bias adjustable
and using a quad of JJ Electronic KT88/6L6 power tubes. Holy poop, it sounds great!

BTW, getting Bill's tone down isn't too difficult to do. The main source of his tone is in that Peavey 5150 amp. It's a very tight sounding amp and will stay tight even with low tuning and darker sounding pickups

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

In interviews around the Heartwork era he said he was driving the front end of his 5150s with the Guvnor. My understanding is it's an OD pedal.

The Guv'nor is in fact an Overdrive. He uses an old black one, and the new pedals have the old circuitry with some improvements and I've read that the old sound is still in there. You can buy an old one if you like but the old sound is in the new pedal.

 

[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Bill Steer's Pickups??

Here is a cool link to some brothers talking about our boy Mr. Bill Steer.

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/72814-identify-this-les-paul/

I wish we could all get together and have a Bill Steer assembly and get a giant bronze statue made of this guy.


Zakk Wylde the last guitar hero??? I THINK NOT.