Ideal cover band axe?

[zionstrat]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

I've never understood the point of covers/cover bands that attempt to sound like the original. It's sad seeing band trying to mimic someone else. Why not just play on tape if you go there.

Doing distinctively your own cover of the song is different thing.

Yep, I am 'reformed' but as the others say, I do see opps for good covers...we we're in a park last year during the total eclipse and a pickup band covered dark side of the moon... 98% there, it really worked

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[Mincer]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

I tend to go for guitars that get a few different sounds, as I hate to switch guitars. I've settled on an HH setup with a 5 way super switch.
1.bridge
2. Outer coils
3. Both HH
4. Inner coils
5. Neck

All positions are humbucking. I use either an Alnico II Pro & Custom Custom or 59/Custom Hybrid.

 

[zionstrat]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

I tend to go for guitars that get a few different sounds, as I hate to switch guitars.

+1
Also tired of guitars getting knocked off of stands and one less thing to 'go missing' at the end of the gig

 

[sumitagarwal]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Well, obviously. Being 25 and listening mostly music from 60-80's I can see idea in that.

Problem is that cover bands generally just hunt for original sounds of few hit songs. Basically trying to hit the lowest common nominator in the audience. It's business to boot and that's the saddest part of it. Who even wants to hear yet another perfect live cover of Born to be wild?

I think... Actually I know, that most people who like old music not made anymore would much more want to hear new music that sounds like it's from the past, or less known examples of that music, rather than worn out classic dished by a cover band.

On this topic I've got two thoughts: a lot of younger rock enthusiasts (at 35, I guess I'd include myself in that group) would definitely like to hear new music and new expressions built on top of familiar sounds, and that reflects a lot of the rock and the metal I listen to. I think it also reflects the popularity of acts like *insert Jack White project du jour here* on the rock side, or acts like Mastodon and The Sword on the metal side.

HOWEVER, there's a huge number of young people with an attachment to vintage rock without an aficionado's depth. I think my girlfriend is pretty representative of a lot of people I know born in the 90's: 70% of what she listens to is contemporary hip-hop and R&B which she follows closely with a lot of knowledge. 30% is classic rock and blues that was a major part of bonding with her dad growing up, and which she still loves today. When she puts on some rock while she's working or cooking, its invariably older than she is, aside from very rarely something like Kurt Vile that I've introduced her to (another example of new expressions from familiar sounds). And I think since for her rock is inherently nostalgic, both for the time it was made and for her childhood sharing it with her dad, I think if she were seeing it live she would definitely like it best to be as close to the original as possible.

Funny side-note: we've been watching Westworld together which is full of piano or string renditions of 90's hits that are face-smackingly obvious to me within the first few notes or chords, but I don't think she's picked up on any of them before I pointed them out.

 

[sumitagarwal]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

I tend to go for guitars that get a few different sounds, as I hate to switch guitars. I've settled on an HH setup with a 5 way super switch.
1.bridge
2. Outer coils
3. Both HH
4. Inner coils
5. Neck

All positions are humbucking. I use either an Alnico II Pro & Custom Custom or 59/Custom Hybrid.

To me this is the simplest setup that covers everything reasonably, and all noise-canceling to boot. So efficient: you've got 5 sounds, and all 5 sounds are good sounds. Just makes me wish there was an elegant way to mount a 5-way switch on an LP, although I guess you could use the 6-way Freeway.

For this you must have had to rotate a pickup or flip a magnet, right?

 

[Discharged]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

For this you must have had to rotate a pickup or flip a magnet, right?

With a superswitch the position 2 and 4 being hum-cancelling is certainly possible with one of the p'ups with the mag flipped, although I wonder about the middle position being "out of phase"?

Care to comment on this Mincer?

/Peter

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

To me this is the simplest setup that covers everything reasonably, and all noise-canceling to boot. So efficient: you've got 5 sounds, and all 5 sounds are good sounds. Just makes me wish there was an elegant way to mount a 5-way switch on an LP, although I guess you could use the 6-way Freeway.

For this you must have had to rotate a pickup or flip a magnet, right?

Had to flip a magnet. I wrote a blog about it, too (although I remember there being a small error in the wiring diagram).

 

[sumitagarwal]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Had to flip a magnet. I wrote a blog about it, too (although I remember there being a small error in the wiring diagram).

Awesome post! Has the diagram been corrected or still wrong?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Actually, I don't remember...I don't think it has been corrected- but someone who is *much* better at weirdo wiring than me got me that far, so hopefully someone here can take a look at it.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Had to flip a magnet. I wrote a blog about it, too (although I remember there being a small error in the wiring diagram).

Nice melodies!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Oh thanks!

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Did you make a decision or was this all just a thought experiment? (Either is acceptable )

I have had zero time to play the last three weeks, so my mind naturally drifts to ridiculous guitar and pickup choices. This morning is was C/59 Hybrid | Strat Stack Plus | Stag Mag with the S1 wiring we discussed earlier in this thread.

 

[sumitagarwal]

Re: Ideal cover band axe?

Did you make a decision or was this all just a thought experiment? (Either is acceptable )

I have had zero time to play the last three weeks, so my mind naturally drifts to ridiculous guitar and pickup choices. This morning is was C/59 Hybrid | Strat Stack Plus | Stag Mag with the S1 wiring we discussed earlier in this thread.

Yea, I've also been really booked up here. Just closed on a property on Friday, and I'll be in Chicago this week, Massachusetts this weekend, then Atlanta next week. So its meant my guitar playing has been limited to the ready-to-wear variety (mostly my Les Pauls).

But, like you, the pickups are never far from my mind. Unfortunately I've discovered a "Fender hump" or "ski jump" or something like that in the neck of my Charvel, which would be my best test mule for this stuff, so I'd really need to sort that first before loading up all-new electronics.

As I continue to mull things over I'm increasingly convinced some sort of setup with stacks in neck and middle, with an articulate vintage-output HB in bridge, is 100% the way to go. Control-wise I think standard strat 5-way, or S1, or 3 on/off switches are all sensible schemes each with slightly higher complexity and capability than the last. Since stacks are already hum-cancelling, and since you'd go with an articulate bridge HB, I don't see any need for coil splitting in any of the positions. To help with the slight loss of brightness in a stack I'd go 500K pots all around.

Anyways, that's the platonic ideal guitar in my head. But I've been too busy, and I've been having a love affair with my LP's.