Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Hello folks

So, I have an HSS stratocaster with TB-4, STK-6, STK-6 pickups. I would like to achieve some 80's hard rock tones (think about RATT, Dokken, etc...) on my Line6 DT50 amp...After tweaking for hours and hours, I ended with the following settings on my knobs (Drive channel):

Drive: 6
Bass: 0
Middle: 0
Treble: 3
Presence: 3
Volume: 2
Master: 2

I play it on a low volume in my bedroom, but what does it mean? Is my guitar too warm or too bright to roll in more Bass and Middle? I also feel that the high E string shall be a bit more "thinner"!

I am using 1 Volume pot (rated 450K), 2 Tone pots (rated 450K), and Orange drop capacitor 0.022 microF.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Record a sound clip so we can hear it.

 

[Techy Beccy]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Ive just purchased a couple of the STK for strat myself. I thought that configuration would sound pretty good!? What sort of neck have you got rosewood or maple?

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Ive just purchased a couple of the STK for strat myself. I thought that configuration would sound pretty good!? What sort of neck have you got rosewood or maple?

I have Alder body with Maple neck and fingerboard. The Middle and Neck pickups are actually not bad sounding, but that TB-4 on bridge is very difficult to deal with.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

What about it do you not like?

You need to give us more information.
There is no way anybody can make an assessment by just posting your knob settings.
Besides, tone is subjective. Your too bright is another’s perfect. And vise versa.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Even knowing your pickups, wood, and amp settings is only enough for us to make a general guess at what we would think about your tone. As an 80s hard rock guy, your opinion of bright/warm would be completely different from a jazz guy or even another 80s hard rock guy.

 

[Techy Beccy]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Do you want to change the JB Humbucker?

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Many questions...
First, where did you get pots rated for 450K? I would like to have half a dozen of those.
Bass and Mid settings at Zero seems odd to me if someone is going for 80's shred type hair metal. I can't imagine a Zeroed out bass setting with the JB's already weaker bass. The JB is going to be more powerful than the single coils just because it is a humbucker, so there may be a volume jump when switching between the two.
Check out the settings on some other player's videos for your amp:

Have you tried a distortion pedal in front of the amp?
Which drive setting are you on?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Well, I'd say this is a rather odd EQ setting:
Bass: 0
Middle: 0
Treble: 3

I'd say start with sample EQ settings in the manual for that amp. Then, listen to what the guitar 'needs' after that.

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Thanks for the responses guys! I posted up the amp settings to give you a glimpse on what sounded the best to my ears and since it is 'odd', I wanted to know if my guitar is too warm or too bright, because even with these settings, I still think that the high strings sound too mellow.

I use that amp head (Topology 4) which is the highest gain, and a clean boost from Fulldrive 2 MOSFET to it. I use also MXR 10 band EQ in the loop to shape the overall sound.

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Well, I'd say this is a rather odd EQ setting:
Bass: 0
Middle: 0
Treble: 3

I'd say start with sample EQ settings in the manual for that amp. Then, listen to what the guitar 'needs' after that.

Bass = 0, Middle = 0, Treble = 3, Presence = 3 was the best I could get using my HSS Stratocaster. Does it mean that my guitar pots are too high? low? needs different capacitor?

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

What about it do you not like?

You need to give us more information.
There is no way anybody can make an assessment by just posting your knob settings.
Besides, tone is subjective. Your too bright is another’s perfect. And vise versa.

True, but don't you think that those amp settings are too odd for any guitar to sound good? I am trying to figure out why it sounds the best to my ears like that...

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Many questions...
First, where did you get pots rated for 450K? I would like to have half a dozen of those.
Bass and Mid settings at Zero seems odd to me if someone is going for 80's shred type hair metal. I can't imagine a Zeroed out bass setting with the JB's already weaker bass. The JB is going to be more powerful than the single coils just because it is a humbucker, so there may be a volume jump when switching between the two.
Check out the settings on some other player's videos for your amp:

Have you tried a distortion pedal in front of the amp?
Which drive setting are you on?

The pots are standard CTS 500K but they are rated 450K when I measured them

I use Fulldrive 2 MOSFET as a clean boost in front of the Topology 4 on that amp...and it sounds much better with Bass and Middle all the way down...I am lacking treble and definition...If I am not mistaken.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

It almost sounds like you need another amp, not to alter your guitar. Do you have access to plug your guitar into another amp?

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

It almost sounds like you need another amp, not to alter your guitar. Do you have access to plug your guitar into another amp?

Did that with JCM 800 2203 and Laney GH50L and not impressed...same issue...I also changed cabinet and speakers. When I use my Gibson Les Paul, it sounds much better! It sports SH-5 and SH-2.

Please keep the subject focused in the Pots and Cap, because I tried other guitars with that amp and they sound much defined and less bassy.

 

[XPrinceOfArabiaX]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Guys, the question is very clear If you grab that guitar and plug it in that amp and you wanna play RATT - Round and round, and regardless your tone preference, you found that the sound is the closes with Bass = 0, Middle = 0, Treble = 3, Presence = 3. What will that mean to you?

 

[donaldr]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

I don't own a DT50 but I read documentation some years ago when shopping for a DT25.
If I remember correctly, Topology 4 is leaning more on a Mesa Boogie than a Marshall. Ratt sound is a Marshall IMHO.
So I would try Topology 2, Class A/B and Triod. I have a modded JCM800 model on my Eleven Rack and the bass is at 0 and I still have a lot of bass.

 

[Techy Beccy]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

I've had a similar experience with high-gain amps and humbuckers. Usually in the neck pickup, there can certain spots and mostly on the bass strings, that give off a bassy boom.. its almost like an overtone. Maple strat fretboards can be fairly lively too. Maybe try a noise suppressor - something like the ISP decimator - it might clean your bass up a bit?

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

True, but don't you think that those amp settings are too odd for any guitar to sound good? I am trying to figure out why it sounds the best to my ears like that...

Well....maybe? I can’t say for sure. I’ve never owned your rig.
One thing I can say with absolutely certainty is that over the years I’ve learned that the best settings are the ones your ears tell are right, not the setting that that you think “look” right.

 

[Hsb]

Re: Is my HSS Stratocaster too warm or too bright?

Guys, the question is very clear If you grab that guitar and plug it in that amp and you wanna play RATT - Round and round, and regardless your tone preference, you found that the sound is the closes with Bass = 0, Middle = 0, Treble = 3, Presence = 3. What will that mean to you?

Ill try that setting when I get home and report back, but as my Marshall sits now, Bass is 6, Mid is between 4 and 5 and Treble is at 5, Presence is at 6 and with a Duncan Distortion in the bridge, Im rocking big hair, leather pants and neon sneakers all day long.

I went back and read your other post about your pickup, in that post the pickup was too harsh, now your are saying its too warm or bright (tonally different, IMHO), the JB is a bright, upper mid heavy pickup. I dont think its an issue with your guitar's pots or caps, its the pickup you don't like. Have you tried a different pickup in the guitar? I am one of the folks that hate the JB because of the harsh, biting upper mid sound but I also grew up on 80s hair bands, so I know the tone and never once have I said, I want such and such's 80s tone because of that reason.