This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

[STRATDELUXER97]

Found another cure for the Surfer bridge pickup "presence" issues....I switched from Fender celluoid picks over to a Dunlop Tortex on this axe... :dance: Solved the rest of my issues...That simple right? :smack: :13:

John

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

This is funny. (as in strange.) About a month or so ago, I grabbed some Dunlop's out of the jar by the register in my fav guitar store. After I tried them out, I posted in "The Sound Room" about how much better they made me sound. The next day I decided that the post looked silly, and deleted it.

Maybe there is something to all this. :smoker:

 

[flank]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

i use a penny every now and then and it sure does make for a cool sound, theres definately somethin to picks.....

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Alot of people miss the boat I Guess,and forget how much things like strings,picks,and cables change or influence what we hear before the amp...

John

 

[mongrollo]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I had allways thought that picks are really important in the final tone. There is a huge difference in playing with a 0.30 mm pick that a 2mm pick.

Personally I love things in between just 0.75mm it is fine.

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Alot of people miss the boat I Guess,and forget how much things like strings,picks,and cables change or influence what we hear before the amp...

John

Just to add further to that idea . . . I just finished putting my cheapo Johnson Strat back together, (I was dong some experimenting with it), and threw whatever strings on it that I had laying around. It was a pack of Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's. Prior to that it had the original strings that came on it.

I can't believe the difference in sound. This thing actually sounds like a "Strat" now. :smack:
The other strings must have been old, or some cheap crap they toss on in China - or both. Amazing.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Just to add further to that idea . . . I just finished putting my cheapo Johnson Strat back together, (I was dong some experimenting with it), and threw whatever strings on it that I had laying around. It was a pack of Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's. Prior to that it had the original strings that came on it.

I can't believe the difference in sound. This thing actually sounds like a "Strat" now. :smack:
The other strings must have been old, or some cheap crap they toss on in China - or both. Amazing.

Oh heck yeah....Just strings,pick,and what cable you use,makes alot of difference..Tuning down to E Flat makes a difference also..

John

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Oh heck yeah....Just strings,pick,and what cable you use,makes alot of difference..Tuning down to E Flat makes a difference also..

John

I can see it right now . . . I got the pick, I got the strings, now I'll have to break down and buy one of those $40 oxygen-free-copper, gold-plated, super-phase-coherent, bipolar phase array, signature cables! :laugh2:

 

[joelap]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

For whatever reason, I love the feel of VERY thin picks. I hate the fact that I like them (if that makes sense). It really makes quick picking difficult (especially on upstrokes for whatever reason). But a week ago, my girlfriend's brother gave me a dunlop medium to try. I expected to throw it in my wallet and forget about it, but I actually don't mind the thing. When playing on my acoustic, I noticed more resonance and volume with the dunlop pick. I have yet to try it on electric since I havent been in an electric mood lately.

 

[Farkus]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I think that picks and strings make a lot more difference than one would expect. For example, I find that stumming on a acoustic sounds much cooler to me with a thin pick because there seems to be more pecussion/more overtones with that thickness...heavy picks seem to have more 'chunk' but the notes sound 'deader'. The same is true on electrics...for some passages, nothing but a thin will do, especially if I'm playing clean.

Just my 2 cents...

Farkus

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Just to add further to that idea . . . I just finished putting my cheapo Johnson Strat back together, (I was dong some experimenting with it), and threw whatever strings on it that I had laying around. It was a pack of Ernie Ball regular slinky 10's. Prior to that it had the original strings that came on it.

I can't believe the difference in sound. This thing actually sounds like a "Strat" now.
The other strings must have been old, or some cheap crap they toss on in China - or both. Amazing.

Here I am quoting myself again. It seems I left out a couple pertinent details.
This is the guitar that I was having trouble keeping in tune. So, I installed 5 springs in the tremolo, tightened down the claw, and tightened all the bridge screws down flat to the body.

That may have had an eensy bit more to do with the sound than the new strings. Ya think? :smack:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Here I am quoting myself again. It seems I left out a couple pertinent details.
This is the guitar that I was having trouble keeping in tune. So, I installed 5 springs in the tremolo, tightened down the claw, and tightened all the bridge screws down flat to the body.

That may have had an eensy bit more to do with the sound than the new strings. Ya think? :smack:

I've never actually used 5 springs,but it seems the springs add a certain reverberation to the sound of a strat...I also feel the guitar "might" be a bit ballsier and have more sustain with the bridge on the body? I normally allow my bridge to float of the body about 3/32" and use 3 springs..This time I used 4 springs and let the bridge rest on the body...I think we're both on to something maybe? :smack:

John

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Yeah, I never use the tremolo, and it was my original idea to completely eliminate it with a block of wood. Then I decided to just try this way instead. I think it really shows the difference that a type of bridge makes to the sound. I just can't tell you how much more Strat-like this inexpensive guitar sounds with this little "mod".

 

[rinse_master]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I never use the tremolo, and it was my original idea to completely eliminate it with a block of wood. Then I decided to just try this way instead.

I did that on my old Squier Strat, and I agree, it sounds better since...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

From what I've read, all of Eric Clapton's Strats have had the tremolo blocked so the trem can't move. He says he likes the tone of a Strat with a blocked tremolo better than a hard tail Strat. Lew

 

[Guitarist]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

Definetely those parts of guitar playing/tone are overlooked when it comes down to it. Very interesting that such a cheap piece of plastic was the determining value of whether the tone was in or out.

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

From what I've read, all of Eric Clapton's Strats have had the tremolo blocked so the trem can't move. He says he likes the tone of a Strat with a blocked tremolo better than a hard tail Strat. Lew

Now that is interesting. Any ideas on why that would be so?

 

[rinse_master]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I suppose if it is blocked the wood carries the vibrations thus creating slightly more sustain and slightly fatter tone? I know I've heard people saying about how the springs add a chimey and reverby type sound.

 

[Artie]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I suppose if it is blocked the wood carries the vibrations thus creating slightly more sustain and slightly fatter tone?

But thats what doesn't make sense to me. How could a "blocked" system carry more vibrations than a hardtail to begin with. Unless the tremolo mechanism actually "carries" the vibes deeper into the wood. You never know. :smack:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: This Is Funny...Further Tweaking On The Surfer Bridge

I suppose if it is blocked the wood carries the vibrations thus creating slightly more sustain and slightly fatter tone? I know I've heard people saying about how the springs add a chimey and reverby type sound.

I don't know about the block of wood improving the tone, but maybe. I always assumed Clapton prefered that chimey, reverby tone you mention, and which the springs and steel tremolo block seem to give a nice Strat. I like it too! Kind of a nice steely bounce and poppy presence. Hardtail Strats sound cool too, but differant. Lew