tips on making single notes thicker

[erksin]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

I'm goanna try the short delay today... does it matter if its digital or analog delay ? I got both on my board but use the digital for longer repeats already while the analog one is just one of those kick on for extra ambience type pedals so I would rather use the analog as an on all the time thickener

I use my Analogman AR20DL for thickening/slapback - just set the Time knob for a VERY short duration (under 100mS), and the Repeats knob for a single repeat. You'll get thickening without the mud.

But seriously - pick closer to the neck. It works!

 

[wolf5150]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

With a better pick !!

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Your guitar will sound like it's in a bathroom with a short delay. lolz.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Yep. I don't agree with the delay idea.
Mids and picking technique is the answer.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Yep. I don't agree with the delay idea.
Mids and picking technique is the answer.

I already have a lot of mids in my sound though... the delay thing is worth a shot

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

I totally agree with the picking hand location and have to use that technique often. It really does work miracles at making thin strings sound huge (when you pick closer to the neck) and huge strings sound thin (when picking close to the bridge).

 

[erksin]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Your guitar will sound like it's in a bathroom with a short delay. lolz.

My experience says it works. The key is to use just enough delay time to provide a doubling effect but not so much as to make an audible rhythmic repeat. So setting it up for say 50mS if possible is key, and the softer attack of an analog delay helps to blend it in to the source note.

Worked for Page, but you know - WTF did he know, right? lol

 

[erksin]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

With a better pick !!

Hercos are classic for a reason - and the Flex 75 is plenty thick and rigid enough to provide a fat attack. It's all in the wrist...

But yeah by all means spend money on the problem when you could learn to use the stuff you already have to greater effect. :naughty:

 

[astrozombie]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Raise your action

this. mostly. and practice.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

this. mostly. and practice.

Yeah I agree

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

I already have a lot of mids in my sound though... the delay thing is worth a shot

You don't have enough mids because if you did, you wouldn't be having this problem. Probably a bit too much treble and bass dialed in on your rig too.

The delay will equally enhance both your low strings and your high strings, effectively putting you right back where you currently are (but you will now sound like you are in a bathroom)... time based effects are great for adding ambience or spreading your sound across the stereo spectrum, but fattening high notes is not one of their proper functions.

I totally agree with the picking hand location and have to use that technique often. It really does work miracles at making thin strings sound huge (when you pick closer to the neck) and huge strings sound thin (when picking close to the bridge).

It's a cool technique if you are playing something that isn't too difficult but when the notes are flying by... you will need to put your hand where it is most comfortable, which is near the bridge. It's good for a special effect or great for when you are playing smoky blues or playing jazz... but under distortion or overdrive, the notes will lose clarity and get a sort of tube-like sound which isn't altogether that pleasing.

The hands must be where the body wants them to be... shifting your hands and arms in unnatural positions can eventually lead to pain and some sort of debilitation. Your playing will also immediately suffer.

Picking closer to the neck removes treble and upper mids while emphasizing the lower mids a bit... they notes also get muddier, flatter and less articulate as you get closer to the neck.

Great for an effect but should be used sparingly and is NOT an effective way to solve the OPs problem IMO.

We are predominantly electric guitar players, our instruments live in the midrange frequency bands. Shelving a bunch of bass and treble freqs might make one's rig sound very LOUD, but will open up a big fat notch in your sound where high strings go to die. Big bass makes one feel good but is an effective tool to create mud onstage while covering your tone in a blanket of low frequencies that are unnatural to the instrument.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

You don't have enough mids because if you did, you wouldn't be having this problem. Probably a bit too much treble and bass dialed in on your rig too.

The delay will equally enhance both your low strings and your high strings, effectively putting you right back where you currently are (but you will now sound like you are in a bathroom)... time based effects are great for adding ambience or spreading your sound across the stereo spectrum, but fattening high notes is not one of their proper functions.



It's a cool technique if you are playing something that isn't too difficult but when the notes are flying by... you will need to put your hand where it is most comfortable, which is near the bridge. It's good for a special effect or great for when you are playing smoky blues or playing jazz... but under distortion or overdrive, the notes will lose clarity and get a sort of tube-like sound which isn't altogether that pleasing.

The hands must be where the body wants them to be... shifting your hands and arms in unnatural positions can eventually lead to pain and some sort of debilitation. Your playing will also immediately suffer.

Picking closer to the neck removes treble and upper mids while emphasizing the lower mids a bit... they notes also get muddier, flatter and less articulate as you get closer to the neck.

Great for an effect but should be used sparingly and is NOT an effective way to solve the OPs problem IMO.

We are predominantly electric guitar players, our instruments live in the midrange frequency bands. Shelving a bunch of bass and treble freqs might make one's rig sound very LOUD, but will open up a big fat notch in your sound where high strings go to die. Big bass makes one feel good but is an effective tool to create mud onstage while covering your tone in a blanket of low frequencies that are unnatural to the instrument.

Thanks for the insight zenmindbeginner, So do you think an EQ pedal will do the trick and if so which notches would I want to raise and lower ? or is it one of those things where you just play around and tweak it for a few hours to get the ideal sound ?

 

[erksin]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

It's a cool technique if you are playing something that isn't too difficult but when the notes are flying by... you will need to put your hand where it is most comfortable, which is near the bridge. It's good for a special effect or great for when you are playing smoky blues or playing jazz... but under distortion or overdrive, the notes will lose clarity and get a sort of tube-like sound which isn't altogether that pleasing.

Picking closer to the neck removes treble and upper mids while emphasizing the lower mids a bit... they notes also get muddier, flatter and less articulate as you get closer to the neck.

You don't lose treble picking closer to the neck - you affect a wider string vibration that fattens up the sound. There is plenty of clarity if there is clarity to begin with in my experience.

And a 'tube-like' sound is not altogether pleasing to a guitarist? That's a new one on me. lol

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

You don't lose treble picking closer to the neck - you affect a wider string vibration that fattens up the sound. There is plenty of clarity if there is clarity to begin with in my experience.

And a 'tube-like' sound is not altogether pleasing to a guitarist? That's a new one on me. lol

WOAH!!!!!! Catalinbread in the house? F**k YEAH! I Love the Dirty Little Secret! The "tube-like" sound is not a vacuum tube but listening through a tube. lolz

Thanks for the insight zenmindbeginner, So do you think an EQ pedal will do the trick and if so which notches would I want to raise and lower ? or is it one of those things where you just play around and tweak it for a few hours to get the ideal sound ?

You can call me ZMB, Zen or even Geoff for that matter. I do think an EQ would do the trick... a graphic EQ would be ideal but a parametric with an adjustable "Q" would work just as well if not maybe a bit better. Source Audio makes a programmable graphic EQ that is noise free and very effective. Of course, any EQ will bring you closer to the sound that's in your head and be able to thicken up the high notes while not giving any more girth to the lower strings. Frequencies between 400Hz-1Khz would be ideally boosted to taste. A slight cut at the bottom band will help round out your sound too.

Since you gain treble and upper mids picking closer to the bridge, why would it not work the other way? Jimi Hendrix would have never gotten his clear, bell-like and articulate tones when he picked ever so close to the bridge if he picked close to the neck... the sound does get a bit more dull. I think I am taking about the bridge pickup anyways... Erskin is totally right about acoustic guitars and neck pickups though. : )

 

[wolf5150]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Dude don't spend money until you've explored your existing options.
Your Herco pick is nylon with a thin profile.
Which is your strongest hand ?
I find there are 2 types of player... those who's strength comes from their fretting hand and those whose comes from their pick.
I'm the latter.
No amount of exercise has given my left hand good strength and so I shape my tone with my pick.
Eddie and SRV have really strong fretting hands so they can and do/did play with thin picks and yet have huge tone.
Analyse yourself and go from there.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

You don't have enough mids because if you did, you wouldn't be having this problem. Probably a bit too much treble and bass dialed in on your rig too.

The delay will equally enhance both your low strings and your high strings, effectively putting you right back where you currently are (but you will now sound like you are in a bathroom)... time based effects are great for adding ambience or spreading your sound across the stereo spectrum, but fattening high notes is not one of their proper functions.



It's a cool technique if you are playing something that isn't too difficult but when the notes are flying by... you will need to put your hand where it is most comfortable, which is near the bridge. It's good for a special effect or great for when you are playing smoky blues or playing jazz... but under distortion or overdrive, the notes will lose clarity and get a sort of tube-like sound which isn't altogether that pleasing.

The hands must be where the body wants them to be... shifting your hands and arms in unnatural positions can eventually lead to pain and some sort of debilitation. Your playing will also immediately suffer.

Picking closer to the neck removes treble and upper mids while emphasizing the lower mids a bit... they notes also get muddier, flatter and less articulate as you get closer to the neck.

Great for an effect but should be used sparingly and is NOT an effective way to solve the OPs problem IMO.

We are predominantly electric guitar players, our instruments live in the midrange frequency bands. Shelving a bunch of bass and treble freqs might make one's rig sound very LOUD, but will open up a big fat notch in your sound where high strings go to die. Big bass makes one feel good but is an effective tool to create mud onstage while covering your tone in a blanket of low frequencies that are unnatural to the instrument.

Sounds like you are just making excuses for your inabilities and rationalizing because you need to practice more. I don't hide my lack of speed, but I don't make any rediculous excuses that have no rational merrit.

I see shredders all the time picking and tapping all over the length of the strings so fast their hands a just a blur. They seem to do quite well with the task and fully understand the rational behind their picking antics.

So,...if you can't do it, just say so and stop your whining and giving poor advice.

 

[bloodswords]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

You need this:

 

[Securb]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Thickness! I use my TWA Triskelion or my Eventide Pitchfactor just slightly detuned. I can get super fat tones even with the most subtle attacks.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Sounds like you are just making excuses for your inabilities and rationalizing because you need to practice more. I don't hide my lack of speed, but I don't make any rediculous excuses that have no rational merrit.

I see shredders all the time picking and tapping all over the length of the strings so fast their hands a just a blur. They seem to do quite well with the task and fully understand the rational behind their picking antics.

So,...if you can't do it, just say so and stop your whining and giving poor advice.

My advice is sound, I stand by it 100%... the OP has a notch in his mids.

Oh, now I have inabilities and need to practice more? You don't need to resort to insolence if your jealous of my playing... it's really sort of sad.

Your unprovoked aggression has been absent for a while... you used to troll me and now you are starting up again, nice.

 

[wolf5150]

Re: tips on making single notes thicker

Why do people in this place always resort to pathetic personal insults.
They have no place here.