What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

[Lucid_Lunatic]

Gettin' closer to buying a Strat and that's about the only songs it will be used for is Skynyrd (Gaines) tunes. I want a pickup that sounds full and has great note to note clarity while chording. What pickup set should I get?

 

[WhoFan]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

hard to say... to start i'd make sure you get a good warm sounding strat... it would depend on what type of PU's you generally like... higher output strat pu's... vintage style... the strat world is wide open on that one...

my pick would be a 60's style strat PU in the neck and middle and a hotter bridge like an SSL-5... but that is just me

 

[Diocletian]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

Not sure yet, my SSL-5 arrived today but cant wire it up yet.

Whatever you DO go with, you need to get some clips of you playing some Skynyrd stuff up! I love that first album of theirs.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

gotta love that Workin For MCA tone... that's my favourite tune

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

He played a stock Strat IIRC.....ssl-1's or if you have the cash, Surfers.

Edit...Look up live youtube vids..he could make that old Les Paul sound very Stratty...maybe he had the mid position out of phase. He was a very talented musician.....sad loss.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

He played a stock Strat IIRC.....ssl-1's or if you have the cash, Surfers.

Edit...Look up live youtube vids..he could make that old Les Paul sound very Stratty...maybe he had the mid position out of phase. He was a very talented musician.....sad loss.

I'm bettin' LL wouldn't dig the SSL-1 in the bridge, he'd want something hotter.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

I'm bettin' LL wouldn't dig the SSL-1 in the bridge, he'd want something hotter.

Steve used a stock strat....I use a tapped ssl-6 myself...but if he wants what Steve had...I belive it would have been a stock (probably pre CBS) strat pup.

 

[Diocletian]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

Steve used a stock strat....I use a tapped ssl-6 myself...but if he wants what Steve had...I belive it would have been a stock (probably pre CBS) strat pup.

Oh I'm not arguing, I just think, given LL's penchant for A2P humbuckers, he'd find an SSL-1 a bit weak in the bridge.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

I've read that he used a 65 strat and I'd be going the SSL1 route to get those tones...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

http://www.stevegaines.com/stevestratlg.htm


"Steve Gaines (Guitarist / Lynyrd Skynyrd)


Equipment Description and Setup:
Guitars-Fender Stratocaster with stock pickups and Rosewood board neck,Gibson Les Paul Custom Stock.

Amps-Peavey Mace,and Fender Twin Reverb amps

Misc-Steve didn't use any effects ,he used 9 gauge strings

Tips-Steve was a simple set-up guy.The biggest thing that is cool about him is he used the 4th position of his stratocaster pickups (mid&Bridge).Steve played alot of Jazz and alot of Country.With Skynyrd he used the strat more than the Gibson.With his own band and on his own songs he used the Gibson almost all of the time.Check out his classic tune "One in the Sun" from Skynyrd Legend it will show you his licks and all he can do.I think he is one of the best and I like his simpler set-up kinda plug in a jam to it.Have Fun

Randy Dobson"

 

[Lucid_Lunatic]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

I haven't tried the SSL-1's. I have tried an SSL-6 set a few years back in a MIM I had. They seemed thin and brittle to me, very bright sounding.

I don't really like a super hot pickup that distorts easily. What do you guys think of the Fender CS 69 Set? What's your opinion on how they sound? Do they have lots of noise or pretty quiet? How would they compare to an SD set of Surfers?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

I haven't tried the SSL-1's. I have tried an SSL-6 set a few years back in a MIM I had. They seemed thin and brittle to me, very bright sounding.

I don't really like a super hot pickup that distorts easily. What do you guys think of the Fender CS 69 Set? What's your opinion on how they sound? Do they have lots of noise or pretty quiet? How would they compare to an SD set of Surfers?

If you found an SSL-6 to be thin and brittle then SSL-1 are not gonna cut it for you...an SSL-1 is thinner brighter than an SSL-6 by far, however if you want a vintage Strat tone then SSL-1's will do it...vintage Strats are thin and bright. Thats the name of the game.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

that is in part why i suggested finding a warm sounding strat body and neck... they can get real bright...

my 66 custom shop strat is stock and it can be quite bright sounding thru some amps... Can't stand that strat thru my Marshall 2000 TSL100 head... but thru some of my other amps it is amazing... it sure don't like that Marshall! I gave up trying to get that strat to sound good thru that Marshall... it don't work...

 

[Simon_F]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

As far as I know all the Skynyrd Strats had stock pickups so a set of SSL-1s or Surfers would be most authentic. Thin and bright is the way it is! Steve's Strat tone with Skynyrd was pretty clean and bright (as was Ed King's, and Allen Collins when he played a Strat). All quack and honk! SSL-5 / SSL-6 in the bridge would beef it up but retain the single coil vibe.

I love that contrast of tones you get with Skynyrd - single coils, buckers and P-90s all groovin' together. Listening to them a lot lately - one of my favourite bands!

 

[JOLLY]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

You should have kept your Peavey Mace.

 

[Lucid_Lunatic]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

You should have kept your Peavey Mace.

That thing was a turd.


With the Surfers being Antiqueties, would they have lots of hum?

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

That thing was a turd.


With the Surfers being Antiqueties, would they have lots of hum?

All regular Strat pups hum....it is part of the sound.

You will either like a Strat or you won't....there is more of a learning curve to get them to sound the way you want, but once you do...you will have more control over your tone....IMVHO.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

if doing that sound right there should not be a lot of 60 cycle noise, the strat players in that band didn't use much gain... that brighter strat sound cut thru the other players sounds well... but like some of the others have said it was hard sometimes to tell which player was playing what part...

but like i said above finding a great strat sound depends on the amp... my strat sounds great thru some amps and god awful thru others...

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

I'd go SSL-1 Neck & Mid , Twangbanger Bridge. Steve had that special touch that he could squeeze any tone from any guitar at will. Allen Collins had a Strat with a Tele neck that had that magic Quack! (see youtube vids) I recently read that Steve was very fond of that guitar,And Allen let him use it for all the quack tones that you hear on the Street Survivor album.

 

[jeremy]

Re: What Strat Set For Steve Gaines Tones

if you found the ssl6 thin than you really arent going to like the ssl1 but thats really close to what was in his strat. the cs 69 pups are even weaker than the ssl1 so i wouldnt go there.

if you found the 13k ssl6 thin, bright and brittle then you dont want any vintage style alnico 5 single coil which are gonna be 5.5k-6.8k. like bb said, all single coils are going to hum a little bit but steve used the bridge/middle position of almost all of his strat stuff so as long as you get a rw/rp middle pup it will be humcancelling.