bucketheads setup?

[progrules]

Originally posted by RockinIt riiiight

 

 

Of all the vids i have seen, he NEVER acts normal, he even moves weird. He's insane.

[wtfg89]

His whole act is a gimmick

[progrules]

Originally posted by RockinIt His whole act is a gimmick

yeah right

who the {censored} would want to have a bucket and a mask on ALL the time???

I for sure wouldn't

[wtfg89]

Originally posted by progrules yeah right who the {censored} would want to have a bucket and a mask on ALL the time??? I for sure wouldn't

 

 

If you were making a rough rough guestimate of 100k+ a year for doing so, I am sure that would change.

[progrules]

Originally posted by RockinIt If you were making a rough rough guestimate of 100k+ a year for doing so, I am sure that would change.

you think buckethead is that rich??

have you ever heard his music?? he's not britney spears you know

[rchip]

Nah bucket head is cool as hell, he probably really is insane. I read that ozzy osbourne wanted him in his band or something, but he couldn't work with him because bucket head woundn't take off his bucket or mask ever and wouldn't respond to anything else but `bucket head`. Ozzy said he found out his name was Brian and started calling him Brain, he said to Ozzy `only my mother can call me Brain`. Ozzy said he had to fire him because he was {censored}ing insane.

Oh and yeh, I think he's deffinetly making more than 100k a year, alot more. I bet he does loads as a session player that lots of people don't know about.

[Jimi Ray Halen]

Originally posted by rchip Nah bucket head is cool as hell, he probably really is insane. I read that ozzy osbourne wanted him in his band or something, but he couldn't work with him because bucket head woundn't take off his bucket or mask ever and wouldn't respond to anything else but `bucket head`. Ozzy said he found out his name was Brian and started calling him Brain, he said to Ozzy `only my mother can call me Brain`. Ozzy said he had to fire him because he was {censored}ing insane. Oh and yeh, I think he's deffinetly making more than 100k a year, alot more. I bet he does loads as a session player that lots of people don't know about.

Wow. From Randy Rhoads to a guy with a bucket on his head. Damn!

You think he would do some session work for KFC?

[progrules]

Originally posted by Jimi Ray Halen Wow. From Randy Rhoads to a guy with a bucket on his head. Damn! You think he would do some session work for KFC?

i hate when people despise him just because he's a freak who wears a mask and a bucket on his head..

so what if he's a freak? his music is awesome to say the least, and you've probably heard nothing

[scottdh]

Guitar One's editor says his name is Brian Carrol. I heard one of his songs the other day that he did with Serj Tankian - truly amazing. Bought one of his cd's yesterday but haven't had a chance to listen yet.

[Fireproof]

Here you go:

The story of Buckethead


And I just found this...

Buckethead Unmasked

MTV's Beneath the Bucket / Behind the Mask

Love him or hate him - you gotta love his Les Paul Custom!!

[Fireproof]

For those interested in his setup:

Installing a kill switch
A tutorial by Rellik (cwire4@hotmail.com)

After seeing Buckethead live and seeing just how much he uses his kill switch to play, I figured it couldn't hurt to install a kill switch for the time when I'm actually able to use one. I'm not a guitar player yet, just a guy with a guitar, but I am an electronics junkie, so I jumped at the chance to fiddle with the innards of my guitar. Below I will show you what I did to get my killswitch in and how you can do the same.

First things first. Here's a little warning for all of you out there: I can't guarantee that the wiring of your guitar will be exactly (or close for that matter) to the wiring of my guitar, and because of that, I can't guarantee that all the things I will discuss will be relevant to your particular guitar, so proceed at your own risk...

If your guitar is setup anything like mine, the first thing we'll want to do is take off the strings to give us much easier access to where we want to be.

Next, to get the pick guard off I used a set of precision screwdrivers (the 1/8" size did the trick for me). Once you get all the screws out of the plate you should be able to just lift the plate up, but be careful as the wires in your guitar might be connected to the plate as they were in my guitar. Don't want to snap any of these wires prematurely. Set the plate to the side and let's take a look inside. Wires everywhere, right? Not to worry, we won't be messing with all of these.

OK, here's the theory behind a killswitch before we go any further. Kill switches do just as the name implies, a switch to kill the sound when pressed. The way that Buckethead uses this effect is by pressing the button quickly, giving it a stacatto, or choppy sound. I can't explain the musical side of all of this, but listening to Buckethead play a song while using this technique is explanation enough for the reason it sounds so cool.

The way I'm going to go about adding my kill switch is to sever the entire signal going to the output jack on a button press. Another method in adding a kill switch might be to kill a certain pickup only, and not the output to the jack itself.

Supplies needed:
-----------------

A momentary, normally-closed pushbutton switch
A soldering iron and solder
A bit of wire (same or close to gauge of wire already in guitar)
A couple of red butt connectors (yes, laugh at the name now, but they'll ease the process later on)
Wire cutter, pliers, and wire stripper
Drill, and a bit
Contact cleaner (optional)

Information on supplies:
-------------------

Momentary switch - The switch that I got was from Radio Shack, part number 275-1548. Looking back I probably should have gotten a bit bigger button as this one is a mini-switch, but my hands are small anyway, so it should be fine. There are 4 switches that come in this package.

Soldering iron and solder - If you don't have either of these items let me suggest the above to you. I use that same soldering iron myself and it does great, and you can't go wrong for $4.99. Since it was so cheap, I decided to spring for the extra tips as well, but this is not a neccessity for our project. Along with your order for your soldering iron, get some of the above solder along with it. This roll should last you for quite a while if you do light electronics work. If you don't choose to get this roll, be SURE that whatever solder you do get has a ROSIN core, not an ACID core. Acid core solder is used in working with pipes and whatnot, not sensitive electronic components. Eventually if you use the acid core solder your joints might break or may even corrode.

Wire - It's nice to have a good spool of wire around. If you're going out and getting wire for this project, make sure to get close, if not exactly the same gauge of wire as the wire you're going to be cutting and adding in to. The wire that was in my guitar was between 18 and 22 gauge, this'll make a difference for the next item.

Butt connectors - Though the name sounds funny, butt connectors will make your work look clean and professional, and will also keep you from having to do more soldering than necessary. I decided to use this in case you're just not that comfortable with soldering yet. Make sure to get the butt connector for the gauge of wire you're using, for my case it was a red butt connector that corresponded to the 18 - 22 gauge range. Here's a place you can order them from online if you wish, but any local electronics or hardware store should have them.

Wire cutter and stripper - You should be able to get these two items at any local hardware store. The wire cutters and strippers may come in a single unit, and will most probably come with a crimping tool at the end, we'll need this a little later on.

Drill and bit - Get an electric drill and a couple of bits (one for a pilot hole and one for the regular hole). For the switch that I got, the mounting hole as stated on the back of the package is 17/64".

Contact Cleaner - I got this stuff from Radio Shack as well. If you choose to get this, read the warnings on the back and use it in a well ventilated area. Again this item is optional, but since we already have the guitar opened up I figured it couldn't hurt to hit the potentiometers and clean them up. It did help, but more on that later.

Procedure:
-----------

What I did first is make my switch assembly. Plug the iron into the outlet and let it heat for a while. While it's heating, get your wire cutter and snip off about 6 inches of wire from your spool of wire, now, cut this piece in half and you should have two pieces of wire, 3 inches each. Strip each end of each wire, about a half inch or so on each end. Twist each end of the wire so that it's not frayed. Ok, get your switch and insert one of your twisted ends into one of the terminals and twist it around the terminal to make a good mechanical connection. Do this to each terminal.

Next comes probably the hardest part of the whole project -- soldering.

Unroll about 3 inches of solder and bring the soldering iron down onto the solder, this will just melt through it and give us a stick of solder to easily hold and manipulate. If this is your first time soldering, i'll refer you here on an overview of the basic processes of soldering: Soldering 101.

After reading that little article you should have a fair idea about the basics of soldering so we can continue.

I suggest either having something that you can hold the switch down with or a volunteer to hold the switch in place while you work, you find that you run out of hands quickly when soldering. With your new soldering ability, let's solder some wire onto our button. Melt a bit of solder onto the tip of the iron, this will allow the heat to transfer more easily to the solder we want on our connection. Now bring the iron with the dab of solder we put on there down to the wire and terminal and let it heat for a few seconds and put your stick of solder down there, not touching the iron though, we want the connection to melt the solder. Do the same thing to the other terminal.

If everything went right you should have a wire securely connected to each terminal. You can tell a good connection by its shiny appearance, as well as making sure that the solder flowed all around the joint.

Find the volume knob of your guitar and on the back follow the wires that are coming off of it. On mine there were two wires, one was going to the pickups, and the other was going to a hole inside the body where the amp cable connects to the terminal. We want to snip the wire that goes inside the body approximately in the middle. Next we need to strip these two pieces of wire. I caution you however to do this step VERY carefully, if you break the wire off that's inside the guitar you'll have to take it into the shop and that just wouldn't be cool. Breaking the wire that's connected to the volume knob, though not desired, is a fairly easy fix, we'd need only to solder a wire back in place.

Ok, now we know where everything goes. This might be a good time to mount the button. It'll be easier to work with since it's not yet attached to the wires. Find a nice location for the button and make sure there is nothing in the way on the other side (the solid guitar body for instance). Once you find where you want the button to go, drill a small pilot hole in that location. Now we need to get out that 17/64" bit. Using the pilot hole as a guide, drill through the plate, once through, wiggle the drill around a little bit to open the hole up just a bit bigger (I tried just drilling straight through but the hole was too tight, this will help us out).

Pop the button through the back and tighten the nut onto it, be careful though, tightening too much could fracture or break the button and we don't want that as we would need to start the process all over again for preparing our button.

Now the button should be where you want it. Get two of the butt connectors and slide the wire down from each of the button terminals inside as far as it will go.

[Fireproof]

CONTINUED.........

Now that it's in there, you need to crimp it very tightly. Once you've crimped the wires, give them a tug to make sure they're not going to come out. If needed, get another butt connector and crimp again.

Alright, we've got our button with two newly added wires coming off of each terminal, and butt connectors connected to that, what to do now? Go back to the wires inside the guitar and find the wire coming from the volume knob that leads to the output jack. We need to cut it. Get a wire cutter and snip it as close to the middle as possible. Now that that's taken care of, insert the wire coming out of the body (leading to the output jack) into the end of one of the butt connectors that we attached to the button. Clamp down on the connector and make sure it's secure. Now, do the same procedure for the other end of the wire that's coming off of the volume knob, attach it to the connecter attached to the other terminal. If all of your connections are good, you should be good to go.

If you have any length of bare wire exposed, it's a very good idea to wrap some electrical tape around it to avoid a short.

And that's it. You've installed your killswitch! Re-string your guitar and jam!

One last thing, the only drawback to how I did this killswitch is that there's a small popping noise when you depress the button. I think that this is because of a voltage spike, and could probably be cured with an appropriate capacitor.

If there is any part of the article that is unclear, hard to understand, etc., e-mail me and i'll see if I can't clear it up.

---------------------------------




the neck has an ebony fingerboard and 22 frets
the pickups are DiMarzio of some sort

The kill switch/button is designed to momentarily cut off the guitar signal so it's silent for a second (or less) and is then pressed repeatedly to give a staccato effect (a stop/starty sound for non-musicians). They work in one of two ways, as far as I know....there could be more. I'm not sure which is Buckethead's way.

1) A normally closed button switch that's connected to the hot and the ground wires coming from the pickup - on press the pickup signal is instantly grounded hence the sound is "killed" whilst the button is pressed.

2) A normally open button switch that's put as a break along the hot wire (black, I think) to the output jack. On press the signal is open so no current will pass along hence sound is momentarily "killed."

I think 1) is the better way as the other may provide some noise on some guitars and isn't always compatible.
I suspect Buckethead's is most likely wired like that.







Is the Star Wars Knob a volume or tone control?
I think it's more likely that the one volume knob is rewired for both pick ups, and the Star Wars pot is a tone rewired for both pickups. While he might not use his bridge pick-ups so much, I can't imagine he'd leave them without a volume control of any sort. What would be the point in putting the selector in? Similarily, I can't imagine he'd leave it with no tone control. I persoanlly hardly ever touch the tone controls, but sometimes they come in useful to add extra bite or soften the tone a bit. I imagine it's the same for other people.

What Gibson had to say about this Les Paul:
"As for the specifics on the guitar, you need to contact Buckethead. Please understand that we do not discuss the specifics of a customer's Custom Shop guitar with other people" They did say however that they hadn't seen the white metal hardware before, so I assume it was custom made for him. (Thanks to crapmetal for that info)

~thanks to Kev and Doug Cartwright for the info and diagrams!

Courtesy of Bingeandgrab.com

Courtesy of bingeandgrab.com

[the figurehead]

So, wearing a bucket and mask ISNT cool, but dressing up like a big gay leather daddy in platform shoes and Kabuki makeup, ala Paul Stanley, is?

[BowerR64]

Does he get free chicken?

[ending_zero]

Originally posted by progrules i hate when people despise him just because he's a freak who wears a mask and a bucket on his head..

 

 

If he couldn't play it would be considered art.

[Digital Jams]

Originally posted by Jimi Ray Halen Yeah, it makes me want to go machine gun some chickens. Jimi was just a few light years ahead of him in every way. Still is even though he's been dead for 35 years. AND he didn't wear a ridiculous fast food wrapper on his head to get noticed. Maybe BH is the fast food of the guitar world. Something from the dollar value menu? Where's biscuithead and potato wedgehead? I mean, if you're going to go with the KFC theme you may as well go all the way. He just sounded like another decent guitarist with a JHE Octavia/Fuzz pedal. He needs to learn a little more to take on Machine Gun. Plus, somebody needs to tell him that the KFC thing on his head is really just plain stupid. Yes, I know it's just a gimmick to make him stand out from other guitarists. But he looks like a real dork. Now if he had a Mickey D's Happy Meal box up there and a Ronald McDonald mask - then I'd take him seriously.

So your clip showing your version of Jimi is where????? I would love to here it.

[Blackmetal]

Brian Carrol is Buckethead... not Paul Gilbert!

I like Paul Gilbert's playing much better... but Buckethead is cool too.

I wouldn't be suprised at all if Buckethead makes 100 grand a year or more... that isn't THAT much money.

[Ramm]

This is pretty interesting...






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buckethead Lead Guitar


The Buckethead backstory begins with a kid named Brian Carroll growing up in a Southern California suburb not far from Disneyland. He's a shy kid and spends a lot of time in his room, which is filled with comic books, video games, martial-arts movie memorabilia, slasher-flick stuff, all the usual youth-culture detritus. He also spends a whole lot of time at Disneyland.

As a teenager, Brian takes up the guitar, plonking away under the sway of such metal masters as Angus Young of AC/DC; the late Randy Rhoads, of the Ozzy Osbourne band; and Swedish overdrive virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen. Like the latter two, Carroll incorporates a considerable amount of classical-music consciousness into his burgeoning style. He reads a lot of music theory. He starts getting really, really good.

Unlike his idols, however, Carroll is anything but flamboyant. Mane-tossing guitar-god moves are not something he'll ever be comfortable attempting. In fact, in an ideal world, there'd be somebody else he could one day take up onstage with him and hide behind. Some sort of alter ego.

Nobody much liked the 1988 fright flick "Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers." After 10 years, this slasher franchise was pretty much played out. (Even though it's still with us today!) But Brian Carroll was inspired by the film. He went right out after seeing it and bought a Michael Myers-like white mask. Then, that night, as he was eating from a bucketful of take-out fried chicken, another inspiration struck. He described it in a 1996 interview with Guitar Player magazine: "I was eating it, and I put the mask on and then the bucket on my head. I went to the mirror. I just said, 'Buckethead. That's Buckethead right there.' It was just one of those things. After that, I wanted to be that thing all the time."

Unlike the editors of Guitar Player (for which Bucket once wrote a column called "Psychobuddy"), you needn't be conversant with minor 9th intervals or quadratonal arpeggios to be knocked sideways by Buckethead's war-of-the-worlds guitar eruptions. His star-burst chord clusters and eye-frazzling eight-finger solos aren't like much else you'll be hearing on this planet anytime soon.

Of course there are all kinds of aspiring guitar wizards out there (although probably none within pick-flicking distance of this guy). But what sets Carroll decisively apart from the pack is the outr

[Fireproof]

Originally posted by Blackmetal Brian Carrol is Buckethead... not Paul Gilbert! I like Paul Gilbert's playing much better... but Buckethead is cool too. I wouldn't be suprised at all if Buckethead makes 100 grand a year or more... that isn't THAT much money.

 

 

Yep - read the links I posted a few posts back telling all the work that Buckethead's done....himself, with other bands, in the studio as a session guitarist...for films.

 

I bet he easily makes a lot more than that!

[Bernie Franks]

Originally posted by BowerR64 I notice bucketheads swith is covered with a little plug thing. WHere is his switch mounted? is he just using a volume and tone, the puch button and a switch insted of one of the knobs?

I see someone's already given a crazy in-depth answer to this, but here's a good shot of his controls...

[curseoftruth]

Originally posted by BowerR64 I swear thats paul gilbert man, look at the awkwardness he holds the fretboard and the way he picks. Ill have to hunt down my paul gilbert tape and show some screen caps. He plays just like him. Not his music style but his playing style.

 

 

Paul Gilbert isn't like 7 feet tall either. BH is a big dude! I bet he is a goofy looking SOB as well, thus the bucket!

 

The other night we got that new KFC pack, three items in a bucket for $9.99. After we were done eating, I had to put the bucket on my head! I mean, damn it was just calling me to see how it actually fit after seeing BH videos!

[Fireproof]

Originally posted by curseoftruth The other night we got that new KFC pack, three items in a bucket for $9.99. After we were done eating, I had to put the bucket on my head! I mean, damn it was just calling me to see how it actually fit after seeing BH videos!

LOL - did you play any better with it on??

[Blanket_Music]

Buckethead gets alot of praise for his crazy shredding and 8 finger tapping runs, but has anyone bothered to listen to his acoustic album, "Colma"? Such a beautiful and musical album, it's one of my all time favorites. The songs are repetative, but hypnotic rather than boring. They also convey a very unique mood, nostalgic is the only word I can think of to describe it. Check it out if you haven't.