Members AndrewGG Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Higher action = more tone? Sounds hokey to me.The sound made from a string meeting fretwire has nothing to do with action unless the action is so low that the string cant vibrate fully because of contact with another fret (fretbuzz). The length of the string from the bridge saddle to the fretted note should be the same regardless of action. Depends a lot on your playing style; a very low action with an aggressive pick attack will result in string buzz as a consequence of the string not being allowed to vibrate properly. This will have an adverse effect on tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndrewGG Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Stevie Ray said in an interview I read once, "big strings, big action, big sound". He probably knew what he was talking about. I'd give a serious answer, but so many people have beaten me to it. He might have done but there's nothing wimpish about, for example, Brian May's tone-and he uses 8's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AndrewGG Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Please listen to reason. Armitage got it right. Unless you have fretbuzz with your action set lower then raising the action will NOT effect tone. I don't care how high you raise it or how hard it is to play. If anything raising your action moves the vibrating string away from the pickup (unless you raise that too) resulting in a weakening of "tone" or sound.I'll agree with the string gauge argument but think that there is a point of diminishing returns there too. 9s louder than 8s? A little maybe. 10s louder than 9s? A little less than the diff between 8s and 9s. On the contrary; with Strat pickups in particular raising the action or lowering the pickups makes a significant difference to both tone and sustain. Too close to the strings and the pickup magnet strangles the vibration of the string and produces nasty 'double' notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'm surprised this is even debated. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 He might have done but there's nothing wimpish about, for example, Brian May's tone-and he uses 8's!To my ears, his tone is very typical of light strings. Plus he has little girlie hands. Love his music. Just making an observation. As far as billy gibbons, I have a Guitar Player magazine from the early 80s in my truck right now. I will try to remember at lunch to go and verify that he doesn't use girlie strings. As a matter of fact, I have a bunch of them in a box that I brought from my parents' house a couple weekends ago. I will see if there are any others up for debate that can be settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members superdistortion Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 To my ears, his tone is very typical of light strings. Plus he has little girlie hands. Love his music. Just making an observation. It's a silly observation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yngtchie Blacksteen Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 To my ears, his tone is very typical of light strings.Huge tone = light strings to your ears? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Huge tone = light strings to your ears? Hugely processed. Seriously, I think it is really easy to tell where the tone is weighed. Whether it's in the physics of the guitar or in the processing side. Brian May's tone is super saturated with effect. I think it's cool. I like what he's doing. But it isn't about hand strength. What he plays is delicate and precise.Blues guys with cleaner tones have the hand strength and huge strings. That is one end of the spectrum. I like what they do, too. Although I can't stand to listen to white guys playing blues any more.This is stupid. The article in the original post is correct. You can cheat and get away with outboard processing and gain to get phony "huge tone". But the honest way to get it is to give more massive strings room to vibrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yngtchie Blacksteen Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Cheating? Honesty? If it sounds huge, it's huge! And Brian May's tone definitely qualifies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hugely processed. Seriously, I think it is really easy to tell where the tone is weighed. Whether it's in the physics of the guitar or in the processing side. Brian May's tone is super saturated with effect. I think it's cool. I like what he's doing. But it isn't about hand strength. What he plays is delicate and precise. Blues guys with cleaner tones have the hand strength and huge strings. That is one end of the spectrum. I like what they do, too. Although I can't stand to listen to white guys playing blues any more. This is stupid. The article in the original post is correct. You can cheat and get away with outboard processing and gain to get phony "huge tone". But the honest way to get it is to give more massive strings room to vibrate. Which of my snippets I posted were recorded with outboard cheats and which were "honest?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 i like my strings about an inch, inch and a hallf off the neck. For no other reason, really, than to see the looks on peoples faces when I show em, AND it keeps them from ever asking to play my guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members go cat go Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 I'm surprised this is even debated. EG You and I both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ΨWindingΨ Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Huge tone = light strings to your ears? Bill Gibbons plays on 9s. Scratch that 8s. I knew lighter than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squinty Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 If Cephus wants to set up his electric guitars like an acoustic because he thinks that it suits his playing and he likes the tone... "honestly" who am I to argue?! Happy Playing Dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bro Blue Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Because his assertions are being presented as fact while making no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Krank'N Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Heres a quote about the Rev's setup- Billy Gibbons-Les Paul "Who would have guessed that one of the heaviest guitar sounds to ever thunder from a speaker would come out of an extremely light guitar? What looks to be a beautiful, vintage "burst" Les Paul is actually a newer Gibson reissue. But that's just the start. Before ZZ Top maestro Billy Gibbons riffs away, the guitar is handed over to luthier and longtime friend John Bolin. Bolin removes the top and the fingerboard, and then scoops out as much wood as possible from the body and neck before putting the Paul back together and flawlessly touching it up. The result is a guitar so unexpectedly light and resonant that notes seem to jump right out of it. It's even more startling that Gibbons insists few adjustments to his amp rig are necessary when he changes to the hollowed-out Pauls from Pearly Gates--his faithful Les Paul that sets the standard by which he judges all others. Other surprises include the very small .081 x.037 frets and the extra light .008-.038 gauge strings. The neck is very straight, and the low action measures just under 4/64" at the 12th fret. A bone nut was added, and the strings are adjusted very low over the first fret. There's a standard Gibson ABR-1 bridge and stop tailpiece--although the strings are fed through the tailpiece in the reverse direction, and then wrapped back over the top towards the bridge. This allows the tailpiece to be screwed down to the body while simultaneously easing the angle at which the strings pass over the bridge. Gibbons experimented with this setup, and he found a noticeable difference in the bass response and a better feel. Finally, a pair of (you guessed it) Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups run through the stock Gibson electronics. The height of the bridge pickup is kept a low 5/32" from the strings on the bass side (to clean up the low-end response) and 3/32" on the treble side. The neck pickup is positioned an even 1/8" from the strings." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Gibbons is a girly man! You call that tone?!? You need a telephone pole neck strung with piano wire if you're looking for real tone!Don't cheat either! I can hear the difference between 12s, 13s, and the God almighty 16s! I can tell if the action is set at an inch and a half or two inches! I won't be fooled by overdrive or the control knobs on the amp either!What the hell is wrong with you people, can't you hear it too?!? You're all worthless! Go back to playing your Daisy Rocks strung up with wimpy 11s!Didn't you see the friggin Gibson article?!? Wait! I've got a magazine in my truck. What? You didn't think I could read?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hey! Leave Doc out of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Hey! Leave Doc out of this. Nah! They may look the same but Doc's higher mental functions and general brain dimensions are much more evolved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Nah! They may look the same but Doc's higher mental functions and general brain dimensions are much more evolved! Yes. He's a bit of a renaissance (cave)man, aint he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 man, aint he? Of course! Definitely much more modern in his thinking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevman Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 You don't know what you're talking about. 11s sound alot different than 10s. I haven't used 9s since I was 14. Of course you'll change the pickup height if you change your action. Do you really think this argument is about how far the magnets are from the strings?You sound like a girlie man who is trying to justify his girlie setup. Have you ever even played a guitar set up stiff, or do you just play delicate little angel fart guitars? Wow what a complete asshole you are. I am a little shocked to see your response to a fairly subjective subject. Must have a little sand in your vagina. Tell me oh wiseass of the guitarknowledge. How does raising your action change tone. Nothing more than raising your action mind you. No string gauge changes (which I agree alter tone but not that much). Please give me the physical evidence that raising action makes a difference in tone other than moving the string away from the pickup. If you can produce the charts and or graphs to back up your statement I will respectfully give you props. I will still use 9s and not have a problem at all getting the tones I like out of them. Frigging horses ass. You belong in the political forum where you would still be an ass but at least you'd have a ton of company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 So let's see if I have learned my HCEG lessons. Poly vs. nitro=huge effect on tone. Higher/lower action=no effect. I got that right? EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevman Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 Neither have a huge effect on tone(I checked a magazine). It's all about whether your wood is from Brazil or Africa. No other woods can produce manly tones. Basswood? Girly. A Poly dipped African mahogany guitar with 1" action at the 12th fret and 12 gauge strings will sound more manly than a poplar bodied guitar rubbed with true oil using 9s and light action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoneNut Posted October 20, 2009 Members Share Posted October 20, 2009 . Higher/lower action=no effect. I got that right? EG Of course not. I'd wager money that even the most adamant nitro supporter to hear the difference in a blind test between equal guitars with the exception of finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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