Sometimes it is not the amp....

[Tonegeek]

I know this is an amp forum but seeing that the guitar and amp acts as a system it seems appropriate to discuss how guitar setup affects tone.

My rig (BM, Strat) has been sounding really good lately. I had not touched my guitar pickup adjustment in months after I thought I had it dialed in as good as it would get. Then I did a fret job on my main guitar which is a Strat. I went to taller/wider frets and needless to say, after height adjustments, the new frets put my strings further away from the pickups than they were. Upon playing the guitar for a couple of days after the fret job, I decided it had more high end than before. Then I decided it was kind of buzzy and thin so I raised the pups up and all seemed well. For one day I thought the buzz was tamed but then it seemed the upper mids were kind of hard sounding and buzzy. I thought it was the amp so I adjusted the external controls on the amp, but no matter what I did, it wasnt working. So, I lowered the pups back down to where they were before and now no buzz and everything sounds right again with my normal amp settings. The guitar still seems to have a bit more highs, but in a good way. I Know it sounds like crazy EJ talk, but I have to attribute this to the new frets. I had band practice tonight and it passed the "with the band" test with flying colors. That extra high end restored some shine that I did not even realize was missing. The pickup adjustment is critical to getting the sound i like, more so than I ever realized. I would love to hear what others have to say about this topic. To me the guitar adjustment is a critical part of getting the most out of these amps.

[selloutrr]

i agree the guitar is a vital part of the amp and the "Sound" but.. it's more about the player! I'm not great not much more then a hack but i can pick up a guitar that has a resonable setup done and get a nice tone. i have a friend who is a pro player and the most nerotic fuck you will ever meet. i mean that with love but he will nit pit everything tone related to the point he convinces himself he hears things that aren't there. life is full of compromises. as a studio engineer and player I strive for great tone but guitars are by design faulty always trying to go out of tune and unless you have a dedicated pickup for every sting it's a compromise. IMHO focus on getting the neck to string height comfortable and the frets broken in. settle on a pickup height that is closely balanced and low enough it's not causing problems. Strings also have a huge effect on tone!!! even pack to pack in the same batch. it's like buying a new car it takes a few miles before you can park it like your old car.

[Tonegeek]

Most of the nuerotic/perfectionist musicians I know have really great tone, so I cut them some slack. Personally I don't think my own tone would be as good as I think it is unless I agonized over it. I do agree that there is a fine line between being dedicated to a pursuit of something and being nuerotic about it. That's no fun for anybody.

[Structo]

Yes, I agree.
Pickup height can change the tone a lot!

It's always worth getting the screw driver out and trying different heights.

I have found in general if the tone is a bit congested and you know it isn't the amp, lowering the pickup, be it a single coil or humbucker can restore the clarity and articulation.
Sometimes an adjustment of only 1/16" will make all the difference.
This can be very critical on the neck pickup where mushiness can happy more frequently, particularly with a humbucker there.
I have spent hours adjusting pickups, string height, intonation, and nut slots as well.
Then find the next day I am still not happy with it and start turning screws again.
Seems like just about anything you do besides the pickup adjustments affect the intonation.
For those of you that are new to this, it is very important to have the guitar in the normal playing position when adjusting the action and intonation.

[talbany]

Most of the nuerotic/perfectionist musicians I know have really great tone, so I cut them some slack. Personally I don't think my own tone would be as good as I think it is unless I agonized over it. I do agree that there is a fine line between being dedicated to a pursuit of something and being nuerotic about it. That's no fun for anybody.
_________________

Advice I could have used a long time ago!!

1 The amp is just if not more important than the guitar!! (Dah Dumble discussion)
2 Don't OBSESS with trying to sound like someone else..(Yes even Robben Ford!!).. LOL
3 Don't try to conform or change how you play or sound around a piece of gear.. This is especially true with older vintage stuff..
4 The longer you stick with the same rig the better it gets
5 Find your own sound!! When you get a set up that inspires you lose the obsession and play music..
6 Record yourself allot listen to your tone played back..it helps

There are a few more but these are the big ones I struggled with for the longest time..No ones saying not to try new things and have fun with it

Tony