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Greatest thing you can do to improve your tone

C7ble

New member
Joined
Nov 9, 2008
Messages
156
I thought it was a glass of single-malt, on the rocks, slowly melting away atop a warm tube amp.

I always say "the more you drink, the better we sound".
ICE IN WHISKY????

you're clearly not Scottish!. That carries the death sentence over here!
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Man, I cannot believe how putting some genuine '50s long PAF magnets in my newer pickups sounds so killer!

Every pickup I put them in sounded unreal. Those old magnets were the soul of the PAF sound IMO. The harmonics are increased like crazy! When my buddy heard it, he freaked out. He could not believe what a change that made.

I also own a real set of PAFs and putting a long magnet in a new pickup got me incredibly close to the PAFs.

There seem to be some on ebay every once in a while. I highly recommend! :wow :wow

If you have PAF clone pickups, you owe it to yourself to try them.
I whole heartedly agree! I've been doing this for years. The magnet makes a huge difference. I have around 30 of them (sorry, but not for sale). Jon Gundry's magnets are the only ones that soun d like the old ones!
 

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Where to start...

el84ster - "Of course practice! Why does one preclude the other?"
I couldn't have said it better.

C7ble - I'm more of a Bourbon guy, but you speak the truth handed down from the heaven's to us mortals. A nice cask strength Islay needs maybe a drop of water to open it up, but always at room temperature.

Wookie - Don't tell C7, but I enjoy Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks. I figure it's only a blend, a savory & delicious blend matched perfectly with a Tweed Deluxe, but still a blend.

Texas Blues - Keef will always be the exception, never the rule. After the nuclear holocaust the only things to survive will be cockroaches, twinkies, google and Keith Richards.

As for improving tone I like an old analog delay pedal for some coloration and slapback in front of a BF amp.
 

Black58

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2005
Messages
10,139
Where to start...

el84ster - "Of course practice! Why does one preclude the other?"
I couldn't have said it better.

C7ble - I'm more of a Bourbon guy, but you speak the truth handed down from the heaven's to us mortals. A nice cask strength Islay needs maybe a drop of water to open it up, but always at room temperature.

Wookie - Don't tell C7, but I enjoy Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks. I figure it's only a blend, a savory & delicious blend matched perfectly with a Tweed Deluxe, but still a blend.

Texas Blues - Keef will always be the exception, never the rule. After the nuclear holocaust the only things to survive will be cockroaches, twinkies, google and Keith Richards.

As for improving tone I like an old analog delay pedal for some coloration and slapback in front of a BF amp.

Twinkies! :hee
A friend and I ran a scavenger hunt, years back, and one of the things we asked for was a moldy Twinkie!

Heh-heh. None showed up. :wah :rofl
 

zombiwoof

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2003
Messages
3,565
As far as the booze, the rock'n'roll way is straight from the bottle, direct to the liver! Though I hate to admit I like a little ice now and then....

Al
 

kitmac53

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2006
Messages
74
On a scale of 1-10...
a) RS pots = 8
b) Lightweight Tailpiece + locking studs = 4 (But a 9+ in sustain!)
c) Fresh Strings = 5
d) Thinner pick = 4
f) Amp Position = 6 (Get those combos off the floor)
g) Practice with the amp pointed right at your face, at a sane volume = 10

Thinner pick? Please explain:)
 

el84ster

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2001
Messages
1,420
I think the long PAF magnets had a very different sound than the short PAF magnets used from 1961 on. The short ones seem to have a little cleaner sound.

But both sound way better than any modern production magnets I've tried!
 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,583
I'm wondering where are these vintage mags come from ...are they "borrowed" from original pafs ? ...anyway, I'd like to try one myself in a newer ( '57 classic? ) '99 humbuck.
 

Cream Fan

Active member
Joined
May 1, 2003
Messages
2,695
I think the long PAF magnets had a very different sound than the short PAF magnets used from 1961 on. The short ones seem to have a little cleaner sound.

But both sound way better than any modern production magnets I've tried!

That's because the short ones are A5 and the long ones, for the most part, were A2. I, too, discovered the vintage magnet swap gambit a while ago. I still feel that the old ones are better than anything made today.
 

LookerBob

Active member
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
2,258
On a scale of 1-10...
a) RS pots = 8
b) Lightweight Tailpiece + locking studs = 4 (But a 9+ in sustain!)
c) Fresh Strings = 5
d) Thinner pick = 4
f) Amp Position = 6 (Get those combos off the floor)
g) Practice with the amp pointed right at your face, at a sane volume = 10

You should practice too... at the alphabet. :)
 
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