Using middle/neck position for solos (a la Elliot Easton)?

[rsilverst]

Hi all -- our cover band plays "Just What I Needed" by The Cars. I'm pretty proud of having mostly nailed this amazing solo (albeit, there's one little pull-off before the final run that I can't seem to pull off [pun intended] because my pinky isn't stretchy enough .

Here's my question -- when I see live performances of the band, I realized that Elliot plays the song on the bridge pickup, as the overall tone would have you believe. But for the solo, he switches to the middle position. When I tried this, I thought "Aha!!" because it really gives the specific tone that the solo has. But it has me wondering how he is getting his solo boosted above the band when it did not appear that he was using any pedals (perhaps I'm mistaken there). One thing I was wondering is if maybe he's got his neck pickup positioned closer to the strings than you'd typically do for a "balanced" output, so that he's intentionally getting a louder/solo tone when flipping over to the middle. Is this a common thing for folks to do? (usually players would do things the other way around, hence the designation of "rhythm" versus "lead" or "treble" pickups).

I know Elliot frequented this group years ago... perhaps he'll stumble across this post and enlighten -- what say you, Elliot? Pedal boost? Neck pickup louder? Just hit the strings harder? Something else that I didn't notice? The video I was watching was probably from 1979 or 1980... maybe Midnight Special... and it was a red Les Paul.

Thanks,
Bob (big fan from Boston, and now in Seattle)

 

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Hi all -- our cover band plays "Just What I Needed" by The Cars. I'm pretty proud of having mostly nailed this amazing solo (albeit, there's one little pull-off before the final run that I can't seem to pull off [pun intended] because my pinky isn't stretchy enough .

Here's my question -- when I see live performances of the band, I realized that Elliot plays the song on the bridge pickup, as the overall tone would have you believe. But for the solo, he switches to the middle position. When I tried this, I thought "Aha!!" because it really gives the specific tone that the solo has. But it has me wondering how he is getting his solo boosted above the band when it did not appear that he was using any pedals (perhaps I'm mistaken there). One thing I was wondering is if maybe he's got his neck pickup positioned closer to the strings than you'd typically do for a "balanced" output, so that he's intentionally getting a louder/solo tone when flipping over to the middle. Is this a common thing for folks to do? (usually players would do things the other way around, hence the designation of "rhythm" versus "lead" or "treble" pickups).

I know Elliot frequented this group years ago... perhaps he'll stumble across this post and enlighten -- what say you, Elliot? Pedal boost? Neck pickup louder? Just hit the strings harder? Something else that I didn't notice? The video I was watching was probably from 1979 or 1980... maybe Midnight Special... and it was a red Les Paul.

Thanks,
Bob (big fan from Boston, and now in Seattle)

He's only playing those shanky rhythm stabs on top of Ocasek playing the main rhythm, and considering how bright and crunchy his tone is for a Les Paul in the middle setting like in this video if I had to take a guess he has the neck pickup volume rolled way back for the verse and chorus parts, or plays it on the bridge like you said with the volume rolled back some, and has the neck pickup volume up a little bit more to add body for the solo tone. Either way should get the desired result.

Tbt the ability to do that is why I am in love with the Gibson 2+2 set up. I normally keep my bridge volume on 8, and my neck volume on 5 or 6. It gives me a great crunchy rhythm tone that is more like a slightly beefier bridge tone but that retains that bite, and I can either roll up the bridge for more snarl and sting, or roll up the neck for more thickness.

 

[c_wester]

I recommend also using the Peter Green mod with your thinking. It gives a even wider palett.

 

[rsilverst]

He's only playing those shanky rhythm stabs on top of Ocasek playing the main rhythm, and considering how bright and crunchy his tone is for a Les Paul in the middle setting like in this video if I had to take a guess he has the neck pickup volume rolled way back for the verse and chorus parts, or plays it on the bridge like you said with the volume rolled back some, and has the neck pickup volume up a little bit more to add body for the solo tone. Either way should get the desired result.

Tbt the ability to do that is why I am in love with the Gibson 2+2 set up. I normally keep my bridge volume on 8, and my neck volume on 5 or 6. It gives me a great crunchy rhythm tone that is more like a slightly beefier bridge tone but that retains that bite, and I can either roll up the bridge for more snarl and sting, or roll up the neck for more thickness.

I really need to think about & experiment with using the volume knobs i have been playing guitar for 42 years, and honestly i can tell you that 99.9% of that playing has been with all the guitar's controls on 10. it never even occurred to me that he might have his knobs on something other than 10!

also -- note in this video at 2:01 you can see him flip from middle back to bridge after the last note of solo:

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I really need to think about & experiment with using the volume knobs i have been playing guitar for 42 years, and honestly i can tell you that 99.9% of that playing has been with all the guitar's controls on 10. it never even occurred to me that he might have his knobs on something other than 10!

also -- note in this video at 2:01 you can see him flip from middle back to bridge after the last note of solo:

I gotta admit I was that all knobs on 10 guy for decades myself. What changed it for me was getting hooked on germanium treble booster and fuzz, octave fuzz, and octave divider type pedals

Now when I'm playing guitar I can't stop playing with my knobs.

 

[c_wester]

Took me way to long also.
Nowadays I try to turn up the amp to loud and turn it down on a great gitarr and take it from there.


The PG out of phase mod works also half way up on the controls.
You are just having the magnet fields canceling each other as you please.

There are a lot of tones there. This is kind of obvious.
Although took me way to long really use it