Katajun Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I feel as though maybe I should find a different guitar to write heavy metal on other than a 1964 Fender Jazzmaster. All of my music I record feels very flat and boring, even with EQing. I cant seem to get my instrument to hit the range of frequencies I hear in others' work. I use the same amp sims and interfaces many others use, but my recordings all sound the same. Should I invest in a new guitar? A guy on craigslist near me is selling a Jackson DXMGT, I may pick that up from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 1964 jazz master? You may want to consider framing that guitar instead of playing it. What type of metal are you trying to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted October 23, 2013 Share Posted October 23, 2013 ESP/LTD, Ibanez, Jackson, Caparison, BC Rich and Dean are pretty much the go-to guitars for metal. For the love of the metal gods, just don't spend a fortune unless you're rich. I would just go to the nearest guitar store and try out a bunch of the brands (and more) that I mentioned. Quick rant about guitarists: I know so many people who have spent in the range of 10,000 on just a guitar and amp head because they're convinced they need a custom made Caparison and Engl Invader tube amp to sound good when they don't even know what a "scale" is half the time. That kind of gear is made for like, the pros that play 200 shows a year with sponsorships and corporate backing. With the kind of money that these people spend on just two items, you could get a decent guitar, amp sims, virtual instruments, recording software and even still have some cash left over for professional re-amping, mixing and mastering. The cost of some guitars and amps are enough to pay for a music education for christ sake. Basically, people, especially metalheads and sales people, will probably recommend you all this high end shit you don't really need. Stick with the cheaper, but quality instruments unless you really have nothing better to spend the cash on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katajun Posted October 24, 2013 Author Share Posted October 24, 2013 ESP/LTD, Ibanez, Jackson, Caparison, BC Rich and Dean are pretty much the go-to guitars for metal. For the love of the metal gods, just don't spend a fortune unless you're rich. I would just go to the nearest guitar store and try out a bunch of the brands (and more) that I mentioned. A guy near me is selling a decent Jackson guitar for relatively cheap... Although looking it up now I don't even see the craigslist ad anymore. Crap. I'll probably go by the local music shop and check out those brands as soon as I have the funds for it. I've been doing a lot more research into free amp sims and cab sims (which I didnt even know about) and since spending more time with the range of plugins I've got, I've been able to find some way better sounding combinations. It just goes to show that you get what you put in and that you can't really throw all of this stuff in and just expect it all to work perfectly for you and make you sound like Yngwie. 1964 jazz master? You may want to consider framing that guitar instead of playing it. I really should. I could probably sell this guitar and get enough money to buy a couple new ones, but I won't do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PixelPanic Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 I've heard good things about PRS, my dad dropped his jaw when he found out my cousin got a job there Other than that, I don't know much for guitars. I'm more versed in basses, really. Actually, question for any guitarists: I can tell tone differences between a P-Bass and a Jazz Bass pretty easily, does that come up for you guys too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Can you post an example of your dry tracks and your attempted results? For example, if you went DI and used sims, then post the DI dry unprocessed track and your processed examples side by side. If you mic'd an amp, then post your dry unprocessed mic'd track and your processed attempt. We can tell you to buy shit, but it won't address issues you may have with your production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katajun Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Can you post an example of your dry tracks and your attempted results?For example, if you went DI and used sims, then post the DI dry unprocessed track and your processed examples side by side. If you mic'd an amp, then post your dry unprocessed mic'd track and your processed attempt. We can tell you to buy shit, but it won't address issues you may have with your production. dry : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1665268/kirby%20lead%20dry.mp3 wet: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1665268/kirby%20lead%20wet.mp3 thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Petitpas Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Change the pick-ups for good ones and there you go. Do you have singlecoils ? Strat pick-ups piss ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 dry : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1665268/kirby%20lead%20dry.mp3 wet: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1665268/kirby%20lead%20wet.mp3 thanks in advance! Awesome, man, can you link to a reference of the sound you're trying to achieve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katajun Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 Change the pick-ups for good ones and there you go.Do you have singlecoils ? Strat pick-ups piss ass. Yeah, it's single coil stock pickups, so I'm probably just going to buy a new guitar since I'd rather not mess with this guitar too much. Awesome, man, can you link to a reference of the sound you're trying to achieve? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZFrHdHoB44 These songs have a lot of what im doing, chuggy parts coupled with a lot of lead guitar. I mostly just feel that my sound is still stuck in the "garage" area, where its recorded alright but the sound is just missing a little bit to get it to that point of high quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Petitpas Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 There are a few options fro hi gain pick-ups with just one coil but I think you'd do yourself a favor if you bought a small decent guitar and swap the pick-ups for good, classic ones that you would find form EMG, DiMarzio & Seymour Duncan. I mean, that and the wood of the guitar really is where your signal gets its identity. So I'd say yes, you need a new one. But keep that jazz Master ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 This is what I got just running it through Guitar Rig and playing with it for about 5 minutes, which I think would fit a metal genre pretty well: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqpxktxsnvoksn8/katamari-metaltest.mp3 Most people will always tell you to run to the store and buy new gear. While that sometimes is a decent option, it's almost never the only option. Make sure you know how to use your amp/amp sim before you go spend hundreds on a new guitar/amp hoping that will magically fix your problems. Play with all the settings just to see what they do, take notes on what sounds good to you and use them later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whim Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 A little late here, but the model of guitar you play shouldn't affect your tone that significantly, especially in metal. Now, I play jazz and only played metal when asked, so I'm not too sure how much I can say this is true, but to me tone is based on your fingers, then the pickups, and then all the tone effects and all that electric junk. I'm not into the whole "the guitar itself matters" ideology because all these designer guitars are being made and plugged as "good for [this playstyle]" and I think it's silly and sort of a rip-off. Way back when I played in a Sludge band, I was using a Heritage Semi-Hollow body and a BC Rich and to be honest I thought it sounded better on the Heritage. The only thing in a guitar that matters outside of that "trinity of tone" is the quality of the instrument itself. Also what color is your jazzmaster? I'd kill for a vintage Seafoam green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I'm with Darangen. The guitar you have doesn't matter nearly as much as your ability to properly use an amp (or amp sim). Truth is, a standard strat is all you ever need unless you're looking to get into 7+ string tones (and even then you can just put B-B strings on a strat and get that sound). Study tones you like and train your ear to pick up the EQ curves and distortion levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mak Eightman Posted October 31, 2013 Share Posted October 31, 2013 I had same problem when i came here. Now I'm pleased with my sound. Strong, powerful and loud. Guitar - 200$ Yamaha ERG 121 USB interface JamVOX - 200$ for new DoD mix I used Boss Me-25 - 200$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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