Help! Guitar Tone Trouble...

commaKaze · 3rd November 2006

I'll try to keep this short...but it's been a bit of a ride...bear with me please and pre-Thank you...

I had my axe built with Warmoth parts...
- 1pc. mahogany body
- maple/rosewood neck(Gibson scale)

Electronics:
- Rio Grande "muy grande" Tele (neck)
- Lollar minihumbucker(bridge)
- 500k pots
- vitamin Q paper in oil tone cap .022uf

I play through a Mesa ".50 caliber +" combo with a 1x12 EVM 12L speaker. This amp is insane with other guitars...so I've taken the amp out of the equation, even having taken it to a really great tech...tube change, everything...

The guitar records well, but in live/practice settings, the distortion breaks up real fast, and all that's to be heard is undefined buzz...

It's driving us all crazy as we're a three piece band, so it's the only guitar.

Although I know I would never get that tone, I was inspired to build this guitar after my friend inherited a 1955 LP Jr., and thought, "THIS IS IT." I thought the attempt would at least get me in the ballpark...

When I tried to "emulate" that, not so close. I originally had a Lollar P90 in there, didn't work. I exchanged it for his minihumbucker, and that was better...still no dice.

I bought a Fulltone OCD distortion pedal thinking that would do it, and closer, but still kind of annoying buzziness...

Put it this way, the other day I played my friends '70s Fender Mustang(I'm a Gibson guy) through it, and while single coil, the distortion killed. Way more defined than mine. ???

I've come to the conclusion that a full humbucker guitar may be in the cards...some influences tone-wise: The Clash, Franz Ferdinand, The Amps/Breeders, Nirvana, Blur, Radiohead, Liars, Rage, etc. All humbucker users. I really dug the P90 and thought that was the one, but that didn't work out for me, nor is the mini really.

I guess key questions would be:

1. Could it be the Warmoth quality parts? Should I have gone mahogany neck instead of maple? I feel like I should've just got a stock LP Jr. reissue at this point...
2. Is this purely a pickup issue? Do I just need humbuckers?
3. Would something like putting a cab under my combo increase the volume and projection enough so it's not being pushed to hard and kind of cracking under the pressure? How much would that play into all this?

I'm tonally lost, sorry for the length again...Thanks and appreciate any and all suggestions/advice/input...

commaKaze · 5th November 2006

All set...I replaced the guitar with an accordian, and I'm running it through a DOD "grunge" pedal and a Peavey Rage 158, and that's it!

Really though, I figured it out...got a 4x12 cab, and now love the guitar/mini hum!

3rd November 2006	#1
commaKaze Gear maniac Joined: Apr 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 288 Thread Starter	Help! Guitar Tone Trouble... I'll try to keep this short...but it's been a bit of a ride...bear with me please and pre-Thank you... I had my axe built with Warmoth parts... - 1pc. mahogany body - maple/rosewood neck(Gibson scale) Electronics: - Rio Grande "muy grande" Tele (neck) - Lollar minihumbucker(bridge) - 500k pots - vitamin Q paper in oil tone cap .022uf I play through a Mesa ".50 caliber +" combo with a 1x12 EVM 12L speaker. This amp is insane with other guitars...so I've taken the amp out of the equation, even having taken it to a really great tech...tube change, everything... The guitar records well, but in live/practice settings, the distortion breaks up real fast, and all that's to be heard is undefined buzz... It's driving us all crazy as we're a three piece band, so it's the only guitar. Although I know I would never get that tone, I was inspired to build this guitar after my friend inherited a 1955 LP Jr., and thought, "THIS IS IT." I thought the attempt would at least get me in the ballpark... When I tried to "emulate" that, not so close. I originally had a Lollar P90 in there, didn't work. I exchanged it for his minihumbucker, and that was better...still no dice. I bought a Fulltone OCD distortion pedal thinking that would do it, and closer, but still kind of annoying buzziness... Put it this way, the other day I played my friends '70s Fender Mustang(I'm a Gibson guy) through it, and while single coil, the distortion killed. Way more defined than mine. ??? I've come to the conclusion that a full humbucker guitar may be in the cards...some influences tone-wise: The Clash, Franz Ferdinand, The Amps/Breeders, Nirvana, Blur, Radiohead, Liars, Rage, etc. All humbucker users. I really dug the P90 and thought that was the one, but that didn't work out for me, nor is the mini really. I guess key questions would be: 1. Could it be the Warmoth quality parts? Should I have gone mahogany neck instead of maple? I feel like I should've just got a stock LP Jr. reissue at this point... 2. Is this purely a pickup issue? Do I just need humbuckers? 3. Would something like putting a cab under my combo increase the volume and projection enough so it's not being pushed to hard and kind of cracking under the pressure? How much would that play into all this? I'm tonally lost, sorry for the length again...Thanks and appreciate any and all suggestions/advice/input... __________________ "Sting. Sting would be another person who's a hero. The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that." -Hansel, 2001 VH1 Fashion Awards (Zoolander)

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5th November 2006	#2
commaKaze Gear maniac Joined: Apr 2006 Location: NYC Posts: 288 Thread Starter	All set...I replaced the guitar with an accordian, and I'm running it through a DOD "grunge" pedal and a Peavey Rage 158, and that's it! Really though, I figured it out...got a 4x12 cab, and now love the guitar/mini hum!