Most Used Guitars On Newer Rock Recordings

shadyru · 9th May 2009

From your guys' studio experience and maybe sitting in on some of the newer rock albums...nickelback, disturbed, paramore, hinder, etc

What are the most common used guitars and pickups for tracking heavy rhythm guitars in the studio?

sysexguy · 9th May 2009

Whatever they endorse is visible on the "making of" video with a diezel VH4 behind it

Andy

SkunkWorks · 9th May 2009

Easiest way to find out is to email the producer or guitar player in the band. I've been doing this for years and have almost always gotten a reply and a rather detailed one at that. I see guys in so many forums trying to guess based on what they see a guy using live or what he endorses or whatever which in alot of cases has nothing to do with what was used on an album... much of the gear that gets used in these genres belongs to the studio or producer, including the guitars. For what it's worth, in all the contacts I have made to guys in the genres you mentioned, the guitars have mostly, if not always, been Gibson and/or PRS with pickups like Gibson Burstbucker Pros, Gibson '57 Classic and Classic Plus, PRS Dragon II and EMG... mostly. I've only come across a Seymour Duncan once in 4 years and it was a Custom 5. Of course there have been variances and sometimes other guitars were used on specific tracks other than what was used on the majority of the album which was mostly the stuff I mentioned . This is mostly in the context of the dirty guitars... cleans are very often Fenders and different amps than what was used for the heavies.

You might be surprised to know that vintage low output PAF type pickups are being used in medium to high gain applications, but it makes perfect sense to me... it's more for the tone, and with the amount of preamp gain you can get out of the amps these guys are using on the albums (and the fact that you are going to be or should be using less gain in the studio anyway) who cares what the output level of a pickup is? Some of those PAF's get you a pretty nice tight bottom on those Mesas, Soldanos, Marshalls, H&K's, Peaveys, Bogners etc.

By the way, I asked David Bendeth about the Paramore dirty guitars... Vox AC30 believe it not. It's not always the usual suspects... go right to the source if you really need to know something.

Anyhoo... this is what my experience with this has been... with reference to certain specific bands and albums that I've referenced over the past 4 or 5 years which includes alot of pop punk, alternative, emo, nu metal, modern rock, hardcore and stuff like that if you need to put a label on it.

EDIT...

Shady I thought that might be you... I should have looked before I posted. I guess I've already told you alot of this in our pm's... LOL

BTW, my '57 Classic Plus are sounding pretty sweet through my new Peavey 6505+... I actually traded the Soldano Avenger to get it, makes them even more modern sounding like the guitars on the TRJA album ;)

Sean TM · 10th May 2009

I've only come across a Seymour Duncan once in 4 years and it was a Custom 5..

do seymour duncans suck now???...when i used to play i thought they sounded great..

SkunkWorks · 10th May 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean TM

do seymour duncans suck now???...when i used to play i thought they sounded great..

EDIT: I added some stuff to this...

I don't think they suck... they're just not the flavor of the year (or past 5 years) in this genre. Stock Gibson and PRS pups are kind of the sound of right now if not active EMG's (which contrary to alot of BS are not just good for metal. I have an 81/85 set in my SG and use it with medium to lower gain all the time, as I know others do. Some players say they sound scooped which is not true... they have as much mids as my Gibsons with the amp dialed the same, maybe just a little less honk or cluck but not much. I can make them sound pretty "un-modern" depending on how I dial my amp).

I myself own a Duncan Custom 5 based off info I got from Pete Thorn about an album he did with a Canadian modern rock band called Forty Foot Echo. It's the only Duncan I'm really interested in using for modern stuff and there were specific things I liked about it that were different than a Gibson or PRS pickup.. it's thick with balls from hell on the bottom end (at the cost of being not so tight) and still has some Gibson type PAF sizzle on the top, the combination of which sounds great on strummed octaves which are all over that Forty Foot Echo album... it's not in any of my guitars at the moment. Some call it a '59 on steroids. Interesting, the JB is the most sold Duncan pickup and also the one I passionately dislike the most... go figure.

That's one of Pete's Forty Foot Echo tunes that plays when you hit the front of his website (so is the second one)...
Peter Thorn

SkunkWorks · 10th May 2009

bump

I edited that last post of mine quite a bit.

FireMoon · 10th May 2009

I was told by someone in the know that. A certain band named after an early UFO re recorded the whole of the guitars on their last album after receiving some pedals made by a company using an oxymoronic stellar object for their moniker

Interesting point about the P90s .... they do seem to be making a rather subtle come back amongst guitarists seeking something with bails and chime. I have to admit I am partial myself to their tone as they can give a really *heavy* tone and yet retain clarity on big chords...

Having said that..If you are looking to the really hi gain end of rock... Then the Bareknuckle *Warpig* , pretty much, reigns supreme at this moment in time. They sure ain't cheap, though the collapse of the pound has brought them down, price wise, a fair bit in the USA.

That being so, it pretty much suggests that , guitars themselves are often the bands cosmetic and feel preference, given the pups they are using, often dictate the actual end tone, far more than say, 25 years ago...

shadyru · 10th May 2009

Thanks Skunk for the write up. I'm looking for a guitar that will fit my needs perfectly. Right now I have a Japanese Edwards Les Paul with the pickup you recomended but that isnt sitting as well in the mix as an Ernie Ball Silhouette Special that I am borrowing. So I might sell the Edwards to fund a EE Silhouette or looking into a possible PRS. My favorite band Decyfer Down is using PRS but I cant get the specifics on the model (they did use it on the album as well). So if you have specific models used on any of those high gain rock albums can you drop a note. Thanks again!!

SkunkWorks · 10th May 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadyru

Thanks Skunk for the write up. I'm looking for a guitar that will fit my needs perfectly. Right now I have a Japanese Edwards Les Paul with the pickup you recomended but that isnt sitting as well in the mix as an Ernie Ball Silhouette Special that I am borrowing. So I might sell the Edwards to fund a EE Silhouette or looking into a possible PRS. My favorite band Decyfer Down is using PRS but I cant get the specifics on the model (they did use it on the album as well). So if you have specific models used on any of those high gain rock albums can you drop a note. Thanks again!!

Will send ya a pm later today to discuss

RockManDan · 18th March 2010

haha Decypher Down....i remember those guys. they are from my home town. I knew some of them in high school. Ok, I guess, they were always the arch enemies of all the other local bands because they were so well-funded (by playing lots of big churches with disposable incomes) and would frequently change their style, look, and sound to fit whatever was currently becoming popular in Christian Rock at the time. They started out as a much more acousticish Dave Matthews kind of sound, then became heavy at some point down the line. THey have a penchant for strange spellings. Their first name was Allysonhymn, which all the kids thought was hilarious, and youd see all the parents and church people wearing the tshirts around town, then they came up with DECYPHER and used this matrix-ish logo. Where the DOWN part came from i dont know. What made it worse was that after they got signed, whenever I visited my home town i had to hear about it from acquaintances, as if they were this wonderful rags-to-riches underdog story. Props them for making it i guess. Im glad they are successfull, I really am. Its just funny to me now whenever I hear them being brought up in 'tone-searching' quests. Im like 'really? those guys?'

9th May 2009	#1
shadyru Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 646 Thread Starter	Most Used Guitars On Newer Rock Recordings From your guys' studio experience and maybe sitting in on some of the newer rock albums...nickelback, disturbed, paramore, hinder, etc What are the most common used guitars and pickups for tracking heavy rhythm guitars in the studio?

10th May 2009	#7
FireMoon Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: Coventry Posts: 1,373 1 Review written	I was told by someone in the know that. A certain band named after an early UFO re recorded the whole of the guitars on their last album after receiving some pedals made by a company using an oxymoronic stellar object for their moniker Interesting point about the P90s .... they do seem to be making a rather subtle come back amongst guitarists seeking something with bails and chime. I have to admit I am partial myself to their tone as they can give a really heavy tone and yet retain clarity on big chords... Having said that..If you are looking to the really hi gain end of rock... Then the Bareknuckle Warpig , pretty much, reigns supreme at this moment in time. They sure ain't cheap, though the collapse of the pound has brought them down, price wise, a fair bit in the USA. That being so, it pretty much suggests that , guitars themselves are often the bands cosmetic and feel preference, given the pups they are using, often dictate the actual end tone, far more than say, 25 years ago... __________________ http://www.myspace.com/tubilahdog

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9th May 2009	#2
sysexguy Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2003 Location: St-Sauveur, QC, Canada Posts: 654	Whatever they endorse is visible on the "making of" video with a diezel VH4 behind it Andy

9th May 2009	#3
SkunkWorks Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2007 Location: Edmonton, AB Canada Posts: 1,016	Easiest way to find out is to email the producer or guitar player in the band. I've been doing this for years and have almost always gotten a reply and a rather detailed one at that. I see guys in so many forums trying to guess based on what they see a guy using live or what he endorses or whatever which in alot of cases has nothing to do with what was used on an album... much of the gear that gets used in these genres belongs to the studio or producer, including the guitars. For what it's worth, in all the contacts I have made to guys in the genres you mentioned, the guitars have mostly, if not always, been Gibson and/or PRS with pickups like Gibson Burstbucker Pros, Gibson '57 Classic and Classic Plus, PRS Dragon II and EMG... mostly. I've only come across a Seymour Duncan once in 4 years and it was a Custom 5. Of course there have been variances and sometimes other guitars were used on specific tracks other than what was used on the majority of the album which was mostly the stuff I mentioned . This is mostly in the context of the dirty guitars... cleans are very often Fenders and different amps than what was used for the heavies. You might be surprised to know that vintage low output PAF type pickups are being used in medium to high gain applications, but it makes perfect sense to me... it's more for the tone, and with the amount of preamp gain you can get out of the amps these guys are using on the albums (and the fact that you are going to be or should be using less gain in the studio anyway) who cares what the output level of a pickup is? Some of those PAF's get you a pretty nice tight bottom on those Mesas, Soldanos, Marshalls, H&K's, Peaveys, Bogners etc. By the way, I asked David Bendeth about the Paramore dirty guitars... Vox AC30 believe it not. It's not always the usual suspects... go right to the source if you really need to know something. Anyhoo... this is what my experience with this has been... with reference to certain specific bands and albums that I've referenced over the past 4 or 5 years which includes alot of pop punk, alternative, emo, nu metal, modern rock, hardcore and stuff like that if you need to put a label on it. EDIT... Shady I thought that might be you... I should have looked before I posted. I guess I've already told you alot of this in our pm's... LOL BTW, my '57 Classic Plus are sounding pretty sweet through my new Peavey 6505+... I actually traded the Soldano Avenger to get it, makes them even more modern sounding like the guitars on the TRJA album ;)

10th May 2009	#4
Sean TM Gear maniac Joined: Nov 2008 Location: Charlottesville, Va Posts: 222	I've only come across a Seymour Duncan once in 4 years and it was a Custom 5.. do seymour duncans suck now???...when i used to play i thought they sounded great..

18th March 2010	#10
RockManDan Gear addict Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Durham, NC Posts: 382	haha Decypher Down....i remember those guys. they are from my home town. I knew some of them in high school. Ok, I guess, they were always the arch enemies of all the other local bands because they were so well-funded (by playing lots of big churches with disposable incomes) and would frequently change their style, look, and sound to fit whatever was currently becoming popular in Christian Rock at the time. They started out as a much more acousticish Dave Matthews kind of sound, then became heavy at some point down the line. THey have a penchant for strange spellings. Their first name was Allysonhymn, which all the kids thought was hilarious, and youd see all the parents and church people wearing the tshirts around town, then they came up with DECYPHER and used this matrix-ish logo. Where the DOWN part came from i dont know. What made it worse was that after they got signed, whenever I visited my home town i had to hear about it from acquaintances, as if they were this wonderful rags-to-riches underdog story. Props them for making it i guess. Im glad they are successfull, I really am. Its just funny to me now whenever I hear them being brought up in 'tone-searching' quests. Im like 'really? those guys?'