Need help achieveing an ahkward sound.

IWantAJem · #1 05-03-2003, 09:33 PM

Hi, i'm not sure if this is the right place to post such a message but here goes. I am trying to get a "bouncy" almost hollow sound with really mean treble, almost exactly like the sound in Steve Vais' Tender Surrender live in detriot 1997, it can be found on vai.com whenever they reopen the video section. Anyways, I don't have any effect pedals whatsoever so if mayber there is an effect thing I could buy it would be helpfful if you could tell me the exact name. Right now I am using an RG570 with the stock pickups (perhaps evos or pafs could get a better sound?) and I am plugging directly into my legacy combo, I also have a carvin dc135 but it's better for more rythem type stuff. So if you could perhaps tell me some amp settings that could get that type of sound it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and I'm sorry if I made this (much) longer than it had to be :P

Shredhead777 · #2 05-04-2003, 01:26 AM

I have an evo in the neck position of one of my guitars. It has that kinda hollow sound your talking about, the kind of sound where he kicks in the overdrive in the middle of the song. Obviously you won't sound exactly like Vai, but it helps you get very close

IWantAJem · #3 05-06-2003, 12:53 AM

Hehehe I figured it was in the evos but would they sound good in a basswood rg570?

Dan D Mahnn · #4 05-08-2003, 02:45 PM

Wasnt he playing in one of the coil cut positions? For all we know at the time he recorded it thier could have been any number of alternate wirings. I never read an article about how he got that sound.

Drew · #5 05-09-2003, 02:31 AM

Sounds like he starts off split... It's an AWFULLY sharp attack for a humbucker... beautiful, though

-D

Shredhead777 · #6 05-18-2003, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IWantAJem

Hehehe I figured it was in the evos but would they sound good in a basswood rg570?

My guitar is basswood.

Dan D Mahnn · #7 05-18-2003, 04:45 PM

EVOs dont sound hollow. When you consider the range of tones of pickups from P90's to Single coils, EVOs dont sound that different then most other hot, ceramic humbuckers. Subtle differences at most.

I have every peice of gear he used to record that song. A Jem 7v. A Boss DS-1. and a Bogner XTC 100B.

One of the main things with that tone is there definitly seems to be more gain comming from the DS-1 then is usual with Vai. It sounds like the Bogner is set for a little crunch and the DS-1 is set with a lot of gain. From my years listening to vai It sounds like its usually the other way around. That can give you a really bright and edgey distorted sound right there.

It sounds like hes using an Ernie ball stereo Volume pedal so he can cross fade the dirty and clean amps. Its a really cool (but not new) trick. When he comes in dirty I believe he is still on a coil cut postition. With that much saturation you can get a single coil to sound like that. When he switches to the bridge at that one point it looses that hollow sound and just sounds like the usuall vai with thw wah and harmonics, blah, blah....

The cab, mic and mic'ing technique has ALOT to do with getting sounds like that too.

Two hands31 · #8 05-18-2003, 11:56 PM

I believe that song's almost completely in the bridge-split-middle and neck-split-middle positions, yes?

Dan D Mahnn · #9 05-19-2003, 03:33 PM

Ill buy that.

bammbamm · #10 05-19-2003, 05:34 PM

Get either a wah or Q-zone to set in one position and dial in that sound you want, I've found that I still love wah on a non moving position for leads, adds some dynamics and punch that are able to cut through any mix.
Bamm

Dan D Mahnn · #11 05-20-2003, 04:03 PM

Thats a good way to get an ahkward sound. Leave the wah all the way in the treble position or in the middle somewhere. Its not gonna get you the Tender Surrender sound but its definitly unique.

A regular wah left in one position as a filter is very jarring. It filters and boosts way to much to be effective as anything accept a special effect. not a tone shaping device. Envelope filters are good for that but are expensive and Boss type filters dont sound that great for that purpose.

One thing to do to tame it is turn your tone knob way down to compensate (unless your leaving the wah in a lower position). I always wanted to find away to control the wah mix level for that reason.

Something that will do that same thing is an EQ pedal. Put before distortion theyre doing the same thing as a wah pedal. Boosting the mids/high mids will get you a unique sound.