Bizarre harmonics!

[andy]

It may be a Monday night, and I may have been at the bottle, but what on earth is going on here???

I have a nice new Fender Frontman, my second solid state Fender after a long valve haitus, and, believe it or not, I feel right at home again! The only quirk is that my reliable old Boss DS-1 doesn't sound much like a Marshall anymore, more a fizzy sort of buzz. Long story short, I came to look for sound samples of the Marshall Guv'nor (being something of a cheapskate these days) and what did I come across but this curiosity! Normally, and I'm not blowing my own trumpet here, I've just been at this for ages, but I'll usually listen to a piece and 'get' what a guitarist is doing. Unfortunately, when it comes to in-house gear demos, I'll also be slightly embarassed to be part of the guitar playing crowd by pure association, but I have to say that this is some thing of a Van Halen type masterpiece- it's those moving harmonics which do it for me. I can only assume that the guy (or girl, God forbid ) is sliding his finger down the string whilst fingering in the same way in which one would to bring out the harmonics and mute the fundamental, but when did what I'm picturing in my head ever have that effect? EVER???

Nice work, whoever it was who played SAMPLE 1 on this page

www.pedalgeek.com/cgi-bin/new_shop.cgi?config=&uid=&uzc=&command=link--mgv2

,don't you agree?

[newey]

Andy-

Yes, an interesting sample, as you note, very reminscient of EVH on "Eruption". My first thought on hearing the part you're describing (or what I thought you were describing . . . ) was that the person went quickly back for a bit of "behind the bridge" picking on a guitar with a separate tailpiece. But I'll have to listen again, that's just a guess.

As far as pedal use with your Frontman, I'm not much of a pedal guy, I have several that mostly just sit on the floor so that no one might think I was a C&W type.

But I do have a Boss CS-2 (compression/sustainer) and I find I have to dial the mids way back to get a good sound with it. This is a "FWIW", obviously you're talking a different pedal, different amp, YMMV, etc.

[sumgai]

How'd Steve Stevens do the intro for Billy Idol's "White Wedding"? Seems to me that lick sounds a lot like your example.


Perhaps a Ring Modulator?



sumgai

[andy]

How appropriate that I have to learn that song for a function band! I'll let you know when I've worked it out (or maybe I'll just put on some chorus and trem-pick a slide down the strings!?)

[andy]

Ok, having had a bit of a go, I think this is more of a gain thing than anything else- I've been playing fairly clean for quite some time, looking for the overdrive 'sweet spot' rather than going for big and hairy tones, and playing single coils a lot too. My Tele has a JB jr. pickup in the mid position, but that combo doesn't make for a great 'harmonics' tone, SO, I sat down with my SG, bridge pickup, cranked up the 'rectified' setting on my Pod, and whaddaya know? I'm pretty much there by the technique mentioned above! The same thing with a basswood body and some high output pickups would probably make it an easy proposition- and I'm currently fighting the urge to spend the money finding out!!

As for the effect at the start of white wedding, my first attempt would be with a very short, loud delay, which could do that, although there is a modulation type element to it too- a flanger perhaps? But then I have never had the chance to fiddle with a ring modulator, so that may be it. As I said before, and for simplicity's sake, I will probably just use a chorus, but bump up the gain a little, maybe adding a pair of 'drives to the setup so I can do the cranked stuff and the lighter drives separtely. Up until now I've been trying to keep it as Boost>Drive>Chorus>Delay. That would mean hunting for more pedals which would work with the bright Fender though, as I have two Boss's which are just too fizzy through the amp!