Can my Starfire sound like this ?

JohnW63

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https://youtu.be/Ha82vk1wLyA

I would imagine most of you electric players are thinking my question a bit dim, to be honest. A semi hollow SF IV from 97-98 should make sounds very much like a Gibson of the same type. Heck , the guy shows what he’s playing through on the pedal board. For the most part, these guys use rather pricey pedals and amp, which makes me wonder how much is down to money. But if you had to boil it down to the basics, can I get close and how ?
 

GAD

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There are a lot of tones in that vid and as you stated there’s a lot of money being thrown around there.

If you could target your question a bit better we might be able to help more.

I didn’t really hear any magic, but ai did hear quality.
 

D30Man

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I think a lot his tone comes down to pedals, amp and a high quality condenser mic used to capture the tone.. I could easily see a starfire getting similar tones.. however you have to factor in pickups as well. Gibson HB’s vs HB1’s I suppose..
 

GAD

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'97-98 would have SD1s, but yeah.

I think an absolutely huge aspect of "vintage" tone that is overlooked all the damn time is the pots. Put a set of 525k pots in any dual-humbucker guitar and the entire behavior of the guitar changes. There's a video of Joe Bonamassa somewhere where he comments the same thing.

Those vintage Centralab pots were magic to begin with, and since wear over time increases resistance, I think they only sounded better with use.
 

Quantum Strummer

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I think any guitar of the same general type (semi-hollow in this case) with pickups in the full-size, lower-wind HB ballpark will get you there as far as the instrument is concerned. A late-'90s SF-IV qualifies. Then you'll need some effects gizmos covering similar territory to the ones Mick is using in the video. The rest is up to you. :)

-Dave-
 

JohnW63

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I guess if I were to get more specific, I would say my SF tends to sound thin and not as full as I would like. It could be just a different set of string, or some pedal board gizmo I haven't tried. I've always wanted to know the effects of , well, effects enough to hear something and be able to pick out the basics of what they must be play through. Not there yet.
 

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I guess if I were to get more specific, I would say my SF tends to sound thin and not as full as I would like. It could be just a different set of string, or some pedal board gizmo I haven't tried. I've always wanted to know the effects of , well, effects enough to hear something and be able to pick out the basics of what they must be play through. Not there yet.

Your '98? Does it have SD1s? If so it should sound anything but thin.
 

shihan

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My SF 4 (with SD-1’s) does not sound thin. Through a Deluxe Reverb or a Gibson Scout it sounds fat and full with no pedals. You might have something wrong with either your guitar or amp.
 

D30Man

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Short of hearing a recorded sample of you playing it I would tend to lean towards your amp / settings.. we can sit here all day and talk about pedals, pickups, pots etc but a really good amp that is dialed in right can make a big difference. What amp are you playing through?
 

JohnW63

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Pretty sure all of the three amps I use the most are in good working order. I think I could start with the basics. What gauge strings would be a good fit for this style goal? It always seems the G string sticks a bit in the nut. Always the hardest to tune and the one that drifts out after leads and bends. Maybe the nut is cut for a different gauge?

I don’t mean this to be another.....string thread, but I would like to hear some favorites to try. I have no idea what are on it. I think some DiAddario that were in a blue package. Chromes maybe.

Next, how do I tell if they are SD-1s ? Pull one out when I change strings and look at the back?

On on a side note, my instructor really like the tone last weekend when we played at a party.
 

D30Man

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Well it would certainly help to know the amp.. As a lad hankerin' for my first USA made strat, which I bought at the age of 17 with hard earned money, I was disappointed to find it didn't really sound all that great when I got it home from the pawn shop.. Kind if thin.. Dinky is a word that comes to mind. Granted this was the early 90's and the strat was an '89 or '90.. Pickups during this time period for fender have a pretty solid rep. I use '91 USA pickups in my partscaster and they sound amazing.. Turns out the little crate solid state I was playing through was absolute garbaggio.. I promptly saved up for a peavey transtube 112 Sheffield equipped - still not a legendary amp by any means but a huge improvement over the crate - and was much happier with my tone.

John - I am not at all suggesting that you are playing such a fine specimen of a guitar through a crappy amp.. I am just curious how much if at all your amp could be contributing to the tone you are getting..
 

adorshki

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Pretty sure all of the three amps I use the most are in good working order.
Well it would certainly help to know the amp..
Even though I'm not an electric player, I agree.
In the electric world the amp is one of the "basics"
Along the lines of D30 Man's note about Crate vs Peavey, I recall another "trick" lead guitarists used to use in the '60's to achieve a "thicker" tone:
They'd use a Fender Bassman head.
Among the guys I knew in the early '70's for example, Peaveys had a rep for "highs and clean" and Orange and Mesa Boogie was what you wanted for some real "crunch".
Granted an amp can only be as good as its input signal so you're still right about "basics", but that old trick of using a Bassman head always stuck with me.
I even got to plug my old Fender F210 acoustic with a Duncan soundhole p/u into one at a jam once, I was in heaven.
Tons of midrange.
In counterpoint I just realized if you have 3 amps it sounds like you have 'em for different reasons and it may only be a matter of getting feedback about which one may be best suited for a particular tone you're looking for.
 
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Quantum Strummer

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One of my beefs with modern electric guitars is that the nut slots are almost always cut too narrow. I use slightly heavier than average string gauges, which doesn't help, but even going from a .17 to an .18 G can be enough to make the string stick. At this point I just factor using my nut files into the initial setup process.

Even a good amp can sound thin if it's not running in its happy zone. You may not need to do anything much other than play louder. :)

-Dave-
 

crank

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You say you have 3 working amps but don't say what they are. The amp makes a big difference. And yes you have to be playing loud enough. As far as G strings go.. I have never played and electric where the G was not the hardest to tune and keep in tune. Not sure why, just figured that's the way things work.

Most players use 10's. Billy Gibbons gets a nice thick tone with a 7 gauge high E. SRV used a 13.

If you have 3 amps, figure out a way to play through all 3 at once...that should cure any thin tone issue.

And finally, technique. Play with authority!
 
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D30Man

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Along the lines of D30 Man's note about Crate vs Peavey, I recall another "trick" lead guitarists used to use in the '60's to achieve a "thicker" tone:
They'd use a Fender Bassman head.

Ha. Funny I have actually pursued a reasonably priced bassman for that very reason.. Never settled on one, but tested this "trick" at zoo music here in Dallas about 6 years ago.. It fattens your tone significantly.. Throw a little OD in the mix and you are ready for prime time.. The owner wanted a crazy amount of money for the bassman I was playing through and to call it toasty would've been an understatement..
 

crank

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Not really a trick. Guitarists have long been using Bassman heads. Not sure I know any bassists who do. Don't think I would either, there are a lot of great sounding Fender Amps.
 

adorshki

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Not really a trick. Guitarists have long been using Bassman heads. Not sure I know any bassists who do. Don't think I would either, there are a lot of great sounding Fender Amps.
It's just that when I was a kid in '68-9 it was one of those "secrets" you only learned about through word-of-mouth, from my junior high school garage band buddies in my case.
It was even published locally and I didn't discover until around '70 or so, started in '68...
Does that use go back farther than the early '60's?
(Note to John: this seems to be a scenario where a specific amp is widely recognized and pursued for a specific tonal reason)
 

JohnW63

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You may not need to do anything much other than play louder. :)

Ha ! And that is why they invented attenuators.

I have the following.....



A Randall Commander II ( 110 watts, I think ) I generally play though the clean channel and use my own pedals.

Looks a lot like this one.

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And a Peavey Backstage Chorus.

utifrxxuh3p8lam8ekv9.jpg
 

shihan

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The Carvin should get you a beefy tone; I’m not familiar with the other two. As far as strings, If I’m remembering correctly, Chrome strings are pretty bright. My SF4 is maple, so to mellow out the brightness I use Dadarrio pure nickel. I like 11’s.
Sounds like you might need a set up; the nut slots shouldn’t bind like you describe.
The advice to turn up is wise indeed. Good luck!
 
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