Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

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Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby lovechet » Sat Feb 17, 2018 12:25 pm

My setup continually goes south. Help me out with how you deal with this issue. Do you get a different amp, change all tubes, talk to repair guy, different guitar, new strings, or just hang in there and keep trying to fix things. I am by no means a professional but I do have an ear for tone and know if I am satisfied and continually try to get what I like. Yes I know different guitars and amps sound vastly different but if I like what I hear at one point then its very frustrating to later hate the sound. That happens to me even when I have not changed any pots in the setup.
I am a back porch picker and all I am trying to do its get 'one' or 'two' tunes down and play them somewhere. In other words I don't want to go out and spend $20,000 on new gear and go on tour. Obviously I am into Chet big time, have been for 56 years. Right now I am working on 'I love how you love me'. I realize that I can't get the 'exact' sound that Chet gets however if I like what I hear one day, why can't I get that sound the next day or even later on that day.

A have a modifed Fender Deluxe and play a Japanese Country Gent. I use a SIgnal pad to adjust the input to amp and run the guitar pots on full with bridge pot turned back a tad. I know the on board fx loop works fine because I have used a Stryman big sky (for reverb and some delay) in it followed by a 31 band EQ and have been very satisfied at times. I have changed out the 12AX7 used by the loop to a JJ. The Eq actually lets you dial in or dial out some tone. However, I believe that if things are set up properly your tone without any eq changes at all should be satisfying and that the eq should just be a minor tweak to get the tone to sound more exact. As of late I have been using the tremolo intensity and speed. I don't use on stock onboard spring reverb. I have also changed out ch2 preamp tube to a JJ.

As an example of my latest problem I started the day telling my buddies that my setup sounded awsome. Then by the end of the day I was disgusted with it. At the end of the day the first 2 strings (E,B) especially it sounded like a tin can with poor tone. Overall nothing was mellow and balanced. And all the stryman presets didn't sound as good. Does that mean that the amp developed an issue during the day ? I also have an issue with the country gent in that at times the b string develops a very nasal sitar tone. I do know that the 1st three frets have an issue with the e b strings. But on this day it was very minor and was able to tweak it out at the start of the day with the 31q band eq by messing with the 500 to 1k bands.

Here's a checklist of what I can do. Can you give me your recomendations of what you would do ?
Possibilities:

Discard the fender deluxe and look for a new amp.
Talk to an amp repair man about the issue.
Discard the Country Gent.
Have the Country Gent refretted.
Change strings. (I have always used 10,12,20w, 28,38,48 pure nickel)
Change the 6V6 power tubes
Have the amp rebiased again.
Swap out the ch2 premap to a 12AY7
Change every single tube.
Have all tubes tested.
Have all the 'small' electrolytics changed out.
Change out to Fender spkr with a Patriot Canibus Rex

Today I plan to put on new strings and and go back to basics without and stuff in the fx loop and go from there and incrementally add on stryman and eq. I also plan to play the guitar through a Deluxe hot rod to try an isolate the problem.

Help
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby rkk2786 » Sat Feb 17, 2018 11:02 pm

Lovechet, maybe you should try doing what Chet and dad did... plug into a fender or music man amp and just play like Chet and dad did! About the only effect they ever used was a good delay! Have fun with it, you may be over thinking everything!

Micah
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby Roger Pratt » Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:11 am

Micah.....I'm so glad you posted this. I have been biting my lip wanting to tell him the same thing but coming from Paul Yandell's son will mean more.
Roger
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby lovechet » Sun Feb 18, 2018 8:50 am

Micah,

Your dad and Chet put me on to the Fender Deluxe and its Rivera mod that I'm using, ie the added FX Loop, and Master Volume. I'll try just a delay in the loop like you suggest. Any suggestions as to what is a good one ?

I did put on a new set of strings and that made a big difference.

I saw your dad and Chet in several concerts over the years. During the performer introductions I always remember Chet saying 'and there's Paul'.

Thanks

Gary
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby DagerRande » Sun Feb 18, 2018 4:45 pm

Micah, for a long time I've wanted a Gretsch 6122-1959, preferably the HOF model. I would have loved for your dad to do the setup. I've been told that he did it for a few of the guys at the CAAS convention and they all felt that it was perfect when he finished!
Rande Dager

We are all capable of doing more than we think we can!
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby rkk2786 » Sun Feb 18, 2018 7:03 pm

Rande if you ever get one I’ll be glad to set it up for you.. I work on guitars from time to time and would be happy to do it for you!

Micah
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby DagerRande » Sun Feb 18, 2018 7:09 pm

That would be great, Micah! I forgot that maybe your dad passed passed a few of his secrets to you!

Thanks, Micah
Rande Dager

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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby albertgen » Sun Feb 18, 2018 9:49 pm

I don't like the sound those JJ tube put out, there are others that sound better. Has anyone tried the new 64 Fender Deluxe reverb that is point to point hand wired? Sounds pretty cool but they are very expensive. Al
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby Spadaro Paolo » Mon Feb 19, 2018 1:56 am

The new deluxe reverb looks very interesting, but I'm really furious,
because it's impossible on those prices not to see an alnico speaker !!!!!!

Paolo.
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Re: Frustrating guitar setup tone problems

Postby lovechet » Mon Feb 19, 2018 11:14 am

Regarding what delay to get for my setup there are many touted as being good but since I already have a Stryman BigSky reverb which can be MIDI controlled and am satisfied with it, I plan to get the TimeLine delay from Stryman which is also MIDI controlled (when I get the 400$). Interestingly the Timeline has an FX loop built into it which in one case you can put the BigSky within that loop and have only the TimeLine Delay wet signal affected by BigSky reverb. When I get the TimeLine the first use will be for 'I Love How You Love Me'.
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