What PU's for, "Fuzzy Stoner Rock" ?

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Sir Jack, listen to the man! The choices of Fenders for amp and those pickups listed above are great for "stoner", if you are talking decades-ago tone. That stuff is great, but this is not what you are looking for.

Soundgarden is about alternate tunings (not gear related), downtuning, palm mutes (chugging), and a loose bottom end. Dirty likes the Duncans, and I like the Anderson H3. Pair either with a Mesa, and closed back cab.

Fender might not cut it, no matter how much one tries. I have my Sunn, and the only pedal I could stand was an MIJ Boss SD-1, I bought around 1980. Does it do Iommi/early Sabbath...yes! Does it do Soundgarden? Not really. It is "too clean" to be trashed by a noisy floor pedal IMO.This stuff is hard to explain with words for sure. The Mesa gives better sustain, but the Sunn has its own classic thump, with the tube-y overdrive of legend...the way the tones decay says "Sabbath".

The choices in the poll are rather tame, but the deal breaker is the amp. The next set of pickups I get are going to be P90 types.

Thanx for the insight Sludge !

Again, i am sad to say, we do not get Mesa's in Soof Arrfrika, so my personal exp. w. them are minimal, to say the very least !

I (unfortunayly) alway think of Korn when someone talks about the Mesa range - although i never heard a single bad word about the Lonestars - not for Stonere though !

I will have a budget of about $1200.00 for an amp (new or used - not fussy).
I will look on eBay to see what can be had for that amout !

How does this look like :

Gibbo LP Jr. w. P90 --> EHX DoubleMuff & Graphic Fuzz -->Mesa F30 or F50 w. 4x12 cab.


. . . just a thought


Thanx

[SirJackdeFuzz]

The VTM is a good amp. The other guitarist in my band uses a VTM120. It's like a cool-biased master volume JCM800 2203/2204 with dipswitches for the most common mods done to 800's. (I still give him shyte for playing a Peavey though. )

If you plan to use much fuzz/OD/dist, I would suggest pups with DC readings below 14K or so...above that they are tricky to get the fuzz right. If you're doing the guitar straight in, just find the pup which works best for your amp and axe.

That said, an SG or LP style axe with a Custom at the bridge does a good stoner sound. The low end stays together as you tune down to D or even C. As you go to C or below, I'd look toward a 25.5" scale axe to keep the string flappage to a minimum (unless you really want to sound like Sleep's Jerusalem/Dopesmoker.... ) Though Wino used an LP Custom for most or all of Spirit Caravan and The Obsessed, and he sounds pretty good IMO.

NOT going to use too much fuzz . . .

I LOVE FUZZ, but i HATE OTT useage of fuzz - funny me

I am looking into the EHX Double Muff & Graphic Fuzz. To be used together and on their own, straight into the amp !

. . . i am open to other fuzz units too.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

FWIW - the guitar what will probably be used for this project, albeit with a diff colour . . .

http://jackfuzz.blogspot.com/

[ParameterMan]

I hate to throw you a curve ball, but I'd say a MasterTone vHO set. They're active pickups made by a guy in Australia. He nearly died of a broken neck, and that put an end to MasterTone. They're gone, never to be seen again, but I ended up with a set and they're a stoner's dream. They're basically a passive, full output humbucker with alnico rod polepieces and a hot booster built in. Very cool clear yet sludgy tone.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I hate to throw you a curve ball, but I'd say a MasterTone vHO set. They're active pickups made by a guy in Australia. He nearly died of a broken neck, and that put an end to MasterTone. They're gone, never to be seen again, but I ended up with a set and they're a stoner's dream. They're basically a passive, full output humbucker with alnico rod polepieces and a hot booster built in. Very cool clear yet sludgy tone.

. . . can you produce any clips of these wonder-pu's ?

[ParameterMan]

If I get sufficiently motivated, maybe I'll haul out the recording gear and record something.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

If I get sufficiently motivated, maybe I'll haul out the recording gear and record something.

. . . that would be cool

[ModestCargo]

Pee 90s

[Empty Pockets]

Stoner rock doesn't really have a specific 'tone' other than overdriven and fuzzy. Most any pickups will work and sound decent dude.

-X

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I'm starting to come to the every same conclution now !

So i take it, it come down to that tone in your head, and what fuzz goes best with it !

Maxon D&S, or Double Muff, or Skreddy Mayo, or Big Muff, or Graphic Fuzz, or Russian Muff, or Soul Bender, or E13-stuff, or Fulltone '69, or Ibanez FZ7, or BBE Free Fuzz, ot Voodoolab Super Fuz, or Dunlop Hendrix Fuzz, or fOXX Fuzz, or EHX Metal Muff - is that even a fuzz at all ?

. . . sooo much fuzz, sooo little time !

[Thurisarz]

Does anyone know if the Invader would work in a Esquire?

[Empty Pockets]

Does anyone know if the Invader would work in a Esquire?

Yeah man just turn your amp up and rock out. That's what all the greats did.

-X

[Thurisarz]

Yeah man just turn your amp up and rock out. That's what all the greats did.

-X

My Esquire (and i guess everybody else's) has only a bridge pickup, isn't the stoner sound mostly neck pickups?

[Sludgenutz]

My Esquire (and i guess everybody else's) has only a bridge pickup, isn't the stoner sound mostly neck pickups?

I wouldn't say so. Queens of the Stone Age are very much about the neck pickup a lot of time for solos, but "southern stoner" bands like CoC and DOWN are more geared to heavy tones that are far closer to metal, and devoid of Zakk Wylde pinch harmonic tricks to spice things up.

I like using both pickups a lot, but rolling back the neck to about "6" much of the time. The neck pickup does become an expressive element at times when a wah pedal is used.

[Thurisarz]

I'm thinking more on the "Sabbathesque" bands like Orange Goblin, Big Elf, Mustasch etc, it sounds mostly neck to me? But i could be wrong..

[some_dude]

I'm thinking more on the "Sabbathesque" bands like Orange Goblin, Big Elf, Mustasch etc, it sounds mostly neck to me? But i could be wrong..

Or a bridge with the tone turned down into a fuzz box.

[Sludgenutz]

I'm thinking more on the "Sabbathesque" bands like Orange Goblin, Big Elf, Mustasch etc, it sounds mostly neck to me? But i could be wrong..

I need more exposure to these bands. There is so much I don't know. I need a high speed modem to get with the program. Iommi did use a Strat (for a short bit on the debut album), P90's, and humbuckers on the first four...this is my reference for the early era. One thing in particular to my gear, is my dis-satisfaction with Celestion speakers. This is a broadbrush opinion, but I find them to be speakers that fold under pressure, get harsh, and fall apart musically. I just may be an ignorant fool, but that is where I stand.

I really dig my HBE UFO with it's tone control turned down...and driving a wah!

[some_dude]

but I find them to be speakers that fold under pressure, get harsh, and fall apart musically. I just may be an ignorant fool, but that is where I stand.

This is my opinion on most speakers... and the reason I feel that full stacks sound better (more overall SPL with less stress on each individual speaker).

Too bad full stacks are a pain in the ass to transport.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

I need more exposure to these bands. There is so much I don't know. I need a high speed modem to get with the program. !

. . . now you must know how i feel, "traped" on this side of the world

[Thurisarz]

Or a bridge with the tone turned down into a fuzz box.

Like give me an example of a good bridge pup for this genre