Managed to play this one midweek. The thing about having dedicated volume/ tone controls for each pickup is that you get more tone dynamics albeit the need to manage the features in hand. For live performances, the last thing that we need to deal with are fiddly knobs because they get the better of us. We get caught off guard due to our poor knowledge in handling them; we are not aware of their ability to drastically change tones/ voicings at higher volume levels.
I'm trying to get a decent tap-friendly tone. It's a little tricky because I still rely on high levels of gain - that's my thing, I'm affected if the gain stage is below my needs. Can't help it, I have a light touch, I need increased sensitivity & higher gain is one way to see that through. However, over the years, I discovered that tapped notes sound more inviting with single coil pickups & lesser gain along the lines of Yvette Young & the Polyphia/ Chon guys. The LP Classic here is equipped with a coil split feature so getting single coil tones is no issue but once that happens, the high gain levels means lots of hum. Because I depend on the amp's gain levels to prevent me from being noob-ish (missed notes, half-baked fretting, stuff like that) I managed to get round this by lowering the pickup volume to taste (Currently - neck at 75%, bridge at 50%). This solution is actually there all along & it only occured to me to try after watching Kiko & Vinnie Moore play; these people are very particular about their guitar's volume levels & it pays to actually see them play as opposed to just listening.
Here's wishing everyone a good week ahead. We're still under restricted movements but life must go on.
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