Re-string Sunday

My Charvel DX-1 ST was given a re-string & wipe down today. Nothing excessive, just routine checks. The fretboard was dry so it received the re-moisturizing treatment. 

Nothing fancy, just a pack of Martin Darco 9-42 set. It's actually the first pack of strings I see when I opened my storage box. It was bought in June & still good to go. I remember wiping down the previous set thoroughly after each play but the corroded parts were near the bridge. A classic case neglecting the area where you least expected to be consumed by corrosion. 

Noticed an intense dust accumulation over at the headstock, so that was taken care of.

The interesting thing about this guitar is the binding. Rather excessive I would say as it covers the headstock, neck & body. Considering the price of this instrument, it was extremely well done. I'm not big on binding as it adds nothing to tone & has the potential to become problematic when a re-fret is due. So that's how the Sunday went. There was no initial plan to re-string this guitar but I'm the type who's bothered by oversight & string replacement is something that can be done rather easily. 

The saving grace (57/66)

Nothing new here, just my Charvel DX-1 ST.

However, these are new: EMG 57/ 66 humbuckers.

I lost faith in this guitar, but after a re-think, I blame the default pickups in there which were EMG's 81/ 85 pair. I'm not an ardent active fan but I do make it a point to live with some active tones once in a while. This helps me with tone diagnosis; what to do when dealing with a deviant aspect of my equipment. 

Both the 57 & 66 feature an Alnico 5 magnet core with ceramic pole pieces but there is a need to remind ourselves that all magnetic goodness are displaced by pre-amp influence in an active circuitry. Players who worship active tones tend to declare a real, audible influence in magnetic essence but it's like telling people the voice going through a loud hailer sounds fantastic.

I'm very pleased with the 57/66 namely because they do not sound as tampered by the active circuitry, less charged response, more magnetic. It's like hearing a set of passive pickups with a pedal-boosted assistance. As such, some guitar volume play yielded a rather responsive outcome, making both pickups go from crunch to stun at the turn of the knob. Having said all this, I am not of the opinion that these sound 'better' & more suitable to players already affiliated with passive pickups, but they sound slightly different from their 81/85 counterparts for instance. Clean-wise, I won't say this pair have what it takes to outperform a sweet-sounding, passive pickups but it's more likable & that's a lot coming from an active heretic like me.

So there, my adventure with active pickups taking a turn for the better.

At work

Had some time to while away at the office today (this doesn't come by often, especially at mid-day) so it was string noodling, nothing new. However, there were no amps around so it was the iPad & some stuff you see here:

1. The guitar in question was my Charvel DX-1. It was nearest the door on my way out from home, so...
2. iRig Stomp- so the iPad knows I have a guitar plugged into it
3. X-mini ME speaker
4. Korg KR mini to keep me in time
5. Guyatone OD2+, it's the lightest & most preferred

I thought I was into it for a few minutes but I actually played for 1hr 20min. By that time, the rain had stopped.

Sunday morning guitar-ing

The first Sunday of 2014, nothing has changed, I still grab my guitar after breakfast. This morning I revisited a certain discomfort in an attempt to revise my understanding of why I do not favour the active tone. The guitar in use was my Charvel DX-1.

There was nothing to dislike when my initial set up was to supplement an all-out aggression. The active pickups excel in distortion, the more you dial in, the more it feeds off the clipped signals to give you that much needed definition during play. However, the situation is not so favourable once I tried to dial in a less distorted tone & attempted to manifest that smooth, fusion-esque ear candy. It's not impossible but it's not an excellent discourse. The active pickup thrives on its pre-amp function, once you changed your mind & wish for a more subtle touch, wanting to hear a more lurid clean & warmth in the mix, the active pickup has trouble interpreting this want. 

So what's the moral of the story? There's no addressing different wants without considering the change of tools. Do not blame the equipment in your less successful attempts to get to where you want to be. There are various selections out there for your considerations & some were made to excel in a certain interpretation more than others. It's like blaming the single coil for not giving you quiet moments during distorted play- the problem is actually the player's lack of knowledge. 

This is the reason why we buy more than 1 guitars :-)

Night desolation

Pictured here: Vox's Little Night Train & Charvel's DX1ST. The Vox in this instance, isn't one to propel a heavy metal type tone, it's down to the drive type on board- it'll do hard rock, no problem. To get to the metal zone, it probably needs a little push from a mild drive pedal. However, I've been trying this amp with guitars equipped with passive pickups until a few days ago when I plugged an EMG equipped Charvel & that extra push coming from the pickups did some goodness in terms of distortion. All this without any assistance from pedals :-) Click to hear: CLICK

Thank you: City Music sales team for the hospitality :-)