Smooth, Jazz Tone On a Solid Body Guitar

Hollow-body or semi-hollow electric guitars used to sounds more warm and open, than solid-body constructions. It's a big advantage for many blues and jazz players. However, having a solid-body axe is not a problem on the way to get a nice, warm, jazz tone.

I'm the one of those, who play jazz on solid body guitars. It's because I like the tone dynamic and comfort of this kind of constructions. I have really smooth, jazz tone with my SG (yes, I'm using SG to play jazz).

So, how to get that smooth, warm tone on a solid body guitar?

Super Switch Connections - 5-way, 4-pole

This is about how Super Switch works. The diagram shows terminal connections and pin-out.

It's a 5-way, 4-pole, lever-action guitar pickup selector. If you will use a Super Switch in your axe, you will get 4 poles, where every lever position has got its own pin (5 + 1 common per pole).

If your guitar has got 2 or 3 pickups, you will get more than you need for just typical 5-way selector wiring. You will get a possibility to make some extra connections.
For example, with a super-switch, you can make a Stratocaster wiring with the bridge+neck position, or some coil split – if you have a 4-wire humbucker. There's a lot of options.

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Pickup Selector Switch Connections - 5-way

How 5-way guitar pickup selector switches works:

The diagram shows pin-out and terminal connections, according to toggle or lever positions. There are three examples of popular 5-way pickup selectors. They are frequently used in Stratocaster style and 'HSH pickup set' guitars.

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Pickup Selector Switch Connections - 3-way

This is about how 3-way guitar pickup selector switches works.

The diagram shows pin-out and terminal connections, according to toggle or lever positions. There are four examples of popular 3-way pickup selectors. These switches are used in Fender Telecasters, Gibsons and many other 2-pickup electric guitars.

Posts about other kinds of switches are coming soon.


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Ibanez RG With a PAF Humbucker - Wiring Diagram

Today, I will show you how to wire a Gibson-style, classic humbucker (P.A.F.) in Ibanez RG or JEM guitar, on neck position.

It can be a very useful mod. With this medium-output, warm sounding pickup, you will be able to get a good clean or crunchy tone. Something right for blues, classic rock or even jazz vibes.

Diagram:

Cool Tracks With Guitars VI - Country

This time my playlist is based on country music. I picked up three, cool records from ReverbNation. As always, there are some good, inspiring guitar riffs.

On today's playlist are: Devils Canyon Rustlers, Adrian Bradbury and Justin Spears with Trey Willeford's song.

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Robert Fripp - The Guitar Tone Legend

Robert Fripp is one of the most unique guitarists. He's especially known as part of the King Crimson band, but in this post, I would like to write something about his solo career.

Fripp made a few great music projects. They always was unique, with awesome tone and playing style. Robert's music is something that you can't describe as mainstream, or typical, or common. You can't even say that this is rock, ambient, world, jazz or whatever. It's just Fripp.

He's well known from his solo performances, where he's using Frippertronics.

Treble Bleed Mod

In this post, I would like to present my way to make a good guitar treble bleed mod (treble bleed prevention). If you were searching on-line about this circuit, you probably know what it is, and that it can be made in many different ways.

If you don't know what it is...

The treble bleed mod is a circuit which can help you keep the treble in the guitar signal, when you're turning down the volume potentiometer.

Probably you know, that when the volume pot knob is turned a little bit down, the guitar signal is quieter and also darker or smoother – it's loosing some high frequencies. Treble bleed mod will help in preventing treble frequencies from bleeding to the ground.

It's made from capacitor, or capacitor and resistor in series or parallel. It should be connected to the input and the output lug (firs and middle) of the volume potentiometer .

There is no perfect treble bleed prevention for a passive circuit. For example:

Custom Guitar Paint Job

Today's post is not about guitar tone, but about guitar look.

There are some very good manufacturers on the market, who are making awesome paint job on their guitars. Let's look at some galleries of custom finishes:

ESP Custom Shop 

They have a few guitar models with very unique look. My favourite example is the George Lynch's Kamikaze.

Charvel

This company is making a lot of guitars with custom finish. Here are some galleries:

2010 Showcase

Legacy Series

Warren DeMartini Signature Models 

Custom Shop Gallery

Reith

They are producing some cool instrument, called Alien Crossbones Theme Guitar. Take a look at it.

Mayones

This Polish manufacturer made an awesome Chopin-tribute guitar – Reguis Nocturn.

Ibanez

This company also made some custom paint job, especially for Steve Vai on JEM guitars. 

Dean

They are making tons of guitars with awesome finishes. For example:

Razorback Lightning

Dave Mustaine VMNT Fear

Dave Mustaine VMNT Rust in Peace

Michael Angelo Batio Aviator

Gibson
Everybody knows outstanding Zakk Wylde's guitars with the bullseye theme.
Flying V
Les Paul

Quite impressive things :)

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Gretsch-Style Guitar Wiring

Here is some new wiring diagram, based on well known Gretsch guitar circuit. I didn't add anything new into it. I just adapted the Gretsch's wiring to make it easier for those of you, who would like to mount it in some Les Paul, SG, or Telecaster Deluxe body.

This kind of circuit is used in guitars like White Falcon, Country Club or Nashville.

Diagram:

Ibanez is Still Got New Ideas

Ibanez got new guitar models for 2011. Like always, there are some well known RG shapes with new finishes. They have new Prestige models and also RG Premium.

Premium line guitars are called by them - "ultimate workhorses" :) They've got pretty nice finishes, new pickup models and rounded frets - link. These axes have very good presence, especially if you are looking on details.

Ibanez  made also a guitar, based on completely new ideas. The new showcase model - called RG Extreme Shredding Machine - has got 30 Jumbo frets (what?) and a neck pickup simulator. Just take a look at it: RG2011SC

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Guitar Pickup Choice - Good and Bad Factors (passive)

Most of guitar pickup descriptions, that you can read on manufacturers websites, eBay auctions, e-stores, are usually made from marketing tricks. Yes, they are :o\

You can read about how „vintage” is the pickup, how „deep” is its tone, how „the middle” is improved. All these things are based on myths. The tone character described as vintage, deep, with reach middle, etc, just can't be made only by a pickup. These things depends on the whole guitar construction (amps and effects also).

Gibson Meets Fender - Les Paul and SG Mod

In this post, I will show you some pretty unique concept. I made a wiring, which can add a little bit of Fender's vibes to your Gibson/Epiphone Les Paul or SG. It will not make your guitar able to sound just like a Stratocaster or a Tele. It's something one of a kind, but it will put in your instrument some cool single-coil based circuit. It sounds really nice in a Gibson-style body.

Diagram:

Cool Tracks With Guitars V - Jazz-Fusion

Today's playlist is based on the ReverbNation content. I chose three awesome jazz-fusion artist: Vertigo Jazz Project, Mike Stern and Carl Eichman. Of course, all songs have some inspiring guitar lines.
I hope, that the playlist will help in discovering some new ways of guitar play and tone creation.










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George Lynch's Guitar Pickup Selector - Stupidly Wonderful

Did you seen George Lynch's Kamikaze or Skulls and Snakes guitar? They are two-pickups guitars, and they don't have any toggle or lever-action switch. How is George Lynch selecting the right pickup?

Everything is made in a very simple way. These guitars are equipped with a push-pull potentiometers. The volume pot is also a pickup selector switch.

This is how it looks like:

Home-Made Guitars Can Be Awesome

In this post, I would like to show you some YT videos of home-made electric guitars.

Some people can make really nice instruments in their homes, garages, etc.

There are a lot of good parts on the market. You can buy a neck with your favourite shape. You can buy a body stylized on some well known guitar construction. You can also buy a lot of different types of hardware. There are tons of pickups to choose from.

All this things means, that building an awesome guitar in your home is possible. ...And it will be completely your own project!

Lets see some DIY guitar projects:

Pine and maple, GFS New York pickups, hard-tail

Warmoth parts based  (my fave)

Fretless Tele (Warmoth parts)

Ibanez Jem copy

DIY Tele - making of


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Low-Output Pickups for Heavy Music?

Many metal and hard rock guitarist are using electric guitars with some high-output humbuckers. However, we shouldn't forget also about those guitar players, who are using some low-output pickups, even single-coils, to get heavy tones. 

Do you know Yngwie Malmsteen, Brian May or Paul Gilbert? They've got quite „weak” p-ups in their gear collections.

As examples, here are some cool videos:

Paul Gilbert with his Ibanez Fireman guitar

Yngwie Malmsteen - Seventh Sign

Brian May Band - Love Token 

Simple Guitar Wiring With No Pots

Today's guitar wiring project is something really simple. There's no potentiometers, only switches. For some of you it can be an advantage. The wiring is simple in mount, and also simple in use. No pots, means no treble losses caused by them.

Switches in the wiring: neck pickup on-off-on (second „on” is reversing the phase); bridge pickup on-off: master on-off. If you like to play on two pickups together, the reversed phase function will give you a new, extra tone.

Diagram: