Music + Technology = Pete Lacis

A while back I wrote this post concerning the differences between alder and swamp ash when used in a strat-style guitar and what tones/genres of music those combinations suited best. I originally wrote that post to satisfy my own curiosity, but also to share with others and participate in discussion. Three years later it is still the most searched topic on this site and continues to bring in a steady stream of traffic. Apparently I’m not the only one curious about these things….

Since I wrote the original post, I realized that I was missing a big chunk of the puzzle: how the wood the neck and fingerboard were made from influence the tone of the instrument. I realized the only way to truly see this was by comparing the two most popular neck wood combinations for a strat-style guitar (maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and one piece maple neck & fingerboard) on the same guitar.

To conduct this comparison I used two Suhr Classic guitars with identical electronics (V60LP pickups and the Silent Single Coil system). One was alder with a one piece maple neck and the other, swamp ash with a maple neck and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. I recorded both clean and dirty passages utilizing every pickup combination on each guitar, then swapped the necks and repeated the process.

note: swapping necks on a Suhr guitar will void your warranty if the factory doesn’t perform the work.

What follows below are the audio clips organized by pickup position so that you can  compare the sounds of the different wood combinations within the same context.

NECK POSITION – CLEAN TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

NECK POSITION – DIRTY TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

NECK + MIDDLE POSITION – CLEAN TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

NECK + MIDDLE POSITION – DIRTY TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MIDDLE POSITION – CLEAN TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MIDDLE POSITION – DIRTY TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MIDDLE + BRIDGE POSITION – CLEAN TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MIDDLE + BRIDGE POSITION – DIRTY TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

BRIDGE POSITION – CLEAN TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

BRIDGE POSITION – DIRTY TONES

Alder Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Alder Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swamp Ash Body – Once Piece Maple Neck

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Swam Ash Body – Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood Fingerboard

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

audio clips, guitar, musical instruments alder, comparison, maple, neck swap, rosewood, strat, stratocaster, suhr, swamp ash, v60lp

A while back I had the opportunity to attend Bruce Egnater’s amp building seminar at his shop in Berkley, Michigan.  During this class we learned about the basics of amp building and were taken through the step-by-step process of assembling our own amp – a Mojo Tone JTM45 kit who’s circuit was tweaked by Bruce Egnater to mirror his own design from his modular series (according to Jeff Hilligan its the “3″ in the EG 3/4 module with more gain) .  Premier Guitar Magazine was on hand to cover the event and I was featured in this video demonstrating the capabilities of the amp we had constructed.

As much as I enjoyed the experience, once I got the amp home I had difficulty incorporating its tones into my sound and playing style.  As described by the folks at Egnater, the EG 3/4….

Here in our worldwide headquarters, we asked what would happen if we were to take the SL2 and smooth it out a bit for soloing. We darkened it up a bit, and added a touch of mid range emphasis, and created what is the perfect sound for mic’ing through a p.a. system (which is more and more common for you guys that gig regularly).

Channels A and B were taken from the acclaimed Egnater TOL amplifiers and act as great rhythm and lead channels for guys who favor a lead tone that is a little smokier.

Here’s an example of what the stock Egnater Seminar Head sounds like:

Stock Egnater Seminar Head

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Since I found this voicing to be too compressed, dark and saggy for my tastes, the amp sat for some time as the backup that never got played.  Fast forward about a year or so and I became aware that David Friedman of Racksystems was offering his services to mod these amps.  After hearing some pretty amazing clips of his “Brown Eye” and “Hairy Brown Eye” mods on a number of sites and speaking with David at length about what type of sound I was looking for (tight, focused, punchy yet warm), I knew I had to have my Egnater seminar head modded to give it new life.  After all, David is Eddie Van Halen’s rig guru so I knew the amp would be in good hands.

As my #1 amp for the last few years has been John Suhr’s OD100 Classic Plus (under the Custom Audio Amplifiers moniker), I though it would be great to compare these two amps so that folks to hear some of the differences and see what they do well.

Guitar used was a Gibson Les Paul VOS “G” ’60 with stock Burstbucker pickups but upgraded with the RS Guitarworks vintage upgrade kit.  Cab was a CAA 1×12 loaded with an Eminence Governor.  Mic was a Shure 57.  I/O was a MOTU 896.  DAW is Ableton Live 8.  I switched between the amps using a Custom Audio Electronics Amp selector.

CAA OD100 Classic Plus Ch 2

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

CAA OD100 Classic Plus Ch 2 Boosted

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friedman Modified Egnater Seminar Head – Brown Eye – Gain at 5

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friedman Modified Egnater Seminar Head – Brown Eye – Gain at 10

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friedman Modified Egnater Seminar Head – Hairy Brown Eye – Gain at 5

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friedman Modified Egnater Seminar Head – Hairy Brown Eye – Gain at 7

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friedman Modified Egnater Seminar Head – Hairy Brown Eye – Gain at 10

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

amplifiers, audio clips, guitar, musical instruments Brown Eye, clips, comparison, custom audio amplifiers, David Friedman, egnater, Hairy Brown Eye, od100 classic +, od100 classic plus +, suhr

Whenever I have the opportunity to play a new guitar, I opt to bring one of my own along to serve as a point of reference.  This held true earlier this week as I had the opportunity to play the new EVH Wolfgang and compare it to a few other guitars that, based on their specs, should  handle the “same chores.”

Ernie Ball Muisc Man EVH
- from the 1st run of the originals
- Has a brass block on the floyd

Suhr Standard
- basswood body, maple top, one piece maple neck
- DSH – V60lp – DSV pickups, VG300 bridge

Suhr Modern
- basswood body, maple top, maple neck & fingerboard
- Suhr Aldrich pickups, Gotoh Floyd

FYI – the Suhr Standard is my guitar, while the other Suhr Modern and the 1st run Ernie Ball Music Man EVH model belonged to a friend. Everything was played through a 5150 III head & cab.

According to my ears….

The new EVH sounds bigger (more lows and highs) whereas the original EBMM EVH sounds thicker in the mids. The EVH Wolfgang is also punchier sounding and has more overall low-end. If you’ve caught any of the clips or heard any bootlegs of Eddie from the most recent tour, the new EVH Wolfgang (especially through ch 3 on the 5150 III) IS that sound.

The neck on the EVH Wolfgang is much slimmer and flatter than the EBMM. I would consider it more a Charvel type of neck as opposed to any Ibanez comparisons that some have mentioned (I just don’t see that). To that point, my favorite neck shape is an even C medium with a compound radius (10-14) and I was much more comfortable on the new EVH Wolfgang than on the old EBMM EVH.

As far a quality is concerned, the EVH Wolfgang felt like a really nice guitar. It felt like a very solid construction and played effortlessly. The action was insanely low and the stainless steel frets really add to the ease of playability. A real plus in my book.

As these guitars were not available for sale yet (at the time of this demo), we didn’t break into the case candy for the trem arm, so the Floyd wasn’t put to a full out test. We were also not able to verify if these guitar were sporting brass blocks or not. I would tend to think not.

Compared to the basswood Suhrs, I honestly say that the EVH Wolfgang is right up their in tone. The pickups are clearly high output, but retain a great amount of clarity….especially compared to the old EBMM. They are almost hi-fi by comparison. While the EBMM would certainly nail the Van Halen sound, the Wolfgang felt much more versatile…..it did the Van Halen thing for sure, but also did a lot more.

This all said, I was immediately more comfortable on the Suhrs than on either of the EVH guitars, but that’s because the Suhrs sported necks much more similar to what I normally favor (even C medium types).

In the end, I’d say the EVH Wolfgang is a great guitar for Van Halen music and more. Is it worth the money? Based on quality of construction, playability and tonality, yes it feels like a $3,000 guitar should. But as I mentioned earlier in this thread my tastes are suited to different neck styles and I’m not huge on putting down that kind of coin if I can’t pick out all the specs.

But don’t take my word for it, check one out for yourself.

guitar, musical instruments ebmm evh, ernie ball music man evh, evh wolfgang, suhr

This is the sort of story that we gearheads just love.  Being that I was heavily influence by the music of Phish and its guitarist Trey Anastasio in the 90′s, I became a big fan of hollow body guitars used in conjunction with a compressor pedal to achieve loud and clear sustain with a clean, undistorted tone.  Well in the last few years of Phish’s existence, Trey ditched his long-used compressor and his tone took on a darker, edgier and grungier sound which was far removed from its pristine and singing mid-90′s hey-day.

As fate would have it, I was not alone is my disdain for Trey’s tone of late.  The folks over at phantasytour.com had been discussing the demise of Trey’s tone and the discussion heated up once the band announced that it would be reforming for some shows this spring.  The conversation got to Trey via his long-time songwriter partner and lyricist Tom Marshall who had stumbled up these discussions.  The following is an excerpt from Tom Marshall’s conversation with Trey Anastasio:

I spent the last two days and last night in New York writing three cool songs with Red. In direct response to msharky’s request, I asked Trey what the deal is with this compressor stuff?.I explained the PT threads requesting that he bring back the compressor. He was very surprised that I was asking him this, because I’m not really a ‘tech’ guy…you know? I also don’t listen too much to old shows, and so the “tone change” was lost on me. I like writing new songs, and I don’t focus too much on the past. First i must explain that he found it funny that I brought it up, because he had been thinking the EXACT SAME THING: Phish is coming back, maybe the Ross should also come back. He’s thinking of the Mesa and possibly the cabinets too — but he does like that little fender.

Basically, he used the compressor differently than people normally do — often people will place it early in the effects chain to smooth the sound going into the other effects. Trey did it backwards, and had the Ross last — AFTER his two tube screamers. The Ross was always on. Always. His signature Squirming Coil “playable sustain” was the result of full volume pedal and both screamers on and pumping that signal into the Ross.

Me: and so you got rid of it?

Trey: I started playing without it after Phish and found that I could get an “edgier” sound that I can’t get with it.

Me: so it’s gone? or just off?

Trey: gone

Me: forever?

Trey: no, I’ve been thinking of bringing it back for a while now…if i can find it!

Well with the news that Trey would consider returning to his old sound if he could find his old compressor, the People for a Compressed Trey banded together to procure one for him!  The future just got a lot smoother!

[Show as slideshow]

Sources: Relix, Rolling Stone, Phantasy Tour, Tom Marshall’s Picassa Album

amplifiers, guitar, music, musical instruments, musician compressor, phish, ross compressor, tone, trey anastasio

As I’ve been finding myself lately really gravitating to the sound of my VOS 1960 plain top Les Paul Standard, I’ve become curious as to why folks chose Les Paul Standards over Les Paul Customs and vice-versa.

Through my own observations, I’d say that most organic classic rock stuff (Allmans, Zeppelin, Skynard, Aerosmith, etc) tends to be played on Standards (with Fogarty & Framptom being the exceptions) while more metal tends to be played on Customs (John Sykes, Zakk Wylde, Adam Jones (Tool), Randy Rhodes, etc).

I also realize that there are a few different variations of the Custom including the fact that several were all mahogany (no maple top i.e. Black Beauty I believe) while others sported maple necks instead of mahogany (namely 70′s era Customs favored by Wylde & Sykes).

So to that point, what style of Les Paul would you use for which styles of music? I’ve been thinking about getting a ’68 reissue custom (black one at Wildwood), but I really love the organic nature of my VOS Standard and wonder if I would wander away from the tones that I favor by going the Custom route.

To help gain perspective on this, I’ve posted these sames questions along with a poll at Huge Racks Inc and The Gear Page.  Please visit the threads to cast your vote and participate in the conversation.

guitar, music, musical instruments classic rock, ebony, Gibson, les paul custom, les paul standard, mahogany, maple, metal, rosewood