Congrats! What exactly do you define as a “shred” guitar? I have an idea that I want one to, but don’t really even know what they are. Is it just looks, playability, or what?
Seriously, I was of a more extreme position than yourself before I watched the video I linked to before. But at the end of it, I have to admit that even solid core door has its own tonal possibilities. After that, I’m willing to accept that shape affects the sound of a solidbody. It’s slight, and your amp and a lot of other things affect it more, but it’s there.
Help me out, I don’t see your link to that video above. Possibly I’m just unfamiliar with the new board. Thanks.
Hehehe, no problem. It was more than a year ago. Here’s an excerpt from my post with the link. It’s post #5493 in this thread, if I’m not mistaken:
Thank you! Great vid! Not sure about the methodology, but the guy’s heart is definitely in the right place, and his preparation is impressive as hell.
Well, I’m not certain any methodology would satisfy everyone. He himself admits the human factor in the playing could affect it greatly, and there’d have to be far more repetition to have anything that might approach statistical integrity.
But before I watched that video, I was of the opinion that if it doesn’t affect how the strings are suspended or the pickup was mounted, it wasn’t going to be perceptible, so the body was generally irrelevant in regard to the sound other than the parts that governed those two functions. That there was any perceptible difference at all surprised me a lot. On a re-watch, I’d say that the differences are made even more vivid by running it through the amplifier. The tracks recorded through the amp seem to show even more difference than the nasty direct sound.
Even then, it’s teeny. If it was in a mix, you’d almost never hear it, and your amp/pedals/guitar electronics and settings on all of them change the sound more. But, it does alter the sound that those elements have to work with. I would not have expected to be able to hear that before watching the vid.
I’m not shopping for guitars made of particular woods due to that video, in fact, I’m more open to non-traditional woods at this point (and I already loved Danelectros). I honestly liked how solid core door sounded in those tests. But now I do understand that the parts of a guitar I kind of considered ingredients of frivolous style really do affect its sound.
It’s a function of the room, temp, humidity, guitar, and the season, can go any which way, and can change over time. I keep a Gibson in my bedroom and this spring/summer it’s been sharp when I pick it up for the day. It can be unnoticable and playable that way but if you want to be recording you need to tune it down.
The necks of my guitars respond to seasonal effects (IE Winter time) and it changes the action so I have to take it in to the shop.
So, I got my first electric guitar the other day. Squier Classic Vibe Jazzmaster. Also a Fender Champion 40W amp and a couple of Electro-Harmonix pedals (Cathedral Reverb and Big Muff π fuzzbox).
I am having the time of my mid-life.
Congrats! That does sound like a lot of fun.
I have been playing my Squier Classic Vibe tele straight into the Blackstart Artist 15 since I got the amp (the amp does have reverb). Anytime I wanted any effect or more gain than I can get straight from the Artist, I would use my Yamaha THR10 since I own no effects pedals. I decided I needed to correct that so bought a Boss GT-1 a couple months ago. I run it into the effects loop. I love it! I don’t know why I didn’t add the ability for effects or more gain before.
Mmmmmm, no matter which model Muff you chose, you chose well. I love every variant I’ve owned or fooled around with.
I’m personally addicted to in-amp reverb with the largest spring tank you can get. But the Cathedral is a very nice pedal that does things a normal reverb can’t, and it does a good imitation of the things it can. I’ve had one on the brain before, and will probably get one before long.
I’ve yet to meet the Squier I wouldn’t happily play a show or two with, even if I wasn’t in love with it. The CV models are almost always pretty damn nice. I played a CV Jazz bass that I still have fond feelings of for a year or so before I figured out that I was sexually attracted to E-series Japanese production Fender basses and grabbed myself one.
So, nice rig!
I got the PI with Tone Wicker because it seemed like it had more configuration points than the normal ones, and it was at a hefty (33% off) discount.
I got it specifically because it does reverse reverb, a key component of My Bloody Valentine-style shoegaze and not common in the other stompable effects options available easily to me. Although all the other options it has were also a key selling point.
The Champion built-in FX channel has some quite nice reverb and delay options as well.
Have you happened to play the J Mascis signature Squire Jazzmaster?
I have not, but I have pondered buying one on an impulse more than once. Have you?
I have not played one, but I have pondered buying one, sight unseen, hearing unheard, as it were. I did buy a Squire Jaguar short-scale bass without playing it, and I really like it. I know, you buy one, and let me know if you like it! 
Ok, how do you feel about waiting until Christmas for a review? 
Sure, I can do that. Keep me posted, and good luck at Christmas time!
First off, a word about H.E.R. I had never heard of her, until watching SNL the other night. I fell asleep, bored as usual with the skits, but then she came on, and I sat straight up in bed. What a wonderful performance, by all involved in fact.
But on to my question: how do I get this lead guitar tone, best heard starting at 2:55?
Just sounds like bridge pickup + clean boost pedal + into a decent amp + a delay in the effects loop + maybe some reverb. You can get that tone just pushing a deluxe hard and loud with those pedals.
Yeah, squeegee is spot on. Hit a tube amp or even just a tube preamp hard with a boost pedal (just got a similar sound with a Behringer SF300 into an EHX English Muff’n) , and you’re going to get something close to that tone in the solo.
I’m more in love with the fuzz she’s using on the lead doubling her singing, but we all have our fixations. I did a look around for H.E.R.'s guitar setup, but didn’t find anything. If anyone’s got info on what fuzz she uses, I’d like to know.
But I didn’t see any pedal board or pedals, so someone or something else is triggering the effects, which is odd. On the other hand, she’s singing, so something to lower the work load would probably be welcome.
But both performances were pretty great. I’ll have to search out more. That was her signature strat she was playing.
Yeah, if you’re using any pedal with dirt, set the dirt at like 2, the volume >= 8, tone at whatever works. Amp is an all tube amp, probably Fender Deluxe 60’s (that tone sounds 60’s to me, not tweed?), master volume at 10. If there’s a preamp volume, set it lowish, like 3. Fiddle from there and add the delay somehow – hopefully you have an effects loop. Run the guitar at probably just less than full, just enough to cut glass like butter. Wear ear protection.