Wampler Demo's…

[StandingWave]

I tend to like my pickups a little lower than spec, based on getting the 'best' clean tones. Any dirt box has to contend with the guitar being optimized for cleans.

[Elad]

actually, the clean straight to input tones improved when I lowered the pickups.
it seems the factory spec pickup height introduced more harmonics and gave the top end some air (turns out these BBs have more sparkle and chime then I associated with LPs or with HBs in general).
but, the PD and the Diablo sound better to me with a darker sounding guitar. I'll try to fiddle with gain set higher and volume knob on the guitar rolled backed somewhat, the new clean tones I'm getting and the Tweed '57 revival are too good to pass up. wish I had more spare time to put into tweaking my rig right now.

[StandingWave]

Good that you tried it out! Pickup and pole piece height adjustments are free and useful tweaks. I start with the pickups a little extra low, then adjust the pole pieces to balance the strings. A plain G usually is the loudest, so I leave it low and raise the others as needed. [When using a wound G, that pole piece probably will end up the highest.] Then comes fine tuning the overall pickup height. Usually the pickups need a little tilt so that the high strings are a little closer than the low strings. It's an iterative process.

[Elad]

thanks for the tips StandingWave!

the dramatic change in tone that a few turns of a flathead screwdriver can yield makes one think how much weight playing at the store prior to purchase actually has. I think it's almost impossible telling how a guitar will sound and feel when setup to your liking and restrung based on an hour's experience with badly setup showroom stock.

[StandingWave]

You're welcome! Glad it was useful info.

[Backstage]

Is it just me or my ears this morning but the Tweed 57 sounds too harsh and synthetic to me. I also listened to this video and got the same effect .

Wampler Pedals: TWEED '57 - YouTube

Wampler Pedals: TWEED '57 - YouTube

[StandingWave]

Burgs' video sounds harsh to me too.

[Batman]

One person's harsh is another's bright and snarly. I like the tone but given Burgs (and my own to be honest) predilection for gain, I acknowledge this tone isn't for everyone. I prefer the tone he was getting with the gain level at noon but I don't dislike the high gain tone.

[snaredrum]

the neck pickup in my goldtop is currently so low he's only attached to the ring by one screw.

sounds great

[StandingWave]

Originally Posted by snaredrum

the neck pickup in my goldtop is currently so low he's only attached to the ring by one screw.

sounds great

Yeah, next time I get LP pickups they'll be short-legged versions.

[StandingWave]

Originally Posted by Batman

One person's harsh is another's bright and snarly.

I like bright and snarly and I like tweed. I suppose that I just like different versions than Burgs was producing.

[Elad]

I actually like the tones in Burg's video very much. I wouldn't say they are harsh at all but they are indeed focused on the dirtier tones of most pedals he reviews rather than on the mild breakup and low-gain applications. I guess he gravitates toward these tones.

I usually try and find Burgs, PGS' Andy, Mike Hermans, GMD and Greg Hilden (though the later is not really a pedal reviewer) clips of the same pedal to determine the range of tones it can produce since every one of them has a completely different style.

[StandingWave]

Mike Hermans could sell me anything. Burgs used to be a little more balanced, but lately he's been stressing the higher-gain end in most demos that I've seen.

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by StandingWave

Yeah, next time I get LP pickups they'll be short-legged versions.

these are short legged

[StandingWave]

Originally Posted by snaredrum

these are short legged

Do you need a torch to find them?

[Elad]

Originally Posted by StandingWave

Mike Hermans could sell me anything. Burgs used to be a little more balanced, but lately he's been stressing the higher-gain end in most demos that I've seen.

+1
Mike Hermans, much like Greg Hilden, has his own unique sound going on no matter what he plays through. I would easily buy a compilation album of Mike's demo tunes :-)

regarding Burgs, I got to agree. back in 2009, when I first saw his vids he would gradually run through the various gain settings of a drive pedal (good examples will be his old Tech21 and Catalinbread vids). since he joined the PGS staff it seems he has taken a more "Rawk"-ish bare knuckle approach in his vids which while I feel he excels at I often miss his more thorough reviews where he explored the mellower more bluesy settings of the drives he demoed.

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by StandingWave

Do you need a torch to find them?

not if i don't look for them

[Logieberra]

awesome demos, even better avatar

[Elad]

I've been exploring the Tweed '57 even further - the range of tones available on this pedal keeps surprising me every time I fire it up.
it can do so much more than raunchy tweed tones and with some volume knob tweaking on my LPs I can get many shades of clean or slight breakup tones.

I've found a nice setting that is actually very Blackface in nature - bass: 9 oclock, mid: 8, treble: a hair below 12, gain: 9, input selector on normal. lots of chime and sparkle which I didn't expect from this pedal.
with the OKKO Diablo in front of it (everything at 12 o'clock), the middle pickup selected with the neck favored this setting nails the Brothers in Arms tone.

I also like the normal input setting with bass slightly below 12, mid and treble above 12 and gain also around noon for super nice Champ flavored tones.

I love the Plexi Drive and while it's my favorite pedal it's basically a one trick pony. the '57 on the other hand can go from Blues to Swamp Rock to cleans (which took me a long time to dial in) to Classic rock (China Grove anyone?) and every setting is useable, which I find to be amazing.
this is also bad news as I'm now really itching to get the Black '65 - will this ever end?!

[gibsonguitar1988]

Burgs is my favorite demoer. Most closest to my style. I like a non technical bluesy hard rock player and Burgs fits the bill. Andy is pick-less and Mike is a bit too improv-y and technical for my tastes. I like hearing classic rock riffs in demos and Burgs always does that. Andy does sometimes too but again the difference in pick vs no pick is a notable one. All great but I prefer Burgs.

[kboman]

Funny, that's pretty much exactly why I have a problem with Burgs He's a great guy and a lot of fun (his recent "what's next" vid with his daughter is hilarious!), but the playing style doesn't appeal to me at all: too much gain, too many bends, too much like any other blues rock player. He is very good, it's just not my cup of tea.

[Hector Arcadius]

I'm guilty of absolutely loving Burgs as well. Not only his playing style is right up my alley, but he has loaded his LP with pickups that are very similar to mine. So, every time he pulls out the LP, I get a pretty good idea of how a pedal will sound with my guitar. Well, minus that Laneys and Hiwatts, of course...