Full Stack vs. Half Stack vs. Combo Amplifier
Sometimes it can be confusing which powered amplifier setup to go with, because you're not sure which one will be able to do the job right.
The Full Stack: Marshall JCM800 2203X, 1960A, 1960B
Lots of players see the classic full stack setup and want it really bad for basically no other reason than it looks cool - which of course is the worst reason in the world to actually buy this type of rig.
The full stack rig is huge, bulky, heavy, inconvenient and most of the time is not the loudest setup unless you run it in a very specific way.
The deal with a full stack setup is this: If you're only running one amplifier head as shown above, that power is distributed across 8 speakers. So in effect, you're only delivering a maximum of 12.5 watts to each 25-watt speaker.
Sure, you'll see a very "bassy" sound out of driving 8 speakers, but in reality it's really not going to project that far.
If you want a full stack that truly blasts out the sound properly, you either need to run two 100-watt heads (one stacked right on top of the other) or a single 200-watt head. With two 100-watt heads, you are delivering up to 25 watts per speaker. With a single 200-watt head, same thing.
Fact: Most guys on stage who run full stacks only run the top half. The top half of the stack is raised so it can be heard easier (your ears are at your head and not your feet), and when running a 100-watt head through a single 4x12 cabinet instead of two, most of the time it actually will be louder.
Yes, this does mean some guys use a bottom cabinet just as a stand for the top cabinet.
It also means that if you're running a half stack setup, raising the cabinet does wonders. See below.
The Half Stack: Marshall JCM800 2203X, 1960AV
This is, without question, the best "big rig" setup you can own because it can basically handle almost any environment you'd play in (unless it's an arena where you'd actually need multiple rows of full stacks).
When you have a 100-watt head going through a single 100-watt (25-watt per speaker) 4x12 cabinet, the head can push up to a full 100 watts to those 4 speakers.
For any house party, bar or club you play in, the half stack works just fine and in fact is a little bit of overkill. It's very unlikely you'd ever half to turn up the volume past 6 with a rig like this.
Raising the cabinet a few feet off the ground helps out quite a bit as far as audio projection is concerned. This is a trick guitar guys have been using for years to get a single 4x12 cabinet heard better. The general rule of thumb is that the cabinet should be "at chest level" of the audience. If you're on a raised stage, that usually means you can leave the cabinet on the floor. If you're not on a raised stage, get a few milk crates and raise the cabinet a foot or two. Works great.
The only problem with half stack rigs is that like the full stack, it's bulky. Even with the casters on the bottom, getting that cabinet in and out of a van or truck is just plain annoying and more often than not is a two-man job.
The Combo: Fender Vintage Reissue '65 Twin Reverb
This is the amp most players choose to go with for several reasons.
First, you don't need two guys just to move this thing. It's heavy, but not so heavy that you can't move it yourself.
Second, it can handle house parties and small clubs easily. In a club, the amp can be miked to the house PA system, or if there's no PA you can raise it a few feet (again, milk crates work well for that) and it will project properly.
Third, generally speaking the combo will outlast separated heads and cabinets because the head isn't being banged around independently. Amplifier heads take abuse and that's just the way it is. With the combo, the likelihood of the head getting damaged is significantly decreased because it's actually part of the cabinet.
The only real drawback with a combo amp is that it doesn't have as much bass response compared to a 4x12 cabinet because of the smaller size and fewer speakers. However this is an acceptable tradeoff being that you can actually move this thing on your own and fit it into just about any car (meaning you don't need a truck or a van).
Stacks may look cool and project well, but the combo is ultimately more convenient and usually has all the volume you'd ever need for most situations.
Understanding flat and staggered pole pieces in pickups
Sometimes I get emails requesting I write about specific stuff and this is one of them. If you'd like to email me in your own question, write me.
Kyle writes:
Could you post your thoughts on your blog about the difference between staggered and flat pickups. Pros and cons of both.
What Kyle is referring to are the pole pieces of a guitar pickup. On traditional Stratocaster guitars (Fender or Squier), the pole pieces, as in the six metal round things on the pickup, are exposed. You'll also notice that on most Strat guitars that these pieces are not all mounted using the same height.
Pickups in which all the pole pieces are the same height are called "flat" or flat-pole. Ones with differing heights are called "staggered" or staggered-pole.
Now before continuing, staggered-pole is for all intents and purposes a "Fender thing", and I'll explain why in a moment.
Does pole piece height actually affect the sound?
Yes, it does.
Pole piece height is a "natural EQ" of sorts, and fortunately can be explained in very simple terms.
If all the poles are even height ("flat"), the first immediate difference is that you'll probably hear more bass frequency response, mainly because the string balance as far as volume is concerned is even across all the strings.
With staggered poles on the other hand, you'll notice that the poles mounted higher are almost always in the middle of the pickup, and in addition it's very typical that the pole under the G string will be mounted highest, making the G the loudest string compared to the rest.
Staggered poles are very much the "foundation" of classic Fender solid-body electric guitar tone
Fender originally did not use pickups with staggered poles. From 1952 to 1956 they were all flat-pole, which means that yes, if you absolutely want that very specific early-1950s string balance on a Telecaster, it's pretty much required to use flat-pole pickups.
However, the classic Fender sound you know comes from pickups that use staggered pole pieces.
Does this mean the Strat naturally has unbalanced string volume? Yes. But that's the way Strat guys (including myself) prefer them to sound. We like that louder-than-usual G string because it's a part of a Strat's "personality", so to speak.
The main tonal differences between flat-pole and staggered-pole
Flat
Advantages: Even string balance (as in volume), resulting in even output across all strings.
Disadvantages: Lower strings may ring out too loudly and there's very little you can do about it, and typically takes away all the "personality" of a Strat's classic sound (which some would call "bland").
Staggered
Advantages: Has the "bell-like chime" Strats and Teles are known for. Lower strings never overpower the overall sound.
Disadvantages: G string is loud by design, and staggered poles do typically sound a bit "muddy" compared to flat-pole because of the string imbalance. Again, this is by design but that's what classic Fender sound is supposed to be.
Do Gibson guys ever use staggered-pole?
Almost never. While Strat/Tele tone is largely attributed to staggered-pole pickups, the exact opposite is true for the classic Gibson sound.
Generally speaking, staggered poles on humbucker pickups usually sound awful.
The only time Gibson guys use staggered-pole is for making very small string balance adjustments. On Strat/Tele guitars, the pole height differences are very obvious and done that way on purpose. On Gibsons, if you ever see staggered-pole, the height differences will be much, much closer together. Staggered-pole on Gibsons are only for players with ears so "picky" that they can hear tiny string balance differences like that.
In other words, on Les Paul style guitars and for humbucker pickups in general, keep the poles flat and don't mess with them.
Should you adjust your pole pieces manually?
Only if it has screws to allow you to do so.
On Gibson PAF-style pickups, one coil of the pickup has poles that can be adjusted using a simple flathead screwdriver.
Poles with no screws should not be adjusted, so don't mess with those. Ones with screws on the other hand can be adjusted.
Additional note: Yes, it's true that if you take out all the screws from one-half of a PAF-style pickup, this essentially "converts" the humbucker into a single-coil. Traditionally, this is called a "dummy coil" setup.
What about Lace Sensor pickups for Strats?
The way Lace Sensor pickups work is that they don't use the traditional 6-pole setup, but rather 36 separate magnetic "sensing" fields. This supposedly gives you the classic unbalanced Fender sound while doing it without producing any 60-cycle hum, and do so with better string balance.
The Sensor basically takes the idea of traditional staggered poles and throws that all out the window in favor of using different magnetic technology. You can't consider the Sensor a "flat" or a "staggered" because it's neither due to it having a completely different way of how it works. Yes, Sensors sound great. The only problem is that it can be very confusing which one to go with. Generally speaking, the go-to pickup for Sensors is the Lace Sensor Gold, as seen above. When you want classic Strat tone utilizing better pickup technology, the Sensor Gold is a good choice.
What about "blade" pickups?
Blade-style pickups like the DiMarzio DP181 use a dual-blade setup that has a sound which is best described as unique. It doesn't sound like a humbucker, but acts like one, and literally has double the output compared to traditional 6-pole pickup. The blades do have a curve to them which means yes, you do get somehwat of that classic Strat/Tele sound because of the balance curve.
If you want Strat pickups with way more output and a decidedly "growly" sound to them, Fast Track pickups by DiMarzio work great.
On the Telecaster side of things, you'd want the DP381 in the bridge and the DP417 in the neck. That combo will turn any Telecaster into a vintage screamer the moment you install them.
If you want classic Fender sound, you want staggered poles
For the metalheads out there, you prefer flat-pole pickups. You like string balance that's even, predictable and, well, flat-sounding. That's your thing, and I don't have a problem with that.
For others who want the "bell-like chime" classic Fender sound, staggered-pole pickups are pretty much required. Fortunately, even the cheapest Squier has the staggered poles, so it's not like you have to spend a lot of money to get it (and heck, you may already have it now).
If you're considering doing a pickup swap-out on your Stratocaster or Telecaster be it Squier or Fender brand, yes, poles matter. If you want to keep that classic Fender sound, stay with staggered like the Fender Tex-Mex set. If you want something more suited to metal music, use blades or flat-pole. If you want something modernized with no hum, use the Lace Sensors.
Also remember that the stock cheap pickups in Squier Strats do in fact have a "personality" all their own. I do sincerely believe there is such a thing as "Squier tone", as the stock pickups are typically very "growly" sounding in their own unique way.
Cheap electric guitar appearance tricks that always work
There are three things you can do with guitars that always work when it comes to getting attention, be it on stage or on internet video. All three are really cheap and really easy to do.
1. "Competition" Striping
Competition striping is something that's been seen on Fender Competition Stratocasters, Fender Competition Jaguars, and Fender Competition Mustangs (the Kurt Cobain Mustang has a competition stripe on it) off and on since the 1960s. Every few years Fender will release a guitar with this special striping.
Striping of this type suits the rounder shape of Fender solid-body guitars very well because it's a stark contrast to the body curves.
The cool part about this stripe style is that you can do it with no paint at all. You can dress up a cheap Squier easily just by using vinyl pinstriping which comes in just about every color of the rainbow. Competition striping is one of the absolute easiest appearance modifications to a Strat, Mustang or Jag style guitar and always gets noticed.
2. Silver or Gold pinstriping on solid-body black guitars
What "looks metal" on a black guitar? Silver or gold pinstriping.
For many years, guitar makers have been pinstriping black guitars with silver or gold stripes because it makes the body shape much more noticeable. Like with the competition striping on the Fender guitars, the same can be done to sharper-edges body shapes using plain old vinyl stripes. You can also get more creative by adding in more stripes as seen in the photo above by laying down stripe across the area where the pickups are. But remember, don't get too crazy here because if you add too much stripe, the guitar then looks more like a toy than an actual instrument.
3. Bandana hanging off the headstock
This is an appearance trick that has both form and function.
The original reason why guys started hanging bandanas off their headstocks was to stop string ringing after the nut.
Whenever anyone sees you playing a guitar with the bandana hanging off the pegboard, the eye is immediately drawn to it because it just looks different and it waves in its own way whenever you move around when playing.
I see a ton of players on YouTube using wristbands or slapping tape after the nut to stop string ring. They should just be using a bandana instead because it does the same job and looks a whole lot cooler.
the twilight zone
Recently I've been watching the original run of The Twilight Zone from 1959 through 1964.
As a kid, I very vaguely remember seeing one episode of the original 1959-era TTZ, and that was the episode The Fever, which is about gambling. The image of a slot machine following a guy around and terrorizing him stuck in my head for whatever reason.
There was a 1980s revival of TTZ, which in my opinion has the creepiest theme ever for a television show. It literally scared me as a kid. Whenever I saw it, I would change the channel. There was also Rod Serling's Lost Classics in 1994 and a second revival of TTZ in the 2002-2003 era, canceled after one season. I've not seen anything from the 1980s, 1990s or 2000s era of TTZ.
But anyway, this is about the late 1950s/early 1960s TTZ.
Summed up: It's awesome. And this is a lot coming from me considering I normally can't stand 1950s television.
The stories are fantastic, and I really dig the fact Rod Serling and crew took a lot of risks with TTZ. A lot of it is dark both in look and theme. People do get shot, and often - and you even see blood (which for the 1950s was a big deal).
The cinematography is beyond fantastic. Shots are clear, concise, precise and amazing. TTZ is as good as it gets for black-and-white television. Just about every single episode is a work of art. While the acting is at time a bit on the campy side, the stories told more than make up for that by leaps and bounds.
I'm a little more than half-way through season 1 and there hasn't been a single bad episode so far. That in itself is amazing; the stories are that good.
Here's the kicker however when watching TTZ: When watching this, I guarantee you're going to say to yourself, "Wait a second.. I've heard this story before.." at least a few times. Why? Because so many movies and other television shows have ripped off TTZ it's ridiculous. Sci-fi movies/tv, drama movies/tv, action movies/tv, you name it - a whole bunch have lifted material directly from this show. Sometimes in little pieces, other times in very obvious lifts, but you'll know it when you see it. I suppose you could call what other program and movie makers lifted from TTZ "recycling", but seriously.. a lift is a lift. :)
In many respects, TTZ is "space crazy"; it was filmed at a time when the space program in the US was huge news and everyone was talking about it. A ton of space program influence is in the show, no question. But it's cool.
Another thing is that TTZ was filmed at a time when America was at its most prosperous. The whole country had oodles of money, our dollar was worth quite a bit, everything was cheap and many were living the good life - literally. You could leave the door to your house and car unlocked. You could talk a walk at night and not worry about it. The nuclear family was in full effect in the late 50s. And yeah, people miss that. A lot. We haven't seen nuclear families in America for many years.
Anyway, a huge thumbs up to TTZ. Amazing show.
Everything you ever wanted to know about guitar picks
When I first tried Dunlop Tortex picks in .88mm size, I was hooked. I've tried many picks over the years, and I always go back to the Tortex - but I have very specific reasons why I do.
Originally, I started using Tortex picks because the special textured DuPont plastic it's made out of (which is called delrin) does not slip in my fingers. Later on I continued to use them because of what's called "pick memory". This is a weird term, but accurate. Basically, what it means is that Tortex picks always wear the same way; it won't be the situation where you use one pick and the tip wears off quick and with the next the tip wears off slow. The Tortex has the most consistency of wear of any guitar pick I've ever used. And they feel right to my fingers.
No, I'm not telling you to use Tortex picks. I use them personally, but you can use whatever you want.
Understanding plastics
This is something most guitar players don't pay attention to, but should.
First I will say that the plastic and thickness of plastic does affect the tone of the string. I'll talk about that more in a moment, but first, these are the types of plastics picks are made out of:
The "original plastic" for picks, so to speak. You know these as the "cheap picks", but some players really like them. The tips wear out really fast, and harder players can actually snap these things easily.
I describe celluloid picks as very "flappy" because you can literally hear a flapping noise when strumming with a celluloid pick.
Lots of players like nylon picks specifically for the reason that they can be made very, very thin. As in less-than-wafer thin. They also have friction coating that makes them easy to grab and hold on to. They also bust fairly easily, so if you buy these, buy a bag.
Acetal (Delrin)
This is what the Tortex picks are made out of. Most who read this simply know these as "textured picks". Very durable and very difficult to snap/break. The tradeoff is that they typically produce less string ring/vibration.
This is a very stiff pick, no matter the thickness. Very good for acoustic instruments like mandolins and ukeleles. Also very good for those looking for that old-school "tortoise shell" pick feel. When you want your acoustic strings to ring out loud, clear and true, ultem material picks are what you use.
This is probably the "most grippy" pick you can use. It's what Dunlop Gator Grip picks are made out of. Most of you know these as "the 'chalky' looking pick". That chalk-like whiteness is the delrex material. The tradeoff to delrex is that you basically have to buy these in thick sizes. Metal players love these things because they never fall out of the fingers and can take a lot of punishment.
Other materials
Metal picks: Picks specifically made out of metal. Some call these "mirror picks" because they have a mirror finish to them. Cool to have, but noisy as hell because when the metal plucks the strings, it can create unwanted harmonics because the pick literally acts as a fret since it's metal.
Glass picks: These things are heavy in the hand, however, you may find that you can get your fastest picking speed ever (if speed is what you're after) with that extra weight. Like with the metal picks, they can create unwanted harmonics.
Wood picks: I only recommend using these to those who want a pick that has the "deadest" sound possible. No "flap" and no "clack" whatsoever from these things. I would only use a wood pick on an acoustic instrument where it was absolutely required to hear no pick noise whatsoever.
Things picks do that affect your sound
Flap
If you've ever used cheap picks, you know the flap sound. It's especially heard when strumming chords, even lightly.
Celluloid picks as mentioned above are the "flappiest" of the bunch. This is because they flex easily, so what's happening is that the pick is literally flapping from one string to the next when strumming.
Some players really like flappy picks. Sometimes when you're trying to get that "perfect vintage rock full power chord", you need a flappy pick to get it. Just about all the famous rock guitarists of years ago exclusively used flappy celluloid picks because there basically was little to nothing else around at the time.
Smoothness
No, not smoothness of tone. Smoothness of the plastic.
Smoother picks are in my experience better for soloing for one simple reason: They don't scrape the strings as much on the tip.
For example, let's say you're trying to perform a slower solo, but when plucking those high notes you can hear a lot of pick scraping noise. Sometimes this can be fixed easily just by using a smooth, non-textured pick - OR - using a pick that's not textured on the picking side (the top is textured for your grip, but the playing side is non-textured for plucking).
Flex
The flex of a pick isn't all about flap, because it can affect your entire playing style. For strummers, a pick with more flex is much more comfortable. For metalheads, thick picks are pretty much mandatory for crunching/chugging power chords. For those "in the middle" of all that (such as myself), a pick with some flex works best.
A list of picks all players should have (or at least try out)
Fender Classic CelluloidThis comes in a bunch of different colors, although you'll probably find them in white, black, "tortoise" or "confetti" as shown above. These things have been around forever, they're cheap, every guitar store has them and they'll be around for a long time.
Every guitar player should buy a 144-count box of these. They're nice to have around just for something different, or to give to friends (who always seem to forget their picks, so you don't mind giving these away), or if you genuinely like the old-style celluloid pick, you might as well get the Fender-branded kind because they look cool.
These things are easy to drill holes through and easy to make decoration with. They're so cheap that you could buy a few boxes of these and make a "pick curtain" (similar to a bead curtain) out of them. Or if you have plastic blinds for your windows, take off the knob end of the pull string and replace it with Fender picks. There are many, many ways of using these things as decoration.
Dunlop Jazz IIIIf you're going to buy a nylon pick, you might as well get this one. Jazz III's are preferred by many players (even ones that play heavy metal). When browsing through the listings, bear in mind there's the regular version of these and the "Max Grip" that have tread-like material at the top of the pick for better grip.
Dunlop Gator GripThis delrex material pick one I specifically recommend to metal players because you can even get these things in super-thick 2.0mm sizes while still being the "grippiest" pick you've ever used. The Gator Grip will never drop out of the fingers, I can pretty much guarantee you that.
Dunlop TortexOf course, I have to mention the pick I use, the Tortex. While true there are other pick-makers who use acetal/delrin material, this one in my experience has the most consistent wear and "memory" as I said above.
When you find "that pick" you like, buy a bunch of them
Something I see happen to a lot of guitar players is that they're always running out of the picks they love simply because they didn't buy enough of them.
When you find the pick that suits you best, buy in bulk. You'll probably have to go on eBay to do that, but it's totally worth it because otherwise you'll be spending more for less in the long run.