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Guitar and other questions
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 3:07 pm    Post subject: Guitar and other questions Reply with quote

Hi Scott,
We've met at your HBC gig in Sofia, Bulgaria a year or two ago. It was a blast! We had a brief chat but it was too noisy and you were busy with CDs so it wasn't appropriate time for questions of any kind...
So I'm posting here every question that comes to mind.
Is there life in space...? No just kidding.
Well a have tons of questions even I read most of the discussions here. But still if I'm repeating questions already asked feel free to kick my ass.

1. How were your H/S/H guitars wired? Were there any humbucker splitting or parallel wiring? Please explain all position of the five way switch.
The idea is to order a guitar that is all in one - hum and singlecoil sound in one guitar (something like Les Paul and Strat in one). I know split humbucker is nothing close to singlecoil pickup and it will be a compromise but I'm tired of taking too many guitars at a gig and usually I take three because of different tunings and pickups. And many of the gigs are small venues with no enough room to spread so many things.

2. John (Suhr) likes the Floyd Rose idea, what do you think about this tremolo? Have you played it? Just curious, I'm aware of your tremolo preferences these days.

3. Are your newest Suhrs equipped with Sperzels or the new Suhr locking tuners? You have said previously that you like Sperzel because they sound better. What is the case with the new tuners sound wise?

Btw SD9 is coming my way. And RC Booster is in my list of pedals to get.
Expect more questions from me soon... and more stupid ones too.
Best regards and thanks for the music and inspiration all these years!
Cheers,
Kalin

P.S. Excuse my poor and rusty English! Smile
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Scott Henderson
The Man


Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2121

PostPosted: Sat Aug 30, 2014 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My H/S/H guitars were wired in the traditional way. The 2 & 4 positions turned off the humbucker coil next to the middle pickup. Those coils could also be turned off in position 1 & 5 with a push/pull switch on the first tone pot. It's a compromise for sure, but Big Girl Blues on the Tribal Tech album was recorded with split humbuckers and I think the tone sounds OK.

I don't like the Floyd Rose, but I'm more of a blues player. If you use enough gain, any bridge sounds OK. When you're playing with a more natural tone, I think it's easy to hear that the traditional 6 screw bridge has more depth and clarity than any other bridge.

Here's a few tips about the SD9 and RC Booster. Keep the volume all the way up on both pedals, and gain wherever you need it. On the SD9, keep the tone knob almost all the way off. On the RC, the treble sounds fine flat, or down to 11 o'clock, but keep the bass at around 10 o'clock or it'll get woofy and ruin the notes on the wound strings.

Your questions weren't stupid, so you'll have to try harder next time!
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another few:

I've read somewhere in the index about John making a roasted body and neck guitar for you. What happen with that guitar? Is it ready? If so can you compare it to your non roasted body guitars?

Have you ever heard "The Mystery Of The Bulgarian Voices" choir?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AgFejsTxgc&index=5&list=PL94AF2709843BD0BF


I still reserve the right to ask stupid questions!
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Scott Henderson
The Man


Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2121

PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have three guitars with roasted necks and I think they sound better than the other ones. They seem to be more vibrant and bigger sounding.

It's not a completely scientific comparison though, because those guitars also have the new noiseless system, which is a pickup inside the body instead of a loop around all three pickups. John says the new way sounds more transparent, so that could be a part of these new guitars sounding better. I don't care, I'm just happy to have these great instruments!

Yes, I'm a fan of the Bulgarian Choir for many years - they're amazing and the arrangements are beautiful.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Scott,

It's been long time since I last logged in here... life you know.

I have recently acquired an early '64 Fender Bassman head, it is the same as '63 but with 64 logo and still has presence knob. It's like those Brian Setzer uses.
Now I've decided that I need a dedicated cab for it. Not that I have space for it and the risk of one more piece of gear making my wife though me out in the street is very probable.
I'll have 2x12 cab custom made for me but I'm no sure yet what speakers to put in it.
Have you tried Creambacks? The G12H-75 Creamback that is.
Do you know if they are close to Greenbacks but more powerful as they say?
I've read some where that they sound similar.

I've come to like more natural sounding guitar as the years go by.
I used to play in a heavy rock (almost metal) band but my heavy gain years are in the past I guess. And I started to appreciate the vintage six screw tremolo more and more.

Don't get me wrong I still like good Marshall type amp plugged in an 4x12 cab. Smile I would love to get Suhr SL68 but can't afford it right now.

Hope you and your family have been well in these troubled times.
Best regards from Bulgaria.
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Scott Henderson
The Man


Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2121

PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had both Creambacks and Heritage 65's in my 2x12 cabinet. Although I think both sound good, my favorite speaker is the Greenback G12M (the regular one, not the Heritage). I have them in both my 4x12 and 2x12. I'm using the 2x12 sometimes with a 100 watt Marshall - I only have to turn the amp down 1 number and the Greenbacks are doing fine. They're 25 watt speakers but they can handle more.

When selecting a 2x12 cabinet, it's not a good idea to have an open back with a large hole. It's bad for the speakers because they have to work a lot harder, and they sound terrible in dry rooms or outdoors, like speakers mounted on a board. My 2x12 cabinets are square, with the speakers mounted diagonally. There's an oval opening in the back 4 inches x 7 inches. This allows the speakers to breath, but doesn't damage them. I don't like closed back 2x12's - they sound stiff because the speakers can't move enough. It sounds like speakers which haven't been broken in properly.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes like those 2x12 cabs that Pete Thorn has with his PT15IR.
I don't know if his has opening at the back.
That's a really good idea! Thank you Scott!

BTW any chance to work with Gary Willis on a future project together again?
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Scott Henderson
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2121

PostPosted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably not - he's a bandleader and I can't imagine him wanting to play other people's music.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scott, thank you for the CD!
I haven't had the chance to write sooner and thank you for the great music.
Can't stop listening to that album!

What was your setup for the opening piece TRANSATLANTIC?
I really like your tone on this one. Any change from your usual gear?
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Scott Henderson
The Man


Joined: 20 May 2004
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Kalin! Yes, on Transatlantic I re-discovered a combination I haven't used since Tore Down Hose - the Roger Mayer Voodoo 1 pedal into the Fender Bandmaster. It's a pretty scooped tone but it seemed to work for the main parts of the song. The solos are with the RC Booster. This is the only track I din't use the Marshall on at all, so you've got good ears to notice the tone on that song is different.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By Marshall you mean a Plexi? Don't you use your signature head by Suhr anymore? I don't know why but your tone seems to have more dimension now.
If this make sense.

I will try that Roger Mayer pedal with my Blackface Bassman.
I'm curious to see what I can achieve.

BTW RC Booster is amazing pedal! So many applications for it... and so transparent. But you already know that. Smile
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Scott Henderson
The Man


Joined: 20 May 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a '71 Plexi, which John modded with a master volume. A stock 100W Plexi shouldn't be used with only one cabinet, since turning the amp up loud enough to get enough gain would damage four 25 watt speakers. This '71 Plexi was cloned to make the Suhr SH-100, and they sound exactly the same.

I use the Marshall for recording, only because I don't want to burn out the tubes in my SH-100, since it's my live amp. For live gigs, dependability is the main issue.

My gear has gone through some changes in the last few years - it's small stuff, but as Mike Landau says, it all adds up. Here's a list for anyone who's interested.

Changed the cabinet position. I turn the cabinet upside down and mic the bottom speakers, which are now on top. Mic'ing them on the bottom creates nasty reflections from the floor. I think it sounds better because there's more air space behind the bottom speakers, and those huge handles on the top probably aren't helping. This requires putting the rubber feet on the cabinet top.

Changes in amp settings - depending on the tune. I was in the bad habit of leaving the amp as it is and EQ'ing in the mix, but I've learned that works about 50% of the time. If the amp EQ changes don't need to be extreme, I do them as I record.

I'm not holding the bar as much while I play. This deadens the tone a bit, and also forces me to pick between the neck and middle pickup. My tone is a bit more traditional now because I usually pick between the bridge and middle pickup.

Pedal settings - the RC is my main pedal and I've found better settings for it, which I posted on my Facebook Scott Henderson Music page.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Scott!

One more question, it maybe have been asked before...
Is there any difference between your signature RC Booster V2 and the now available version V2?

How different is SL68 from your '71 sound wise?

As far as I know your sig Suhr Classic has roasted maple neck but the alder body is not roasted. Is there a reason not roasting the body wood too?

Ups they got three...
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Scott Henderson
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's no difference in tone with the new V2, they just put an LED in the smaller gain knob, which is kina weird because you can't see where it's set. A Sharpee will fix that.

The SL68 isn't a master volume amp like the SH-100 and my '71 Marshall. I can get a thick power tube sound with my volume on 4 because of the gain coming from the preamp, so I can use the amp on a concert stage or in a small club. The SL68 would have to be turned up much louder to get that tone.

All my Suhr's have roasted necks, but a few have both roasted necks and bodies. I have two favorite guitars - one has a roasted body and one doesn't. Each body and body/ neck combination sounds different, so there's no scientific way to compare this - all I can go on is history. Every time they made me a guitar with a roasted neck, it sounded better than any guitar I had with a non-roasted neck, but that hasn't held true with roasted bodies.
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Kalin Belchev



Joined: 22 Aug 2014
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I write this as I know you're a Deep Purple fan and as a hobby you try to emulate Ritchie's tone on their old albums.
And since I'm a fan of his tone on In Rock through Burn I'm always digging for information on his setup from those years.
This I found on a thread in Gear Page.
A guy saw a post on youtube under Tim Pierce video:

"Hey Tim-- i have some gear Intel on this from Martin Birch who recorded this record in the rolling stones mobile truck in montreaux. Being a dp nerd I hammered him with questions when I met him 2 summers ago. He was very sweet and patient with my ....interrogation. During the recording of machine head, Ritchie either played a cherry 335 thru a modified horby-skewes treble boost into an AC30 or the black 68 strat into a modified horby-skewes treble boost into a marshall major into two 4x12's with greenbacks. To his recollection the Strat never got plugged into the AC 30 and the 335 never got plugged into the Marshall because it would just howl like a beast apparently in the studio confines. The modification on the horby-skewes treble boost is that it had a level control installed which he would run backed off a bit to 75% ish. The 335 also had the pickup screw pole pieces super cranked up hi with the actual whole pickup being pushed pretty low into the mounting ring, thus making the other coil with no adjustable pole pieces much lower in output....RB liked it that as it made the 335 sound like it had single coil p90s in it.... so you were only really hearing mostly the jacked up pole piece side of the pickup and the other coil of the pickup was close to a third inch lower then the jacked up pole piece side but still humbucking. The awia tape machine delay/preamp was not in play yet...that didnt appear till Coverdale was the singer. For "smoke" specifically, the rythym guitar parts are the strat-marshall major chain and the solo we all know note for note in our heads was the 335- ac30 chain. So it wasn't really one or the other it was actually both from that song. He said at the point of recording machine head he had almost completely transitioned into the Strat Marshall major scenario and rarely played the 335 ac30 scenario much anymore only on a couple solo bits did he use it on that record. Also live at that point he had completely abandoned the 335 and ac30 - it would only reappear for the studio and he believes machine had was the last time the 335 and the ac30 came out to be recorded or was actually used in the studio. Anyway I hope that too long of a comment was helpful."

If this is real and true is very interesting for me as I did not know that for sure. I've read speculations about using AC30 on the early albums but nothing concrete. Even on his interviews Ritchie is not so certain what was exactly.
And the humbucker setup in his 335... this never occurred to me to try.
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