[rosemary]

is something i def need in my 5120. here's a vid just to give you an idea of what im looking for. when i do bar chords on my 5120 the sound is not as focused as i would like it to be. any clues as to how to tighten my sound up? im really considering trying to find some ceramic filters as they are reported to be a bit more raw and punchy than tv's, which is kinda what im looking for.

kind of a bad performance but hey lol

YouTube - The Living End - From Here On In

[Lizardkinged]

well what are you playing through, strings, pedals, amps?

[theskitch6]

Ugh.. Of every Living End song you had to pick that one. They're in my top five favorite groups but that performance was crap.

ANYwho...

From what I remember you've got TV Jones filtertrons on your box. Same as on my Annie. I had the hardest time getting the sound I wanted for the first little while. I was used to using 9's on my WildKat and they are just too loose and 'tinny' for TV classics.

I upped to Dean Markley Blue Steels in 11's (Blue steels seem stiffer to me) but the low 'E' was too big and wouldn't resonate enough. So I buy two sets of strings every time and I switch out the 'A' from one set to replace the low 'E'.

I'm probably doing things the hard way but I've never been happier with the sound I get out of any guitar after doing that. MUCH better bass response without having to tweak the amplifier from how I like it.

Hope that made sense. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

[Jukebox]

Try flatwounds

[Ripley1046]

I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys on my Gretsches, including a 5129 with TV Classics, and it helps the low end a bit. They are EAD of an 11 set and GBe of a 10s set. I don't notice much difference in feel, but it keeps my bridge from skating and helps punch up the low end a bit.

The other thing to think about is, make sure you've got the pups at the right height. TVs site says 3/16-7/32 from the top of the pup case to the strings. See it here. Pup and pole piece height make huge differences in filters, more than any other humbucker I've ever had.

[rosemary]

Originally Posted by Lizardkinged

well what are you playing through, strings, pedals, amps?

i got a bugera v22 tube amp, i play ernie ball slinkys 11 gauge, a delta lab metal pedal

[rosemary]

Originally Posted by Ripley1046

I use Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkys on my Gretsches, including a 5129 with TV Classics, and it helps the low end a bit. They are EAD of an 11 set and GBe of a 10s set. I don't notice much difference in feel, but it keeps my bridge from skating and helps punch up the low end a bit.

The other thing to think about is, make sure you've got the pups at the right height. TVs site says 3/16-7/32 from the top of the pup case to the strings. See it here. Pup and pole piece height make huge differences in filters, more than any other humbucker I've ever had.

i use ernie's as well but i will check on the height. i def need more midrange

[rosemary]

Originally Posted by theskitch6

Ugh.. Of every Living End song you had to pick that one. They're in my top five favorite groups but that performance was crap.

ANYwho...

From what I remember you've got TV Jones filtertrons on your box. Same as on my Annie. I had the hardest time getting the sound I wanted for the first little while. I was used to using 9's on my WildKat and they are just too loose and 'tinny' for TV classics.

I upped to Dean Markley Blue Steels in 11's (Blue steels seem stiffer to me) but the low 'E' was too big and wouldn't resonate enough. So I buy two sets of strings every time and I switch out the 'A' from one set to replace the low 'E'.

I'm probably doing things the hard way but I've never been happier with the sound I get out of any guitar after doing that. MUCH better bass response without having to tweak the amplifier from how I like it.

Hope that made sense. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

lol yeah that performance was pretty craptastic so are you saying that you mix 9's and 11's?

[theskitch6]

Originally Posted by rosemary

lol yeah that performance was pretty craptastic so are you saying that you mix 9's and 11's?

No, I was in a hurry when I typed that. I guess it doesn't make much sense.

I get two sets of 11's. Two sets of the exact same strings. I just never use the low 'E' string. I just throw it away and us the 'A' string from the other set.
So my low 'E' and 'A' strings are the exact same gauge. With a smaller gauge low 'E' I get much better bass resonance out of that string.

Also, if you're looking for the "Chris Cheney Sound" he used a Roland RE-201 just like Setzer in the album "State of Emergency". So I'd suggest a Dyno Brain pedal or something to that effect. It helps a lot. On tour he uses a Line 6 DL4 and it helps to make a much more full sound.

If you have a TON of money I'd say go all out and get a Wizard Modern Classic 100 Amplifier. That's really the amp that has made 'his sound' more than anything.

Again, I hope that helps. I tend to ramble and not make sense sometimes when I'm excited about a topic..

[Ripley1046]

If you're looking for more mids I would suggest a Classic + or Powertron in the bridge. I had a Powertron Plus in my 5129 before I went for the Classics and it had more mids than I could handle. It sounded good, but not what I was chasing. I'm really happy with the Classic, but I've thought about trying the Plus to get some more bite out of it.

A nocturne might help get that low end you're looking for. I'm considering one for about the same reason. Tavo would be the best to ask about that.

[S Macp]

Originally Posted by Ripley1046

A nocturne might help get that low end you're looking for. I'm considering one for about the same reason. Tavo would be the best to ask about that.

+1 The original Brain Seltzer pedal can be as dark as you like, and I think you'd get a lot out of it. I've seen a few pop up s/h as people migrate to the Dyno and Atomic pedals.

Now in saying all of this, I don't have a 5120, but my 5129 (Dearmonds) and Jet (Filters) both produced an increased bass response through the Brain Seltzer when dialed in appropriately. More so, I thought, than from the Atomic Brain, but 1) I am not an audiophile, and 2) my high frequency hearing is messed up with tinnitus anyway.

[GreatGretsch]

Rosemary, One way of achieving a less flabby sound is to raise the pickup poles. Write down how many turns you do to each pole. (This way you can always get back to your original sound.) Start with one to one and a half turns. Listen to the difference. The higher the pole the less muddy sounding it will sound.

[Lizardkinged]

Try Flat 12's. they have a bit more slink in them when bending but resonate pretty tight.

Or try other brands. No offense, I just hate the EB's. (I mean There is barely enough string to string up the D and G strings most of the time) they always sounds kinda dead to me too. I go from my dead GHS Burnished nickels to EB Super Slinky's and dont hear much difference from my dead strings. GHS Burnished Nickle 11's also have a lot more tension than EB' 11's.

[Lizardkinged]

If your looking for more even response, thats a your Pole pieces, pup height, or your EQ's problem. I would try everything else to get my tone more balanced except swap pups, and amps, or speakers.

When I use my natural OD, but want my solos to have more bite in the low end, I take any OD/Dist pedal, and set its bass contour to the lower end, and try to get the gain just a bit hotter for the highs to still be represented well by the amp.

so a boost pedal or something you can make sound dark or bright, maybe even compression could help a bit. But I wouldn't go run out and buy anything but strings.

[rosemary]

Originally Posted by theskitch6

No, I was in a hurry when I typed that. I guess it doesn't make much sense.

I get two sets of 11's. Two sets of the exact same strings. I just never use the low 'E' string. I just throw it away and us the 'A' string from the other set.
So my low 'E' and 'A' strings are the exact same gauge. With a smaller gauge low 'E' I get much better bass resonance out of that string.

Also, if you're looking for the "Chris Cheney Sound" he used a Roland RE-201 just like Setzer in the album "State of Emergency". So I'd suggest a Dyno Brain pedal or something to that effect. It helps a lot. On tour he uses a Line 6 DL4 and it helps to make a much more full sound.

If you have a TON of money I'd say go all out and get a Wizard Modern Classic 100 Amplifier. That's really the amp that has made 'his sound' more than anything.

Again, I hope that helps. I tend to ramble and not make sense sometimes when I'm excited about a topic..

oh i get it. okay cool i'll have to try that

[rosemary]

thanx guy !!!! i will definitely look into flatwounds and other brands. im my 11 years of playing i've never used flats so i'd like to check em out. in terms of pickups i do have a classic and classic plus combo in my 5120 so maybe it is the pole piece height. i'll check out the setzer pedals..about how much do those run? anywho thanks again for all the suggestions. definitely gives me alot to tinker with.

[theskitch6]

Originally Posted by rosemary

thanx guy !!!! i'll check out the setzer pedals..about how much do those run? .

http://www.thenocturnebrain.com/products.html

[LATS]

A lot of good advice here. Before you go buying new gear, I recommend getting an aluminum or stainless steel Compton bridge for your guitar. Note clarity is only one of the improvements you will hear, but that's a big part of getting tighter bass.

[rosemary]

yeah i've been looking into those. i think i need to go ahead and get one.