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Greatest thing you can do to improve your tone

el84ster

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2001
Messages
1,420
Man, I cannot believe how putting some genuine '50s long PAF magnets in my newer pickups sounds so killer!

Every pickup I put them in sounded unreal. Those old magnets were the soul of the PAF sound IMO. The harmonics are increased like crazy! When my buddy heard it, he freaked out. He could not believe what a change that made.

I also own a real set of PAFs and putting a long magnet in a new pickup got me incredibly close to the PAFs.

There seem to be some on ebay every once in a while. I highly recommend! :wow :wow

If you have PAF clone pickups, you owe it to yourself to try them.
 
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jamisonlps

New member
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May 30, 2005
Messages
1,608
Where do you get these...where did you specifiically. Are they rough sand cast? How much....any pics?
 

jamisonlps

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May 30, 2005
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1,608
Baaah, practice is over rated. I have the rest of my life to practice, hahahahah!
 

mad dog

Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2006
Messages
440
Aside from practice, what works for me in this area is:

-- playing with people as much as possible, with my band, or jamming
-- experimenting with different amps, really learning how to play amps as well as guitars

Pickup types or magnets therein certainly make a difference, but the overall tone search for me happens at the macro as well as the micro (gear) level.
 

Texas Blues

Active member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
4,641
Rolling Stone once interviewed Keith Richards and asked.."How much time do you spend practicing?" Keith responded..."Practice? What for? I'm already in the Rolling Stones.."

Cheers, TB.
 

el84ster

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2001
Messages
1,420
Well, at the risk of stating the obvious:
Yeah, I know practicing has benefits (got me into Berklee and a career in music), and upgrading your tone has benefits as well...

Practice AND upgrade your tone...that's the best of both worlds. Either one at the expense of the other will give less than optimal results. :jim

But I just wanted to share how great those magnets are. I don't know where this whole practicing thing got thrown in...?? Of course practice! Why does one preclude the other?
 

Joseph Palmer

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Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
94
On a scale of 1-10...
a) RS pots = 8
b) Lightweight Tailpiece + locking studs = 4 (But a 9+ in sustain!)
c) Fresh Strings = 5
d) Thinner pick = 4
f) Amp Position = 6 (Get those combos off the floor)
g) Practice with the amp pointed right at your face, at a sane volume = 10
 

sanhozay

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Messages
165
Practice is too general. And tone is pretty much subjective, and FWIW, the OP is talking about improving tone. You can practice your friggen digits off and still have ass for tone. So, I get the tip.
 

Wookie

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Apr 15, 2005
Messages
1,267
I thought it was a glass of single-malt, on the rocks, slowly melting away atop a warm tube amp.

I always say "the more you drink, the better we sound".
 

Wookie

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Apr 15, 2005
Messages
1,267
But seriously, the long magnet thing is intriguing.
 
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