KVR Audio

fedexnman · Post by **fedexnman** » Thu Jul 27, 2017 3:14 pm

I like that this thread has turned into more an Everything Guitar Related thread , and all in one place(thread) ... KVR is so mainly computer music so this is a nice place to have this thread ... I play guitar , bass , sing , and (drum sampler ) but only dip my feet in the shallow end of the pool in the VSTi ,drummachine , and synth , department . Anyways cool thread I always look forward to seeing new posts on this one !

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:14 am

Whoops. Put in the incorrect link to a video. It's now corrected.

Same here.

Hermetech Mastering · Post by **Hermetech Mastering** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:41 pm

A week with a Strat. The first time for me. It's a Fender US Elite Strat made last December, in aged cherry burst.

At first I couldn't comprehend how different it could sound from my hard tail Tele of ten years, just acoustically. Then finally, I realised it basically has a resonant cavity/spring reverb/pitch shifty chorus built in, and it all started to make sense. If you look and listen from behind you can hear and see the pitch shifting, even when not playing that hard on one string (the bridge bar moves every time you pluck). There is some kind of feedback loop between the wood of the guitar itself (neck and body), the gauge of the strings, the floating bridge & spring system, and how hard you play. It's pretty insane. Sorry if I'm stating the obvs., Strats have been around since '54 of course, but like I said, first time for me...

I've set it up this week and the tuning is pretty stable now, not as stable as a hard tail electric or acoustic, but to be expected.

I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love how it plays (never owned a guitar that was as easy to play, but that could be just because I have 9's on it, which I'd never considered before), and I love how it sounds plugged into the Deluxe Reverb. I still hate how it sounds acoustically, but I'm prepared to overlook that. So it's a keeper.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:58 pm

Hermetech Mastering wrote:A week with a Strat. The first time for me. It's a Fender US Elite Strat made last December, in aged cherry burst.

Quite a nice way to start!

At first I couldn't comprehend how different it could sound from my hard tail Tele of ten years, just acoustically. Then finally, I realised it basically has a resonant cavity/spring reverb/pitch shifty chorus built in, and it all started to make sense. If you look and listen from behind you can hear and see the pitch shifting, even when not playing that hard on one string (the bridge bar moves every time you pluck). There is some kind of feedback loop between the wood of the guitar itself (neck and body), the gauge of the strings, the floating bridge & spring system, and how hard you play. It's pretty insane. Sorry if I'm stating the obvs., Strats have been around since '54 of course, but like I said, first time for me...

There are various tricks you can do to control these effects. It sounds to me that you're embracing them, though, so why bother?

I love how it looks, I love how it feels, I love how it plays (never owned a guitar that was as easy to play, but that could be just because I have 9's on it, which I'd never considered before), and I love how it sounds plugged into the Deluxe Reverb. I still hate how it sounds acoustically, but I'm prepared to overlook that. So it's a keeper.

Put cork inside the tremolo springs, that will keep them from resonating acoustically.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:22 pm

Ahh the "Spank" sound. I love it.

Every plucked / picked string instrument does this to a degree. It's more accentuated with a tremolo. I also like the "softer" attack feel. When you have that "swoop" of tremolo it requires less pick pressure even on next higher gauge strings. The attack of the string is slightly behind what one would experience with a fixed bridge.

incubus · Post by **incubus** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:47 am

Actually, Steve Vai uses tissue.

I've used foam with success.

werp · Post by **werp** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:49 am

All trem systems are blocked in my mancave..with the exception of the one on the prs nf3..that thing is the only one which stays in tune.
As a player I'm really crappy but I have perfectionist hearing.

Hermetech Mastering · Post by **Hermetech Mastering** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:08 am

Yeah, the jury is still out on the whole trem/spring thing for me. I'm gonna keep it floating for a while, then try decking it, then try blocking it, and see which I prefer, but a part of me thinks I'll end up keeping it floating because that's a part of the Strat sound, and also because I bought it to get more versaility in my guitar sounds, and I already have a hard tail and an acoustic.

Still not tried the whammy bar, not really my thing, but nice to be able to do Twin Peaks 'Mr. Jackpots' style stuff with my palm on the bridge.

Been having a lot of fun today with the Moog Drive pedal with the Moog expression pedal controlling the filter cutoff, into the amp with H9 tape style delay in the FX loop, plus tube reverb and tremolo, of course.

My girls being away in Japan has let me do 4-6 hours guitar playing every day, which has also been a lot of fun.

TBH I love everything about it except how it sounds acoustically, whoch of course is not really a problem! But I'll maybe have a go putting cork/foam/tissue in the springs at some stage.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:30 am

Hermetech Mastering wrote:Yeah, the jury is still out on the whole trem/spring thing for me. I'm gonna keep it floating for a while, then try decking it, then try blocking it, and see which I prefer, but a part of me thinks I'll end up keeping it floating because that's a part of the Strat sound, and also because I bought it to get more versaility in my guitar sounds, and I already have a hard tail and an acoustic.

Speaking as someone who has just built a hardtail strat, I must admit that I would rather just have a 3-pickup tele.

Hermetech Mastering · Post by **Hermetech Mastering** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:45 am

Why? Would they not be extremely similar?

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:07 am

A telecaster bridge pickup sounds better to me.

Hermetech Mastering · Post by **Hermetech Mastering** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 8:59 am

Ah OK, I've never used a 'regular' Tele, mine is a weird Korean Femder set neck HH thing with coil split.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:34 pm

Uncle E wrote:
Speaking as someone who has just built a hardtail strat, I must admit that I would rather just have a 3-pickup tele.

I have a HSS Modern Player Tele Plus (2014)

and an 80'a Strat Plus

I wouldn't change a thing about my strat aside from needing a little fretwork. They are quite different to me tonally and I play them the same amount of time. The Modern Player is a different story. I'd love to swap out all the made in china pups for almost anything USA made Fender or Many SD pups. I'd also change the wiring. The "quacky" out of phase middle position of a standard tele can not be achieved on a 3 pup Tele. That out of phase sound is much more dramatic than position 4 of a Strat.
So the first thing to go would be the 5 way selector for a three way one. Neck/both/Bridge. Then I'd swap out the coil tap on the bride for a mini three way. (Neck+Bridge/All Three/Middle Only) That way I'd be able to pull up 7 combinations. Those Pups have to go. I'd also opt for either a traditional bridge plate or a stetsbar pro ...

The bridge plate adds high end sustain and brightness. If you don't have a tele bridge plate you'll never get that classic tele tone.

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 6:55 pm

The other day I walked into a guitar store. They had one going for $200 listed as a "Project Guitar" It was an immaculate Ibanez RS SSS with an unbranded neck. After checking it out I was extremely tempted to buy. But I'm shy on finances as I've just spend just as much money on chef ware for my job. I couldn't help thinking to myself I could flip that thing without modification if I were willing to wait long enough. More over if I could find a vintage Ibanez neck I could swap necks and inform buyers that I did so. I'm not one to play fast and loose with the truth.

Today I started watching some videos on how to flip musical equipment on Ebay. It seems rather doable. Buying guitars for less, sprucing them up a little and then turning a marginal profit on it.
I see guys doing this all the time.

What are your thoughts on flipping guitars?

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:47 pm

Look at a store called The Stratosphere, they make good money by parting guitars out. I think you'll do better doing that than sprucing them up. For example, I tell people all the time that they can either have a discount or a full setup with fretwork that would be worth more that the discount. Invariably, they choose the discount.

Your next guitar?