Pick-up selection

[vwjodyme]

I know tid bits have been thrown around on this subjuect, but i don't believe there is an actual thread...sorry if there is.

i think somewhere along the line someone said that jerry played 90% of the time on the middle pick-up split to single coil. And I believe someone mentioned JK played most all leads single coil neck position...which i am assuming jerry did too.

Are there specific songs where jerry would actually use the humbuckers, like maybe on the more distorted leads? did he ever use the bridge?

how important would it be to have a split hum in the middle rather than a single coil?

[czyfingers]

Jerry did not use the neck pick up for leads that I know of. In fact I couldn't tell you a specific song that he regularly used the neck pickup on at all. Most of the leads are played in his favorite spot-middle pickup split. It's been discussed and speculated on a lot here that he used the bridge in bucker mode for some of the countryish songs like- Big River, Cumberland, etc.
John loves the neck pickup these days, but I think for the most part, especially from the time wolf came forward, Jerry's neck pickup was there to fill the hole and thats about it.
Also, Jerry never used the middle pickup as a humbucker, so other than having the authentic and hard to duplicate sound produced by a super 2 split, its not important to have a bucker in the middle.

[bdhact1]

On "Trucking Up To Buffalo" Jerry used the neck pickup in a couple of lead breaks during
"Cold Rain And Snow" . If you watch carefully you can see him put the slider all the way to the top position, play a lead break, and then back down for the main part of the song at least twice. Usually it's the lead break between verses.

[JamminJommy]

+1 on CRandS in the neck. Check out the 1991 w/ Hornsby DVD in the View from the Vault Series. He uses the neck humbucker a lot (split) that show.

Peace,

Jommy

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

But yes,

the middle pickup split to single coil is the MAIN Jerry sound. I believe JK also uses that setting mostly.

B

[Staemius]

So - neck and bridge pickup were toggled off typically?

[Bear62]

I would suggest that the middle pickup in HB works best when engaging the Mutron!

[waldo041]

It's been discussed and speculated on a lot here that he used the bridge in bucker mode for some of the countryish songs like- Big River, Cumberland, etc.

jerry uses the bridge/single for the "there's a fear down here" and the parts like it throughout throwin stones


here are some other samples of songs using the bridge throughout, he may flip to humbucker for solo's.
Bridge Pickup Single Coil


Bridge Pickup Single Coil


Bridge Pickup Single Coil


Bridge Pickup Single Coil



peace,
waldo

[waldo041]

Also, Jerry never used the middle pickup as a humbucker, so other than having the authentic and hard to duplicate sound produced by a super 2 split, its not important to have a bucker in the middle.

here at 2:25 he flips that middle pickup toggle up into humbucker for the solo. pretty noticeable change in tone when he does, things thicken up.


and again here same song with rosebud at 2:45


effects loop is a down motion, pickup toggles are an up motion.

peace,
waldo

[waldo041]

On "Trucking Up To Buffalo" Jerry used the neck pickup in a couple of lead breaks during
"Cold Rain And Snow" . If you watch carefully you can see him put the slider all the way to the top position, play a lead break, and then back down for the main part of the song at least twice. Usually it's the lead break between verses.

definately uses it for lead in Cold Rain and Snow.

Jerry did not use the neck pick up for leads that I know of. In fact I couldn't tell you a specific song that he regularly used the neck pickup on at all........ Jerry's neck pickup was there to fill the hole and thats about it.

while that pickup may have been the least used by jerry, it was used and probably not there "just to fill a hole". there are a few pictures as well showing the 5 way in the neck posisiton.

peace,
waldo

[tigerstrat]

I would suggest that the middle pickup in HB works best when engaging the Mutron!

single coil, for me

[SarnoMusicSolutions]

Agreed.

I always get (got) the best Mutron response and tone with the normal, middle pickup, single coil mode, tone wide open bright. But that's with Dual Sounds. Maybe the Super II's being thinner and brighter make a good Mutron driver when in HB mode. Waldo, any video to show how Jer set it for the Mutron?

I find the Trons are a bit more reactive to bassy energy from a guitar, ie. low notes are much easier to trigger than high notes. So with that I found that the bright, wide open tone knob helped balance the high note and low note response best.

Brad

[Chuckles]

I also find watching JK and Jeff that they use the neck PUP a lot more than Jerry was supposed to have done. I find through my own playing that I often need the boost of the HBs to get that raspy tone I couldn't get in SC mode. Maybe that's 'cause Jerry drove his rig do damned hard that he didn't need that boost? Would be a lot easier for any of us to do that if: A: we were playing huge halls where volume wasn't an issue; and B: we had an unlimited number of JBLs on hand to swap out should we blow them...

[waldo041]

jerry played his guitar somewhere in the 1/2 to 3/4 range when playing clean. with the known jerry settings for his preamp and mc2300(minus sentry monitor) this kept him just under the clipping threshold of the mac. he could get that clean dirt by coming up more then that with the guitars volume. he used the guitars volume control with some very good finesse and can be seen tweaking it all the time when he switches effects in or turns on a humbucker. for example, jerrys distortion/od levels were low and dist/drive's pushed, and the guitars volume was brought up to bring them into the mix or even with where the clean tone was when he switches them in. you hardly, if ever, hear jerry being obnoxiously loud when he switches them in, but rather hear them come in low and the volume brought up. similiar deal when he switches in a humbucker he almost always makes the small adjustment to bring the guitar volume down a tad to where he was. most don't realize just how much he played with the guitars volume knob. imo, he was more about the different tones/colors more then the levels/boosts, he was loud enough no matter what he was using for color. i hear him pretty much at a very even response/level no matter what he was doing effects or humbucker wise, all those adjustments always seemed to be leveled out nice. and in the video evidence, his constant attention to the guitars volume is the main reason why.

that said, he wasn't a traditional type of player, leaving room for boost or needed to use the stronger neck pickup to step out in the mix for a lead. or like others who are diming the guitar and using overdrives to boost for leads. at the loudness he played those types of boosts or mistakes led to blown jbl's.

peace,
waldo

[waldo041]

tons of steel is a neck pickup tune 9:54.


peace,
waldo