mloiaco
Well-known member
I've seen a lot of complaints (especially regarding the Road King) that the sound is "harsh." I always felt the same way until I read the following thread from the John Petrucci forum:
http://www.petrucciforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22546&highlight=yngwie%27s+tech
The entire thread (copied below) is quite long, but here is the part that addresses "harsh sounds" :
"When listening to your amp be sure you are at least 15-20 feet away MINIMUM and NOT directly in front of it.
Be off to one side to avoid hearing an exagerrated high end harshness that will fool you into boosting bass too much and cutting high end to try and "smooth" out or "warm up" sound."
------------------------------------------------------
Complete Thread:
-------------------------------------------------------
I was reading another thread about string height and it reminded me of an E-Mail I got awhile back from Yngwie's guitar tech. I asked him a question and he E-Mailed back with all kinds of info. Even if you're not after Yngwie's sound, there is some cool info here. I posted this in that thread but I thought it might deserve its own thread. I thought you gearheads might be interested. Check it out!
COMPREHENSIVE "YNGWIE-TONE" & EQUIPMENT SET-UP OVERVIEW INFORMATION:
The speakers Yngwie uses are Celestion G12T-75
Many published sources wrongly claim he uses Greenbacks or 30 watt speakers but that is not the case. He dislikes speaker distortion as he needs a tight response for quick picking and thus uses the 300w cabs on a 50 watt amp head.
I know because I got Yngwie his CELESTION endorsement deal when we had to re-fit several of his old speaker cabs.
When we took them apart...... Poof..... 75 watters.
Typical Amp Settings
NOTE:
These vary slightly based on specific amp
Presence =4-6
Bass =4-5
Mid= 4-6
Treble =6-7
Always add Hall Reverb around 1.7-2.9 seconds depending on song tempo
ADD EQ for guitar at mixing console as follows........
160 Hz and below shelving +3db
180 Hz Parametric +5-6 db
1.6K Parametric +1 db
4.7K and above shelving +3 db
When listening to your amp be sure you are at least 15-20 feet away MINIMUM and NOT directly in front of it.
Be off to one side to avoid hearing an exagerrated high end harshness that will fool you into boosting bass too much and cutting high end to try and "smooth" out or "warm up" sound.
Strings:
8-46 guage
To adjust guitar you should have a small ruler and a capo (to clamp 1st fret).
1) With no Capo installed, tune guitar to playing pitch and adjust springs (3 of them) so back of tremelo is 1/8" off body.
2) Now install Capo at 1st fret.
3) Adjust string height so the HEIGHT OF STRING ABOVE THE FRET AT THE 17th FRET is 1/16" (4/64") for the High e string, b string, g string.
d string should be just barely over the 1/16" (by a smidge).
The A and low E string must be slightly more than 1/16' (4/64") and can be as much as 2.0 mm (5/64").
NOTE: 2.0 mm is just a bit more than 1/16"
4) Check Tuning
5) With Capo still at First fret, depress the last fret where neck meets body (around 19-20th fret)
And with a feeler guage, measure either the A or D string gap between string and fret at the 8th fret position.
There should be some slight relief (gap) of about 0.010 "Â
NOTE: This is about the thickness of a Fender Thin guitar pick or Deluxe Business Card.
Many guitars have a rattle and buzz problem because of no relief.
You will quickly see this problem if when you do this test, the strings are literally touching the fret at fret# 8 during this test.
If needed, adjust truss rod to get that 0.010" relief.
6) Check Tuning
7) Now with all the above settings correct and the capo removed and no strings being pressed down.
Lay the guitar down on it's back.
Measure string height at the 12 fret.
The top 4 strings should be 1/16" and the A and low E should be between 1/16" and 2.0 mm.
If everything was done right, this guitar should be now set up to the same specs Yngwie plays with.
Thru an amp you will hear no fret rattle or buzz.
When playing unplugged, only a hard picking should cause a small but acceptable amount of fret noise in the middle 4th-11th fret region of the neck due to string vibration
9) PICKUP HEIGHT
Depress high e & Low E string at last Fret on highest fret on the neck...
Measure distance from string to Pole piece of pickup
NECK PUÂ Â Â (treble side = 1.0mm) (bass side= 1.0mm)
BRIDGE PUÂ (treble side = 0.5 mm) (bass side = 2.0 mm)
NOTE: this is closer than factory spec but Yngwie likes it this way.
The rig is as follows.........
Guitar >>>>> DOD250 (NOT Yellow -grey only)>>>>>> Boss NS2 Noise Suppresor>>>> Amp Hi Input (upper left) (no bridging inputs) >>>>>>>> Powerbrake (or THD Hotplate if needed) >>>>>>> Speaker Cab 4X12 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
Note:
When using gray DOD 250 pedals use the loop in the Boss NS2 pedal
When using new DOD308 pedal, run Overdrive and Noise Pedal in sinple series
The "key" ingredients to the Yngwie sound are..............
1) HS3/YJM pickups
2) Light strings on scalloped neck for vibrato
3) Gray DOD Overdrive Pedal (new YJM308 as second choice).... but NOT the Yellow 250 reissue pedal.
4) A vintage style Marshall head without all the modern higain preamp distortion.
5) Celestion G12T-75 watt speakers (greenbacks and others dont do it right....too mushy and weak on low end..... vintage 30s are often too thick in the mids and give a muddy tone that ruins clarity.... but Mesa Rectifier players love them.)
Whaddya think? I thought it was cool the guy even responded.
http://www.petrucciforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22546&highlight=yngwie%27s+tech
The entire thread (copied below) is quite long, but here is the part that addresses "harsh sounds" :
"When listening to your amp be sure you are at least 15-20 feet away MINIMUM and NOT directly in front of it.
Be off to one side to avoid hearing an exagerrated high end harshness that will fool you into boosting bass too much and cutting high end to try and "smooth" out or "warm up" sound."
------------------------------------------------------
Complete Thread:
-------------------------------------------------------
I was reading another thread about string height and it reminded me of an E-Mail I got awhile back from Yngwie's guitar tech. I asked him a question and he E-Mailed back with all kinds of info. Even if you're not after Yngwie's sound, there is some cool info here. I posted this in that thread but I thought it might deserve its own thread. I thought you gearheads might be interested. Check it out!
COMPREHENSIVE "YNGWIE-TONE" & EQUIPMENT SET-UP OVERVIEW INFORMATION:
The speakers Yngwie uses are Celestion G12T-75
Many published sources wrongly claim he uses Greenbacks or 30 watt speakers but that is not the case. He dislikes speaker distortion as he needs a tight response for quick picking and thus uses the 300w cabs on a 50 watt amp head.
I know because I got Yngwie his CELESTION endorsement deal when we had to re-fit several of his old speaker cabs.
When we took them apart...... Poof..... 75 watters.
Typical Amp Settings
NOTE:
These vary slightly based on specific amp
Presence =4-6
Bass =4-5
Mid= 4-6
Treble =6-7
Always add Hall Reverb around 1.7-2.9 seconds depending on song tempo
ADD EQ for guitar at mixing console as follows........
160 Hz and below shelving +3db
180 Hz Parametric +5-6 db
1.6K Parametric +1 db
4.7K and above shelving +3 db
When listening to your amp be sure you are at least 15-20 feet away MINIMUM and NOT directly in front of it.
Be off to one side to avoid hearing an exagerrated high end harshness that will fool you into boosting bass too much and cutting high end to try and "smooth" out or "warm up" sound.
Strings:
8-46 guage
To adjust guitar you should have a small ruler and a capo (to clamp 1st fret).
1) With no Capo installed, tune guitar to playing pitch and adjust springs (3 of them) so back of tremelo is 1/8" off body.
2) Now install Capo at 1st fret.
3) Adjust string height so the HEIGHT OF STRING ABOVE THE FRET AT THE 17th FRET is 1/16" (4/64") for the High e string, b string, g string.
d string should be just barely over the 1/16" (by a smidge).
The A and low E string must be slightly more than 1/16' (4/64") and can be as much as 2.0 mm (5/64").
NOTE: 2.0 mm is just a bit more than 1/16"
4) Check Tuning
5) With Capo still at First fret, depress the last fret where neck meets body (around 19-20th fret)
And with a feeler guage, measure either the A or D string gap between string and fret at the 8th fret position.
There should be some slight relief (gap) of about 0.010 "Â
NOTE: This is about the thickness of a Fender Thin guitar pick or Deluxe Business Card.
Many guitars have a rattle and buzz problem because of no relief.
You will quickly see this problem if when you do this test, the strings are literally touching the fret at fret# 8 during this test.
If needed, adjust truss rod to get that 0.010" relief.
6) Check Tuning
7) Now with all the above settings correct and the capo removed and no strings being pressed down.
Lay the guitar down on it's back.
Measure string height at the 12 fret.
The top 4 strings should be 1/16" and the A and low E should be between 1/16" and 2.0 mm.
If everything was done right, this guitar should be now set up to the same specs Yngwie plays with.
Thru an amp you will hear no fret rattle or buzz.
When playing unplugged, only a hard picking should cause a small but acceptable amount of fret noise in the middle 4th-11th fret region of the neck due to string vibration
9) PICKUP HEIGHT
Depress high e & Low E string at last Fret on highest fret on the neck...
Measure distance from string to Pole piece of pickup
NECK PUÂ Â Â (treble side = 1.0mm) (bass side= 1.0mm)
BRIDGE PUÂ (treble side = 0.5 mm) (bass side = 2.0 mm)
NOTE: this is closer than factory spec but Yngwie likes it this way.
The rig is as follows.........
Guitar >>>>> DOD250 (NOT Yellow -grey only)>>>>>> Boss NS2 Noise Suppresor>>>> Amp Hi Input (upper left) (no bridging inputs) >>>>>>>> Powerbrake (or THD Hotplate if needed) >>>>>>> Speaker Cab 4X12 with Celestion G12T-75 speakers
Note:
When using gray DOD 250 pedals use the loop in the Boss NS2 pedal
When using new DOD308 pedal, run Overdrive and Noise Pedal in sinple series
The "key" ingredients to the Yngwie sound are..............
1) HS3/YJM pickups
2) Light strings on scalloped neck for vibrato
3) Gray DOD Overdrive Pedal (new YJM308 as second choice).... but NOT the Yellow 250 reissue pedal.
4) A vintage style Marshall head without all the modern higain preamp distortion.
5) Celestion G12T-75 watt speakers (greenbacks and others dont do it right....too mushy and weak on low end..... vintage 30s are often too thick in the mids and give a muddy tone that ruins clarity.... but Mesa Rectifier players love them.)
Whaddya think? I thought it was cool the guy even responded.
