Help with guitar tone....

McDangerous

Ahoy peeps.

I have a LTD EX-401DX (linky: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/esp-ltd-ex-401dx-floyd-rose-electric-guitar) and I'm having problems getting the tone I want out of it. I'm a bit worried that there might be something amiss with the wiring...

Sometimes I'll switch from the middle setting to the bridge pickup setting on the selector and only a tiny amount of volume will come through the amp, and I mean tiny, as in almost inaudible. It's only at this setting though, and if I flick it back and forth once it returns to normal. That's not really my problem with tone though, but I'm just trying to give some background info on the guitar.

My problem, tone-wise, is that it feels as if the pickups don't have the right "EQ" setting. It almost sounds as if the tone knob only goes to 5 and not all the way to 10, if you know what i mean? It's especially noticeable when playing higher register notes (12th fret and above), it sounds like I'm playing through the neck pickup almost, or as if the tone knob is rolled back. The notes will initially have the expected sharp and searing tone, but that dies out relatively quickly (less than half a second mostly) and the tone loses its sizzle.

I replaced the strings a week ago, I've tried various amps and settings, cabinet, EQ and mic'ing options in the software (POD Farm 2.5), I've even tried altering my technique and using different picks, but nothing seems to give me that nice searing higher register that I'm after. It's not as noticeable when playing through my MG100DFX and Digitech MetalMaster, but I'm really getting into the whole software modelling thing, so I really want to get a decent tone out. Oh, and my setup is pretty normal too, I've got a bit of relief on the neck, and my action isn't too low, as I don't get any audible fret buzz, not even when listening to the un-amped guitar.

If anyone has any suggestions, questions or advice, fire away!

So, specs as reference:

Elixir 9s
Standard tuning
Line 6 POD Studio GX Interface
EMG 81/60 pups

Oh, and sorry if my terminology is a bit poef, I'm still learning the lingo! Heh, been playing guitar for almost 7 years, and still struggle to describe sounds and tones hehe!

AlanRatcliffe

Have you checked the battery? Should always be the first thing to check with active pickups. Also It really sounds like there is something wrong with the switch, so that would be the first suspect. Have you tried another guitar into the same setup?

My next question would be how are you connecting the guitar to the computer? You need a decent soundcard (preferably with a specialised instrument input) - anything else will mess with the tone and dynamics (built-in soundcards usually suck in a big way).

McDangerous

Thanks for moving it to the correct section Alan.

I have checked the battery, and it was replaced about a month ago. I've tried my RG321 with the same setup, and it sounded a bit better, but the strings are really old and miff, so the sound was too dull to make an accurate comparison.

I'm connecting it via a Line 6 POD Studio GX interface. It's a USB interface, and the sound quality in general is awesome, I'm just having problems with the guitar's tone.

guidothepimmp

how far is the bridge pup to the strings?

actives should be pretty close... is the neck pup closer than the bridge pup?

what pots do you have in the fiddle?

did you rewire or is the guitar stock?

McDangerous

Thanks for the replies guys!

It's actually quite a distance away, I'd say about 5mm from the closest strings (the first and sixth).

Erm, what pots do I have in the fiddle? ??? Can you please rephrase the question? Hehe

It's stock standard, no mods done to it at all.

guidothepimmp

try raising the pup a bit.

for the pots i was meaning what value pots... they should be 25k for actives if my memory isnt messing me around lol.

if its stock then the pots should be the right value.

McDangerous

Cool, thanks guido, I'll definitely try that and report back!

I opened up the back of the guitar, and all the wires seem to be intact and connected relatively properly. Not the neatest job I've ever seen, but ja.

McDangerous

Ok, so I adjusted the bridge pup and brought it up quite a bit, almost to the maximum playable setting, and I've still got the tone-loss. I'm probably being very finicky, but it annoys me when my tone is off. I understand that a note won't ring out brightly forever, but surely it should retain some of its treble for at least 1.5s, not die out instantly. I've noticed that the loss of tone is exclaimed when doing wide vibratos above the 12th fret.

It almost sounds as if the strings are being muted a bit, or not sustaining as much as they should. They ring out for the appropriate amount of time, but the sound goes numb very quickly when you play anything above the 10th fret.

I'm starting to notice that the problem is coming from the guitar itself, as I can hear the note going numb when listening to the guitar in an un-amped state.

This is starting to annoy me >☹

AlanRatcliffe

Well, Floyd Rose whammys kill the sustain a bit, but they usually make the tone brighter too. This is all a bit difficult given the subjective nature of things. If you are really worried, take it in to a shop or to a luthier and let them take a quick look.

McDangerous

I think I may just do that. The only problem is cash, as most techies I've spoken to and/or worked with want cash for just looking at the guitar, never mind working on it.

I'll fiddle around a bit more.

Thanks though guys, appreciate the help!

nicovlogg

This sounds to me like a neck relief issue. I think the frets higher than the one you're currently one are deadening/touching the string. Check your neck relief and your action..

McDangerous

That sounds very likely actually, thanks, nico. Funny enough, when I restrung it last week I tried to adjust the neck, wanted to flatten it out a bit, but I couldn't find an appropriately sized allen key, and rather let it be. I did see some indentations under the truss rod adjustment cover though, so I think the guys at Music Connection did adjust it when I took it in for its first "free" setup.