zorrow

So true!

Isn't that singer Ralph Scheepers, the guy who used to sing for Gamma Ray? I remember back then (fuck, I'm getting old!) he auditioned for Judas Priest when Halford left, but they ended getting Tim "The Reaper" Owens.

Yeah... again that guy. BTW, I actually think that Vector's quite cool for those who like Floyds, but... at that price!? No, thanks.

Hey! Welcome around! You might end up purchasing from us a lot of gear you don't actually need, but we're a bunch of nice people anyway.

My condolences, hoping all the sadness will be progressively replaced by just the good memories. I know how hard is loosing a close friend!

You might consider coming to Heavy Mtl this summer as well. It's becoming one of the coolest metal festivals this side of the pond. Edited to add the link: http://www.heavymtl.com/en

I mention Human Remains to someone at every show I attend. ...and I wear a HELL T-Shirt at every show I attend.

Facts supporting what I just said -and Kev, it's me who owe you something.

IMHO, HELL is THE metal band of the moment. I sincerely think all the rave reviews, enthusiasm and attention they're getting is more than well-deserved. Their darker brand of classic metal covers a ground which no other band is doing these days. I wish them a lot of success, and I'm very happy that it's a fellow HFC'er who plays there -one of the nicest guys here, I must add. Congrats tp Kev, and ROCK ON guys!

Oh man!

Great man. If you love me in spite of any look-related issue, that's actually true love!

I saw in the FS sale some people saying the Monaco was an ugly model. I personally think the contrary, but well... that's what tastes are for. Anyway, the comment got me thinking about the ugliest Hamer model I've ever seen. I'm coming with one strong candidate: The Blitz with paddle headstock: What's yours?

Looks great, but I'm just getting used to it. It still feels "weird".

I tried some guitars with them at the Montreal Guitar Show this year. Cannot say I hated them, but I didn't feel anything special about them.

A Slammer Series Centaura could do it for me... or maybe an Epi Flying V -those white ones which came out not so long ago are amazing players.

Those Junior XT's speak to me... but my wife would YELL at me if I get one.

Rawking! Cool!

My perception is that higher tension implies a more "focused" tone; while lower tension implies a more "open" tone. That's why I try to use the lightest gauge I can tolerate for the three higher strings, in order to keep a certain "vocal quality" in my lead tone; while for the three lower strings I favor "tightness" and focus, so a heavier gauge does the trick. I guess then that "openness" I perceive (meaning nasal and/or vocal overtones) is the effect of odd harmonics, right? BTW, I use metal and glass picks, by Dugain, as well as 3 mm Big Stubby picks. That's absolutely a factor to get a very sharp attack, which is a key ingredient of my tone.

That's very interesting and seems very well-founded. However, Brian May uses very light gauge for a 24" scale (.009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042); Yngwie uses 0.08, 0.11, 0.14, 0.22, 0.34, 0.46 (very light for me, and in addition he tunes to E-flat); George Lynch uses standard 0.09's, as well as Michael Schenker; Billy Gibbons uses 0.08 and I've even heard that he has used 0.07... And it's funny all those guys I just mentioned above are for me THE references when I talk about tone. Hypothesis: Maybe odd order harmonics can color your tone in a way that it can also improve?

Thanks a lot for that link! Not for me, but some fellow players sometimes ask me what I would recommend that wouldn't be "too much" -as if I knew! I guess suggesting them to try those you just mentioned would be a safe answer.

I use quite heavy strings: 11-15-20-36-46-58 for D tuning, and 10-13-17-32-42-54 for standard tuning. It's hard to say what's "too much", as it depends on the player, of course. In my own case, I settled to heavy gauge strings because I like the lower register to sound tight, and more tension allows me to tremolo-pick with more articulation -hate flabby lows. I also tend to press on the frets too much, as if I was struggling with the neck. Heavy gauges thus compensate for my lack of technique, by creating the resistance I need to counter-balance the exaggerated strength I put into it. The problems I've found: one, it's harder to have a "light touch"; two, your truss-rod needs to be re-adjusted, as you add a lot of extra tension; three, your fellow guitar players will hate to play your guitar, as they wouldn't be able to play it properly; four, some chords become very hard to play; five, it might cause some extra buzzing, which you'll have to fix; six, you'll need to get used to it, as the strings do feel "thicker"; seven, your tone will change, but it's a myth it will "improve" -that depends on your tastes, your fingers... and on your beliefs; eight, you'll have to file wider slots in your nut, which will spoil an easy rollback, if you ever don't like it; nine, more tension means your tuners should be able to handle it, so you better get some locking tuners -besides using nut sauce; ten, your fingers and wrist will suffer more -you'll need to warm up properly and keep an eye on signals of muscular/tendon strain... and so on. Hope this helped!

I also have Manlius and they are awesome, but I couldn't resist to the temptation of trying the Tyrant.

My DMT Tyrant pup is on the way -your fault, Kev!

DMD Amott signature pups are available, yes. This is the model: http://www.deanguitars.com/dmt_tyrant.php. They can be purchased on eBay, for example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-DMT-MICHAEL-AM...#ht_3593wt_1344. And yes, there's no modern player closer to Schenker than Michael Amott. That's exactly why I'm such a big fan of him: because Michael Schenker also is one of my biggest inspirations.

I am a big fan of Michael Amott's tone. He gets a very dramatic, expressive voice on his leads, while his rhythmic tone remains punchy and full of attack. I guess then you can't go wrong with one of his signature pups. Actually, I was thinking about getting a pair of them not so long ago, so your post is reactivating my GAS. Should I thank you now, Kev?