rainfield Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 I read an interview with John Mayer, who has been Jimi Hendrix's tech, in which it was said that a fundamental thing is to calibrate the sound output of the strings making it as uniform as possible: Jimi Hendrix was very careful about this, creating the famous gauge 0.10-0.38 on his strats, and Mayer added that, with respect to this, the importance of the pickups was not that relevant. I think it is an interview that many have already read. Now I ask myself: can the same be true for Gibsons? I have owned a Gibson ES335 for several years and some time ago I worked on the screws of the PAFs,lowering them in correspondence with the high E and B because I was getting a sound peak (not the note itself), a high timbral crest, a bit metallic which I did not like and, above all, it did not accord with the usual 'softness' of the other strings. This is most noticeable not at high gain boost, but above all when playing clean, at moderate volume. My question is precisely this: is there a gauge that, like the one found by Jimi, can improve the sound output of the Gibson, making the timbre of the strings and their volume more homogeneous? Of course, I know that many factors are involved: maybe the type of strings, the nut, the adjustment of the amp and so on. In any case, thanks to anyone who has such an experience to share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 (edited) Roger Mayer; in that interview or another, he also stated that a strings output at a given tension/pitch is proportional to the square of the diameter. That is to say, a 10 string tuned to high E goes up to 100 but a 09 only goes as loud as 81. I have been told this is true. So basically go heavier at the top and lighter at the bottom. String companies have tried to address the tension issue with 'balanced tension' sets. However it's much more fun to mix and match your own gauges which I used to do. I played jazz (mostly rhythm) with 12,15,17,30,40,50 for years. If you can set the guitar up nicely it's still very playable with those gauges. Now on some electrics I have a stock 11 gauge set which has a plain 18 for G. Tapewounds could be said to have a more homogenous or soft tone and it's well worth trying a set even with the wound 3rd IMO. Many on here will tell you that lowering the pickups or finding the correct height to the millimetre, makes all the difference. Certainly setting pickup height is an important part of a good setup! 🎸 Edited May 1, 2022 by jdgm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 (edited) John Mayer was Jimi's guitar tech, get the f-uck out? He was born in '77 so I'm not buying it. Edited May 3, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 I think that was a typo.. I’m sure he meant to say Roger Mayer https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/secrets-jimi-hendrixs-guitar-setup-interview-roger-mayer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainfield Posted May 3, 2022 Author Share Posted May 3, 2022 4 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: John Mayer was Jimi's guitar tech, get the f-uck out? He was born in '77 so I'm not buying it. That's right. My fault. I was talking about Roger Mayer, not John Mayer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainfield Posted May 3, 2022 Author Share Posted May 3, 2022 33 minutes ago, Larsongs said: I think that was a typo.. I’m sure he meant to say Roger Mayer https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/secrets-jimi-hendrixs-guitar-setup-interview-roger-mayer Sorry. Yes. It's Roger Mayer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 I didn't even know he played... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayville Posted May 3, 2022 Share Posted May 3, 2022 There are lots of simple end-user ways to alter the tone character of an ES-335 - or any other humbuckered Gibson for that matter. Raising or lowering the pickups - on one side or on both; raising or lowering the pole pieces; raising or lowering the tailpiece to alter the angle of the strings coming off the bridge; changing the string gauge or the string brand; experimenting with string construction and composition (my advice: try pure nickel strings from Stringjoy for a noticeably warmer sound and a long-lasting string); and of course using your control knobs - both on the guitar and on the amp. For those easy screwdriver "mods" you shouldn't be afraid to experiment even if you've had your guitar settled in a particular place for a long time - just count and write down the screwdriver turns so you can get back to where you started if you want. And.... they're free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 10 hours ago, merciful-evans said: I didn't even know he played... He did it was just with women, and not guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Jimi performed in a time before plug-in tuners were readily available, he tuned by ear which on a Strat can be very difficult on the fly, hence his statement "only cowboys stay in tune". A lot of years have passed since he developed his string gage selection and you must remember he was also using it on a Strat with a tremolo that could be advantageous to balancing the string tension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 On 5/3/2022 at 6:06 PM, merciful-evans said: I didn't even know he played... Absolutely did - here an F-minor in the advanced position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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