Silo special "strat" tone problem

[Colex]

Hi!

I've recently bought a '99 EBMM silo special (gotoh bridge), and it's a marvelous guitar in many ways, but I just can't get "that" liquid, smooth...(etc) strat neck pickup tone, it's just somewhat sterile, dull and harsh.

Strings are 9s.

Any tips...?

 

[azazael]

Can you record it and let us hear?

 

[TNT]

Col,

No problem!!! You got "the" guitar that's the main thing. Now you can experiment with pickups, it's fun, inexpensive and easy to do.

Then you'll dial in the "exact" sound you want!! Again, you got the guitar!!

 

[robelinda2]

Go 10's.

 

[marduke]

Go 10's.

amen to that.. 10's made huge huge difference to my jp6 so i can only imagine it would do the same for your silo.

 

[Jason2112]

Hard to say what's been done to a used instrument, but I'd suggest having a tech check the pickup wiring & pots to make sure everything is good. I'm also assuming the bridge pickup is fine, but how about the middle pickup? If the electronics check out ok, then I'd suggest some new pickups. If you know what kind of tone you want, and if you want a true single coil or a stacked humbucker, then you'll get more detailed help.

 

[azazael]

Could silent circuit have been tampered with and affecting the tone?

 

[robelinda2]

Also, the Silo Special isnt a strat, its a single coil guitar but not designed to be a strat rip off. Its has its own thang.

 

[candid_x]

Did MM ever use Gotoh bridges? I don't recall seeing one. I think they used Schallers early on?

I agree with Rob, that a Silo Special is its own beast, but I wouldn't ever describe them as sterile, dull or harsh sounding, unless a previous owner(s) did something uncool to it. That's why the Gotoh bridge makes me suspicious.

As for that big sorta hollow neck pickup strat sound, I get that much more with my rosewood board silo than with my maple board silo, which while still sounding great in its own way, doesn't get SRV neck tone, as does the rosewood board silo.

Quite a few of us drop our personal favorite pickups in them, though the stock ones ain't bad, imo.

 

[azazael]

Did MM ever use Gotoh bridges? I don't recall seeing one. I think they used Schallers early on?

I agree with Rob, that a Silo Special is its own beast, but I wouldn't ever describe them as sterile, dull or harsh sounding, unless a previous owner(s) did something uncool to it. That's why the Gotoh bridge makes me suspicious.

As for that big sorta hollow neck pickup strat sound, I get that much more with my rosewood board silo than with my maple board silo, which while still sounding great in its own way, doesn't get SRV neck tone, as does the rosewood board silo.

Quite a few of us drop our personal favorite pickups in them, though the stock ones ain't bad, imo.

Gotoh make quality hardware.
The Floyd on the Axis is by Gotoh.

 

[robelinda2]

Early Silo's were Wilkinson.

 

[Big Poppa]

they were several bridges used over the years and ARRRRRGHHHHHHHH implying that gotoh makes all of our bridges is how ugly rumors start We make all of our bridges except for the floyd

 

[jamminjim]

Colex - do you have any photos of the Silo Spec you could post up, say on photobucket or similar, so we could have a look? A picture of the "works" under the scratchplate would be nice too.

~Jim

 

[banjoplayer]

Hi!

I've recently bought a '99 EBMM silo special (gotoh bridge), and it's a marvelous guitar in many ways, but I just can't get "that" liquid, smooth...(etc) strat neck pickup tone, it's just somewhat sterile, dull and harsh.

Strings are 9s.

Any tips...?

Play a Strat- Silo Spec isn´the same.

My AL does this particluar sound but not as fat as a Strat (I say this ´cause many guys here say that AL and Silo Spec SSS are compareable). But I like it anyway, it is so much better than any Strat in most ways. And if I want a really fat Neck-SC-sound, I have a reason to play one of my Non-EBMM guitars.

 

[spkirby]

Now I'd be interested in hearing how you can get a silo spec to sound as close to that classic strat tone as possible, after all they are similar in terms of woods, shape etc. I'm realising a pickup change will be essential and I'm after that slightly more gutsy early 60's vibe rather than the ultra jangly 50's tone...but I'm not after a hideously overwound SSS set either...

Anyway I got as far as buying a strat earlier this year as I truely love the sound but I then returned it asap because it just felt so big and clunky after years of being 100% EBMM...

 

[jamminjim]

Speaking of FAT neck sound - try a Silo on the neck pup.

 

[candid_x]

Steve, there's a few threads here about various pickups, that some here are using in their Silo Specials. Among them that I'm aware of include: Kinman, Fralin, Suhr, CS69 and even EMG's. I'm sure there's others as well. Some sound more Strat-like than others, arguably.

I pretty much got my strat fix with a set of blues specials. If I absolutely have to have a strat sound, I'll get a strat. But I don't suffer from lack of inspiration, playing my silos. And if I modded a strat to be more like a silo (such as single volume and tone knobs), then it may not sound like a strat anymore. And a neck heel truss adjustment (where you have to either remove the neck or pickguard just to get at it) is a ridiculously outdated design feature. Why deal with it, when a Silo makes it so easy? Not that my old 57 Chev Bel-Air hardtop convertible wasn't a great automobile, for its time. I've just moved on.

 

[whitestrat]

I've recently bought a '99 EBMM silo special (gotoh bridge), and it's a marvelous guitar in many ways, but I just can't get "that" liquid, smooth...(etc) strat neck pickup tone, it's just somewhat sterile, dull and harsh.

SoundClick artist: Demioblue - page with MP3 music downloads

SoundClick artist: Demioblue - page with MP3 music downloads

These are recorded with a SSS Silhouette Special... Is this tone close to what you're looking for? Especially the first clip?

 

[alba22]

Now I'd be interested in hearing how you can get a silo spec to sound as close to that classic strat tone as possible, after all they are similar in terms of woods, shape etc. I'm realising a pickup change will be essential and I'm after that slightly more gutsy early 60's vibe rather than the ultra jangly 50's tone...but I'm not after a hideously overwound SSS set either...

Anyway I got as far as buying a strat earlier this year as I truely love the sound but I then returned it asap because it just felt so big and clunky after years of being 100% EBMM...

I have some Seymour Duncan SSL-1's in one Silo S & Antiquity Surfers in another & they sound exactly like an early 60's Strat After all, they are the same wood as a Silo (Alder body,maple neck, rosewood or maple fretboard same body shape (pretty much) just a smaller body size same scale 25.5)

 

[Colex]

I want the neck pickup to sound more like a 60s strat, frusciante, mayer... know whatta mean.

--

I'm gonna try 10s first.

But I think removing the silent circuit would help also, how?