The guitar that soudns vintage...

[jagged]

I was just wondering which guitar would give me the most vintage clean sound... stuff like Clapton or Johnson from back in the day... Vintage clean, smooth mid to high range, buttery overdrive, and etc.!

How does the Silo Spec SSS or the AL SSS measure up in terms of getting that vintage sound?

 

[andynpeters]

The obvious answer, in view of the preferences of the two artists named would be to point you in the direction of a Fender Stratocaster.


Neither of the guitars you mention will give you the vintage Fender sound, my guess would be the AL is closer.

 

[jagged]

i know they will poin t me to a fender, but i dont like fenders much...and an AL comes cheaper

 

[andynpeters]

....but you DO like Fenders...they make the sound you want. Presumably some of the things you don't like contribute to that sound. There's another thread on here about a guy who wants to buy an Axis & make it sound like a Tele.
Also,am I missing something here.....you seem to have an AL & a SS so couldn't you compare them?? Whoops....sorry that's just a list of guitars you wish you had!!
My SS sounds a little harsher than my Deluxe strat for what my opinion is worth. I guess you could always try changing the P/Us to some of the "vintage" ones available.
When I bought my USA strat in '88 I also tried a 65 original (they were affordable then). I honestly couldn't tell any difference in the sound, so bought the new one. Maybe it's my ears/

 

[andynpeters]

Beginning to wish I lived in Canada mind, ALs surely do not come cheaper than Strats in Europe

 

[jagged]

oh, I don't have an Sll.. my SS is a HSS and its a little harsher..

yeah, the ALs do come cheaper than some of the vintage fenders... i hate fender necks...

 

[andynpeters]

oh, I don't have an Sll.. my SS is a HSS and its a little harsher..

yeah, the ALs do come cheaper than some of the vintage fenders... i hate fender necks...

Yes, just spotted it was a wishlist.

I think the SSS SS has the same DiMarzios as our HSS ones........I've thought about a
SSS one but I'd want more Fendery P/Us in it . Seems a very expensive way of doing it, so that's why the Strat stays.
As suggested on another thread, you could buy a Fender & swap the neck to something you liked better.

Can't try an AL because I play lefthanded.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

Glad I am right handed.........

 

[ba2m]

I was just wondering which guitar would give me the most vintage clean sound... stuff like Clapton or Johnson from back in the day... Vintage clean, smooth mid to high range, buttery overdrive, and etc.!

How does the Silo Spec SSS or the AL SSS measure up in terms of getting that vintage sound?

mmm... i think clapton and EJ use a modern pick up in their strat(lace sencor and hs2), can u specify what kind of vintage sound that you mean..

For me, emg sa 57 on my luke sounds better than my usa strat.. plus it's noiseless..

abraham

 

[andynpeters]

"For me, emg sa 57 on my luke sounds better than my usa strat.. plus it's noiseless.."

But if it's better and noiseless, then it's not going to be the same sound. My SS is for sure a better guitar than my Jap tele.........but if it's a Tele sound I want then the SS can't do it.
A Ferrari is a better car than a Mini......but if you're planning to rob an Italian bank.....etc etc
Anyway where are all the experts on AL sounds??? Still asleep or at work?

 

[ba2m]

"For me, emg sa 57 on my luke sounds better than my usa strat.. plus it's noiseless.."

But if it's better and noiseless, then it's not going to be the same sound. My SS is for sure a better guitar than my Jap tele.........but if it's a Tele sound I want then the SS can't do it.

i think emg sa on luke was designed for strat sound.. and it sounds similar with strat neck pu

one of our family here(barry) just compared a John Mayer strat with my silo spec s s s last week(it's still in his house in Norman), i hope he'll check this thread so he can give his opinion about JM strat vs silo sss.. and he used to owned EJ strat too but he sold it because the neck is very uncomfortable..

he said to me those three guitar sounds similar,EJ strat clean sound is better than JM clean sound, but he prefer on the silo than the strats.. don't know the details why..

here are the crunch sounds of silo spec sss and JM strat he played with the same crunch sound setting , and the same pick up position (4th position),

silo spec s s s sound
JM strat sound

i think it sounds very similar..but the neck is definitely different

i hope it helps..

abraham

 

[beej]

There have been so many p'ups on strats over the years (not to mention what amps these guys used and their technique) that there's no way to say "use this" or "use that".

That said ... EMGs don't have the spike of the "vintage" strat p'ups, they're more even across the frequencies. But dialed in right on your amp you can get a lot of those sounds.

To my ears the SSS ALs come the closest, but the bridge pickup has more "twang" than you'd get from a strat bridge. And the SSS Silo Specs have a lot of that tone but are a little more modern sounding.

Luke, AL or Silo Spec can all get you there depending on your gear and technique. They're all great guitars.

 

[axissport]

I was just wondering which guitar would give me the most vintage clean sound... stuff like Clapton or Johnson from back in the day... Vintage clean, smooth mid to high range, buttery overdrive, and etc.!

How does the Silo Spec SSS or the AL SSS measure up in terms of getting that vintage sound?

My opinion for what it's worth--
I have a silo special with fralin woodstock 69 p/u's. It's the best sounding strat I've owned.I previously had a hamer daytona, fender custom shop 56 relic and fender american standard.
The orginal Silo Dimarzio p/u's sounded good but the fralins gave a better clean sound.

 

[andynpeters]

There have been so many p'ups on strats over the years (not to mention what amps these guys used and their technique) that there's no way to say "use this" or "use that".

That said ... EMGs don't have the spike of the "vintage" strat p'ups, they're more even across the frequencies. But dialed in right on your amp you can get a lot of those sounds.

To my ears the SSS ALs come the closest, but the bridge pickup has more "twang" than you'd get from a strat bridge. And the SSS Silo Specs have a lot of that tone but are a little more modern sounding.

Luke, AL or Silo Spec can all get you there depending on your gear and technique. They're all great guitars.

Not just a question of dropping Strat p/us in a Silo though...the Strat is a different beast, much bigger for a start.

No doubt the three you mention are all great guitars, but they are different guitars and I still think if you're looking for a specific guitar tone then you probably need the specific guitar.....taking it to a silly extreme I'd be foolish to put a Floyd Rose a locking nut and 2 deathbuckers on my Rickenbacker to make it sound more like an Ibanez.

I quite fancy a SSS SS but with AL pickups......don't know how close that might be.

 

[dfrady]

An Albert Lee all the way...

 

[candid_x]

Andy, I agree with much of what you’ve said. Calling an AL a Strat killer is like calling a Porsche a Vet killer; they’re two different beasts. The same is true for G&L Legacies, S500’s and the like – they do not sound like Strats, or at least not like vintage Strats. Imo, Anderson or Suhr would more fit the Strat killer designation. Axissport does make a good point too: Fralins would bring an SSS Silo and possibly an AL closer to vintage Strat territory, though I think more so with their Vintage or Vintage Hots than with their Woodstock 69’s.

For me personally, none of this is relavant to my Balls. I didn’t buy them to sound like a Strat or to compete with a Strat. If I wanted a Strat, I’d have gotten a Strat, or an Anderson or Suhr. If I get an AL, it’s to have an AL which sounds like an AL. As it is, I’m tickled to death with my Silos.

 

[JSX]

Neither of the guitars you mention will give you the vintage Fender sound, my guess would be the AL is closer.

I suspect Rob will start bashing you for saying that.

 

[candid_x]

I suspect Rob will start bashing you for saying that.

Hey, everyone's entitled to their own.

 

[andynpeters]

I suspect Rob will start bashing you for saying that.

Don't see why.....fine guitar though the AL doubtless is, I doubt it was designed to sound like a vintage Fender Strat.. As I recall, Mr Lee used to favour the Telecaster before endorsing the AL. Would an Axis fan object if I suggested his guitar was unable to sound like a Rickenbacker?

 

[candid_x]

Don't see why.....fine guitar though the AL doubtless is, I doubt it was designed to sound like a vintage Fender Strat.. As I recall, Mr Lee used to favour the Telecaster before endorsing the AL. Would an Axis fan object if I suggested his guitar was unable to sound like a Rickenbacker?

What I wanna know is, when are going to do the Floyd Rose, locking nut and 2 deathbucker mod on your Rick? Or, how 'bout a 12 string Axis? A 7 string 20th?