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  #16  
Old 01-26-2018, 10:48 AM
Prof_Stack Prof_Stack is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by martingitdave View Post
That's a lot of technology required to sound like a hillbilly from the early 30's playing a $15 guitar. LOL
What type of tin do you have in your ear?
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  #17  
Old 01-27-2018, 12:00 PM
RedfoxRambler RedfoxRambler is offline
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I fully accept that it's a little ridiculous to spend around $2k to go after a gritty old timey sound haha, but in my sort of defense I'm trying to create a sound that I haven't really heard anyone else do that's based on the old records without really trying to exactly replicate them.

The Gretsch G9555 is interesting, but I don't think I like the sound of a neck pickup for what I'm trying to do or a full-on single coil. I'm really hoping to just get the sound of the guitar itself as accurately as possible, then give that some overdriven grit without a wall of feedback. Really I just need to drive a few hours to some big box stores and try some things out as far as Masterbilt, Godin, Gretsch etc.

On that Grinnell...I called the place that sold it a couple years ago, they immediately knew which guitar I was talking about and had fond memories of it, saying it played and sounded great and seemed like it had had a professional neck reset at some point. Their thought was I should jump on it at $700ish, maybe I will blow some gas money to check it out...wish this was a bit simpler!
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  #18  
Old 01-27-2018, 01:09 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedfoxRambler View Post
...On that Grinnell...I called the place that sold it a couple years ago, they immediately knew which guitar I was talking about and had fond memories of it, saying it played and sounded great and seemed like it had had a professional neck reset at some point. Their thought was I should jump on it at $700ish, maybe I will blow some gas money to check it out...wish this was a bit simpler!
I'm just curious: if it's only $700 (and could probably be bargained down to a good deal less) and they have such fond memories, why aren't they buying it back and flipping it for $1K+...?

Wishing you best of luck in your search, but IME you're going to find the Gretsch thin, edgy, and lacking in acoustic volume - a classic case where solid top does not necessarily equate with superior tone; BTW, based on your description a clean single-coil pickup through a low-power tube amp (15W or less), blended with the guitar's natural acoustic tone (either miked or via a transducer PU like the K&K) is exactly what you want - best of both worlds so to speak. FYI don't think strictly in terms of hard-rock distortion when it comes to magnetic pickups - many earlier single-coil designs (the DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1000/1100 in particular) were capable of a surprisingly airy, clear, smooth tone (as well as that subtle edge of grit if desired) when set up correctly and paired with the right amp...
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  #19  
Old 01-27-2018, 01:39 PM
RedfoxRambler RedfoxRambler is offline
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Welp, I got a little trigger happy, found a used Loar LH-600 with hardshell case at a guitar center online, the sales guy convinced me it was in extremely good shape and had an impeccable setup, and I ended up buying it. The main clincher was that I can get a full refund (including shipping to my house) within 45 days if I don't like it as long as I say "condition not as described," so in theory I can still shop around a bit and have something to compare to. Now I just have to find the best place to stick this K&K pickup!
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  #20  
Old 01-27-2018, 04:27 PM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedfoxRambler View Post
Welp, I got a little trigger happy, found a used Loar LH-600 with hardshell case at a Guitar Center online...Now I just have to find the best place to stick this K&K pickup!
This might help:

http://www.kksound.com/mp3/definity_archtop.mp3

- and if you choose to go with a dual-source system (highly recommended - I've got a similar setup in a flattop and it's the most "acoustic" sounding rig in my stable, with the option of going all-mag if I want to get a little down-&-dirty):

http://www.kksound.com/mp3/definity_artcore.mp3

Note that in both instances the Definity is partially inserted under the bass foot of the bridge, which K&K recommends for best tone...
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  #21  
Old 01-27-2018, 08:20 PM
Dadzmad Dadzmad is offline
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martingitdave 15 bucks was a lot of money in rural areas back in the 1930's. You could buy decent used cars for 50 or 80 bucks all day long back then. In the 70s folks in my old neighborhood would tell me they bought their house for 900 or 1000 back in the 30s.
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  #22  
Old 01-28-2018, 05:39 PM
RedfoxRambler RedfoxRambler is offline
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I'm definitely curious about how the combined magnetic pickup + K&K would sound, I'm pretty determined to make it to a GC or equivalent before my 45 day return is up and set up a Gretsch/Godin with the K&K, then combine those signals with my Morley ABY and run through the most similar amp they have there, then compare that to the Loar with just K&K going through the same amp.

I've started wondering about the best preamp for the K&K Definity...I was getting OK results with the f'd up SS Stewart, but I attributed all the lacklusterness to the guitar and not so much the rest of the signal chain. Now I've been noticing people on forums saying that the K&Ks are really picky about input impedance, hence K&K saying you "have" to use one of their preamps with a 1 megaohm input impedance. My Sansamp Paradriver's instructions say it has a 4.7 megaohm input impedance, and I'm wondering if this means it wouldn't produce as clear/accurate a sound as something with the right impedance. I really like being able to dial in some grit with the Sansamp and the sort of parametric mid boost, and I'd kind of rather not shell out more $$ to sound like a "hillbilly from the 30s playing a $15 guitar" lol (although I had the same thought about inflation and relative buying power as Dadzmad). I can't help but wonder if an LR Baggs Para DI, Session DI, or K&K pure XLR mach 2 might make some positive difference tho..

**edit: on further reading it sounds like impedance mismatch is a big deal on K&K passive PUs, and it sounds like the only preamps that match are K&Ks (a bit pricey when they have features), Fire-eye Red-Eye (almost no features), Zoom A3 (a bit too digital modely for my taste), and Headway EDB-1 (no option for gain control)

Last edited by RedfoxRambler; 01-28-2018 at 08:15 PM.
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  #23  
Old 01-28-2018, 06:25 PM
Prof_Stack Prof_Stack is offline
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The Loar LH-600 might have the sound you want, or it could be "tinny". Do check out the Godin Fifth Avenue models before your 45 days are up.
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  #24  
Old 01-31-2018, 03:52 PM
Gordon Currie Gordon Currie is offline
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That Godin Fifth Avenue is a LOT of guitar for the money. I'm not particularly in the market for an archtop style, but when I played one, 20 minutes went by in a blink! That's a good sign in my book. It almost came home with me.
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