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Topic: Sho-Bud sound on the cheap-the EHX Knockout Attack EQ |
Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 3:08 am
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I've got a perfectly good Stage One that is outfitted with a humbucker. Has a great response and plays really well with my little collection of Fender tube amps. Even though I'm new to the steel, I did play lead guitar for almost 30 years, so I can get a little picky about sound. For a tele I have to have single coils, just ain't a Tele without it, but with the steel I can appreciate both the humbucker and single coil pickup, totally different animal. Steel pickups are just sweet. Doug's done a great job winding the humbucker on my steel, but still I sometimes pine for that single coil sound of a Sho-Bud or ZB, but I don't want to give up on the humbucker sound I have going now, either.
I think I have found a pretty good option to go back and forth between the single coil and humbucker sound. This last week I've been using an Electro Harmonix Knockout Attack EQ. It's got three knobs, "High", "Low" and "Dry". It does not act like parametric or 7-band EQ. it's got something else going on, but it definitely can make my humbucker sound like a single coil. It does what the designer says it will do! It does not change the characteristic of the response or compress your sound (unless you want it to), and a little twisting of the knobs goes a long way. They are very interactive and once you set a unity signal, you can go from there and adjust the amount of "single coil", you want mixed in there. I don't think it works as well for trying to make single coil sound like a humbucker(experimented with some Tele's and Les Paul too) but I don't really care about that and didn't pursue it much.
I am really enjoying this single coil option, and through a Fender amp, I get a really plausible Sonny Curtis /Musicor era George Jones thing going. Anyway, anybody else ever try one?
Steel on,
-Dan
Last edited by Daniel Policarpo on 26 Sep 2012 3:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Jerry Overstreet
From: Louisville Ky
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 4:50 am
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Hmmmm......intersting device....have you encountered any unwanted noise or issues with tone dulling when bypassed? |
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Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 11:13 am
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I have not. According to several sites it has true bypass and works with 7 pole filter for working the low end of your mids and a 6 pole filter to shape the top end of the mids.
I also have EHX's Holy Grail pedal (original big box model)and that has not had any noise issues either, but apparantly you will run into noise issues if you don't use the power supply that comes with that pedal. For the Knockout Attack I am using a One Spot, though, and so far it is very quiet when engaged at the setting I am using.
Turning up the "High" filter significantly will definitely give you some noise issues, but for pedal steel pickups, I have that filter set at about 1 o'clock and the "low", about 11 oclock, "Dry" is set a click before the 12 oclock mark, and these little adjustments get the sound I was looking for. |
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Jerry Overstreet
From: Louisville Ky
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 4:07 pm
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OK Daniel. thanks for the info. |
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Bud Angelotti
From: Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 4:29 pm
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Never tried the knockout, but I believe you!
Steel is interesting isn't it.
Sometimes just the right little piece of equiptment can make such a big difference, like the cube amps. _________________ Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 26 Sep 2012 4:53 pm
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Yeah, I'd like to try one of the Roland Cubes. I like to keep things simple as possible, but I like to have fun, too. You know, I love the wife, but a pair of heels and a red wig can go a long way some nights. |
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Bud Angelotti
From: Larryville, NJ, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2012 4:43 am
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Easy big fella! _________________ Just 'cause I look stupid, don't mean I'm not. |
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Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 27 Sep 2012 12:13 pm
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