U2start.com | U2 & Guitar Gear: Q & A

Bing! Thank you.

Your question leads us to another possible reason for someone taking the covers off his pickups.

Feedback generally comes from an electric guitar that's held close to it's own amp. The more volume and distortion you use the more feedback you get.

But there are two different kinds of feedback. One is the unwanted microphonic feedback which sounds awfully squeaky and comes either from hollow- body guitars or from unwaxed or badly waxed pickups and / or pickup covers. By removing these covers you could reduce microphonic feedback. Since Jimmy Page was well known for volume and distortion this could make perfect sense for him. If you get unwanted microphonic feedback because of your guitars hollow- body you'll have no other choice than to either accept it or to reduce gain and volume.

The other kind of feedback is the harmonic feedback which is desired in a lot of settings. You just take a solid- body electric guitar, play a note, turn up amp volume and distortion and move the axe close to the amp. By carefully turning the guitar's volume knob up or down you can keep some control.

Don't try this at home... your neighbors will be thankful.

Alex

LikeASong

16 years

Originally posted by Alex:The other kind of feedback is the harmonic feedback which is desired in a lot of settings. You just take a solid- body electric guitar, play a note, turn up amp volume and distortion and move the axe close to the amp. By carefully turning the guitar's volume knob up or down you can keep some control.

Why does it work ONLY with solid-body guitars and not with hollow ones?

Alex

16 years

Because an acoustic guitar is more likely to have its body vibrating than its strings. I haven't tried semi- hollows (ES335) yet.

About feedback:

http://www.audiomasterclass.com/arc.cfm?a=does-your-electric-guitar-suffer-from-feedback-should-your-pickups-be-potted

http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/011001/7.shtml

http://www.answerbag.com/articles/How-to-Use-Electric-Guitar-Feedback/239ffd36-59d4-ba84-8ff3-d0bf6fe38f8b

http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~shane/rockguitarworld/lessons/feedback.html

Peace and Love

Alex

WojBhoy

16 years

Sergio mate, I know Edge is a hero and all that, but I didn't mean "control it LIKE Edge", I just meant as in control feedback at all lol

Originally posted by Alex:Bing! Thank you.

Your question leads us to another possible reason for someone taking the covers off his pickups.

Feedback generally comes from an electric guitar that's held close to it's own amp. The more volume and distortion you use the more feedback you get.

But there are two different kinds of feedback. One is the unwanted microphonic feedback which sounds awfully squeaky and comes either from hollow- body guitars or from unwaxed or badly waxed pickups and / or pickup covers. By removing these covers you could reduce microphonic feedback. Since Jimmy Page was well known for volume and distortion this could make perfect sense for him. If you get unwanted microphonic feedback because of your guitars hollow- body you'll have no other choice than to either accept it or to reduce gain and volume.

The other kind of feedback is the harmonic feedback which is desired in a lot of settings. You just take a solid- body electric guitar, play a note, turn up amp volume and distortion and move the axe close to the amp. By carefully turning the guitar's volume knob up or down you can keep some control.

Don't try this at home... your neighbors will be thankful.

Alex

Aha, cheers man! Wasn't expecting an answer quite that in-depth and quickly, but very much appreciated. I sure won't be trying it at home at the moment though, I can imagine my flatemates and friends in the flats around me would probably set up a lynch mob and come to my door complete with pitchforks, burning torches and the hangman's noose...

...the only time I've ever got microphonic feedback has been when I've been running my semi-acoustic through the amp, and I'm guessing because it's similar in some ways to a hollow body, just without a genuine pickup lol? I remember reading somewhere about the Beatles being one of the first to utilise feedback in their music - anyone know anything about that? I can't confess to being anything like an officionado on Lennon, McCartney et al, but I know they were partly responsible for getting Epiphone Casinos the popularity they have nowadays, and what with Casinos being hollowbodies, is there anything to be read into that?

Alex

16 years

A Casino is indeed a full hollow body - as opposed to a Sheraton which is a semi- acoustic and due to its sustain block much less likely to feedback microphonically. That's why a Casino is best used in jazz and jangle- pop. The bottom line when buying a Casino is always: "Play it clean at moderate volume and stay away from the speaker". Beautifully sounding, though.

Alex

anstratdubh1979

16 years

although sometimes... one might want the feedback and work to control it.... it can have a desireable effect.

I don't think that John Lennon always played his Casino 'clean'.

Alex

16 years

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979:although sometimes... one might want the feedback and work to control it.... it can have a desireable effect.

I don't think that John Lennon always played his Casino 'clean'.

I don't think so, too. But in the studio it's not such a big problem, and in a live environment - well, this was before the days of heavy distortion and oversized amplifiers.

Alex

WojBhoy

16 years

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979:although sometimes... one might want the feedback and work to control it.... it can have a desireable effect.

*thinks back to WGYRWH and ABOY on the Vertigo tour...

*

AAV711

16 years

Originally posted by Alex:A Casino is indeed a full hollow body - as opposed to a Sheraton which is a semi- acoustic and due to its sustain block much less likely to feedback microphonically. That's why a Casino is best used in jazz and jangle- pop. The bottom line when buying a Casino is always: "Play it clean at moderate volume and stay away from the speaker". Beautifully sounding, though.

Alex

I can attest that this is accurate. My Casino is lovely--and even the overdriven sound is wonderful too. But when you aren't playing feedback is most certainly an issue. My solution: employ a killswitch when not playing.

anstratdubh1979

16 years

Originally posted by WojBhoy:[..]
*thinks back to WGYRWH and ABOY on the Vertigo tour...*

Precisely.

anstratdubh1979

16 years

THE SOUND BENEATH HIS FEET.

Here's a screen cap from the latest U2.com video (entitled Toilet Break)

I was looking at what effects Edge was using and this is what I've come up with so far...

Row 1 is the row closest to Edge. Row 2 farther away from Edge. Pedals are listed from Left to Right.

Row 1:
First pedal appears to be green and very well might be an Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer.

Second pedal: Ampeg Scrambler.

http://www.tonefrenzy.com/effects/ampeg_scrambler.html

Third pedal: Digitech WH-1 Whammy Pedal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digitech_Whammy

Row 2:
First pedal: Not 100% sure but appears to be a Moogerfooger Low Band Filter.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Moog-Moogerfooger-Low-Pass-Filter?sku=158330&src=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0

Second pedal: Electro-Harmonix "Holier Grail" [Reverb/Gate]

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/ElectroHarmonix-Holier-Grail-Reverb-Guitar-Effects-Pedal-?sku=482301

Third Pedal: I'm not sure. Looks to be another made by Electro-Harmonix but the graphic and knobs don't seem to match any present production pedal. The knob configuration looks like that of an "Electric Mistress" [flanger / filter matrix] but the graphic is different.

Here's what the present production model looks like:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ElectroHarmonix-Deluxe-Electric-Mistress-Effects-Pedal?sku=153302

Maybe it is an older / vintage model that has a different graphic on it? Anyone?

LikeASong

16 years

Originally posted by anstratdubh1979:THE SOUND BENEATH HIS FEET.

(...a lot of impressive stuff...)

You rock a damn lot, mate... You don't happen to know Edge's cap brand, do you?

Thanks a looooooooooooooooooot

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