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from : localhost/you prefer the '70s?

YM: Well I'll tell you what, I'll tell you why I prefer these. For many years, I used to play these. Then for years I switched to the early '60s, late '50s. I have them. But then I start looking at them and seeing pictures. I started looking at weird things like that, and I realized that the big headstock looks a lot better. It looks better, but I know most of the time, people say, quot;Oh....big headstock!quot; Bull****! Listen to me, 1968 to 1972, to me, those years are the best guitars. But you have to find the right one. And you cannot find them anymore. And then I realized that the resonance from the big headstock is better too. Because the resonance is from here. [Points to the headstock.] That's why I've always said, quot;Floyd Rose? What the **** are you doing, man? I mean, what are you doing?quot; You're cutting off this resonance and you're cutting off this resonance. [Points to the nut and the bridge.] And then what do you have left? Nothing!

What do you have to do, you say?

Well, maybe you have to get hotter pickups.

But what happens when you get hotter pickups? You give a dirty signal.

What does that mean? It means you're trying to shine a turd! When you start with a rotten signal to begin with, you distort the wrong end. You're supposed to distort the other end. [Points to the amplifier.] Not this end. This end is supposed to be clean. And the louder it is acoustically, the better it is. And believe it or not, the body has nothing to do with the resonance, it's this. [Points to the headstock. He then proceeds to do a side-by-side comparison by strumming a chord and placing the headstock and then the body on a metal heater cover against the wall to demonstrate the difference in resonance. In truth, the headstock did sound louder.]

The more wood on the headstock, the more it resonates. There are a lot of reasons I like this one.
He's right man. I put my strat on the floor and strummed it - sounded like crap. I put the headstock on the wall and strummed it - sounded louder, deeper, and more full.

I'm gonna buy a fat finger now

15 diferent people will say 15 diferent things.diferent strokes for diferent folks

I'm gonna tie a black bandana on my headstocks now, it'll be straight-edge and improve my resonance...

Uh, Rock On ~ Merry Christmas!

Yngwie's mostly right. But the bigger headstock thing I'm not so sure about, although I can see his point. I don't know if it's more resonance or less though. If you lean your guitar's headstock against a brick wall, the mass of the brick wall will be added to the mass of the guitar and the guitar will sustain longer. But if I understand this, the commen theory is that it's because the headstock resonates at LESS amplitude...not more. And because it resonates less the guitar sustains longer because less string energy is spent making the headstock resonate. At least that's the theory...

Well, he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about with the quot;dirty signalquot; from a hot pickup thing, but I do agree that Strats with big headstocks rule I've got a '74 that has some unbelievable sustain.


Originally Posted by KacI'm gonna tie a black bandana on my headstocks now, it'll be straight-edge and improve my resonance...

Uh, Rock On ~ Merry Christmas!

man, that might actualy look cool

Well, if ANYONE was an expert on big heads... it would be he.

It's also interesting to note that the headstock on the Eric Johnson strat is fifties-style and THINNER than normal and the neck on that thing resonates like crazy...

I like the look of the 70's headstocks! I should try and make a neck with a 70's style headstock.. Maybe it works maybe it don't.... but i like the look.

what i think is funny about this interview is he talks about the hotter pickups making it worse and dirtying the wrong end and such yet the dumbass uses an overdrive pedal. Correct me if im wrong but isn't that dirtying the wrong end as well cause in essece isn't putting hotter pickups in a guitar much like sticking an overdrive pedal in to a the signal path but left on all the time.


Originally Posted by GnR_Guywhat i think is funny about this interview is he talks about the hotter pickups making it worse and dirtying the wrong end and such yet the dumbass uses an overdrive pedal. Correct me if im wrong but isn't that dirtying the wrong end as well cause in essece isn't putting hotter pickups in a guitar much like sticking an overdrive pedal in to a the signal path but left on all the time.

no, not realy..

what he is talking about is, if you take all the stuff that comes after your guitar away and stick into a clean amp, it has to sound orgasmic.


Originally Posted by B2DIt's also interesting to note that the headstock on the Eric Johnson strat is fifties-style and THINNER than normal and the neck on that thing resonates like crazy...

I was wondering about these EJ guitars with the thin headstocks..... i guess they had to redesign the tuners as most tuners can't screw down much thinner then a stock fender..... Unless you grind some metal off the tuner's nut shaft.. I could see a thinner headstock vibrating more!


Originally Posted by JammerMattWell, if ANYONE was an expert on big heads... it would be he.

My thoughts exactly. Besides, I don't think his tone is all that and a bag o' chips.
Everything affects everything and sustain ain't everything. Remember when LPs weighing 11-12 lbs were sought out for their (theoretically) superior sustain? Then why does Gibby drill weight relief holes in new LPs? Either enough is enough or the theory is wrong.

There are so many factors that affect tone, it's hard to say. It does seem plausible that someone like YJM, with a relatively stable amp/effect setup and tons of experience, would know a bit about the differences in/factors contributing to tonal differences in Strats. Of course, what is quot;goodquot; to him is a subjective thing...I also understand that he uses machine screws in place of the wood screws to attach his necks to increase sustain.

Mark

strats are so much a matter of the whole being the sum of the parts, that when one is really outstanding, it is likely a happy coincidence, and that goes for a lot of the $$$$ Custom Shop stuff, too. ... most of you know that spending a lot is no guarantee that a guitar will have the quot;X Factorquot;

and in a strat, maybe more than others, everything affects everything

as far as the EJ strat, I thought the thinner headstock was to quot;balance out harmonicsquot;. The tuners were designed to be staggered to do away with the string tree.

I think he's right in a lot of respects, but Lew's assessment is dead on.

I agree with Yngwie about headstock resonance being very important. It's an ongoing debate, but I hate Sperzel locking tuners, and really can't stand Fender LSR nuts or Floyd nuts.

I believe in a thin resonant headstock that have lightweight/low mass tuners like Klusons.....which is why many guitars still utilize them.
Eric Johnson understands this, and improved the strat headstock. Ted McCarty understood this, and preferred Klusons on Gibsons, and also, took PRS's McCarty, and thinned out the headstock, and put Klusons on it.
Both EJ and Ted McCarty know what they're doing, and I agree with them.

Bear in mind, EJ also quot;knowsquot; that his Fuzz face sounds better when the battery lid is held on with a rubber band rather than the screw, and placed at a 45 degree angle to his wah.


Originally Posted by JB_From_HellBear in mind, EJ also quot;knowsquot; that his Fuzz face sounds better when the battery lid is held on with a rubber band rather than the screw, and placed at a 45 degree angle to his wah.

You know, I'm not sure if that's a joke or a fact.

Interesting stuff.

If I can throw my 2 cents in:
Most of my guitars have reverse banana headstocks. I have noticed a vast improvement when putting on the necks with the bigger headstocks. I think it's a combination of the coupling, quality of materials, etc, etc, but I'm certain that the headstock has something to do with it.


Originally Posted by nuntiusYou know, I'm not sure if that's a joke or a fact.

I may have the pedal wrong, but he did say that one of them sounded better with a rubber band, and angled to the others.