I'm thinking about replacing my pickups in my American Dlx Strat. If I could pinpoint the tone I'm looking for it would be John Frusciante's on the Blood Sugar Sex Magik album. I'm fairly sure he uses a strat on that album. Does anyone know what tone I'm talking about, and does anyone have any pickup ideas for this tone? Thanks!
I think John uses a vintage strat? Try a set of Don Mare pickups. He handwinds em, so you could probably specify the sound you are looking for when you order. dk
Don Mare's pickups are great and they will get you there. Another important component is cranking up your amp to about 8 and then turning your guitar volume down until it cleans up.
Or a set of Rocketfire 60's. They'll get ya there. Its helps to have a good Flea!!! Cope the feel and lock it in. Marshall Major cranked( Ouch!) guitar volume down.
John uses many vintage Strats and other guitars as well...worth mentioning that the guitar(s) used on BSSM are all long gone except the red Jag however John now has several more vintage Strats, 3 of them are quite popular and see lots of use...a 55, a 61 and a 63 I think and in a recent interview with VG John metioned that when he bought the 55 it had the stock pickups removed and replaced with Duncan Vintage Strat pickups, these are better known as Duncan SSL-1's...He left them in his 55 and said they sounded just as good as his stock vintage Strats and when a pickup dies he replaces it wiht a new SSL-1. I use SSL-1's in my Strat and love them, classic Strat tone for sure. You can get a lot of pickups that cost a lot more money but the SSL-1's are so damn good why bother?!
I feel my middle pickup gets that really smacky strat sound I've heard on some of the Chili Pepper's songs. I'm not an avid Chili Peppers guy. But when I was in high school I was primarily a bass player (still am) so I had to learn some of Flea's style. I still think of him when I think funk. I still try to feel some of his influences too (bootsy) when I play funkier stuff. But yep, they should get you in that arena of straty sounds.
Get a really old beat Strat Get seriously bent on many drugs Get a massive pedal board with at least one of everything on it, and two or three of the really cool pedals. Good to go !!
on you tube you can watch the making of Blood Sugar Sex Majix - its a huge mansion - same place the Beatles first took LSD and some other Hendrix stuff happened there too. the rented and stayed in it for a month - nice footage of the strat comes up often http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4OD0NY6DvU&feature=related
Amazing documentary. SSL1s will get you really close. A good vintage marshall will get you closer. Add in a Boss CE1, and you're there.
Wow, this is pretty much what I'm looking for. SD SSL-1s sound quite good, from what I've heard. You'll want a british voiced amp too. You'll definately want a Chorus/Flanger, as RockStarNick mentioned. Frusciante used chorus on nearly every song on BSSM. If you're in the UK, check out the Smooth Grooves on here: http://www.rockmonkeyguitars.com/
Thanks for all the help everyone, i'll check out the SSL-1's. I've heard a lot of great stuff about Don Mare so maybe that's worth a shot. But I think I'll follow violetlove's advice first and see how it goes haha.
I have a hazy recollection of a GP interview that indicated "under the bridge" (that sort of tone?) was recorded with a little Fender SS hot rod(?) with built in compressor face down and recorded from the back... I thought it was a unique approach, at the time, so sort of remember the article as an example of the anything goes in the studio method. And perhaps that the was Jazzmaster, too. Doesn't really matter...whatever works for you!
