Need some help from the country players!

[Big Steve]

I am a blues player. I know how to get great blues tone but not much about getting great country tone. I have several teles and I just got me a B-Bender. I want to set it up the B-Bender to play country. I want that clean tone with a snap you hear on so many classic country albums. I need the twang.

Please give me some tips on my whole setup:

1. Amps: I have several that I know are classics for country. I will use my SF Twin. What amp settings should I use?

2. Tone and volume knobs on the guitar: Where do you set them?

3. Pickups: What pickups are you guys usings? What ohms are they? Anything else special about them?

4. Strings: What strings help you get that extra snap I hear? What guage and what are they made out of?

5. Effects: I hear the standards are compressors and delays. I have those covered. What about boost pedals? Is that how your getting the clean sound to really jump out there?

6. Saddles: What saddles are you'all using for extra twang?

7. Caps and Pots: Doing anything special here?

Thanks in advance for your help. You guys will save me a lot of time I am sure.

[PJ]

Well, first - "twang" usually comes from your bridge pickup. It's closest to the bridge and the treble-side is angled to be even closer to the bridge. This is where the highs are created on your guitar, and where they're best amplified. You really don't need to do much in the way of compression or other pedal effects to get good, raw "country twang." But, that being said, your amp setting is also key.

When looking for country-twang, I use more treble and less mid and bass settings. Not much more to it than that. But, it does help to have some good pickups in your guitar. But, if you have a Fender B-Bender, and a Twin or even a good solid state amp rig, you can "twang" your heart out!

I don't use many effects - country twang is just raw Telecaster bridge through a good clean amp, with more highs than bottom, adjusted to suit your taste. Some guys use a little overdrive, depending on what you're playing, but for the most part, twang is
pretty clean.

But, I'm sure some of the other twangmasters here, will have some more in-depth suggestions.

[PJ]

Steve...BTW...the "snap" you're referring to, is more function of how the country-players pick-up with their fingers as they're flat-picking with the pick. It's a "plucking" motion that adds most of the snap
I think you're referring to. Not so much the strings - I think, and its certainly true for me, that I sure pretty standard 9.5-44 (slightly lighter gauge) strings, that bend nicely, snap well, and have good tone. Some of the master-benders use lighter strings than that, but that's what works best for me.

The picking technique is called "pick 'n fingers" and is really a bajno-style of guitar picking that the great country players like Albert Lee, Ray Flacke, etc., have mastered. If you get one of their instructional
DVDs all the secrets of pick 'n fingers technique will be revealed.

[Big Steve]

Thanks for your help PJ. The guitar has light guage strings DAdario strings on it and I notice that the snap and are a lot brighter than the pure nickel heavy guage (10-54) strings I use for my blues playing. That is why I asked.

[garytelecastor]

I use Keystones now and I hardly ever use a pick. Snap and pop from the strings comes from the use of the finger tips.
I place my volume on my guitar on about 8 and my tone on about 6 on my guitar. That way if I need a little extra to get over the top it's there.
You will probably want to look into a compressor and you won't need much but a little helps even things out which is kind of important in the hot chicken pickin' stuff.
Tube amps with headroom that you can get clean.
The settings on your amp will largely depend on the amp you use. Experiment.
Hybrid picking is a must. If you haven't started to incorporate this into your playing do so now.
Buy a Gatton DVD or two, a Redd Volkaert DVD and begin the joy.

[PJ]

Wow....54's. The 10s are workable, but I'm not sure I could maneuver 54s real well. I play some blues, too, but with
9.5s-44s. I suppose its what your used to.

Now, that B-Bender is a slick device. I've been wanting one of those for a long time. Maybe this year will be the year.

[PJ]

Steve...open the thread on "Marty Stuart Twang" on the first page. There's a YouTube Video in there of Marty playing Clarence White's old B-Bender on some TV show. It's not a real flashy tune, but it shows some good fundamental B-Bender moves.

[Big John]

Bends, bends, bends and bends !!

The main difference i see between players with a 'Bluesy' touch and the 'Country' ones is that the Blues guy will have a kind of lazy, almost not getting to the note way of bending but the Country guy will be snappy and precise like a pedal steel (or like your bender).
Of course if you know that, it can be fun and effective to mix the two.

[kylef]

anybody recommend a book or dvd or some sort of tuition article to learn chicken pickin?

[teleyouk]

Originally Posted by kylef

anybody recommend a book or dvd or some sort of tuition article to learn chicken pickin?

2 books, among others, have been particularly helpful for me.
"Chicken Picking" by Erik Halbig (particularly for open string licks and double stops)
"Country Licks" by Todd Barth (even for overlooked stuff like various tempos (country ballad, rhumba, etc), when "less is more".

[robt57]

IMO, Just a few things to head you that way. Scoop the mids on your amp, add reverb, add compression, use heavy picks. And cease and desist any palm muting. I run the amp with a little more of everything [except mids] and keep the vol and tone pots @ 8 o'clock for some headroom. Try some of these and learn the Guitars and cady intro played on your Bridge PUP with the tone wide open and see what you hear. ;)

If you have Texas Specials of Tex Mex in your Tele or the like, I'd think backing off the vol on the guitar would be important, 7ish maybe..

That is how I twang over here...

[91xlntS-3]

Looks like you've got the bases covered with a Tele and good tube amp.

Pick & fingers is the way I do it, and that was just me trying to learn to play guitar self taught. Didn't know at the time I was doing it right! Using your fingertips/nails to pull the strings up and snap/pop them against the fingerboard is how you get that "snap"; love that sound!

IMO, a more vintage set of p-ups will give you that country/twang kind of tone, I don't personally like hot/overwound p-ups, but that's all personal taste. And adjusting your volume/tone settings on your guitar can give you some wonderful tones!

As far as amp settings, I like a crystal clean tone from the amp, and set my B-M-T usually like: 11 o'clock, 10 o'clock, 12 or 1 o'clock. I use a stock Blues Jr. to gig with; 1 12" speaker, 15 watts, leave the "Fat" switch on all the time. Hard to believe that I gig with one of these little amps, but I can push the amp and get a nice, punchy tone without distortion. I use a DigiTech Bad Monkey O.D. pedal for my "dirt". Plenty of volume for stage use and mic it thru the P.A..

As far as string gauges go, I've used 9-42 for years, 10's just feel too stiff for me, but I might try a set of 9.5's to see what they feel like.

Good Luck, but already being a "player", I bet you won't have any trouble coming up with your own brand of "Twang"!!

[markw51]

I think that "snap" ur referring to is they way the string is plucked by the fingers of the right in in the chicken pickin style. You have to dig in a bit with the index and ring fingers.

If you can't play chicken pickin I'd learn for country.

And get a compressor if you don't have one. A little light overdrive like from a Bad Monkey is a nice touch for a lot of songs.

You also want a little slap back delay and that should do it.

[robt57]

I also do a slight twist/pinch harmonic type scoop/pull-off with the heavy pick tip on the low stings to get pop down low. ;)

I also have grown the 3 finger nails for pull picking adding to the technique cauldron lately. I have such soft nails though I am having problems tearing them up. My wife told me to start eating more gelatin in different forms to make the nails stronger. So I have been doing that as well.

I've been thinking about taking Banjo lessons for a while to see if I can get the brain working the right Pick-en fingers on an accelerated leaning curve.


I am getting there slowly. ;)

[Big Steve]

Thanks guys! Any more specifics on your setups. I am sure you guys have lots of special things you do. Come on, share them PLEASE!

[chabby]

I play me some country dead clean straight in a Bogner Shiva not effects at all - just iccicle clean. Bone stock GE Smith Tele often with the seletor switch all the way down (neck pickup) for twangy/poppy solos, pedal steel bends, behind the nut bends, banjo rolls, chickin pickin descending or ascending poppy plucking and pull offing.

I think with a clean amp and a Tele, that's all you need. From there it's a stylistic deal. My opinion is the best sounding clean amp you can find is never a wrong start. But after that, any stock American Tele can do the job if you do yours.

[garytelecastor]

Big Steve & Kylef-Check out this website.

http://www.sizzlingguitarlicks.com/

[chabby]

I learned my stuff from a combination of years of playing country influenced rock and then Arlen Roths DVD/Book followed by Gattons Video and Pete Anderson. That said, I learned the most from the A. Roth book and listening to Pete. Anderson, Gatton, Mason and pedal steel players.

My favorite sound on the guitar is pedal steel bends and chickin pickin.
Another thing is there is often an element of jazz that can be incorporated into country playing - especially with the chickin pickin. Love me some Marty Stewart too and his sideman in his band is great. But Marty is no slouch himself. Most country players play pretty light string at least on the upper end. Ever try behind the nut bends with 11's? No thanks.

Everyone is right about the fingers being a necessity. I use these funky thumb picks that have just a little tab on the end. I'm not a hybrid picker and never have been, which is why I use the thumb pick. You can also pinch the thumbpick with your index finger and flat pick when required. But the pop comes from and upward pluck with the index, middle, ring and pinky too.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by kylef

anybody recommend a book or dvd or some sort of tuition article to learn chicken pickin?

Arlen Roth's Book/cd "Masters of the Telecaster" (also out on dvd too iirc) is one i can highly recommend....

[freddie]

Hi,


Cool info.


THANKS!!!


freddie

[Telarkaster]

Hey Big Steve, seems like you're already there!

SF Twin? Check.

Telecaster? Check.

Cable? Check.

None of my favourite pickers from the 50s, 60s and 70s had anything else. Ok, maybe Waylon Jennings had a phaser. The compressor and delay can't hurt either, but use them tastefully.

You're a blues player? Check. You already have the licks and don't know it. Just play everything in the relative major. If a song is in G major, then play all your E minor blues licks. A major = F# minor, C major = A minor, E major = C# minor, etc...

You're set, just start playing! The best way to learn is to find some country guys to play with, the song will let you know what to play.

[J.Rodney]

you already have the right equipment.now go get you some good country music cd's and play along with them,the tone and licks will come to you in time.the best cd to practice with that I like is Daryel Singletarys, Thats Why I Sing This Way,great country music with some great country picking by Brent Mason.

[chabby]

I just bought (last night) "Getting the Sounds" series of instructional videos "Hot Nashville Guitar" featuring Steve Trovato.

I will check it out tooday and let you know if it is useful too. I have been disappointed with every instructional (country) instructional tool I have found after Roth's and Gattons stuff. Not because they weren't useful, but because Roth's "Masters of The Telecaster" was better. That one is actually the one I learned the most from in terms of techniques to get the sound.

[chabby]

Just finsished the video and it was very short.
But if you can nail everything he shows you on it and throw in your blues knwledge, you'd be set for life. I learned 3 or 4 really usefull things that weren't in the old repetoire, that now are. I love it when that happens.

Because its just another piece of this lifelong puzzle that will never be solved.

[PJ]

If you go up on eBay, I find tons of interesting instructional stuff there. I love watching the masters teach what they know. There's
a Ray Flacke DVD (or tape) that has some instructional parts as well as performances that's a good one to look for. He explains thing well.
And, as some of the guys have mentioned, Arlen Roth has done some good instructional stuff. I got into instructional tapes about 10 years ago when I got a pedal steel and really didn't know where to start with it. But, 10 years and a few DVDs later, I can get around OK on it.