Too Much Pick Scape?

[Yetti1]

Sup duders

Alright so ive got a Mesa Quad Preamp, With the 395 power amp...some might already know that.

Anyways Im not a complete noob on amps but i cannot for the damn life of me eq out the sound of my pick scrape. ive fucked with every nob in different directions and messed with the 5 band Eq. And its just there unless i fuck the tone completely and it then doesn't sound as alive. Now im aware im playing a super high gain amp but it shouldn't have this much scrape noise just when palm muting E notes.
Im using .88m Dunlop pics - Pretty Metal standard.

Im thinking its my Pickups. ive just got stock Humbuckers and the tone is pretty sweet but im getting sick of the scrapeing.
Ive learned alot of peoples opinions on pups in here passives vs actives...ect. And passives seem to be pretty well liked, so ive looked on ebay at some duncans, And then even the Gibbys 496r and 500t. And through what ive learned Passives seem to add that mids to your tone and stuff, and can put in some extra high end but also are the most natural sounding pickups.

And im a metallica Fanboy and now im leaning back to looking at putting in a EMG 60/81.

You guys have any opinions on that...if i go to emgs i feel it will take care of the problem, or could it be something else maybe? Cant be tubes?

Any help/opinions would be killer

[Sixstringhotshot]

EMGs will make it worse, I promise you that. What are your current pickups?

[Yetti1]

Worse really? is that a biased opinion or for sure worse.
I dunno its off a Agile Explorer /Gibby Copy. Just know i think there wax potted ceramic humbucks

[57Octane]

I get lots of pick sound too... I never really thought about how to get rid of it. 8o

[Sixstringhotshot]

Worse really? is that a biased opinion or for sure worse.
I dunno its off a Agile Explorer /Gibby Copy. Just know i think there wax potted ceramic humbucks




Well I guess it's a matter of opinion, but EMGs have a much wider (and more even) frequency response than most passive pickups, particularly the stock ones in your guitar. Pick scrape is impossible to eliminate unless you switch your technique to flat-pick. It is possible to make it less prominent by cutting the highest frequencies, however, which typically aren't even put out by passive pickups.

Keep in mind that it could just be the combination of equipment you're using. Maybe it's the speakers in your cab, or the quality (or lack thereof) of your cables. Hell, maybe it's the tubes in your amp. You should try a thicker pick, they're not expensive so if it doesn't work it's not a big deal.

There are infinite ways to alter your rig to affect the sound. Which one will get the results you want....is a total guessing game.




Realistically, any pickups will probably be an improvement over the ones you currently have. Pick scrape is a tricky thing though.

[Yetti1]

Alright thanks for the thoughts.
Yeah maybe even tubes...i bought my gear second hand and he gave me loads of his old Mesa tubes...but i want to move to JJ 6l6s and see how that sounds.
My cab is a mesa Half back Ev's on top (Open) Cels on bottom.
the cables should be lagit the dood i bought them from knew what he was talking about.
The past few weeks its been a toss up on what to do to the sound to see an increased result. Tubes / Pups - Tubs / Pups Either way its 200 bucks er more. So i dunno i just cant decide.

And the pick scrape to a ceartain amount is cool but on my setup i can hear even pitch changes in the scrape...which comes down to my playing style but its never been noticed untill i had this new gear...so i dunno.

[metalhobo]

You might need to get a parametric EQ.

[Yetti1]

yeah ive seen those...ive thought about it a little bit. Guess depends on whats a better ban g for the buck/sound

[DeathrollJM]

change your playing technique, if you angle your pick wrong, its going to slide and scrape, even if you dont notice that your doing it, a high quality amp will bring out all you nuances, including that ones that you don't want in your sound

[the_emptier]

try using different picking technique, and different picks. i use 3mm stubby's

[martijua]

Sometimes lowering the pick up height helps.

[gorsch]

pick up height, angle of pic, how much pick your holding, and the pic itself are all possiblities. Those pics have the best scrape sound so it will be more noticable. Thats why I switched from those to gator grip 1.14. Try holding closer to the tip of the pic. The less surface are to scrape the better. P-up height would be my second bet. Lower them down a little.

Best bet it too work on technique, sorry, but thats the main cause. I've used the same pics, EMG's and passives, all those through mass amounts of gain. I heard the same sound once before when recording, went back and did the tracks over concentrating more on my technique and it was gone.

[D-EJ915]

nylon picks are much quieter than other kinds

[deliriumtrigger]

Pick scrape is impossible to eliminate unless you switch your technique to flat-pick.

What I was gonna say. Hit the pick flat against the string and you won't get the scrape.

[Yetti1]

i dunno guys ive tryed all kinds of different ways to pick and its still there. Ive again gone through every nob to see how it fluctuates the sound. Even my volumes and tone on my guitar and shit its a constant sound either way i pick. I think its got to be my pickups, im gona try to get some gibbys 486/500 maybe head to guitar center and try out a few. And while im there check out differnt picks

[Matt Parsons]

Try Jazz III picks, and hit the strings more perpendicular and less at an angle.

[hessian101]

^+1. Jazz III's are miracle picks (at least for me). I can play faster, cleaner, and with less effort than with 'standard' picks-harmonics are much easier too. A good analogy would be to call it an x-acto knife, compared to a crayon held in your fist. They feel awkward at first- but the reward is well worth it.

[LordCliffton]

Try out some of these... They are somewhat larger than the original Jazz III's so they give you more room to grip it and rip it.

http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=4&pmh=products/picks

I prefer the BLACK STIFFO NYLON to the Red Nylon-without these picks I'd lose a little of myself I think.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/files/1153431342_NYLON_JAZZ_XL_47RXL_GRP_463X342.jpg

[Rich5150]

+2 I love my Jazz III's cant use anything else at this point to akward and noisy

[poidaobi]

It's your technique.

[idpmofo]

It's your technique.

Im definitely not an expert, but have to totally agree. Let someone else play and see what happens or while ur at GC play some of their floor models and see if you still get it.

[KH Guitar Freak]

Get yourself a new set of fingers, because tone is in the fingers... :p

[arsiscode]

+ A lot on the jazz III's, regular or XL. Best picks out there.

[Fikealox]

Get some 1.5mm Gator Grips :)

[Yetti1]

yeah im gona have to try a few different picks.
those jazz ones sound like a good call.
Im not totaly sold on that its my technique because ive never had a problem with it in teh past with my 25w combo and then 100w combo and then this mesa setup...but yeah im gona hit GC and test out the floor stuff.

[hessian101]

Yes. Gitcherself some jazz III's (both the black, and red ones- they are made of slightly different material) And practice with them.