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Get a fatter sound from JTV-69S


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Hey all! 

I LOVE the JTV-69S but find even with the humbucker models, the sound is much thinner than an actual humbucker (I have other hum guitars). I bought the JTV-69S because it promised best of both worlds. What does one do to make the models "fatter", or are there preferred models I can download within the Line6 single-coil community that model the humbucker models?

:-)

 

Thanks and rock on!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lots of players try various techniques to get fatter, warmer sounds out of single coil pickups. Typical Fender guitars with single coil pickups are pretty scooped, as are the Fender amps they are typically plugged into. This makes the guitar sound deep, bright and rich by itself (to sell well), but often doesn't cut through the mix. You need mid frequencies for that. 

 

A common, and simple solution to mids with Fender guitars and amps is to use a Tube Screamer in front of the amp with the Drive turned all the way down, Tone in the middle, and Level set for how hard you want to push the amp. Tube Screamers, and overdrive pedals with similar designs provide a mid boost around 800 Hz that fills in that Fender scoop to make the guitar sound fatter and cut through a dense mix better.

 

Try using a pedal to solve your thin tones. That might work on Variax double coil models too.

 

 

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On 9/30/2019 at 6:52 PM, amsdenj said:

Lots of players try various techniques to get fatter, warmer sounds out of single coil pickups. Typical Fender guitars with single coil pickups are pretty scooped, as are the Fender amps they are typically plugged into. This makes the guitar sound deep, bright and rich by itself (to sell well), but often doesn't cut through the mix. You need mid frequencies for that. 

 

A common, and simple solution to mids with Fender guitars and amps is to use a Tube Screamer in front of the amp with the Drive turned all the way down, Tone in the middle, and Level set for how hard you want to push the amp. Tube Screamers, and overdrive pedals with similar designs provide a mid boost around 800 Hz that fills in that Fender scoop to make the guitar sound fatter and cut through a dense mix better.

 

Try using a pedal to solve your thin tones. That might work on Variax double coil models too.

 

 

 

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That all makes sense, and I use the HXFX to fatten up my tones, but I suppose my question is this: if I'm using the models on the Variax (and also via Workbench HD) and not the magnetic pickups, why don't the humbucker settings sound fatter like an actual humbucker? Is it because the guitar has single coil magnetic pickups?

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4 hours ago, Moosie said:

if I'm using the models on the Variax (and also via Workbench HD) and not the magnetic pickups, why don't the humbucker settings sound fatter like an actual humbucker?

 

The answer is simple: Because you're not hearing a humbucker, but rather a simulation thereof.... and simulations are, well they're simulations.

 

Ever try O'Douls? It awful...because it's masquerading as beer. ;)

 

Ok, perhaps that's an overly harsh analogy, but there's a kernel of truth to it. Modeling isn't perfect. You're listening to the digital approximation of a humbucker. A bunch of processed 1's and 0's, piggybacked on the raw sound of a piezo pickup. There are no actual humbuckers (or any type of mag pickup for that matter) anywhere in this equation. Some are satisfied with the results, some not so much. It ain't for everybody... and that's ok, too.

 

Overall, I think the models are pretty good... but the current tech does have limitations, and there's still a ways to go before it catches up with what they've accomplished with amp modeling, imho. Context also matters considerably...In a live mix, the models are more than adequate. But if you're gonna sit and play solo, A/B-ing the models against your favorite Strat /Tele/LP/ etc, you can't expect them to be perfect reproductions of their real-world counterparts. Reasonable approximations in my opinion...but the real thing is the real thing.

 

Quote

 

Is it because the guitar has single coil magnetic pickups?

 

One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. The mags and models operate independently. When one is on, the others are off. With the models engaged, the mag pickup signal is nowhere in sight and neither contributes to, nor detracts from your tone. It wouldn't matter if you ripped the mag pickups out of the guitar...the models are what they are. The only exception to this is if you had created a custom model in Workbench that blends the mag pickups with the modeled sounds... but you actually have to do that deliberately, then upload it to the guitar... it doesn't just happen.

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35 minutes ago, Moosie said:

And something to add; will the new version of Workbench (when it arrives) model PRS guitars/pickups?

:-)

 

Workbench is just an interface... there's nothing in it. The brains are in the guitar, and there hasn't been a JTV firmware update worth talking about in years. At this point, the JTV's are ~10 years old... ancient by tech standards, so don't hold your breath for any more updates. Eventually the next generation of Variax, whatever it turns out to be, will appear. When is anybody's guess, but it's pretty safe to say they're not developing the current products anymore.

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