Andy Timmons Dimarzio AT1 pickup sound

Question

Well, the story goes like this : I have a custom made Tom Anderson guitar which has a fender style body (alder wood). The guitar comes with VAx pickups which sound great but the pickup near the bridge is way too bright for my taste. So... I replaced the entire circuit (Removed it as is so I could install it easily back) with Andy Timmons pickup set (Neck = Middle = Dimarzio-Crusier, Bridge = Dimarzio AT1 custom) installed on a different pickguard.

Now the bridge sounds much more like I want it to sound BUT I do not feel that "fat" tone and warmth this pickup is told to have.

I used the following diagram for the wiring.

My signal-chain : Guitar --> TS808HW --> Carl Martin Compressor --> Engl Screamer AMP

Again, the sound has less bright hisses and the harmonics are great but still I am wondering what makes that punchy/crunchy tone when he plays.

Answer 1

The tone quest is very ellusive. I too went down trying to get Andy Timmons sound several years ago. It is damn near impossible to get the exact sound without the exact equipment.

PU's matter but the amp and effects are just as important. Each variable in the equation interacts with all the others to create compound effects that are impossible to determine. Even the same model gear won't necessarily sound the same.

I will only list some of the variables but not go into detail. All I can say is, if you want a great sound, go play your guitar and be amazing at it... you will then find people that can get you the sound you want. It's almost impossible to be a sound engineer, electrical engineer, musician, and guitar player and be good at them all. (just not enough time or money)

1. Pickups*
2. Pickup height*
3. Guitar Electronics*
4. Guitar type(wood, scale length, etc... This are important but not that much. They effect the timbre of the sound to a small degree but are maybe the last 2% of the sound... assuming you have a similar guitar to Andy).
5. Amp* (boost in front of the amp can help in some cases, Includes speakers)
6. Compressor*
7. Delays and Reverbs(required effects but any will do. Some are better than others but maybe 2% of the sound).
8. EQ*
9. Touch(about 2%. Obviously we are talking about tone here and not ability. Two separate issues but touch does factor into the sound to some degree. e.g., If you play too soft you won't get the bitey sound)
10. Volume*

All the * are very important in getting the sound. You could also have Andy's exactly equipment but if you have the settings wrong you won't have his sound.

Andy obviously developed an ear for the type of tone he likes and can probably dial a good sound on most gear rather quick(he knows what he likes and how to get it).

EQ is probably one of the biggest things that can make or break your sound. Andy's tone tends to be pretty compressed and very middy with nominal presence. Use a 31 band dual EQ and put it on the input and FX loop of your amp and you'll be amazed at all the different tonal variations you can get. This might be enough to get you what you want if you can dial it in.

Answer 2

Preamplifier circuits make a huge difference between whether a tone is "fat" or "chunky".

In a typical distortion block, made up of several stages, there is tone filtering before, in between and after.

Some guitar preamplifiers (or preamplifier stages of amps) have multiple voicings that you can switch. Others have multiple gains to control where in the distortion block most of the distortion happens, which affects the tone.

You can also add "pre EQ" before the amplifier. The first pre-EQ is your guitar's tone control. The next is any box you have before the amplifier, like an overdrive pedal (which you already have).

Speaking of which, your placement of the compressor after the OD pedal doesn't make a lot of sense, unless you're using the OD just as a boost (to ovecome the compressor not having a low enough threshold: hard to believe). Usually, a compressor goes first, then limiting/clipping devices and distortions. If the signal level is already limited by a soft-clipping OD, then a compressor won't do much with it. (Does Andy Timmons also put a compressor after overdrive, is that why? Even so, that doesn't mean you should do it.) What if the TS808 is driving the compressor too hard, causing some distortion from the compressor, which then affects the tone. That compressor is not meant to distort; it is intended to be a sonically pure compression effect.

You might get more flexibility out of the chain if you put the compressor first, then the overdrive pedal. Also, try driving the amp just with the compressor alone, and with the OD alone, various settings of each.

Answer 3

Your question is almost impossible to answer. In the setup you use, there are already so many variables: the guitar, tubescreamer, amp, compressor. Add to this the type of strings and their thickness, the material and thickness of your pick. How hard do you hit your strings, what is the angle of your pick etc. etc. etc.

One thing I've learned is that the single most important item when it comes to creating tone is: YOU.