whats so great about quack

[jack zylkin]

I hear the word quack bandied about a lot on this forum. What exactly does this word mean to you? On my Am strat, the 2nd position sounds phasey and thinner and with a much more noticable resonance -- not direct ond smooth like 3 and 5. And yeah, it quacks but in a wooden way and I find this quality almost comically annoying. Like, it literally sounds like a duck sometimes when I record it. I only use the 2 and 4 for distortion because its less hummy and a little brighter. I guess I'm just not a fan of the quack. Change my mind! What should I be using these positions for because so far I don't get it. (I play mostly clean through a tube amp or preamp) Give me your favorite "quack" songs or players or moments so that I can draw inspiration and learn to love the quack.

[pc]

I hear the word quack bandied about a lot on this forum. What exactly does this word mean to you? On my Am strat, the 2nd position sounds phasey and thinner and with a much more noticable resonance -- not direct ond smooth like 3 and 5. And yeah, it quacks but in a wooden way and I find this quality almost comically annoying. Like, it literally sounds like a duck sometimes when I record it. I only use the 2 and 4 for distortion because its less hummy and a little brighter. I guess I'm just not a fan of the quack. Change my mind! What should I be using these positions for because so far I don't get it. (I play mostly clean through a tube amp or preamp) Give me your favorite "quack" songs or players or moments so that I can draw inspiration and learn to love the quack.

jack, you just joined 27 minutes ago, I'm not sure how much "bandying" you've heard. You're most welcome here, but you've also created four threads in the last ten minutes. You might want to take some time to read a bit, because I know there are some existing threads on the issues you're asking about.

Second of all, why do you need your mind changed? If you're not a fan of quack, you're not.

Third, if you already don't like it, you must know the common examples, so I'm not sure what we're supposed to suggest. "Quack" reminds me of things like Mark Knopfler's Strat work (think "Sultans of Swing"), some of the rhythm work from the 70s-era funk stuff, some of Strat stuff from Creedence/John Fogerty, etc.

[Gravity Jim]

Maybe you'll learn to love it if, like me, you stop thinking of as "quack" and call it what early adopter Johnny Cucci called it: "The Lisp."

And yeah, if you don't like then... so?

[Kap'n]

Quack kills.

[Don]

Quack is not whack. And it sounds much better when the middle pickup isn't RWRP.

I think it sounds better if there's only one (master) tone control on the guitar as well.

[Fripperton]

My main Strat has a 3 way switch such is my disdain for the quack. Some people get along well with it. Me, not so much. I'm like Leo who considered the quack to be a gimmick.


I don't get the blues either.

[jrgtr42]

What's so great about quack?
Just ask a duck.

[frank thomson]

i love it.

[Shilka]

http://www.savefile.com/files/131450

[Jack Gilvey]

I'm not a big user of position 2, that's the really "quacky" one in my estimation...I think of "Lay Down Sally" or "Sweet Home Alabama". Nahh.
Position 4, however...well, that's "Lenny", and that's what a strat sounds like. I'm a 4/5 guy.
If you hear it and don't like it, though, you don't need convincing.

[stratcat62]

I use all positions depending on what I'm playing, but I'm Fez. My 62 still has the original 3 position switch, however it has become much easier to slide it into the 2 and 4 positions over the years and yes it does sound better without a RWRP middle pickup. And frankly, I don't give a rats ass who does or doesn't like it/get it.

[Don]

And frankly, I don't give a rats ass who does or doesn't like it/get it.

[Fripperton]

[refin]

FWIW, I like to call it the "tweeners", 'cuz back in the day before the five position switch, we used to get it by careful placement of the three way in between the bridge and middle, and middle and neck.

Man, I remember those days! Sometimes by the time you would get the "notch" right,the song was over!
I used to take the spring off the switch to make it easier.

[Jonnda]

Arrg! It be the great white bird Moby Duck!

[curtisstetka]

It sounds better without a RWRP middle pickup?!?!? What's the reasoning behind that?

[KevinWaide]

Robert Cray is also a big user of the in between settings.

[NeoFauve]

Quack kills.

You'rrrrrrre dithpicable.

http://magicstatistics.com/wp-conten...humb-daffy.jpg

[Camoradi]

I agree with fezz parka and curtisstetka, in not liking RWRP. I think a good part of any traditional Fender sound is the very lack of 'sophistication' and with a nod towards rawness at the edges. RWRP stifles that. Mind you, if I never heard 'quack' like Mark Knopfler ever again I wouldn't mind, but it is part of the armoury at least, should I ever get completely senile.

[detuned]

It's all good.

Here's a related question: How many of you use the middle pup by itself?

I do all the time - great for funk JB-style rhythms...

[KevinWaide]

I used the middle pickup for all my dirty rhythm. Best sounding spot on my guitar.

[KevinWaide]

I've found that the only position I don't use often is the bridge only. All the others, I use them pretty religiously.

[Gtrplyr]

You ought to try the blender wiring, Kevin. The bridge/neck gives you a pretty convincing Tele-in-the-middle sound, and the tweener sound you get from all three is pretty cool.

I was wondering about other pup switching options on Strats and that seem like a good one. The other combination would be both neck and bridge similar to a LP in the middle.

With all the Strat models out there is there a stock one with all these tricks?

[NeoFauve]

The stereotypical quack sounds CAN seem a little tired, but they don't have to be.
You can have one of the quack positions selected, BUT you still have options with the tone/vol controls and your hands, and whatever else you may be using.

Some of my favorite quacks?

Zappa- "Watermelon In Easter Hay" (atypical quack)
Robbie Blunt on Robert Plant's- "Big Log" (textbook quack)

I like those regeardless of the presense of quack.
The quack is there, but the tunes are what I'm attracted to.

Quack is just another choice a guitar offers.
In and of itself it's not bad or good.
Don't expect a sound to prove itself to you.

Just listen for stuff you like.
Maybe there'll be quack, maybe not.
Why worry?

[Gravity Jim]

The rhythm part on "Free Ride:" Isn't that a lisp? A tweener? That's how it sounds best when I play it.

[pc]

I've never liked the middle-only sound before my current Strat--now I love it for some leads. It very literally is exactly between the neck-only and bridge-only sound. My middle pickup with the Budda amp reminds me that, in fact, I can still rock in America.

This is also the first Strat on which I've loved the bridge-only position for lead work. Frankly, although I still use the '2' and '4' positions extremely sparingly in a gig, this is the first Strat (out of seven prior) where I enjoy using all five switch positions at some point or another in each gig.

It all depends on the guitar I guess. I did have a G&L that was factory-wired to allow the Neck/Mid and All-three options, and I did really enjoy those options too.

[pc]

The rhythm part on "Free Ride:" Isn't that a lisp? A tweener? That's how it sounds best when I play it.

Absolutely! That always sounds best to me with one of the tweener positions.

[Gravity Jim]

That's how mine's wired, thanks to these guys, and it destroys all monsters. One volume, one tone for the whole guitar, and then the blender. It rules. You can even "blow" all three pickups at once, although I haven't found a use for that yet.

[NeoFauve]

I did have a G&L that was factory-wired to allow the Neck/Mid and All-three options, and I did really enjoy those options too.

http://images.lilypix.com/displayima...bum=920&pos=46

Yeah, you don't realize until you have them, that they can be pretty cool.

I wonder what sort of animal sound the all-3 sound should be?

[pc]

The only thing that's misleading is the text on that JPG, because it says "With it you can control the volume of each pickup..." which isn't strictly true. I.e., you don't have a separate volume knob for each of the three pickups--you really have one for the whole guitar and one for the middle pickup.

Not that I'd want that. A friend of mine had a Strat where each pot was a concentric dual-pot that dialed in the volume and tone for each pickup. The 5-way switch was replaced with a 2-way switch that moved the tweener positions from series to parallel. In a way it was really cool because you could tweek just the right amount of blend and tone for any pickup combo you wanted. In another way it was completely jive because you'd basically be working knobs all night instead of playing. It was definitely a guitar best left in the studio.

[pc]

http://images.lilypix.com/displayima...bum=920&pos=46

Unless it's just my machines, Neo, I get the "No Image To Display" when I click on that. And, in fact, I've been getting that error on most of your image links lately. Not sure why.

[KevinWaide]

You ought to try the blender wiring, Kevin. The bridge/neck gives you a pretty convincing Tele-in-the-middle sound, and the tweener sound you get from all three is pretty cool.

I've thought about it, but my Strat is the ONLY guitar I have, and I'm real iffy about changing anything on it. I'm so afraid I'm going to change the tone of it with any mods. I've been offered a s#!t load of money for this thing and turned it down ($2500 for a guitar that I paid $500 for) because it sounds and feels so good. Hell, it took me 2 months to decide to have a bone nut put in it (which was a VERY good mod). I'm just too scared that I will screw it up and it won't be worth anything when I'm finished.

[KevinWaide]

Unless it's just my machines, Neo, I get the "No Image To Display" when I click on that. And, in fact, I've been getting that error on most of your image links lately. Not sure why.

I haven't been able to see any of his pics, either lately.

[NeoFauve]

Unless it's just my machines, Neo, I get the "No Image To Display" when I click on that. And, in fact, I've been getting that error on most of your image links lately. Not sure why.

Wierd.
I'll have to look into that.
I think the old Lilypix had an option to make galleries/photos "public."
I thought the new & improved Lilypix did too, but I don't see it.
It normally works that way, AFAIK.

[NeoFauve]

http://images.lilypix.com/displayima...bum=920&pos=46

Try it now, pc & KW.

BTW- thanks for letting me know.

[KevinWaide]

Yeah, I can see it now.

[pc]

http://images.lilypix.com/displayima...bum=920&pos=46

Try it now, pc & KW.

BTW- thanks for letting me know.

Yup that worked! Mmm... switches.

[KevinWaide]

I was kinda digging that Tele with the wiggle stick.

[NeoFauve]

Mmm... switches.

Heh-heh...

It's kind of cool to do one p'up full-wind + one tapped, and beyond.
It offers up interesting quacks, lisps, clucks and goinks.

When I bought it way back when, I actually though tapped was the same as splitting an HB. So I assumed the p'ups were all stacked.
I didn't really care. I just liked the sound.
Years later, when I took it apart for some reason, I kinda' felt like and ass.
I still didn't quite get it, so I just put it back together and played it. I'm usually better off that way.

[Falstaff]

Big Star "Radio City" is the cream of the quack, IMHO.

I like to play with just the middle pickup...it worked for Jerry. :)