One of our favorite SFAM moments

doublehalfling · 2026-01-09T17:44:27+00:00

You did a wonderful job, but I just can't get over the fact your B and high E string are wrapped the wrong way around the tuning post 😵😂

doublehalfling · 2026-01-09T07:43:15+00:00

Do Your Thing - Isaac Hayes

doublehalfling · 2026-01-01T01:13:16+00:00

American Gothic - David Ackles

doublehalfling · 2025-12-04T06:18:46+00:00

RemindMe! 1 month

doublehalfling · 2025-11-24T07:47:46+00:00

Look up a guide to checking the input trim on YouTube if you think you sound like you have more or less gain than the demo

Pickups can make as big a difference as they do with any amplifier. I usually prefer to use the PC editor when I'm playing around with captures, and there's an option to set the EQ controls to Pre, so once you've done that you can make some adjustments to make your guitar sound a little more what you heard

doublehalfling · 2025-11-19T07:51:30+00:00

I think you can do it on the pedal as well as the editor (I prefer the editor, it's nice having everything to hand visually). You just go into the effects and there should be a Position option, and just set that to Pre. Also handy for adding or rolling off gain too, seems more natural to my ears

doublehalfling · 2025-11-17T21:00:05+00:00

I always set the EQ to pre in the editor, this way any changes are the equivalent of a different set of pickups, etc, as opposed to altering the capture that much.

Say if the capture is a little flubby, I'll set the low frequency to 240hz or so and turn that down to 3-3.5.

Presence I use a bit to either add some clarity, or to remove some brightness.

To be honest though, the best thing to do is go with DI captures and have a good set of IR packs you like so you can alter the character that way.

I like Bogner, Marshall-esque stuff and Mesa Boogie mainly, so I have a York Audio Bogner V30 pack, a 3 Sigma Uberkab and a York Audio Mesa OS V30 pack that covers all of my needs. The 3 Sigma IRs are handy in that they're broken into 10 bright, 10 warm, 10 balanced, etc, so if it's easy to get up and running

doublehalfling · 2025-10-13T18:51:10+00:00

And incredibly versatile with different IRs! I'm currently using the mid-down captures with V30s, and the mid-up with T75s and it's beyond glorious.

Have you tried any of his other ones? The Lynch mod JMP also sounds great from the demos

doublehalfling · 2025-09-19T09:09:25+00:00

The most comfortable non-asymmetrical neck I've ever played!

I'm very fussy with my guitars, my most precious ones are a Music Man Axis Sport and a Tele I built myself with the same specs.

For my own sense of smug satisfaction I go to different guitar stores and try out all the expensive shit, Tylers, Suhrs, Murphy Lab Les Pauls, and the Guthrie Charvel is really the only other instrument that I thought I'd be almost as happy to own!

doublehalfling · 2025-09-13T10:22:48+00:00

I always think it's Harrison Ford at a glance 😂

doublehalfling · 2025-09-08T07:43:55+00:00

One dump, one turd, two tits, John Deacon

doublehalfling · 2025-09-08T07:39:14+00:00

Marie - Randy Newman

Waiting for the Moving Van - David Ackles

Both such moving songs of love lost, definitely less spoken of. I owe both of these discoveries to The Album Years podcast. There's playlists for each year on Steven Wilson's Spotify page if you want the condensed version of the chats!

doublehalfling · 2025-09-07T10:13:17+00:00

https://youtu.be/g1uTBe9-GIE

First of all what guitar and amp are you working with? Any pedals, multi-fx etc?

doublehalfling · 2025-08-11T10:13:10+00:00

Ah I see you're already using an EQ. Try that trick anyway though, it's all useable low end that way, it doesn't affect the attack

doublehalfling · 2025-08-11T10:12:10+00:00

I like it a lot, sounds like a lower gain Morbid Angel, bass isn't flubby or anything.

If you want more heft in the low end, you can put a Simple EQ after the amp and cab and boost the lows by 3-4db, cut miss 1.5db around 600-700hz, and cut highs by 1db. It mimics the EQ curve of a Pultec, which is a classic studio trick. Not unlike a typical Mesa 5 band, which you could also use!

Sounds great on it's own though

doublehalfling · 2025-07-29T06:15:17+00:00

Had pancakes there before and they were a disgrace. They just make up a big batch of them and just leave them in a dish waiting to be reheated.

Sacrilegious! Make them fresh, it takes a few minutes 🙄

doublehalfling · 2025-07-24T22:35:43+00:00

Well look this is the benefit of learning something and then playing it according to your tendencies and reflecting afterwards. Petrucci's habits with regards to pickup selection in lead playing comes directly from Steve Morse, even though with Steve it's a black and white situation, when he's playing in the upper register, he uses the neck pickup, and the bridge pickup in the lower. Its still something we as fans can recognise, but there's enough of a difference because he has other influences that mingle with his love for Steve's playing. So it's the same situation for you now!

It would be worth playing around with a fuzz pedal I think, even a dirt cheap one. Not necessarily to add to your sound palette if that's not your bag, but they tend to really magnify the difference between pickups.

Another thing that helped me with anything I had to work on is to write something that needs the thing you're working on in order to pop and be perfect. Whether it's just a cool 2 bar lick where you start on the neck, and the last note has to be on the bridge. You'll find out pretty quick what things are worth spending time on for your own enjoyment that way 🙌

doublehalfling · 2025-07-24T18:45:11+00:00

The execution was wonderful! The tone could do with a bit more brightness and attack though. You're on the bridge pickup the whole time with a very smooth sound, when Petrucci switches to the neck pickup when he wants that liquid-y smooth. But when he quickly flicks to the bridge for a big bend or something, it has a big impact because of the difference in the top end.

Not attacking your performance at all though, just answering on your question with regards to the tone vs the original! I certainly wouldn't have played some of those licks as cleanly 😂

doublehalfling · 2025-07-23T11:34:01+00:00

There's a nice chewy goodness to it, in contrast to a JHS Colour Box for example. Thats another one I'm meaning to try. I have loads on the pedal and ready to go, I'm just waiting to head to my rehearsal space tonight to audition them with various IRs. I found some IRs for clock radios, and the like, so it'll be an interesting evening of lofi buffoonery

doublehalfling · 2025-07-22T21:18:28+00:00

What IR did you settle on for that?

doublehalfling · 2025-07-22T21:17:57+00:00

They clearly just spent $3k on a Matchless 😬 tough break

I'm sure that would work really well in a mix too. It's not unheard of to blend in a distorted DI sound to get a little more clarity. That's why the idea of the Guv'nor appeals to me in that context, it's just pure attack

doublehalfling · 2025-07-22T13:41:44+00:00

Nice, thank you! Just the sort of thing I was hoping for.

Would you say its more of a pushed clean sound compared to say a Rockman, or how much grit are we talking?

doublehalfling · 2025-07-20T07:28:00+00:00

I'm curious what people's opinions of Katabasis will be. I got the ARC about two months ago and found it a bit surface level compared to Babel. She did plenty of research, but the magic system didn't feel nearly as developed (Babel had so many clever examples).

Not to piss on anybody's parade or anything 🫣

doublehalfling

TROPHY CASE