# Losing the will to djent!



## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

So, after acquiring my first 8 string (Schecter Hellraiser C-8) I couldn't be happier with the overall feel/playability and sexy as hell aesthetic!

Now on to the important part... 

No matter what amp sim/impulse combination I use I simply *cannot* get a tone out of this plank that satisfies me one bit.. 


I guess this may have a lot to do with the pu's (808's) but I'm seriously beginning to lose it with this thing now! 



Somebody keep me sane?


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## codycarter (Apr 27, 2013)

What band would you want to sound like?


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

What guitars have you been playing prior to this one? Is this a significant departure in terms of scale length, or pickups, or woods?


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

codycarter said:


> What band would you want to sound like?



Meshuggah/Vildhjarta/Animals As Leaders/Chimp Spanner 


Heavy, low but very clear and crisp in your face crunchy! None of this buried beneath mud that i'm currently experiencing.


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> What guitars have you been playing prior to this one? Is this a significant departure in terms of scale length, or pickups, or woods?



It's a jump in terms of 6 string to 8 but I have played a number of 7's before and I didn't find them quite as bad but it's getting to the point now where I just can't riff on it at all


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## MikeH (Apr 27, 2013)

I've heard complaints about the 808s being horribly muddy. I have 808Xs in my RG8, and I like them. Very articulate, and lower gain for more clarity. Maybe try swapping them out?


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

Koloss said:


> It's a jump in terms of 6 string to 8 but I have played a number of 7's before and I didn't find them quite as bad but it's getting to the point now where I just can't riff on it at all



...which doesn't actually answer my question: what are the significant differences between this guitar and the guitars you've been playing that *did* produce tones you liked?


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## codycarter (Apr 27, 2013)

I can help with the Meshuggah/Vildjharta tone

First of raise your bridge pickup super high, get new strings (tight tension would be the best), and do the 18v mod on the emg's

Treble is your friend, what ever amp you use, set your drive up high, but not al the way, you want to chugga not fuzz out
Boost the hell out of your mids and treble, but don't use much bass. If you have acces, add a tube screamed, compressor, and eq to your chain


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## Hyacinth (Apr 27, 2013)

You can still get a djent sound with 808s. How much experience tweaking amps do you have?


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## MikeH (Apr 27, 2013)

I have a Meshuggah tone from Nothing that I can get you the settings to when I get home.


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> ...which doesn't actually answer my question: what are the significant differences between this guitar and the guitars you've been playing that *did* produce tones you liked?



The fact that it has 8 Strings and 808's I guess..


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

MatthewLeisher said:


> You can still get a djent sound with 808s. How much experience tweaking amps do you have?



I'd like to say enough to pursue my own tone (I hope!) i've learnt quite a lot from guitar techs on previous tours etc. Although, I should probably add that right now i'm currently restricted to my 6505 head only and impulses/amp sims e.g. LouPou etc..


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## studmiester7 (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm playing on the Ibanez Iron Label 8 w/ EMG 808's. The amp I use is the Peavey 6505+ w/ JJ tubes; running through a full-sized Mesa cab. The sound produced is amazing. So my best guess is that you may not be running it out of the greatest amp for an 8, or your EQ settings need some tweaking. If you're running a tube amp, look around eurotubes.com and research the best setup for the sound you want. Another thing that is small, but sometimes overlooked, is your battery. 

The EQ setting on my peavey are: Pre(Gain): between 5 & 6; Low: 9; Mid: 4; High: between 7 & 8, Resonance: 6; Presence: between 4 & 5

You may not have the resonance/presence options on your amp, but try those dial settings, and let me know if it makes a difference.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 27, 2013)

Buy some battery clips and try the 18V mod.


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## ThallSoHard (Apr 27, 2013)

codycarter said:


> I can help with the Meshuggah/Vildjharta tone
> 
> First of raise your bridge pickup super high, get new strings (tight tension would be the best), and do the 18v mod on the emg's
> 
> ...



Pretty much this. When I was messing with my friend's 8 string a couple of weeks ago it took me a while to dial in a tone I was happy with. 

Using an EQ to cut out all the nasty crap and a Tube Screamer is pretty much mandatory for getting a tone on an 8 that doesn't sound like poop. If I were you, I'd start with a high pass somewhere at 80-90hz and move it up and down until it starts to sound like how you want it. I think I ended up with mine at 120hz or so.


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## Valennic (Apr 27, 2013)

Maybe you're like me TS, maybe you just hate the very existence of the 808. You could try the 18v mod, I've heard it actually adds some life to those bricks. Or you could save a bit of coin and go the BKP soapbar sized route, or wait for Seymour Duncan to release theirs and go that way too. You're not limited to just EMGs anymore thankfully.


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## codycarter (Apr 27, 2013)

Emg's can bring that djent tone. It just takes a LOT of eqing. Honestly I swear by Lace for everything from Meshuggah to Animals As Leaders to even Arctic Monkeys


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## m3l-mrq3z (Apr 27, 2013)

Nice. I read the thread's title and was happy that the OP is growing up.


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## Hyacinth (Apr 27, 2013)

m3l-mrq3z said:


> Nice. I read the thread's title and was happy that the OP is growing up.



Thanks for contributing and being so helpful with this topic.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 27, 2013)

Valennic said:


> Or you could save a bit of coin and go the BKP soapbar sized route,



Those aren't available for 8-strings.


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Those aren't available with 8-strings.



Yet, anyway. I'd be surprised if BKP takes very long to bring them out.

Anyway, for passive pickup replacement in an active-routed 8-string, your options are:

-Lace: X-Bar or DeathBar 4.0
-SD: will soon be releasing active-sized 8-string versions of their Distortion, Invader, and new Nazgul, Pegasus, and Sentient pickups
-Uncovered 8-string humbucker of your choice (SD, DiMarzio, BKP, Lundgren...) plus an appropriately-sized pickup ring, or EMG-type plastic cover, or deal with the fact that the cavity is too large and looks like shit


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

celticelk said:


> -Uncovered 8-string humbucker of your choice (SD, DiMarzio, BKP, Lundgren...) plus an appropriately-sized pickup ring, or deal with the fact that the cavity is too large and looks like shit



Isn't the Lundgren m8c a direct fit for the 808?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 27, 2013)

Yup. Or, if you can get some standard-sized passives, you can get a 5-string bass pickup cover.


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

Before i'd even got the guitar i'd already thought about changing the pots, swapping out the pu's to passives etc.. 

I thought i'd give the 808's a chance to prove me wrong but so far, they clearly haven't..



I guess i'll stick to my original plan!


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## Valennic (Apr 27, 2013)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Those aren't available for 8-strings.



My bad . Thought for some reason it was.


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## berzerkergang (Apr 27, 2013)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/beginners-faq/219326-guide-djent-tone-updated-march-7-13-a.html

This actually gives great advice.


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## crg123 (Apr 27, 2013)

+1 for lace bars. i have the death bar/ xbar setup and i love it. the clarity especially on the low strings is immaculate.


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## MetalDaze (Apr 27, 2013)

When you go from 6 to 8, you need to think differently about how you set the controls on your amp. With the extra range comes different considerations. That's why people will say a 6 string version of a pickup will sound different than an 8 string version, despite being the same model. Many factors come into play. 

Many 6 string guys like to pump up the gain and the bass to create a thicker sound with big low end. Plug an 8 into an amp with those settings and it will sound like mud with almost any pickup. You need to roll down both the gain and bass to get better definition of those low notes. 

It's not an exact science and someone might chime in that they had good results with those settings anyway, but the idea is that you need to find the best combination for the gear you have.

I've heard a Schecter 8 with 808's sound good, so it is possible


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## Hyacinth (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm sure the 6505 probably isn't helping anything. I had a Carvin DC800 with BKP Aftermaths and the 6505 still found a way to make it sound bad. I'd highly recommend saving up for a new amp. It'll help you leaps and bounds above the other options you have like changing pickups. I got an Axe Ultra and an Alto TS115a and my tone has never been better. I'm sure if I upgraded to a better monitor it would sound even better, but the TS115a sounds really good for it being pretty much the bottom of the barrel as far as FRFR monitors go.


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## berzerkergang (Apr 27, 2013)

Yes the 6505 is your problem, because the scores and scores of metal bands with great tone that happen to be using 6505s are all wrong. 

I have a 6534 and I jam with a guy with a 6505 and djent tone is perfectly achievable with a few additions to the chain. I use am RG8 with dactivators and then I added a gate and some OD with some subtle eq changes and poof, djenterific. 

Sure there are better amps out there if you wanna spend a shitload more money but a djent tone is very much obtainable with the 6505.


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## Koloss (Apr 27, 2013)

Taking into consideration the leap from 6 to 8 i've made changes to any amps/sims that I use. 

I never find myself using anymore gain than 12 o'clock, I'm fully aware that a lot of gain achieves a lot of mud. I also roll back the bass, crank the mids and some treble I also boost and gate, coupled with agressive picking attack. 

Still no 'the tone' that i'm after...


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## codycarter (Apr 27, 2013)

Might be your strings or pup hight


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## Philligan (Apr 27, 2013)

Koloss said:


> The fact that it has 8 Strings and 808's I guess..



Do you like the sound of the regular E or low B, or do they all sound bad? What string gauges are you using?

+1 to trying the 18v mod. It costs a couple bucks and is totally reversible.

edit: Just saw your last post. Try doing the low bass/high mid + treble thing, but run your preamp gain super low. I mean like around 1 if you can. Basically keep turning it down until it sounds super thin and plucky, and turn it up just to where it starts to fill out again. 

A lot of it's pick attack, too. You've gotta hit the low string pretty hard to get it punchy. I've started using lighter strings (.074 low E) and lighter picks (.50 or .60 T3s) and my low notes sound way better. The lighter string is sharper and punchier sounding, and the lighter pick helps keep the string snappy.

more edits!: Are you recording? If so, turn the bass way down so it's kinda thin and crunchy, and use the bass to fill out the meat


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## DrJazz (Apr 27, 2013)

Koloss said:


> ...Schecter Hellraiser C-8...



A part of the problem is there. With a scale of 26.5, your low F# (or even worse, low E, if you are going for AAL tuning) will be much muddier than, say, on an 28+'' scale length. Especially since, from the bands you've mentioned, you will want as much clarity as possible coming from the string itself.

Lace pickups have some crazy clarity. They're not my cup of tea, but they will help you mitigate the effect of your scale length somewhat. But if I were you, I'd rather try and get the best tone possible out of the gear you have at the moment rather than aim for a tone that your scale length places out of your reach. 
It is possible to get a very decent tone out of the Hellraiser C-8, but, for the tone you're aiming for, the scale length is working against you. 

Note that 26.5'' has advantages over a 30'' scale, for instance. Your leads will sound fuller, and it's usually a bit more confortable.


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## Hyacinth (Apr 27, 2013)

berzerkergang said:


> Yes the 6505 is your problem, because the scores and scores of metal bands with great tone that happen to be using 6505s are all wrong.



I didn't say that was the only problem, I said it wasn't helping anything and that it wasn't the best amp for a "djent" tone.


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## Koloss (Apr 28, 2013)

Philligan said:


> Do you like the sound of the regular E or low B, or do they all sound bad? What string gauges are you using?
> 
> more edits!: Are you recording? If so, turn the bass way down so it's kinda thin and crunchy, and use the bass to fill out the meat



This is an interesting observation, yes I can get a lot better tone from the other 7 strings! It's the F# where the mud happens. I believe it's a .74 on there at the moment.. 

I am also recording, yes. I've starting to play about with the EQ a bit more and it's becoming a little bit more bearable (just..)


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## Vinchester (Apr 28, 2013)

A Schecter Hellraiser... I suspect yours may suffer from the lack of 'mid definition'. The all-mahogany guitar somehow gives a very dark midrange. I don't know if 18v mod will help. It makes things a bit beefy/more round but not necessarily clearer. 

For now try EQing your amp and gives it some more mid and presence?
That or get a new mid-heavy 8-string pup like a Dimarzio Ionizer?


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## Koloss (Apr 28, 2013)

Vinchester said:


> For now try EQing your amp and gives it some more mid and presence?
> That or get a new mid-heavy 8-string pup like a Dimarzio Ionizer?



I've literally maxed out the mids and presence on my amp and it really makes hardly any difference, it's still far too muddy! 

I think passive is going to be the only way! If I can ever decide on a combination that is...


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## codycarter (Apr 28, 2013)

Vinchester said:


> A Schecter Hellraiser... I suspect yours may suffer from the lack of 'mid definition'. The all-mahogany guitar somehow gives a very dark midrange. I don't know if 18v mod will help. It makes things a bit beefy/more round but not necessarily clearer.
> 
> For now try EQing your amp and gives it some more mid and presence?
> That or get a new mid-heavy 8-string pup like a Dimarzio Ionizer?



Don't do it, its a trap! The Ionizer bridge is worst than EMG..the ion is a good pup, the 808 is a good pup. But neither do what they are told and talk a lot to tame for a djent tone.

People should really stop complaining about 26.5" scales, when I see people get low f#/e on 25.5, and even 25", its all in the strings and player.

I want to tell you to put a 90 on your f, but that's not everyone's taste, so instead I so 86, trust me. But don't get a Dadario .86, I say fender bass string of CK.

And.another thing, it isn't so much as .making your mids, you need to kill the bass.


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## Koloss (Apr 28, 2013)

I feel I should probably ask permission first off incase I get flamed to the SS.org fiery gates of doom  but can I post a link to Soundcloud in this thread? 

Just so I can give you guys a sample of the tone i'm getting at the moment..


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## celticelk (Apr 28, 2013)

Koloss said:


> I feel I should probably ask permission first off incase I get flamed to the SS.org fiery gates of doom  but can I post a link to Soundcloud in this thread?
> 
> Just so I can give you guys a sample of the tone i'm getting at the moment..



Absolutely.


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## Philligan (Apr 28, 2013)

Koloss said:


> I feel I should probably ask permission first off incase I get flamed to the SS.org fiery gates of doom  but can I post a link to Soundcloud in this thread?
> 
> Just so I can give you guys a sample of the tone i'm getting at the moment..







And perhaps play some obvious stuff with the low B and then the low F# so we can hopefully try and figure out if it's a setup thing, EQ thing, etc.


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## Justin Bailey (Apr 28, 2013)

Losing the will to djent? Good to see you made it to 16 years old.


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## MikeH (Apr 28, 2013)

That was absolutely hilarious.


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## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 28, 2013)

Have you tried your current tone in a band setting? We do mostly drop C# but when we play "Duality" on the 7's, the band sounds like an earthquake during a the "djenty" part. Doesn't sound great at home, but with the band its absolutely BALLS.


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## Justin Bailey (Apr 28, 2013)

MikeH said:


> That was absolutely hilarious.



Internet cat pictures, you must still be 15.


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## MikeH (Apr 28, 2013)

im 13 u egg


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## Koloss (Apr 28, 2013)

Well, all cat photo's aside here's a link. (Please don't burn me too much, nothing here is mixed or mastered. Also they're all just random riffs.) 

The first two are with the 8 https://soundcloud.com/lordvega


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## Hyacinth (Apr 28, 2013)

That didn't even sound bad!


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## i-iz-hulk (Apr 28, 2013)

Koloss said:


> Well, all cat photo's aside here's a link. (Please don't burn me too much, nothing here is mixed or mastered. Also they're all just random riffs.)
> 
> The first two are with the 8 https://soundcloud.com/lordvega



Sounds 10 times better than most of the stuff posted here. Wish I could record again... there's always a maximum distortion on my recordings caused by the drivers -.-


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## hand amputation (Apr 28, 2013)

Sounds pretty damned good to me. 'Regression' is sweet!

Mind if I ask how you got that drum sound?


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## Koloss (Apr 28, 2013)

Well, i'm pleasantly surprised with the feedback! Thanks!  

Maybe i'm just uber fussy and i'm not hearing the tone that I have in my head?




hand amputation said:


> Sounds pretty damned good to me. 'Regression' is sweet!
> 
> Mind if I ask how you got that drum sound?



Thanks a lot man! 

Of course, Sir! It's all S2.0 using the Avatar kit then multi output. Compression, verb on the snare, EQ'd a bit but nothing too drastic. Like I say, it's not actually mixed properly. Just good enough to record a rough demo IMO


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## 80H (Apr 28, 2013)

how close to the bridge are you picking? can get a little less body and a little more clarity closer to the bridge if you're worried about too much mud...that's what happens when you got 2-3 little fatass strings ringin their hearts out


edit: listened to the clip, not bad. i hear what you mean about the fuzz. what size picks are you using (mm)? I pretty much exclusively use 4+ mm picks now because they have so much more attack, but they're not for everybody so that might be a problem.

i would keep tweaking my tone. it usually takes me 6-8 months to fully "meet" a guitar, and what you have to understand is that, regardless of pickups, your guitar is going to have subtle strengths and not-so-subtle weaknesses in its tone...it's all about you+the guitar and not just you. it's the mind/instrument conflict that happens in pretty much any field that requires the use of an instrument, be it video games, martial arts of music


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## sevenstringj (Apr 28, 2013)

Which impulses are you using?


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## Philligan (Apr 28, 2013)

Koloss said:


> Well, i'm pleasantly surprised with the feedback! Thanks!
> 
> Maybe i'm just uber fussy and i'm not hearing the tone that I have in my head?
> 
> ...



Honestly, those sounded great   I can kinda see with the second clip, it's a bit on the warmer side, but that seems like it could be the way it's sitting in the mix. The first one just sounded awesome.


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## UV7BK4LIFE (Apr 29, 2013)

Koloss said:


> buried beneath mud


 
Aaaaand we have a new name for a metalcore band! 

Back on topic: When I got my RGA 8, I did a pickup swap (D'activator 8), got me a noise gate/parametric EQ/overdrive pedal/compressor in the signal chain, had all the settings right and still it sounded not exactly like the famous Djent bands.

When I get home I'll check the soundclips.

And what VBcheesegrater said, some guitar tones sound great when you play loud with a band but are not suitable for playing at home. I had to learn to live with the disappointing lack of balls of a practice setup.


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## Koloss (Apr 29, 2013)

sevenstringj said:


> Which impulses are you using?



I'm currently using the Redwirez BIGbox series. To be more specific, i'm currently experimenting within the Modern classics folder. 

At the moment I believe i'm using the Mesa w/V30's using the SM57.



Philligan said:


> Honestly, those sounded great   I can kinda see with the second clip, it's a bit on the warmer side, but that seems like it could be the way it's sitting in the mix. The first one just sounded awesome.



Thanks a lot man!  I guess we're all our own worst critic!


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## Corrosion (Apr 29, 2013)

I'm gonna be on the 18v mod them puppies bandwagon as I did it to mine, and it saved me 100's$$. It's super cheap, and don't worry if you can't solder, you can tape it until a friend can do it for you. Here is what you need: 3 9v saddles with tails(that's wires yo) 2 9v batteries, a screw driver, solder + iron or electrical tape(if you can't solder), beer.
Really all of that is optional except the beer part...

Ok, so figure out where the second battery can rest and then, install the three saddles so the red wire hits the black on the next one until they form a triangle. then link one of them to the existing battery saddle, the other two to the 9vs, screw up those cavities and bam... done. Now for a diagram to show it to you that I under no circumstances own or am affiliated with:





Don't like it? Worst youre out is under 20$ and a couple of minutes...


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## Koloss (Apr 29, 2013)

Corrosion said:


> Don't like it? Worst youre out is under 20$ and a couple of minutes...



I think I might have to give this a try since it's a very inexpensive mod that could possibly yield results! 

Also, like you said there isn't much to lose if it doesn't do the trick! Thanks for the diagram dude


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## Ben.Last (Apr 30, 2013)

Jeez. There's so much bullshit in here passing as actual information.

Anyway, before you go spending a bunch of money doing a bunch of mods on the guitar, I'd suggest going with a bigger gauge on the F#. I use a .074 on my F#, that's on a 27" scale guitar, and I wouldn't even consider going smaller than that on mine.

Next, has your playing style changed to compensate for the 8? You've already mentioned your picking, but are you doing more single string stuff with the F#, or are you still playing it like a 6 or 7, doing big chords and such?

After taking a look at that string and your technique, THEN and only then, would I look into a pickup swap. Not because I wouldn't recommend it (the 808 is, by all accounts, not that great), but because the 808 should not be so bad that it wouldn't get you in the range of sounding the way you want. So, you should address the cheaper stuff first.


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## Choop (Apr 30, 2013)

Meh, most of the users in the thread have been super helpful, not really any BS. The 18v mod is super easy and tbh costs about as much as a complete new set of strings for an 8 (however, I agree getting thicker string gauges would probably help a heck of a lot too).


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## isispelican (Apr 30, 2013)

active pickups are horrible imo but you can get a decent tone with any kind of gear, it just takes a lot of time dialing in the right sounds and dont forget that the most important part is your technique


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## Guamskyy (Apr 30, 2013)

IF it's more attack and bite you want, try lower gauge strings. I use a .76 for my low E, nice balance of tension and slack for me to really dig in when playing, .80 for me is too much for a low E on a 27" scale, maybe if I was going to tune to to D# would I consider such tension.

Pickup height can be one also, but the tone is all in how you play, how well you can play, and show all the dynamics you can put in while you play.


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## somethingclever (May 4, 2013)

Man cannot live on djent alone...


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## xxvicarious (May 7, 2013)

studmiester7 said:


> The EQ setting on my peavey are: Pre(Gain): between 5 & 6; Low: 9; Mid: 4; High: between 7 & 8, Resonance: 6; Presence: between 4 & 5


 



Hahaha dang Travis, that's insane.
Then again, all your axes are running active p/u's. 
And all mine are passive on damn near the same rig.

OP: It's all in EQ. If you want to djent your face off, mids and highs up, 
lows down, gain up. Get an MXR 10 band EQ and mess around with it.


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## JP7 (May 8, 2013)

Remember keep your bass low too. A lot of those bands to a lot of freq shelving when they make those cd's. Even with the 8 string guitar it's a lot of overtone and very little fundemental. That being said I was not too happy with that guitar when I had one either or those pickups for that matter. Maybe something a little lower output and more clear.


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## yellow (May 10, 2013)

If pickups are part of your mod plan, then know that the best pickups in the world are about to hit the market: EMG 81-8/85-8. Get those, unless you don't want actives, but from what your saying, if you want the ultimate in 8 string pickups for high gain, clarity, and METAL, EMG is #1.

(and I urge you to pay no attention to any of the trolling flame anti-emg clowns that say otherwise cuz youll find a lot of them on this site)


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## FractalInfinity (Jun 4, 2013)

Is this not the same EMG fanboi post in like EVERY ERG pup discussion? ^^^^

I think you're barking up the wrong tree, most ppl on here are WAYYYY over EMGs at this point... 

I'm with most of the masses, stuck deciding on: BKP vs. new SD's vs. Lace (seems like Lundgren M8 has fallen out of favor a bit, same with D8's).


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## HUGH JAYNUS (Jun 4, 2013)

codycarter said:


> I can help with the Meshuggah/Vildjharta tone
> 
> First of raise your bridge pickup super high, get new strings (tight tension would be the best), and do the 18v mod on the emg's
> 
> ...



what he said, but also remove the tone pot. treble boost like a mofo


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## sevenstringj (Jun 4, 2013)

FractalInfinity said:


> Is this not the same EMG fanboi post in like EVERY ERG pup discussion? ^^^^
> 
> I think you're barking up the wrong tree, most ppl on here are WAYYYY over EMGs at this point...
> 
> I'm with most of the masses, stuck deciding on: BKP vs. new SD's vs. Lace (seems like Lundgren M8 has fallen out of favor a bit, same with D8's).


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## Carver (Jun 5, 2013)

i run 808s in my guerilla, there is a lot of good to be found with these pickups, and you need much less drive than you would think. I also find on my fender bassman that if i run the eq while channel jumping i have the treble at about 3 on both sides and the bass at about half then i crank the amp up and it comes to life. 
When using drive, be carefull with the midrange, you need mid to have that crunch we all love but the 808's respond kind of strange to a mid spike, they get farty sounding, so dial that back just a bit to smoothen out the signal. keep the trebel low, the mids pronounced and the bass to fill it all in.

I have a set of bareknuckle aftermaths that i acutally took out because i didnt like the balancing of the out put, where the emgs are balanced really really well.

Before the 8's i used to turn my nose up at emgs all the time, but in the 8 world, there is some good to be found with the actives. you just have to remember that they are balanced from the beginning and any spikes to your eq will be greatly enhanced by the actives.


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## Erockomania (Jun 7, 2013)

Koloss said:


> Meshuggah/Vildhjarta/Animals As Leaders/Chimp Spanner
> 
> 
> Heavy, low but very clear and crisp in your face crunchy! None of this buried beneath mud that i'm currently experiencing.



Pretty much all Axefx and Line 6. The thing that will get you closest to this tone is going to be the Fractal IMHO. Nothing else will quite get you there. The 808 will do fine with some EQ. If you REALLY want that tone... might want to save some cash 

While not really the djent tone, so to speak, this is an 8 string with the 808s thru the Axefx2, no post processing. The 808 will do fine for articulation.

https://soundcloud.com/eric-hill1/e-the-dimension

Also, I may have missed it, but do you have and/or use a TS808? Another thing most of these djent bands use to help with that tone.


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## yellow (Jun 8, 2013)

Forget the 18v mod and wastin money on passives when u already got a diamond in the rough: First, check out the *EMG 808 Fix* in my profile or search for it, and ur 808's''ll b better than anything else out, second maybe swap the bridge with SD blackout bridge, but first check out the RPC before u blow too much do. finally, If u can wait the emg 81-8/85-8 will be the best pup set there is, so if u want save up some money for that shit and ull have the ultimate ERG pups. n losing the will to djent is good, that is, using the worse "djent" at all would be good to lose


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## Murch (Jun 8, 2013)

yellow said:


> Forget the 18v mod and wastin money on passives when u already got a diamond in the rough: First, check out the *EMG 808 Fix* in my profile or search for it, and ur 808's''ll b better than anything else out, second maybe swap the bridge with SD blackout bridge, but first check out the RPC before u blow too much do. finally, If u can wait the emg 81-8/85-8 will be the best pup set there is, so if u want save up some money for that shit and ull have the ultimate ERG pups. n losing the will to djent is good, that is, using the worse "djent" at all would be good to lose



Y'know, if you actually used proper grammar, it'd be a bit easier to take you seriously. His EMG 808 Fix is the EMG RPC control, which boosts high frequencies, in case you were wondering. Personally, I'd just get an EQ pedal, which would get you the same sounds and more, but the RPC could be a viable solution.

Personally, all I think you need are the 18v mod, some amp tweaking, and maybe a tubescreamer as a boost. I'm currently running my Hellraiser through the TS808 into a Peavey XXX, and it sounds great, although the lowest string is a bit muddy in chords. My tone is a bit darker than what I think you're going for, but my settings are:

Peavey XXX (crunch channel)
Gain - 3-4ish
Volume - 10
Bass - 3-4 (keep below where it starts to get too muddy)
Mids - 6-7
Treble - 4-6, depending on the sound I'm going for at the time

TS808
Drive - 4
Level - 6
Tone - 3

The tubescreamer really tightens it up, and the 18v gives it a bit more dynamics to work with. An EQ pedal would give you some room to tweak the tones hitting the amp, but I don't think you'd really need it, unless this doesn't quite get you there. Your strings should be fine, maybe try going slightly thicker on the lowest two, but that's more for balance than tone.


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## yellow (Jun 8, 2013)

my grammar is not of importance, it is negligible to mention it and it does not detract from the substance of my point: which is beyond the RPC simply being an EQ pedal, it is a mod that synergizes with the active preamp circuitry. and it also is much more effective than the 18v mod, if the 18v mod actually has much value to begin with

furthermore, I wont bother to take what you said seriously as I am an English university/college professor with the highest command of the language you could possibly imagine....but this is an internet forum so i keep it simple, and i don't find it necessary to outwit pseudointellectualz (mistakes purposefully left)


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## Murch (Jun 8, 2013)

yellow said:


> my grammar is not of importance, it is negligible to mention it and it does not detract from the substance of my point



True, but it does change people's perception of you. The RPC is a good solution, but nobody will trust the technological knowledge of someone that types like a 16 year old girl. Also, I love how you attack me despite essentially agreeing with you, since I mentioned solutions other than what you posted as well.

The RPC and 18v mod do different things, and aren't even mutually exclusive. The 18v mod increases headroom, which allows for more dynamic range and increased clarity. The RPC cuts lows starting at around 80hz, and boosts highs primarily at 4000hz, akin to a preset EQ pedal (frequencies taken from EMGs data sheets). The only major difference between it and an EQ pedal is the fact that it blends in the circuit as opposed to a lower amount of boost (also from EMG's website). You could put an EQ pedal after your guitar and get roughly the same sounds, and they even have an EQ sheet that you can mirror onto the pedal to get even closer. 

Also, the reason everyone is pushing the 18v mod is that it's essentially free. All it costs is maybe $5 total for the clip and battery, assuming you don't already have either, and 10 minutes time at most for the soldering. It's also easily reversible if he doesn't like the change, as it's just removing one battery clip. If he tries it, and it doesn't work, then the solutions would move to pricier add-ons like the RPC or new pedals.


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## yellow (Jun 8, 2013)

Murch said:


> True, but it does change people's perception of you. The RPC is a good solution, but nobody will trust the technological knowledge of someone that types like a 16 year old girl. Also, I love how you attack me despite essentially agreeing with you, since I mentioned solutions other than what you posted as well.


 
point taken on the first sentence, and don't take it like that murch, i was just replying to you saying i shouldn't be taken seriously, i know u were agreeing

(and i agree also with you on the 18v mod being practically free, compared to at least $25 for the RPC, but i mean 25 bucks for a great improvement is worth it don't u think?, the 18v mod in comparison, while mutually exlusive [hi boost/low cut vs headroom increase], the RPC makes quite a difference)

its all good bro, don't take it the wrong way


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## Murch (Jun 8, 2013)

The $50 that the RPC costs new (more like $30 if you find it used) is perfectly worth it for a good improvement. However, it won't work for everyone, despite it possibly being a good solution to OP's problem. I don't have/want one because my amp is already exceedingly bright, to the point where my treble control almost never goes past halfway, and my tone knob is usually dialed down. The RPC would make that substantially worse, so I don't plan on getting one. This is why I'd personally recommend an EQ pedal instead, as it would be cheaper for a lower end one to see if it'd work (Behringer and Danelectro's EQ pedals are barely $20 new, and even cheaper used), and more versatile in case the RPC's EQ shaping causes fizz or too high of a treble boost. Plus it's less hassle to plug in a pedal than resolder an entire guitar, and possibly even route out a new hole (I couldn't do without my tone knob or either volume control, though I don't know about OP's usage of them.)


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## MikeSweeney (Jun 9, 2013)

good


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