Capo trick for overdrive leads?

[hardlock]

Is this anything? I want to use an overdrive distorted lead in a song but the "background noise" is a problem. This sound is primarily from the open strings vibrating while playing and figured if I was in the same key, it wouldn't matter as much. The key being played is G so putting the capo on the G fret let's me do open pull-offs to my hearts content.

The patch being used is on the BR-600 (fixedwah) and seems like it just won't shut up w/o palm muting. Not any way to play a lead I don't think (at least I can't) but feel I'm cheating using the capo?

[Zoltan]

I'm not quite sure if i got the concept, but some shredders use the string dampeners in their guitars. Those are some cheesy looking gadgets and as far from rock'n'roll i could imagine But in the context of studio recordings everything goes.

Seeing a technical metal bands play live with guitars hiked up their chin with those string dampeners is the modern day variant of Spinal Tap

[Blooby]

Albert Collins, the Master of the Telecaster, the Ice Man, used to play in some oddball tuning and would just move the capo for every song.

Blooby

[Farrell Jackson]

I've seen Jimmy Vaughn, in videos (Fabulous Thunderbirds), using a capo on the 5th fret to play some blues leads. It looked like he was playing in a standard tuning. I've not tried that but I'm sure it would work fine. Sometimes, when I play slide in the studio, I wrap a string cleaning cloth around the low E and A strings to keep them silent. I place it just in front of the bridge to dampen them in case I get overzealous with the slide. That way my left-hand index finger doesn't have to do the damping on all six strings. It works.

Farrell

[Blooby]

When I play slide, I need to dampen every string so the neighborhood cats don't attack.

[hardlock]

When I play slide, I need to dampen every string so the neighborhood cats don't attack.

Good one! I can relate!

[hardlock]

I'm not quite sure if i got the concept,

It's the unwanted open strings sounding either from poor playing (in my case) or from the other strings not being played but vibrating with their harmonics. If tuned to the key you're playing, they blend ok but if in a different key they sound as wrong notes. Hope that makes sense.

[hardlock]

Albert Collins, the Master of the Telecaster, the Ice Man, used to play in some oddball tuning and would just move the capo for every song.

Blooby

Funny you should mention Albert. I was in a high-school "new age" band that opened for him at a private party in Palos Verdes California in the late 60's. Always been a big fan.