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Thank You and we look forward to your questions.

4th May 2002: Question from Jim Bandola
Hi James, Just wondering what your rule for harmonizing a riff/lead is, and if there is, is it always a set pattern?
No rules -other than the correct harmony! just play tight.

9th March 2002: Question from Walt
James, I know that you use DiMarzio pickups but I was wondering if you have ever used Duncans or anyother pickup made by some of the other manufacturers out there?
JB: I have been using DiMarzio pickups since the company began in the 1970's. I have been an endorser for them since 1982. Every one of my guitars has DiMarzio pickups in it under the theory that if I was unhappy, I'd use something else. Sure I've played guitars (other peoples!) that have different pickups in them. DiMarzio is light years ahead of any other company in pickup technology. They were the first company to make a replacement pickup, the first company to make the vertical single coil, and the ONLY company with the technology to acheive true single-coil sound without 60 cycle hum -the Virtual series-. Why would I use anything else? Some of these companie's -I'm not naming names here- products are designed by guys who have no more background in engineering than the ordinary musician, they just throw windings on pickups in a hit or miss strategy and hope for something marketable. I'm not saying that other companies pickups are bad, hey if you like the sound, use them. But DiMarzio pickups are designed and developed by engineers who work with musicians with very specific goals in mind from the outset, and these guys really are the leasers in pickup technology, and they have the widest product range of any manufacturer I know of.

Also your opinion/therory on "unity gain" using stomp boxes?
JB: I don't use multiple stomp-boxes, and I never use stomp-boxes for time-based effects, only for gain altering. I always place my overdrive unit in FRONT of my cry-baby wah pedal. Why? Well, first, "Unity gain" means that there is no differential between the input side of the chain and the output side of the chain. This is not "the real world" of your guitar and amp. Unity gain is only desireable when using time based "effects" (such as reverb or echo or chorusing) where distortion is to be minimised, not maximised. These effects devices have absolutely no business being placed between the guitar and amplifier -unless of course you want a bunch of indecipherable sonic mud-. The key question here then, is what are you trying to do with the pedals? If one uses an overdrive or distortion unit set for unity gain, they are not increasing the input to the amplifier over what the guitar itself puts out in voltage. If your goal is to use the box to push the amplifier into distortion, it won't happen this way. Now lets say one has a series of boxes such as a distortion box, a digital delay, and a digital reverb, and that they insist upon chaining them together between the guitar and amp; what would be the correct order? Any gain altering device such as a distortion box, even if set for unity gain between the input and output, is NOT "Unity gain" internally. It has massive quantities of internal gain to acheive it purpose -distortion-. It is there for a gigantic amplifier of noise, even though it's input and output are set for unity. So nothing other than the guitar should go into the input of this box. Putting a distortion box AFTER a chorus or echo, will distort the echo AND the original guitar note TOGETHER, and it will not sound good at all. This is why I say that effects have no business between a guitar and a guitar amplifier that's being overdriven. So if one uses a series of boxes, beginning with distortion, and ending with effects between the guitar and the amplifier, the amplifier must NOT be allowed to distort at all. This pretty much eliminates the entire reason for having a nice tube amp if you think about it. You may as well plug your boxes together at unity, and set the final output at +4db over unity (most pro audio gear runs at +4) and run into a mixing desk and a nice set of monitors if you want to do this. Better still, just buy an "all-in-one" rack mounted multi-effects processor. "Unity-gain" is a term which really only applies to high-fidelity, and a good tube amplifier run into saturation is anything but high fidelity. Knowing how to use an amp is at least as important as having the right one, and if you're not going for the sound of an overdriven amp in the first place, leave it aside altogether if you're intent is a bunch of effects boxes.

How's the followup to Flying Beyond the 9 coming?? Looking forward to buying it.
JB: It's going great, thanks for asking!

18th February 2002: Question from David Titus
Hey..How Ya doing man..I would like to know.. Ihave a Twin Set of Marshall's 8X10 Cab's 50w.Marshall Head..All 72..I would like to play these out in local clubs but I always get told to turn it down. As you know from haveing them they don't sound good till they are on about 8, myself i like 10!! but most drummers don't!! Iwould like to know what you know about Power soaks...Thanks..
JB: They're cool! You've got a killer rig btw. I recommend a THD HOT-PLATE. You don't want to crank too much out of the amp or as you've said, the tone will suffer. I take off about 8 db with mine. You can always just use one cab too, or even disconnect 4 of the speakers in both and run them as 2 4X10's.

Is there anywere Ican find what these are worth, they are untouched??
JB: Not too many people are hip to them. It's changed a bit in recent years, and I wonder sometimes if my mentioning them in numerous interviews has made it harder for me to find one at a good price. Guitar Oasis in L.A. had two of them that were actually brand-new a couple of years ago, still in factory plastic wrap!!! They were asking about $900 each for them. A steal if you think about it: The original alnico speakers are worth $250-300 EACH if purchased seperately used. Do the math. Good luck with the power soak.

23rd December 2001: Question from Miguel Oscar, member of the FREE Yahoo James Byrd Avianti Club (see links page to join).
I'd Like to know what is James' opinion about multi-effect procesors and a set of single effect boxes and how they affect the quality of the sound?
JB: It's a potentially complex issue and the answer depends on several things:

First, how do you define "Effect"? I define it as any sort of processing which alters pitch, or time. So (for example), a reverb, an echo, or a harmoniser or chorus would be an "effect", but an overdrive or wah-wah pedal would not. The latter alter gain and EQ, but do not "Process" information into "NEW" information, merely altered information.

That said, multi-effects devices almost always run at +4 unity gain and have what in layman's terms is called "Low impedance" operating voltages. This means that when taken by them-self, and within them-selves, they are quieter, and have better fidelity.

Now, if you are using an ordinary guitar amplifier, the use of a multi-processor can become problematical for a number of reasons:
Firstly, the input stage of the standard guitar amplifier is high impedance, not low impedance. Attempting to use a multi-effects processor in front of the amp, will require an increase in gain beyond unity -as within the device-, which will increase the noise.

Secondly, if you use such a device with an "effect" -as defined earlier- in front of the amplifier, and the amplifier is used in such a way as to create distortion, the distorted tubes or mosfets circuits of the amplifier will collapse, or attempt to "sine" the -now- more complex content being fed into the amp. The result will be -pardon my crudeness- shit.

So, on practical terms, here is my advice:
Gain altering devices may be placed between the guitar and amp. If you want effects like reverb, chorus, echo, harmonisers, these must be amplified by a second separate source, set-up for high fidelity sound -IE not a guitar amp on overdrive-.

If the intended use of multi-effects is to eliminate the guitar amp altogether, some of these units are very very good. The Marshall JMP-1, and the Zoom 9002 -for example-, enable you to eliminate the guitar amp altogether and either plug into a P.A., or a recording console. They give you 90 percent of what a good amp can give. But they -in my opinion- will never equal the sound of a good tube amplifier.

Single, battery operated effects devices don't sound very good in my opinion. If you want good reverb, stick with rack mounted studio grade gear, and get a 2nd amplification system to run it. Stereo ROCKS btw.
Cheers,
~Byrd

20th October 2001: Questions from Walt Scott.
I noticed on some of your earlier guitars you had Floyd Rose Bridges on them. I have a Strat with a Floyd and I want to put in a set of YJMs.
JB: Hi Walt. You say "A set of YJM's", implying at least two. While the YJM sounds very good in the neck position, and also works fine in the middle, I personally don't find it a good canidate for a bridge pickup. It has a very pronounced upper midrange peak. This sounds very good in the neck position, cleaning up the sound a lot for neck pickup soloing. But in the bridge position, in my opinion, they are too thin and screachy. DiMarzio makes a wide array of Virtual Vintage and Virtual series single-coil sized noiseless pickups with different attributes you should check into for a bridge pickup choice. I've tried many of them -being a product endorser-. You can find a pickup frequency response chart at http://www.dimarzio.com and look at the general characeristics of the pickups. I -personally- found that the Virtual Vintage 54B is a very good match in the bridge position, for the YJM in the neck position. Remember that the closer a pickup is placed to the bridge, the less electrical energy is generated into the pickup, and the the harmonic content also moves higher. You want to strive for a balance of output volume during actual playing, and this dictates that the bridge pickup have noticably more output than the neck pickup.

I'm a big fan of Yngwie and after hearing "Beyond the 9" I've become a fan of yours also. I like the big, open sound that the HS-3/YJM pickups offer, but I'm concerned about the Floyd Rose in the bridge.
JB: On my album "Crimes of Virtuosity", I used a strat with a floyd rose and HS3's. I think the tone was actually very good, but obviously I thought it could be improved or I would not have gotten rid of the floyd rose units and changed my pickup choices. The floyd rose does indeed change the sound of the guitar. A 'universal' type pickup routing eliminates most of the problems but not all of them. Fender instituted this routing on their floyd equipped guitars for just this reason. Floyd's tremelo's have a lot of mass, and this reduces the bass response of the guitar, and generally decreases body resonance across the entire sound spectrum.

How do the Virtual 54s compare to the HS-3/YJM pickups?
JB: The Virtual Vintage 54 is designed specifically for the bridge position, and has a higher output, and a fatter sound. The YJM is the same pickup as the HS3, but has a 1973 Fender magnet stagger. Dimarzio claims it's purely cosmetic. My experience is that it is not, but has a quite noticable effect on the sound, being wholly glassier sounding. "glassy" can be very nice in the neck position, but as I said, in the bridge location, it's harsh and screachy to my ear. The 54B was engineered and wound to duplicate the sound of Eric Johnson's favorite 54 strat. It's the closest thing to a violin I've ever heard in a pickup, but this assumes that you have the right amp and have it dialed in -a very big assumption-.

Thanks and I'm looking forward to the follow-up to Flying Beyond the 9.
JB: You're welcome Walt.

18th June 2001: Questions from Omar, Queens - New York - USA.
1. How can I improve my sweep picking and make it clean?
JB. Firstly, raise the action on your guitar if it's super low. Secondly, make certain that you do NOT press the string down to the fret until it's time for that note to sound, and that you release that note before you play the next note. You do not want the notes overlapping at all or it will sound like a mess. If the sweep involves the use of a flattened single finger -as in a second position bar chord- then you need to learn to 'Roll' your finger onto and off of each string in sequence. Practice sweeping the appegios slowly and with a metronome. Gradually increase the tempo over a period of weeks, but begin each practice session at a slower tempo and then work up to where you last left off before increasing the tempo.

2. Are you going to put out a video or some sort of instructional material?
JB. I have no immediate plans to do so.

3. Any advice for writing such compelling compositions?
JB. I concentrate first on the vocal melody (If it's vocal track), then develop the fundementum to support that, deliberately leaving space for a counter melody -often-. But "Compelling" is a very subjective thing. I just try to please myself.

4. Are you ever going to play NY?
JB. No immediate plans to Omar.

Thanks a lot for reading these James.
JB. You're welcome.

6th Oct 2000 : Question from John Sawtelle, Cleveland.

"I was curious to know if James will be touring in the near future. It would be incredible to see him live in Cleveland or maybe right here in Youngstown! Also I am currently using a 70's reissue Strat through a Marshall JCM 900 head/ 4x12 cabinets. Wondering if James had any opinion on this guitar or amp? P.S.Been saving for that Avianti!"

JB: "Hi John! The only person who needs to be happy with your guitar and amp, is you! But I personally favor vintage Marshall amps, non-master volume models. As you might know, I played Strats for many years, and was also an artist endorser with Fender in the 1990's. I prefer the Fender type sound, and don't care for humbucking pickups except in the rare case of a certain stray rhythm guitar track. I still haven't put a humbucking equipped guitar to tape since 1984 though, as one can easily get a chunky rhythm sound, or any sound for that matter, out of the single coils. The same can't be said of humbucking pickups which tend to have excessive colouration IMO. No plans for a tour right now John. I'm still working on the new album, and still have yet to sort out distribution as well. As you know, the music industry isn't exactly beating down the progressive-metal/guitar virtuoso door at the moment, so support for tours is negligable to non-existant at best (unless you were HUGE in the 80's, in which case, Las Vegas awaits!) Thanks for your interest btw in the Super Avianti guitars. I'll be more than happy to build you your instrument when you're ready. Cheers, Byrd"


ZONES HOME NEWS DISCOGRAPHY BIOGRAPHY INTERVIEWS REVIEWS IMAGES TABLATURE ASK BYRD EQUIPMENT BYRD GUITARS STRATS OLD GUITARS AMPS CABINETS EFFECTS TONE TIPS OTHER LINKS EMAIL		ASK BYRD Enter your question/s for James Byrd here and hit "Send Query". Thank You and we look forward to your questions. 4th May 2002: Question from Jim Bandola Hi James, Just wondering what your rule for harmonizing a riff/lead is, and if there is, is it always a set pattern? No rules -other than the correct harmony! just play tight. 9th March 2002: Question from Walt James, I know that you use DiMarzio pickups but I was wondering if you have ever used Duncans or anyother pickup made by some of the other manufacturers out there? JB: I have been using DiMarzio pickups since the company began in the 1970's. I have been an endorser for them since 1982. Every one of my guitars has DiMarzio pickups in it under the theory that if I was unhappy, I'd use something else. Sure I've played guitars (other peoples!) that have different pickups in them. DiMarzio is light years ahead of any other company in pickup technology. They were the first company to make a replacement pickup, the first company to make the vertical single coil, and the ONLY company with the technology to acheive true single-coil sound without 60 cycle hum -the Virtual series-. Why would I use anything else? Some of these companie's -I'm not naming names here- products are designed by guys who have no more background in engineering than the ordinary musician, they just throw windings on pickups in a hit or miss strategy and hope for something marketable. I'm not saying that other companies pickups are bad, hey if you like the sound, use them. But DiMarzio pickups are designed and developed by engineers who work with musicians with very specific goals in mind from the outset, and these guys really are the leasers in pickup technology, and they have the widest product range of any manufacturer I know of. Also your opinion/therory on "unity gain" using stomp boxes? JB: I don't use multiple stomp-boxes, and I never use stomp-boxes for time-based effects, only for gain altering. I always place my overdrive unit in FRONT of my cry-baby wah pedal. Why? Well, first, "Unity gain" means that there is no differential between the input side of the chain and the output side of the chain. This is not "the real world" of your guitar and amp. Unity gain is only desireable when using time based "effects" (such as reverb or echo or chorusing) where distortion is to be minimised, not maximised. These effects devices have absolutely no business being placed between the guitar and amplifier -unless of course you want a bunch of indecipherable sonic mud-. The key question here then, is what are you trying to do with the pedals? If one uses an overdrive or distortion unit set for unity gain, they are not increasing the input to the amplifier over what the guitar itself puts out in voltage. If your goal is to use the box to push the amplifier into distortion, it won't happen this way. Now lets say one has a series of boxes such as a distortion box, a digital delay, and a digital reverb, and that they insist upon chaining them together between the guitar and amp; what would be the correct order? Any gain altering device such as a distortion box, even if set for unity gain between the input and output, is NOT "Unity gain" internally. It has massive quantities of internal gain to acheive it purpose -distortion-. It is there for a gigantic amplifier of noise, even though it's input and output are set for unity. So nothing other than the guitar should go into the input of this box. Putting a distortion box AFTER a chorus or echo, will distort the echo AND the original guitar note TOGETHER, and it will not sound good at all. This is why I say that effects have no business between a guitar and a guitar amplifier that's being overdriven. So if one uses a series of boxes, beginning with distortion, and ending with effects between the guitar and the amplifier, the amplifier must NOT be allowed to distort at all. This pretty much eliminates the entire reason for having a nice tube amp if you think about it. You may as well plug your boxes together at unity, and set the final output at +4db over unity (most pro audio gear runs at +4) and run into a mixing desk and a nice set of monitors if you want to do this. Better still, just buy an "all-in-one" rack mounted multi-effects processor. "Unity-gain" is a term which really only applies to high-fidelity, and a good tube amplifier run into saturation is anything but high fidelity. Knowing how to use an amp is at least as important as having the right one, and if you're not going for the sound of an overdriven amp in the first place, leave it aside altogether if you're intent is a bunch of effects boxes. How's the followup to Flying Beyond the 9 coming?? Looking forward to buying it. JB: It's going great, thanks for asking! 18th February 2002: Question from David Titus Hey..How Ya doing man..I would like to know.. Ihave a Twin Set of Marshall's 8X10 Cab's 50w.Marshall Head..All 72..I would like to play these out in local clubs but I always get told to turn it down. As you know from haveing them they don't sound good till they are on about 8, myself i like 10!! but most drummers don't!! Iwould like to know what you know about Power soaks...Thanks.. JB: They're cool! You've got a killer rig btw. I recommend a THD HOT-PLATE. You don't want to crank too much out of the amp or as you've said, the tone will suffer. I take off about 8 db with mine. You can always just use one cab too, or even disconnect 4 of the speakers in both and run them as 2 4X10's. Is there anywere Ican find what these are worth, they are untouched?? JB: Not too many people are hip to them. It's changed a bit in recent years, and I wonder sometimes if my mentioning them in numerous interviews has made it harder for me to find one at a good price. Guitar Oasis in L.A. had two of them that were actually brand-new a couple of years ago, still in factory plastic wrap!!! They were asking about $900 each for them. A steal if you think about it: The original alnico speakers are worth $250-300 EACH if purchased seperately used. Do the math. Good luck with the power soak. 23rd December 2001: Question from Miguel Oscar, member of the FREE Yahoo James Byrd Avianti Club (see links page to join). I'd Like to know what is James' opinion about multi-effect procesors and a set of single effect boxes and how they affect the quality of the sound? JB: It's a potentially complex issue and the answer depends on several things: First, how do you define "Effect"? I define it as any sort of processing which alters pitch, or time. So (for example), a reverb, an echo, or a harmoniser or chorus would be an "effect", but an overdrive or wah-wah pedal would not. The latter alter gain and EQ, but do not "Process" information into "NEW" information, merely altered information. That said, multi-effects devices almost always run at +4 unity gain and have what in layman's terms is called "Low impedance" operating voltages. This means that when taken by them-self, and within them-selves, they are quieter, and have better fidelity. Now, if you are using an ordinary guitar amplifier, the use of a multi-processor can become problematical for a number of reasons: Firstly, the input stage of the standard guitar amplifier is high impedance, not low impedance. Attempting to use a multi-effects processor in front of the amp, will require an increase in gain beyond unity -as within the device-, which will increase the noise. Secondly, if you use such a device with an "effect" -as defined earlier- in front of the amplifier, and the amplifier is used in such a way as to create distortion, the distorted tubes or mosfets circuits of the amplifier will collapse, or attempt to "sine" the -now- more complex content being fed into the amp. The result will be -pardon my crudeness- shit. So, on practical terms, here is my advice: Gain altering devices may be placed between the guitar and amp. If you want effects like reverb, chorus, echo, harmonisers, these must be amplified by a second separate source, set-up for high fidelity sound -IE not a guitar amp on overdrive-. If the intended use of multi-effects is to eliminate the guitar amp altogether, some of these units are very very good. The Marshall JMP-1, and the Zoom 9002 -for example-, enable you to eliminate the guitar amp altogether and either plug into a P.A., or a recording console. They give you 90 percent of what a good amp can give. But they -in my opinion- will never equal the sound of a good tube amplifier. Single, battery operated effects devices don't sound very good in my opinion. If you want good reverb, stick with rack mounted studio grade gear, and get a 2nd amplification system to run it. Stereo ROCKS btw. Cheers, ~Byrd 20th October 2001: Questions from Walt Scott. I noticed on some of your earlier guitars you had Floyd Rose Bridges on them. I have a Strat with a Floyd and I want to put in a set of YJMs. JB: Hi Walt. You say "A set of YJM's", implying at least two. While the YJM sounds very good in the neck position, and also works fine in the middle, I personally don't find it a good canidate for a bridge pickup. It has a very pronounced upper midrange peak. This sounds very good in the neck position, cleaning up the sound a lot for neck pickup soloing. But in the bridge position, in my opinion, they are too thin and screachy. DiMarzio makes a wide array of Virtual Vintage and Virtual series single-coil sized noiseless pickups with different attributes you should check into for a bridge pickup choice. I've tried many of them -being a product endorser-. You can find a pickup frequency response chart at http://www.dimarzio.com and look at the general characeristics of the pickups. I -personally- found that the Virtual Vintage 54B is a very good match in the bridge position, for the YJM in the neck position. Remember that the closer a pickup is placed to the bridge, the less electrical energy is generated into the pickup, and the the harmonic content also moves higher. You want to strive for a balance of output volume during actual playing, and this dictates that the bridge pickup have noticably more output than the neck pickup. I'm a big fan of Yngwie and after hearing "Beyond the 9" I've become a fan of yours also. I like the big, open sound that the HS-3/YJM pickups offer, but I'm concerned about the Floyd Rose in the bridge. JB: On my album "Crimes of Virtuosity", I used a strat with a floyd rose and HS3's. I think the tone was actually very good, but obviously I thought it could be improved or I would not have gotten rid of the floyd rose units and changed my pickup choices. The floyd rose does indeed change the sound of the guitar. A 'universal' type pickup routing eliminates most of the problems but not all of them. Fender instituted this routing on their floyd equipped guitars for just this reason. Floyd's tremelo's have a lot of mass, and this reduces the bass response of the guitar, and generally decreases body resonance across the entire sound spectrum. How do the Virtual 54s compare to the HS-3/YJM pickups? JB: The Virtual Vintage 54 is designed specifically for the bridge position, and has a higher output, and a fatter sound. The YJM is the same pickup as the HS3, but has a 1973 Fender magnet stagger. Dimarzio claims it's purely cosmetic. My experience is that it is not, but has a quite noticable effect on the sound, being wholly glassier sounding. "glassy" can be very nice in the neck position, but as I said, in the bridge location, it's harsh and screachy to my ear. The 54B was engineered and wound to duplicate the sound of Eric Johnson's favorite 54 strat. It's the closest thing to a violin I've ever heard in a pickup, but this assumes that you have the right amp and have it dialed in -a very big assumption-. Thanks and I'm looking forward to the follow-up to Flying Beyond the 9. JB: You're welcome Walt. 18th June 2001: Questions from Omar, Queens - New York - USA. 1. How can I improve my sweep picking and make it clean? JB. Firstly, raise the action on your guitar if it's super low. Secondly, make certain that you do NOT press the string down to the fret until it's time for that note to sound, and that you release that note before you play the next note. You do not want the notes overlapping at all or it will sound like a mess. If the sweep involves the use of a flattened single finger -as in a second position bar chord- then you need to learn to 'Roll' your finger onto and off of each string in sequence. Practice sweeping the appegios slowly and with a metronome. Gradually increase the tempo over a period of weeks, but begin each practice session at a slower tempo and then work up to where you last left off before increasing the tempo. 2. Are you going to put out a video or some sort of instructional material? JB. I have no immediate plans to do so. 3. Any advice for writing such compelling compositions? JB. I concentrate first on the vocal melody (If it's vocal track), then develop the fundementum to support that, deliberately leaving space for a counter melody -often-. But "Compelling" is a very subjective thing. I just try to please myself. 4. Are you ever going to play NY? JB. No immediate plans to Omar. Thanks a lot for reading these James. JB. You're welcome. 6th Oct 2000 : Question from John Sawtelle, Cleveland. "I was curious to know if James will be touring in the near future. It would be incredible to see him live in Cleveland or maybe right here in Youngstown! Also I am currently using a 70's reissue Strat through a Marshall JCM 900 head/ 4x12 cabinets. Wondering if James had any opinion on this guitar or amp? P.S.Been saving for that Avianti!" JB: "Hi John! The only person who needs to be happy with your guitar and amp, is you! But I personally favor vintage Marshall amps, non-master volume models. As you might know, I played Strats for many years, and was also an artist endorser with Fender in the 1990's. I prefer the Fender type sound, and don't care for humbucking pickups except in the rare case of a certain stray rhythm guitar track. I still haven't put a humbucking equipped guitar to tape since 1984 though, as one can easily get a chunky rhythm sound, or any sound for that matter, out of the single coils. The same can't be said of humbucking pickups which tend to have excessive colouration IMO. No plans for a tour right now John. I'm still working on the new album, and still have yet to sort out distribution as well. As you know, the music industry isn't exactly beating down the progressive-metal/guitar virtuoso door at the moment, so support for tours is negligable to non-existant at best (unless you were HUGE in the 80's, in which case, Las Vegas awaits!) Thanks for your interest btw in the Super Avianti guitars. I'll be more than happy to build you your instrument when you're ready. Cheers, Byrd"