- If your guitar is equipped with a tone control, try rolling it off on the Br pup. The lack of high end can cut down on pick noise and smooth out your attack.
-while you're doing this, use a more legato left hand stuff. Pick only where you have to (switching strings ect) and rely on left hand hammers. A voilin is bowed and smooth, try to imitate that.
-a violin is tuned to Fifths as opposed to fourths like a guitar. The intervals that voilins (mandolins,cello's,ect) easily reach can be a little wierd on a guitar. Try some wider interval licks.
-Where the voilin is fretless, vibrato is done with a "side to side" motion. Mabey cutting back on the Zakk styled wide vibrato ( not altogether though, it's still cool!!) can help. We tend to do bends...cause we can!!, but mabey make your vibrato more focused .
Eric Johnson is the master of these sounds. He's modified his Strats so that the second tone control ,effects the Br pup as opposed to the Mid pup that Fender wires it stock Strats. This allows you to get the warm tone on the Br position. Actually, my own Strat has just been modded in this way. Should be back in my hands tomorrow, can't wait to try it. EJ tends to use a Fuzz Face/Marshall when doing this, and he rolls off the tone on the Br pup for these thick tones. He still has his Mid pup (now w/o a tone pot) available to quickly switch from thick voilin tone to clear mid pup sound ,w/o having to screw with his tone pot settings.
Hope some of these ideas are usefull.
