duhvoodooman
October 26th, 2007, 01:01 PM
You know how you get a particular tone in your head that you want to reproduce? You can clearly hear it in your imagination, but the trick is actually finding how to produce it--especially if you're unable or unwilling to acquire the equipment it was originally created on! Well, the one I've been seeking for the better part of two years is what I'd describe as that quintessential late 60's to 70's LP-through-a-vintage-Marshall tone. A fat, rich, throaty roar with plenty of bottom-end presence, thick mids, and just enough treble to balance/fill out the sound but not dominate it or sound harsh.
Well, I've finally found it or at least gotten close enough to satisfy my needs. I've gotten in the ballpark before, between my Epi Elitist LP Std and various combinations of my amps & pedals, but not quite there. Recently, two factors came together to finally put me over the top on achieving this elusive tone:
I finally changed the bridge pickup in my LP from the Duncan Pearly Gates I'd had in there from early 2006 to a Duncan Custom Five that I snagged on eBay a couple months back. The PG was just a little too bright and top-end heavy for my personal taste, at least in this particular guitar. This surprised me a bit, because LP's aren't usually noted for their brightness, but this guitar seems to accentuate that portion of the tonal spectrum. The Custom Five is known for having more bottom-to-mid emphasis. It's quite a bit hotter overall than the PG (14.4K vs. 8.4) so it distorts sooner, too. While not quite as articulate on the highs as the PG was, the overall tonal balance of this pickup matches up better with what I was seeking. Haven't decided yet what I'll do with the PG, which is an excellent pickup but just not quite what I wanted.
The final ingredient was the Marshall GV-2 Guv'nor Plus distortion pedal that I recently acquired. It pumps out that fat distortion that vintage Marshall amps are known for, and its unique (at least in my experience) "deep" control accentuates the whole bottom end, much like the "loudness" button did on old stereo amps. This just seems to match perfectly with the character of that Custom Five pickup to deliver the classic overdriven rock tone I was seeking.
With my Vox AD30VT, I've been using this combo with the Tweed 4x10 (Fender Bassman) model to get what IMO is just about the perfect vintage LP tone. I end up grinning from ear to ear every time I've played with it. Since the Tweed 4x10 model tends to be a little dark/bassy sounding, I turn the treble up to about 3 o'clock, the mids to about 1:30 and the bass to 12 noon. Dial in some reverb and just enough delay to fill out the sound, and it's a little slice of sonic heaven right here on earth! If I want a little brighter version, I just switch to the Black 2x12 (Fender Twin) model. I really haven't played around much with the UK '70s (Marshall Plexi) model yet, even though this would seem to be the logical one to use for the sound I've been seeking. The little bit I tried with it sounded overly bassy and muddy, but I can probably compensate by backing off the gain some and playing with the amp's tone stack.
This combo sounds great with my Peavey Delta Blues, too, though I haven't played with it much yet, because it's SO freakin' loud! I just haven't been able to roll down the volume on the amp and the gain & level on the Guv'nor to a point where the overall volume level is reasonable but I still maintain that great vintage LP-through-a-Marshall tone. So I'll have to wait until I have the first floor of the house to myself....which coincidentally happens tomorrow when my wife & daughter are out of the house for most of the day. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha..... :Dude: :DR
Well, I've finally found it or at least gotten close enough to satisfy my needs. I've gotten in the ballpark before, between my Epi Elitist LP Std and various combinations of my amps & pedals, but not quite there. Recently, two factors came together to finally put me over the top on achieving this elusive tone:
I finally changed the bridge pickup in my LP from the Duncan Pearly Gates I'd had in there from early 2006 to a Duncan Custom Five that I snagged on eBay a couple months back. The PG was just a little too bright and top-end heavy for my personal taste, at least in this particular guitar. This surprised me a bit, because LP's aren't usually noted for their brightness, but this guitar seems to accentuate that portion of the tonal spectrum. The Custom Five is known for having more bottom-to-mid emphasis. It's quite a bit hotter overall than the PG (14.4K vs. 8.4) so it distorts sooner, too. While not quite as articulate on the highs as the PG was, the overall tonal balance of this pickup matches up better with what I was seeking. Haven't decided yet what I'll do with the PG, which is an excellent pickup but just not quite what I wanted.
The final ingredient was the Marshall GV-2 Guv'nor Plus distortion pedal that I recently acquired. It pumps out that fat distortion that vintage Marshall amps are known for, and its unique (at least in my experience) "deep" control accentuates the whole bottom end, much like the "loudness" button did on old stereo amps. This just seems to match perfectly with the character of that Custom Five pickup to deliver the classic overdriven rock tone I was seeking.
With my Vox AD30VT, I've been using this combo with the Tweed 4x10 (Fender Bassman) model to get what IMO is just about the perfect vintage LP tone. I end up grinning from ear to ear every time I've played with it. Since the Tweed 4x10 model tends to be a little dark/bassy sounding, I turn the treble up to about 3 o'clock, the mids to about 1:30 and the bass to 12 noon. Dial in some reverb and just enough delay to fill out the sound, and it's a little slice of sonic heaven right here on earth! If I want a little brighter version, I just switch to the Black 2x12 (Fender Twin) model. I really haven't played around much with the UK '70s (Marshall Plexi) model yet, even though this would seem to be the logical one to use for the sound I've been seeking. The little bit I tried with it sounded overly bassy and muddy, but I can probably compensate by backing off the gain some and playing with the amp's tone stack.
This combo sounds great with my Peavey Delta Blues, too, though I haven't played with it much yet, because it's SO freakin' loud! I just haven't been able to roll down the volume on the amp and the gain & level on the Guv'nor to a point where the overall volume level is reasonable but I still maintain that great vintage LP-through-a-Marshall tone. So I'll have to wait until I have the first floor of the house to myself....which coincidentally happens tomorrow when my wife & daughter are out of the house for most of the day. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha..... :Dude: :DR