Clips?
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..... ude:
Last edited by duhvoodooman; October 26th, 2007 at 01:20 PM.
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Clips?
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.
Now, why did I know that was coming next??Originally Posted by Spudman
Prolly get one up this weekend....
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
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Nice report Sir Vood! Makes that pedal sound even more appealling! Might have to be a Christmas list item. 'Bout that amp, I am amazed at how my smaller cousin to yours, the C-30 takes the Toneport patches through the effects loop. That amph sure can put out some different tones with that help. I would love to hear how you like that combo. Clips would be nice! ude:Originally Posted by duhvoodooman
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
14.4k? thats pretty hot... what pup do you have in the neck position?
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009
A Duncan '59 (7.4K).
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
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Not much differance in volume between them? I´m thinking about replacing my neck pup (jazz) but I want something that still can keep up with a JB. The ´59 looks like a good choice. Do you have any clean clips?Originally Posted by duhvoodooman
(sorry for hijacking the thread )
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009
Not too bad; nothing you can't control easily enough by rolling off the bridge volume a bit. The '59 should be able to hold its own against the JB. Keep in mind that Duncan's most popular humbucker set (and Seymour's stated favorite) is the SH-2 Jazz with the SH-4 JB. And the SH-2 is 7.7K, very comparable to the '59.Originally Posted by SuperSwede
Clean?? Whazzat?? Actually, I'm not sure I do, but I'll look. When I want clean, I almost always pick up the Strat or the Tele. Humbuckers are for dishin' the dirt, in my book!Originally Posted by SuperSwede
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
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Nice write up Voodoo, I have only had humbucker guitars, I have been getting some of those great tones with with my Blues 30 on the 15watt side the clean channel and the Monkey with the gain turned down all the way, the selector on the guitar in the middle, for some reason the Monkey brings out the bass and mids.
Guitar/ Ibanez GAX 70, Squier standard Strat, Epi plus top Honey Burst
Amps/ Epiphone Blues Custom 30, Fender XP Vibro Champ 5 Watt tube Amp
Randall RX 15
Bad Monkey
I've never used a Bad Monkey, but if it's like most Tube Screamer clones, there is a definite mid-range boost. Either you love it (as I do) or you hate it. That's probably why I'm having issues with my TO800 and my Floyd. The single coils on the guitar are more mid-rangey than is typical for single coils. Double boosted makes for some muddy situations.Originally Posted by 250Keith
Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
Amphen: Jet City JCA22H and JCA12S cab, Carvin X-60 combo, Acoustic B20
Effecten: "Thesis 96" Overdrive/Boost (aka DVM OD2), Hardwire DL-8 Digital Delay/Looper, DigiTech Polara Reverb, DigiTech EX-7 Expression Factory and CF-7 Chorus Factory, Danelectro CF-1 Cool Cat Fuzz
"I wish Imagine Dragons would be stuck in an Arcade Fire for an entire Vampire Weekend."--Brian Posehn
Okey-doke, here's a link to a clip I recorded demo'ing the sound I'm talking about. It's recorded using Audacity by mic'ing my AD30VT from about a foot away. I used my Epi Elitist LP into the UK'70s amp model (a Marshall Plexi emulation) which sounded pretty good to me after I fiddled with the tone stack so that it wasn't too bassy. The recording sounds a bit muddier on the bottom than it sounded "in person", but it gets the idea across, I think.
I started out by playing a few notes in a fairly clean mode, first on the bridge pickup and then on the neck, just to give an idea of the basic tone of the guitar with this amp model. The rest of the clip uses the Duncan Custom Five bridge pickup along with the Marshall Guv'nor 2 pedal with its gain up around 2 o'clock. Other effects are some amp reverb and a touch of delay from my Digidelay pedal. Included is some noodling of my own along with snatches of some of my favorite classic rock tunes to play with this tone setup.
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!
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That sounded real good, I love the sound of LPs, I am just itching to get a Epi Elitist,
Guitar/ Ibanez GAX 70, Squier standard Strat, Epi plus top Honey Burst
Amps/ Epiphone Blues Custom 30, Fender XP Vibro Champ 5 Watt tube Amp
Randall RX 15
Bad Monkey
Sweet sounds DVM! Thanks for the clip.
I can't say that I've given up on a flanger cause I've never liked the effect either. I also can't say the same about Tremolo. I hate them both equally. - Tone2TheBone 2009
Nice sounds! I enjoy hearing your playing too!
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
I would be interested in the pup if ya sell it.:
I been tellin' ya....haven't I been tellin' ya I been tellin' ya for years. Glad you got your Guv'nor Plus Voo you sound slamming now! Welcome to the club!
Guitars/Bass - MIM Fender Classic 50s Strat, MIM Fender Standard Strat, Squier Classic Vibe 50s Tele, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Epi '56 Gold Top Les Paul, Martin DSR acoustic, Sigma Martin Auditorium electric/acoustic, Squier Jazz Bass.
Amps/Cabinets/Modelers - Model 2558 50 watt Marshall Silver Anniversary Jubilee combo w/ Celestion Vintage 30s, 4x12 Marshall cabinet w/25 watt Greenback Celestions, Fender Blues Junior w/ a couple of Billm mods, Line 6 POD 2.0, Roland Micro Cube
Pedals/Effects - Cry Baby Classic Wah, Boss TU-2, Boss NS-2, Boss RC-2 Loop Station, Ross Compressor, MXR Micro Amp, Danelectro FAB Echo, Danelectro FAB Chorus, Danelectro Chicken Salad, Marshall Guv'nor Plus, Marshall Echohead, Duhvoodooman's Zonkin' Yellow Screamer, Digitech Digiverb, Digitech Bad Monkey, Dunlop Fuzz Face, Homemade Loop Bypass pedal, Duhvoodooman's Sonic Tonic (Maxon SD-9 clone +), Voodoo Labs Superfuzz
Well, I don't know about the "for years" part, since I've only been here since early '06, but there's no denying you were right about the Guv'nor Plus! The closest thing I've found to a "Marshall-stack-in-a-pedal"!Originally Posted by Tone2TheBone
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!
DVM's Gear Photos
Visit MY WEBSITE!