Old 12-06-2018, 10:24 PM   #1
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Ok... This article explains how Eric Johnson set up his gear for Cliffs Of Dover... now, if I try setting my guitar and amp up like this, I get a muddy mess... how do they RECORD it????? Same with Robin Trower... it sounds to me like he turns his tone knobs all the way off... I do that and it's mud! This has been on my mind a lot lately in my search for the "meat" sound that everybody but me seem to be able to get...
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Old 12-07-2018, 12:39 AM   #2
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Jeez, I haven't heard that in forrr-ever, thanks for the flashback! What a monster. Sorry, don't have any insights into the tone, it is very treble-restrained... maybe you're nailing it or almost... post a sample?

Funny how one man's treasure is another's trash, I have a Chandler Tube Driver, my least fav pedal ever, though I've been given to understand I have the low-voltage "bad" one.
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Old 12-07-2018, 06:07 AM   #3
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It's more about how you play than what gear you use, despite what the gear ads tell you. There are no shortcuts for paying your dues.

Erci Johnson could pick up a department store guitar and he'd still sound like Eric Johnson.
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Old 12-07-2018, 06:19 AM   #4
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Where is the surprise ?
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Old 12-07-2018, 08:08 AM   #5
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It's more about how you play than what gear you use, despite what the gear ads tell you. There are no shortcuts for paying your dues.

Erci Johnson could pick up a department store guitar and he'd still sound like Eric Johnson.
+1

Secondary to that: guitars sound different. Wood is inherently inconsistent sounding. Doesn't matter what specific kind of wood your guitar is made of; there will be brighter and darker sounding ones, ones with more or less resonance and in different frequencies. This is why you need to shop for a guitar with your ears and not your eyes.
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Old 12-07-2018, 12:59 PM   #6
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Jeez, I haven't heard that in forrr-ever, thanks for the flashback! What a monster. Sorry, don't have any insights into the tone, it is very treble-restrained... maybe you're nailing it or almost... post a sample?

Funny how one man's treasure is another's trash, I have a Chandler Tube Driver, my least fav pedal ever, though I've been given to understand I have the low-voltage "bad" one.
Understand, I am not trying to sound like Eric Johnson. I would rather sound more like Don Felder. I'm actually just trying to get a bit more beef into my tone and I'm thinking the secret lies in less treble and a bit more bass. If there's a happy medium in there, I can't find it.

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Where is the surprise ?
I was being sarcastic about my ability to 'get' things.

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+1

Secondary to that: guitars sound different. Wood is inherently inconsistent sounding. Doesn't matter what specific kind of wood your guitar is made of; there will be brighter and darker sounding ones, ones with more or less resonance and in different frequencies. This is why you need to shop for a guitar with your ears and not your eyes.
I have a Les Paul, a Strat and a Tele. I can get the tone I want out of the Tele with no problem. Same with the Strat. But my Les Paul tone just seems to be really trebly. Maybe I'm just not made to play a Les Paul?
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Old 12-07-2018, 01:36 PM   #7
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It's more about how you play than what gear you use, despite what the gear ads tell you. There are no shortcuts for paying your dues.

Erci Johnson could pick up a department store guitar and he'd still sound like Eric Johnson.
That's an oversimplification at best. Basically sounds good, but wrong. Plug Eric into a Sears 15 watt head with an off the shelf Squier and he ain't gonna have the usual Eric tone. He might PLAY well, but the sound won't be anything similar...

Yes, sound has something to do with HOW you play (picking style, fingering technique) but you can't make a Sears amp sound like a a real rig. Period. If that were the case there would be no market for gear.

Alot of things go into tone. Guitar. Pickups. Bridge/saddles. Preamps. Impedence matching. Strings. FX processing. Tubes. Speakers. Rooms. Decibel level. Picks.

One thing I have found is that sometimes it's better to use a pickup with less treble and bright tone off the guitar and eq it radically to restore some upper end. While some pickup positions "bite" they can lack bottom end. But there's more than one way to eq a cat.
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Old 12-07-2018, 02:10 PM   #8
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It's more about how you play than what gear you use, despite what the gear ads tell you. There are no shortcuts for paying your dues.

Erci Johnson could pick up a department store guitar and he'd still sound like Eric Johnson.
I agree but rolling the tone knob back all the way is standard fare with a typically predictable result - some guitars do it better though, I have 3 strats, the cheapest one nails it, the other two are OK but they don't nail that overall sound the same way. That said, that method (ala Eric/Clapton) is predominantly for soloing, has less to do with rhythm and beef which is why I haven't really replied, the terms used don't necessarily match my experience. Beyond that, I rarely use a tone knob on 10 for most things beefy, the magic is often below that for my tastes.
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Old 12-07-2018, 02:21 PM   #9
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Maybe I'm just no made to play a Les Paul?
I think most people favor one or the other, I have a an '87 LP, as much as I love it, the Strat is more "me" in every way. But an LP says "beef" right out of the box to an extent - the only thing I can think of is that it is completely different animal when adjusting knobs on the gear - IOW, the setting that's just right for a strattele may never be close when plugging in an LP.

It is true that overall tone, including trebly is somewhat in the hands but that would exist on any guitar you play for the most part but in all cases, posting a sample is probably better and/or an explanation of the rig/signal path. It could also be as simple as needing to spend more time on it.
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Old 12-07-2018, 04:12 PM   #10
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I have a Les Paul, a Strat and a Tele. I can get the tone I want out of the Tele with no problem. Same with the Strat. But my Les Paul tone just seems to be really trebly. Maybe I'm just not made to play a Les Paul?
Or maybe your Les Paul is kinda crummy sounding. It wouldn't be the first. That's why whenever someone says "I'm looking for an amp that sounds like (description), what do you recommend for someone with (guitar model)?" My response involves explaining how that's not providing me any useful information, and they'll have explain some basic qualities of their guitar's sound.

So yeah, again...wood is inconsistent. I've played alder guitars that sound bassy, mahogany strats that still sound exactly like a bright/poppy strat (despite being a "warm sounding wood for Les Pauls"), and so on.

It could also be your guitar needs a setup, fret leveling, etc.
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Old 12-07-2018, 09:55 PM   #11
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Or maybe your Les Paul is kinda crummy sounding. It wouldn't be the first. That's why whenever someone says "I'm looking for an amp that sounds like (description), what do you recommend for someone with (guitar model)?" My response involves explaining how that's not providing me any useful information, and they'll have explain some basic qualities of their guitar's sound.

So yeah, again...wood is inconsistent. I've played alder guitars that sound bassy, mahogany strats that still sound exactly like a bright/poppy strat (despite being a "warm sounding wood for Les Pauls"), and so on.

It could also be your guitar needs a setup, fret leveling, etc.
The guitar is fine. Just had a complete setup done. It actually sounds pretty good through my DRRI but when I record it, it sounds trebly. I'm using an SM57 mostly but I've also tried an MXL v57m and a SM7b. I've moved the mic all around and I either get mud of piercing. But that's only when I record it. In the room just jamming away it sounds great!
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Old 12-08-2018, 12:34 AM   #12
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Where is the surprise ?
16 shopping days left.
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Old 12-08-2018, 07:46 AM   #13
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In the room just jamming away it sounds great!
If your ears aren't directly in front of the speakers like the mic is, you are hearing/micing entirely different things. Put a condenser where your ears are lol to see if that's the difference (seriously) or your ears where the mic is. I have the '68 DRRI and an LP, happy to record a sample.
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Old 12-08-2018, 12:35 PM   #14
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Thanks, everyone! I'm just going to keep on tinkering and see if I can find the recorded tone that I'm looking for. Appreciate all the replies!
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Old 12-08-2018, 12:54 PM   #15
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From what I read on that page it's a 100W Marshall half stack jumper rd into both channels, cranked all the way up, and with the treble knob all the way down. I'm sorry, but if you actually do that, the subtleties of tonewood and even between pickups (of the same general type anyway) are pretty much moot. It's very much using the amplifier itself like a fuzz pedal.

The "HQ Studio Version" has some pretty heavy handed post processing on it. I didn't listen to the live version, but that dude plays big enough venues with big enough budgets that he can have all that fancy crap in his live mixes too.
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Old 12-08-2018, 03:20 PM   #16
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You need a special guitar pick.

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Old 12-09-2018, 12:37 AM   #17
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Ok... This article explains how Eric Johnson set up his gear for Cliffs Of Dover... now, if I try setting my guitar and amp up like this, I get a muddy mess... how do they RECORD it????? Same with Robin Trower... it sounds to me like he turns his tone knobs all the way off... I do that and it's mud! This has been on my mind a lot lately in my search for the "meat" sound that everybody but me seem to be able to get...
Ok, I'd try more getting in the ballpark first - I don't know your amp and pedal setup here, or what guitar/pickups you are running through them, but start by getting that fairly distorted tone in the ballpark (more distortion through front end than pantera type tone). I don't know if this was covered in the article or not, but a couple things: 1. Don't forget to use the volume knob to adjust for verse/chorus, rhythm/lead if your tone is too hot - EJ does this a lot, although Cliffs is fairly wide open for the most part (I'd set your tone knob not too far from wide open and adjust from there). 2. 335/HB, middle position (Strat, middle pos - or try the bridge notch, and you will see EJ mess with his switch knobs a lot). I'd start here and decide where you are you going to set your tone knob, go from there. If you're going to start with bridge pickup instead, I'd have a setup that mirror's EJ's very closely, from the ep to the tube driver, and even if you go this, I'd still start with the tone knob and go from there, working your way up to mic selection/positioning and then working your way back.

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Old 12-10-2018, 06:46 AM   #18
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That article leaves out a TON of stuff pertinent to 'getting a sound'. As I stated previously there are a million variables that go into making a sound beginning with the guitar itself, in particular how it is set up including what electronics are used, how they are wired, string action, string gauge, picking style and implement, fingering technique, etc. In addition to the guitar there is impedance, gain staging, preamps, tubes, amps, amp wiring, speakers, cabinets, and the list goes on.

In my experience trying to sound exactly like someone else is chasing a rainbow. And why would you want to sound like someone else anyway? Perhaps a better approach is just to try to figure out how to get a good sound, at least the best sound you can, from whatever equipment you have available.

I used to chase trying to find certain sounds in my head when authoring original material. I spent so much time tweaking knobs and trying different FX that I became frustrated and spent more time doing that than playing.

I became much more productive when I changed my approach. Instead of looking for a specific sound, I look for sounds that are interesting and then do something with them. It's never quite what I heard in my head but often ends up being not only different but better.

As a method of last resort you might try some of the amp matching features of some amp vsts. I've never use them but I believe both Bias and AXIOM can analyze a sound and attempt to create a match for it. Some have said it works pretty well. Google it.

If you're looking for sustain then you need to consider many other things besides amp settings. The most often overlooked is actual guitar set up. To this day, 95% of the guitars I come across even those being played by gigging musicians have never been set up properly. Unless you are playing a $6000 Martin chances are your guitar came with a factory set up on the neck, nut and bridge. Even on more expensive models all of these need to be properly finished out in order to get maximum playability. Someone like Eric Johnson no doubt has some of the best luthiers in the world setting up his guitars. To get to playability and sustain with proper intonation everywhere on a guitar neck requires that the nut, frets, neck and bridge all be precisely configured within thousands of an inch. No two guitars are the same. Proper fret leveling and crowning is essential. Even $2500 American strats come from the factory without proper set up in this area. There are several reasons for this. What's important to note though is that you may never get your guitar to sound like Eric Johnson's if it hasn't been set up by professional luthier the same way his was.

In addition to guitar set up getting sustain often has to do with environmental sympathetic resonance of the strings with the SPL in the room. This is one reason why many people playing through VSTs complain it doesn't sound like a real amp. It's not that the VST isn't working it's that you're not getting the same interaction physically with the strings and the sound pressure in the room. From what I understand, artists like Eric Johnson are usually tracking at fairly high sound pressure levels.

If you don't understand what sympathetic resonance is, Google it. When your guitar string vibrates in concert with the sound waves in the room it reinforces the vibration increasing sustain. If you pluck a string on your guitar without touching the string next to it, the string next to it will try to vibrate at the same frequency. It's physics. You can use it to your advantage.

Something else worth looking at is using spectrometers to analyze the frequency content of both the sound you are trying to achieve, which in this case is Eric Johnson's tone, and the tone of your guitar. This is essentially what the amp matching sim features are trying to do. This only addresses the frequency content however. There are many other factors such as compression which control how the frequency content evolves over time. Compression can help you attain some sustain but improperly applied can actually hurt your tone. While a fast attack will keep your guitar level in the mix, for example, it will also squash the transients that give your guitar the expression it needs to be interesting.

So when you're attempting to try to get a certain sound, you may be better served by paying attention to what goes into making a good sound rather than trying to duplicate one. Work from the front end to the backend.

1. Start by making your guitar as playable as possible. Have the frets ever been properly leveled? Is the intonation exact everywhere on your guitar (intonation that is only slightly off can impact overall tone greatly especially when playing more than one note at a time). Google constructive and destructive interference. All frequencies interact create other frequencies which cause constructive and destructive interference. Two notes that are even just slightly out of intonation with each other will cause destructive interference which will limit sustain and create tones which are less pleasing.

How is the guitar wired? How hot are the pickups and how far away are they from the strings?

2. Analyze your signal path. My own taste and experience suggests the shorter the signal path to your DAW the better. Amps and amp sims both expect specific impedance levels. Mismatched impedance will inhibit the ability of either to perform as expected. How's your gain staging? Which pickups are you using? How are they EQ'd?

3. If you're not getting fairly good sustain direct off your guitar then your probably not going to get great tone just because you crank it through a bunch of distortion and overdrive circuits.

4. There are many types of compression techniques that can be used on guitar. I find that applying compression lightly in stages, with a fairly slow attack and fast release works best. Sometimes you need a multiband compressor. You can also experiment with parallel compression. But again, be careful with compression as using too much of it, especially in one step, can squash your transients which are paramount to what makes your guitar get that expressive tone.

I guess the main point I'm trying to make is there's a lot more to getting that great sound you're looking for than just what amp settings you're using. Really, amp dial settings are the least of it.

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Old 12-10-2018, 11:26 AM   #19
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Ok, just so we're clear...


I AM NOT TRYING TO SOUND LIKE ERIC JOHNSON!

I am just wondering how you can record something that is basically all bottom end and make it sound good. It seems to me that all you would get is mud.
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Old 12-10-2018, 11:47 AM   #20
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Judicious use of high pass in post.

I mean also like careful matching of speaker and cab and mic and position, but probably also a bunch of HPF.
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Old 12-10-2018, 11:48 AM   #21
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Ok, just so we're clear...


I AM NOT TRYING TO SOUND LIKE ERIC JOHNSON!

I am just wondering how you can record something that is basically all bottom end and make it sound good. It seems to me that all you would get is mud.
So what are your guitar, pickups, pedal(s), amp, mics?
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Old 12-10-2018, 12:08 PM   #22
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Ok, just so we're clear...


I AM NOT TRYING TO SOUND LIKE ERIC JOHNSON!

I am just wondering how you can record something that is basically all bottom end and make it sound good. It seems to me that all you would get is mud.
Mud comes from how it sits in the mix... generally too many instruments in the low-midrange.

Mud is fixed by correct arrangement principles (not having too many instruments playing in the same frequency range) and by judicial use of subtractive eq with a narrow bandpass.

Try this...

First, put the track in solo. Using a parametric eq, bring up the gain and slowly sweep until you find the resonant frequency (you'll hear a pronounced spike) then, unsolo and create a narrow subtractive eq for that frequency to carve out the resonance. Adjust this IN THE MIX (not solo'd). Do this on all tracks, especially those with overlapping frequency ranges. Also use low-pass and high-pass to get rid of rumble and noise.

Remember that the effects of noise and rumble are cumulative. One track by itself won't sound 'muddy'. But put together with others you have a problem. Carve out the problem areas using the above technique.

Also remember that lack of high end on an instrument may sound horrible (or ;muddy') when solo'd but be perfectly fine in a mix if you need to make room for other instruments in the higher registers.

The idea is to get frequency balance over the whole of the arrangement. Be aware also that you may have to automate some of this. If an instrument comes in for example only on the chorus that contains alot of low-mid, you may have to notch somewhere else only when that instrument is playing.
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Old 12-10-2018, 12:24 PM   #23
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There's no mud because he's playing single note lines somewhere up the neck. In an amp like that, cranked all the way up, the Treble knob is pretty much all fizz and ack. The Bass knob is not actually cranked, but it's also probably not touching most of what he's playing except maybe to bolster the thump part of the pick attack. The Mid knob is where all the important stuff is happening.

A very important part of the equation is that he pulls these things off cleanly with as much control over the strings he's not playing as those that he is. A slob like me would make a huge mess of a setup like that, but somebody who knows how to play...
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Old 12-10-2018, 12:49 PM   #24
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There's no mud because he's playing single note lines somewhere up the neck.
I mentioned similar early on. And when saying Eric Johnson or Eric Clapton for the matter in the same paragraph as tone knob all the way back it usually means, up the neck, single or double note solo lines, strat/tele, tone knob on zero.

Take that and apply it to too much gain, les paul and power chord rhythms we aren't even at the same park any longer much less same ball game assuming that is the scenario. Also, many may not use them and in some cases remove them but those knobs were made for turnin' and make a great remote control for lots of tonal choices.
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Old 12-10-2018, 01:47 PM   #25
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So what are your guitar, pickups, pedal(s), amp, mics?
Guitars and amp were mentioned in a previous post. For pedals I have a Digitech GNX3, an OCD, a Dark Matter and a DS-1.

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A very important part of the equation is that he pulls these things off cleanly with as much control over the strings he's not playing as those that he is. A slob like me would make a huge mess of a setup like that, but somebody who knows how to play...
THAT'S IT! I'm a slob too! I don't think I could ever play that articulately. I've been playing far too long and pretty much just sound like myself these days. I'm more of a Don Felder type player than a Yankmy Valvestem.

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Take that and apply it to too much gain, les paul and power chord rhythms we aren't even at the same park any longer much less same ball game assuming that is the scenario. Also, many may not use them and in some cases remove them but those knobs were made for turnin' and make a great remote control for lots of tonal choices.
I roll off the tone knob depending on the situation/tone I'm seeking. Most of the time on the Les Paul I roll off just a tad, to about 7 just to take the top off. On the Tele and Strat I do about the same but every now and then I try to copy a Trower tone and I can't get there without turning the tone knob completely off and the treble down on the amp. Of course, not having a Marshall is a major blockade to getting there but it's fun to discover new tones when searching for old ones.
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Old 12-10-2018, 01:56 PM   #26
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I roll off the tone knob depending on the situation/tone I'm seeking.
Good on you sir, so much tone to be had with tone/volume knobs if the gain on the amp is in the sweet spot. I've never really been one to try to emulate some other player's tone, not talking about your ask here, just general observation that is the fastest path to sounding mundane IMHO/YMMV let the flaming begin. I'm not necessarily happy with 50% of my personal tones on my own record but much of that is because I buried myself so deeply in getting everyone else's tones good, I never really got around to taking care of my own LOL - I never really minded though as they were songs, not musician spotlights.
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Old 12-10-2018, 02:24 PM   #27
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It's more about how you play than what gear you use, despite what the gear ads tell you. There are no shortcuts for paying your dues.

Eric Johnson could pick up a department store guitar and he'd still sound like Eric Johnson.
^This, it seems like a cop out, but it is not. It is 100% truth. And folks trying to sell you gear don't want you to believe that. My last guitar sales job was in a big guitar shop (I sold 1.7 million out of guitar department in 5 years).

You can really nail his tone, but sounding like him is another ball of wax. Don't get the 2 mixed up. Tone and Phrasing are two different things and when combined create their "Sound".

When Ted Nugent visited Eddie Van Halen at his soundcheck, he played thru Eddies rig. Sample of the story here:

************************************************** ***********************
One of the cooler stories from the piece features Ed remembering his first encounter with Ted Nugent back in 1978.

"Ted was cool enough to give the band a sound check," he said. "He's standing off to the side and he's listening to me, and he comes up and says, 'Hey, you little shit! Where's your little magic black box?' I'm going, Who the fuck is that? And it was Ted. Hey Ted, it's nice to meet you, thanks for the sound check. And he's going, 'Let me play your guitar!' I go, 'Okay, here you go.' He starts playing my guitar and it sounds like Ted.

"He yells, 'You just removed your little black box, didn't you? Where is it? What did you do?' I go, 'I didn't do anything!' So I play, and it sounds like me. He says, 'Here, play my guitar!' I play his big old guitar and it sounds just like me. He's going, 'You little shit!' What I'm trying to say is I am the best at doing me. Nobody else can do me better than me."

************************************************** ************************

So you have to figure out what you really want. Do you want EJ tone? Or do you want to Sound like EJ?

If it is Tone, you can get really close with whatever you have. If you want to get even closer you are gonna have to gear shop. And with that said, don't just buy stuff he uses, clones, or gear advertised to sound like him. You need gear that YOU can play and get that tone with. Not something other folks can get that Tone with.

Watch some Rig Rundowns with EJ, they are very cool. Like this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZruE7E_4OU


I have a Gibson Midtown Custom. The very first release of them. They came with Burstbucker 3, and I forget which ones. I have 2 friends that work for Gibson. Here is a secret you can take to the bank. Gibson Pickups are not the same as the ones they sell. Gibson Pickups are not the same as the ones they sell.Gibson Pickups are not the same as the ones they sell.

I always figured this, but it was nice to learn it was the truth. Gibson does this, so if you grab a Les Paul custom off the wall. And you fall in love with the tone. You think "Hey, I will just buy these pickups and put them in my Les Paul, and it will sound just like this". Then, you find that it doesn't sound like it at all. It sounds like a LP, but not like that Custom LP you loved so much.

So you think "It must be the Tonewood and the Hardware". And that is why different priced LP sound different. No, Tonewood and such is BS. Gibson changes the sound on LP models pickups so they don't all sound the same..

So these Burstbuckers in my Gibson sounded like Metallica. I now had a guitar that looks like Chuck Berry and sounded like Heavy Metal. It was gross. It would break up (in a bad way) on a Fender Twin.
I ordered Dimarzio EJ Humbuckers. I wasn't trying to get a EJ tone, I wanted a more vintage tone that suited the guitar. Well, these are magic pickups. They are hands down, one of the best set of Humbuckers you can ever install. When I use this guitar live, soundmen "Gush" over my vintage guitar tone (they think it is a vintage guitar). I once had a "Midtown Custom Owner" furious that my guitar tone was so much better than his. So I let him in on the secret. Dimarzio EJ humbuckers, Sprague Orange drops, wired 50's style. And, Out of Phase.
I have a boutique custom made Distortion pedal that is suppose to do a Marshall preamp type thing, with added Gain like a JCM 800. And it has a additional Gain knob wired to work like a Fuzz pedal into the front of a Plexi.
If I use my Midtown and this pedal, it is EJ like tone all day. It makes my life easy. it makes playing lead easy. If I am having a off night. I can kick this bad mofo on, grab my Gibson, and bend one note "Machine Gun-Hendrix style" and blow people away by doing nothing. I can get carried by the tone alone.


So, you can use gear alone. You can use your fingers. But you have to know what you want. If you want to Sound like EJ. Then practice. And practice more. Because it is in the fingers. If you want to comp the Tone. You need to figure out how to bend the gear to your will and make the tone. Know what you want it to do. Know what you want it to sound like. And do it. Also, when I am comping a EJ type tone, I am using a Carvin V16 tube amp. It is the best sleeper tube amp on the planet. My Marshalls, Fenders, Boogies, etc. They all get pushed aside for the V16
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Old 12-10-2018, 02:36 PM   #28
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p.s Always say to yourself "I am not EJ, I am not EJ, I am not EJ". It will help you get closer to his tone and help you play better.

Also, EJ does not use a TC Electronics ducking delay. But I do, and I can get that Cliffs of Dover type delay. No matter what he or anyone else says, I think that delay was added after he put the track down after the intro. When he is doing that inside chord lick with open string. I really think they used a ducking delay on it.

I have a TC electronics Nova Delay that does some great work of that stuff. The ducking delay lets me tap tempo and get that wet EJ vibe, but it doesn't get muddy. If I don't duck delay on a rythym part like that, the delay makes it muddy live.

Does EJ use a ducking delay live? No, "I am not EJ, I am not EJ". But when I use ducking, I can get that vibe.
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Old 12-10-2018, 02:48 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeffsounds View Post
Ok, just so we're clear...


I AM NOT TRYING TO SOUND LIKE ERIC JOHNSON!

I am just wondering how you can record something that is basically all bottom end and make it sound good. It seems to me that all you would get is mud.
Super secret here with a Boss EQ pedal. A old crazy guitar pro showed me this, it totally blew my mind.

If you take a Boss EQ pedal, set everything flat. Cut 100 down to the first line. Boost 200 to the first line. And cut 400 to the first line. This cleans up your lowend and allows room for the Bass player and the Kick drum because of the cuts you made. And the boost at 200 gets you low end in there making it sound like all your bass is boosted. When all of that is added in a mix you guitar will sound like it has more bottom in the band mix. By yourself it will have bottom. But it will sound like even more bottom in the band mix.

If you have a hip Bass player that is in to this kind of stuff. He can boost a little where you cut. Or your drummer can have a boost at one of your cuts and your bass player at the other cut. Then all 3 of you are sharing low end without steeping on each other and getting muddy.

Boss? Yea, yea I know. I am sure other pedals can do this same thing. But I know for a fact that the Boss does it, and does it very well.
"But EJ doesn't use a EQ". Heck yea he does! The mixing Console in the studio and the Live board.......


Bonus G-E7 tip: Use the same bass split as mentioned above with a humbucker guitar. Then do the opposite with the top 3 faders on the EQ for a Telecaster tone with a LP type guitar! Start me up, all the way Keith Richards. But normally the boost and cuts on the top 3 don't go all the way to the first line, depends on the guitars though.
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Old 12-10-2018, 03:13 PM   #30
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About half my guitars don't have tone knobs. Some of them have switches that act like turning a T all the way down for when I want that kind of thing. The ones that still have tone knobs it's only because I haven't gotten around to rewiring them and they mostly just stay all the way up. I probably am leaving something on the table, but I tend to play to the sound and make the subtler tonal adjustments with my hands. It's pretty freaky how much I end up sounding like me no matter what guitar/amp combination I put together.
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Old 12-10-2018, 04:04 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ashcat_lt View Post
About half my guitars don't have tone knobs.
I remember hence the winky.
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Old 12-10-2018, 04:38 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philbo King View Post
It's more about how you play than what gear you use, ....

Although I somewhat agree, I remember seeing David Gilmour 20 or so years ago on television ... SNL or something like that... without his gear, in what appeared to be a somewhat impromptu jam of sorts ... believe me, he didn't sound like David Gilmour that night! (I'm a huge Gilmour fan).


A good guitar player can sound good on most equipment, but not necessarily.
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