How do you get your dream guitar sound?
Discussion
I've always loved the sound of driven valve amps like AC/DC, GnR etc, but I also love the clean Dire Straits guitar sound too.
Currently, I have a Les Paul with some Seymour Duncan pickups running through a JCM800 50w head into a 2x12 cab. I can't quite get the clarity of the Dire Straitsy style clean sound, but the other stuff is well catered for.
So, what sound do you go for and how do you go about getting it?
Currently, I have a Les Paul with some Seymour Duncan pickups running through a JCM800 50w head into a 2x12 cab. I can't quite get the clarity of the Dire Straitsy style clean sound, but the other stuff is well catered for.
So, what sound do you go for and how do you go about getting it?
I reckon you could emulate it a bit, you know, plucked strings with fingers and thumb in a similar style, but it's more the general sound that I was getting at though. I'm thinking of the guitar sound used on the Communique album for example. I've read that he's used all sorts of gear to get that sound over the years and I do love the sound, but when I've played around with multi effects in the past I've not got anywhere close, in fact I can get closer just by playing straight into my amp.
Strat type guitar with EMGs will get close to MK clean tone with the right amp. He was using Rudy Pensa's guitars that were made by John Suhr (later called Pensa Suhr)who later headed up Fender's artist department and handmade Claptons amps. He makes seriously good guitars and amps.
Having great gear helps but it's mostly in the fingers.
Best cheap clean I ever had was using a Soldano Atomic head funnily enough. Roland JC120s are very good at superclean sounds (think Metallica cleans)
For super clean you might need to use 2 amps with an AB switch..something from Fender would suit.
What about trading the JCM in and getting a Mesa. The new mk5 sound hit all the bases.
Having great gear helps but it's mostly in the fingers.
Best cheap clean I ever had was using a Soldano Atomic head funnily enough. Roland JC120s are very good at superclean sounds (think Metallica cleans)
For super clean you might need to use 2 amps with an AB switch..something from Fender would suit.
What about trading the JCM in and getting a Mesa. The new mk5 sound hit all the bases.
I don't think I'll ever sell the JCM now since I absolutely adore it. I'm not too fussed that it can't go super-clean and I really love the sounds I can get as it starts to distort. I have an old Peavey Renown 400 that can do good clean sounds, but I don't find it or the Metallica cleans terribly warm. I might add to the JCM though and a Mesa could well be on the cards one day.
So, what's your guitar sound of choice and how do you go about getting it?
So, what's your guitar sound of choice and how do you go about getting it?
With a humbucked guitar and a dirty marshall you'll never get close to the country type twang of Knopfler...
Maybe a Line 6 guitar and amp will give you the tonal variation you need?
ETA - My guitar sound of choice is basically the same as yours... humbucked guitar (Les Paul, Explorer and Iceman) through my hot-rodded JCM800 100w head into a JCM800 bass cabinet (to really shake your balls
). In the middle is a Dunlop 95Q wah pedal. That's it, simples 
Maybe a Line 6 guitar and amp will give you the tonal variation you need?
ETA - My guitar sound of choice is basically the same as yours... humbucked guitar (Les Paul, Explorer and Iceman) through my hot-rodded JCM800 100w head into a JCM800 bass cabinet (to really shake your balls
). In the middle is a Dunlop 95Q wah pedal. That's it, simples Edited by paulmurr on Wednesday 10th June 13:37
paulmurr said:
ETA - My guitar sound of choice is basically the same as yours... humbucked guitar (Les Paul, Explorer and Iceman) through my hot-rodded JCM800 100w head into a JCM800 bass cabinet (to really shake your balls ). In the middle is a Dunlop 95Q wah pedal. That's it, simples
I like the sound of that. ). In the middle is a Dunlop 95Q wah pedal. That's it, simples Edited by paulmurr on Wednesday 10th June 13:37
How much difference did you find the hot-rodding made to your JCM and did it affect the way it breaks up at all? Are we talking JCM2000 levels of gain?Yeah, not far off a TSL/DSL. It isn't as versitile being a single channel, but I've never found it to be an issue as I just use the guitars volume control to cut the gain when I need to.
At the moment I find myself trying to roll off the preamp and use the power stage to help me with sustain and tone. I've mentioned in a previous thread that I've had it loud enough to have the drummer complain about the volume
At the moment I find myself trying to roll off the preamp and use the power stage to help me with sustain and tone. I've mentioned in a previous thread that I've had it loud enough to have the drummer complain about the volume
For an ultra clean sound try and find a good H||H amp, probably only available second hand if you can find one but can get recoed through MAJ Electronic
I have an IC100S that I bought new in 1976 and through a 4 ohm Marshall top quad box from a stack it is absolutely clean from zero to way too bloody loud.
Laney/HH
With one of these, a decent axe and a few boxes if needed and the world is your oyster.
My weapon of choice is a Shergold Masquarader of similar vintage and can get pretty much anything between an early Tele and LP dirt. ( also got a Strat with Seymour Duncans sitting on the shelf )
The Shergold has twin split coil humbuckers that can also be set as single coil or out of phase so it has an incredible vocal range, it also has possibly the best maple neck ever made.
As previously noted though, it all starts with the right technique.
I have an IC100S that I bought new in 1976 and through a 4 ohm Marshall top quad box from a stack it is absolutely clean from zero to way too bloody loud.
Laney/HH
With one of these, a decent axe and a few boxes if needed and the world is your oyster.
My weapon of choice is a Shergold Masquarader of similar vintage and can get pretty much anything between an early Tele and LP dirt. ( also got a Strat with Seymour Duncans sitting on the shelf )
The Shergold has twin split coil humbuckers that can also be set as single coil or out of phase so it has an incredible vocal range, it also has possibly the best maple neck ever made.
As previously noted though, it all starts with the right technique.
Edited by suthol on Wednesday 10th June 13:58
That's some serious gain! Sometimes I think I'd like a bit more gain, but with the bands I'm in I never really play anything that requires it.
You must be a guitar fiend of the highest quality for a drummer to have asked you to turn down.
Usually, the rest of the band ask me to turn down way before the drummer does. Then again, at the last rehearsal we were at a place where we could put transparent panels around the drummer, boxing him in...which I can recommend.
You must be a guitar fiend of the highest quality for a drummer to have asked you to turn down.
Usually, the rest of the band ask me to turn down way before the drummer does. Then again, at the last rehearsal we were at a place where we could put transparent panels around the drummer, boxing him in...which I can recommend.It is a bit of a monster, even the guy who services it said so. In fact, he had to put a resistor into the high channel to stop it from constantly feeding back... and it needed revalved and biased. Now I think about it, i've no idea why I bought it as it was a smoking heap when I first saw it.
Then I remembered that it was only £300 plus another £100 for a service, and new ones are a grand
Boxing in the drummer... there might be some mileage in that. It'd probably make more sense to box in my cabinet tbh
Then I remembered that it was only £300 plus another £100 for a service, and new ones are a grand
Boxing in the drummer... there might be some mileage in that. It'd probably make more sense to box in my cabinet tbh
suthol said:
My weapon of choice is a Shergold Masquarader of similar vintage and can get pretty much anything between an early Tele and LP dirt. ( also got a Strat with Seymour Duncans sitting on the shelf )
I didn't have a clue what a Shergold looked like until I looked it up. Slightly funny looking thing to my eye, but I get the impression that they play well and sound amazing.suthol said:
As previously noted though, it all starts with the right technique.
I've been playing for 22 years now (gulp!) so I'm pretty much set in my ways. I had a go at getting deeply into some jazz guitar techniques recently, but my blues/rock scales just take over every time my memory of the new stuff faulters. 
I too do not really spend too much of my time buying hardware and trying to emulate a specific sound. As long as it's loud and distorted then i am happy
I have always been a purist when it comes to my guitar sound i.e a top-end superstrat guitar, nice marshall amp and a decent Boss distortion pedal (all turned up to 11 of course ) and thats all i ever needed. But the other month i discovered Guitar Rig quite by chance, as my DSL401 transpired (yet again) mid way through a recording session. The emulatiuons you can get from Guitar Rig are pretty much endless, with a massive bank of presets. I would be very surpised if you could not find the sound you are looking for in there somewhere.
I have always been a purist when it comes to my guitar sound i.e a top-end superstrat guitar, nice marshall amp and a decent Boss distortion pedal (all turned up to 11 of course
) and thats all i ever needed. But the other month i discovered Guitar Rig quite by chance, as my DSL401 transpired (yet again) mid way through a recording session. The emulatiuons you can get from Guitar Rig are pretty much endless, with a massive bank of presets. I would be very surpised if you could not find the sound you are looking for in there somewhere.bennyboysvuk said:
but I don't find it or the Metallica cleans terribly warm. I might add to the JCM though and a Mesa could well be on the cards one day.
So, what's your guitar sound of choice and how do you go about getting it?
You're right, the Metallica clean is very cold as they use Roland JC-120s but it does sound pure...sterile even! So, what's your guitar sound of choice and how do you go about getting it?
If you want warm clean then a decent tube Fender is your best bet.
My tone of choice differs :
Before wife:
Whammy-Wah-SD1-Morley splitter:
A side: Peavey Rockmaster-5150 Head BBE, CE1 and DD in loop-5150 4x12 cab
B side: Sansamp PSA1-TC Electronic-BBE-Marshall power amp- 2 Marshall 4x12s
Clean tone:BBE with Soldano Atomic head-BBE into 2x12 Cornford cab
Rock master was set to max gain whilst PSA was set to a heavey Vox tone to get the best of both worlds.
At times the Marshall power amp was replaced by Cornford MK50, Lee Jackson or JCM SLX heads.
All of the heads and 4x12s have gone now so my current (at home) set up is:
Whammy-wah-SD1-AMT British Sound-AMT California Sound-AMT Du Haust-KFK EQ-CE1-MXR EVH Phase 90-MXR EVH Flanger-Boss DD-Rockmaster-BBE-TC Electronic-Marshall power amp-Marshall 2x12.
The AMTs give a really good approximation of British and American tube amps especially when used with a good EQ and OD pedal.
SaliMali said:
Never did anything really impressive. Just liked having good gear and it took peoples attention away from my crap playing 
).
You must have had a lot of patience or some good roadies to lug all that gear about. ). I got so tired of lugging my old 4x12 around that I replaced it with a 2x12 in the end. It doesn't quite have the same full bass response, but it's not too bad and way easier to get in and out of my car.I recently bought a Marshall DSL401 for use at difficult to get to gigs. It's just about loud enough for most gigs I do if I turn it up to around 6-7, at which point it produces similar volumes to my JCM when the volume on that is set to a shade under 1.
bennyboysvuk said:
SaliMali said:
Never did anything really impressive. Just liked having good gear and it took peoples attention away from my crap playing ).
You must have had a lot of patience or some good roadies to lug all that gear about. ). I got so tired of lugging my old 4x12 around that I replaced it with a 2x12 in the end. It doesn't quite have the same full bass response, but it's not too bad and way easier to get in and out of my car.I recently bought a Marshall DSL401 for use at difficult to get to gigs. It's just about loud enough for most gigs I do if I turn it up to around 6-7, at which point it produces similar volumes to my JCM when the volume on that is set to a shade under 1.
gbbird said:
I have a DSL401. Great when it works, but it is forever needing attention from teh good guys at Marshall UK
I don't think my DSL401 sounds as good as my old JCM800, but it's certainly a whole lot better than my old Peavey Renown 400 for the things that I use it for. I mainly use it on channel 1 with the gain set somewhere around three quarters. Then I use the guitar volume to control how much it's breaking up depending on the song I'm playing. After the last gig I played in London someone actually commented on what a nice guitar sound I had when I was talking to them outside after the show. Mine's a 2005 model that I got on Ebay. It used to get pretty hot when I used it so I installed a couple of fans in the back of it and that keeps things cool, but it's not let me down yet. What sort of things has yours suffered from?
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