My God...This Tone!!!

[ghosty999]

I remember reading the Whitesnake Biog and hearing it was a Mesa Mark Coliseum II maxed out with all sorts of phase shifting, pitch shifting, chorusy stuff going on to thicken things up. It was into Marshall 4x12s. Obviously the Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups had a large part to play.

 

[Drew]

I remember reading the Whitesnake Biog and hearing it was a Mesa Mark Coliseum II maxed out with all sorts of phase shifting, pitch shifting, chorusy stuff going on to thicken things up. It was into Marshall 4x12s. Obviously the Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups had a large part to play.

Actually, they were two Mark III Coliseums (no stripe) into Boogie Half Back 4x12's with Black Shadows on top and EV's on the bottom. There was a Lexicon PCM41 in there. Also, John has a way of putting vibrato on chords that sort of sounds like there is a chorus on even when there is not.

 

[angelspade]

Actually, they were two Mark III Coliseums (no stripe) into Boogie Half Back 4x12's with Black Shadows on top and EV's on the bottom. There was a Lexicon PCM41 in there. Also, John has a way of putting vibrato on chords that sort of sounds like there is a chorus on even when there is not.

Yup...this. I know the "tone is in the hands" thing is a bit controversial around here, but his technique seems to thicken chords for sure.

 

[Drew]

John has two identical Mark III Mesa Coliseums that he used for much of Whitesnake 87 and Blue Murder. He always thought one sounded better than the other. He eventually took the one he thought was not quite as good to Mesa Hollywood. They did some work on it and after he got it back, he said they sounded the same. Here is the one he preferred.

 

[Chubbs]

John has two identical Mark III Mesa Coliseums that he used for much of Whitesnake 87 and Blue Murder. He always thought one sounded better than the other. He eventually took the one he thought was not quite as good to Mesa Hollywood. They did some work on it and after he got it back, he said they sounded the same. Here is the one he preferred.

Thanks for the info man, I think your officially the 1987 and blue murder historian. It’s nice to have actual answers and backstories to all this stuff.

 

[ghosty999]

Actually, they were two Mark III Coliseums (no stripe) into Boogie Half Back 4x12's with Black Shadows on top and EV's on the bottom. There was a Lexicon PCM41 in there. Also, John has a way of putting vibrato on chords that sort of sounds like there is a chorus on even when there is not.

I guess quad tracking bendy chords would create that pleasing washy chorus effect. Bob rock split the MK3 signal to other cabinets with really low gain and using a DLL for modulation. Essentially double Stereo tracks. Exactly how I do it!