Doesn't have to be a Pultec to add that eq sauce. That could be coming from the live board easy. You can't tell me live like this that the pultec is gonna make or break the EQ formula.
Exactly my point Kapo..............that why I keep reposting those live shows because it literally shows he was getting the tone live without any studio crap. Here's what we have with photographic proof and Ed own admissions used up front of the plexi no Pultecs involved whatsover in those 1977-78 live shows and Ed's getting a great VH1 album tone. Was it as polished as the album tone....NO..... but it was damn close.
Franky(7.6-9k) PAF>MXR flanger>MXR phase 90>MXR 6band EQ(looper pedal)> EP3 echoplex(short slapback), EP3 Echoplex(long delay 300ms/350ms)> Marshall amp>loadbox>Power amp heads Ed was known to have used, Marshall Super Bass/Superleads, Fender Bandmaster's, Musicman HD130 HD65, Vox's>then probably two cabinets per power amp head or however he wanted to set it up as two rigs( one) as a back up.)
Also go back and listen to those room mic clips of Jamie Cryin, you can hear the echoplexes were in front of the plexi when he recorded the album the same as who he set it up live.
Gaustad even gets the gain a tone without any EQ in his signal chain.............MXR flanger, Phase 90, 1 EP3 Echoplex, Marshall variaced to 65-70 ACV, Marshall cabinet(I think blackback 25 watters if I remember correctly) Gaustad used and A-5 Gibson Burstbucker in his first VH1 brown sound video.
Gaustad's amp is a Metro kit amp and my amps are Metro kit amps built to the Ed spec's that are out there for years now, they are not NOS 1968 Marshall amps and they have more than enough gain and the basic tone to get the job done. A magic amp might help some but the Selland Arena show was WITHOUT 12301, they were all mid to late 70's Marshall Superleads so I doubt Ed had Jose mod them all in short order my guess is Ed didn't need to have them modded, it's how he uses them, Gaustad proves that over and over.
Here's what we have with photographic proof below, if you have a particularly gainy Marshall then the MXR EQ probably only be used for solos or if you want things tighter and more aggressive like I'm the one, Atomic punk...you get the point. The formula is really quite simple then you add Ed's hands.......I don't have Ed's hands but the 69 Marshall in my video gets the tone, the attack, the feedback and the gain with or without the Boss 7 Band EQ and when it's on it only boosts about 5-6DB at 800hz 1600hz then its cutting woofy lows and highs, that's it, it's what I call a flat mids boost and doesn't sound middy at all it's merely there to tighten things up and cut piercing highs out of the signal. I think my video proves you do not need to reamp to get the basic tone and you can get it a reasonable volume with the Lar/Mar and/or and attenuator and a single cabinet with the right speakers of your choice. The cabinet in the video has Celestion Heritage Reissue 55HZ 12H-30's. But bascially pick the speakers you like, 25 watt greenbacks or 12H-30. The 55HZ 30 watt sounds more correct to my ears after cycling through alot of speakers (except real pulsonic 0014 coned 25 watters), I just happen to like them. Some people don't like the 55HZ speakers and to each their own, that's what's in the video. I will add that my 1972 Marshall sounds the same as my 69 does in the video so it is reproducable with the stock two gain stages of a plexi superlead.