Let's Just Put This Right Out There And Talk About It..

[VonBonfire]

Alex Lifeson is an amazing guitarist but I don't want to listen to the shrieking hyrax fronting that band neither. Also, I don't know anyone around here who gets gigs doing VH or hair rock covers so kinda glad I took a different road.

 

[harddriver]

I'm pretty sure (at least from all the interviews with people who were there) that Jose was like the best amp tech available, and EVH availed himself of him.

Tried a master volume, didn't like it, so jose took it out. Jose taught him how to set up his amp with the dimmer switch and blah blah.

The "extra super special secret" is a great marshall that's got great tubes and is running at 83 or whatever the fuck it was - just a superlead/plexi circuit matched to a great player.

People don't want to hear that. They want there to be a magic secret that makes their garbage boomer playing sound like EVH. I honestly think most of what they think is the Legendary Brown Sound (trademark) is just a superlead and greenbacks and a player playing alot of major sounding chromatic passing tones over blues with a 6/8 swing.

The countless videos on Youtube back up every sentence in your paragraph yet people will argue against the obvious. It still is a very invloved recipe to get things right but the main ingredient appears to be a more or less stock plexi/superlead if you allow your own ears to lead you without preconceived conclusions, IMHO.

 

[rsm]

Alex Lifeson is an amazing guitarist but I don't want to listen to the shrieking hyrax fronting that band neither. Also, I don't know anyone around here who gets gigs doing VH or hair rock covers so kinda glad I took a different road.

many of the guitar tones/sounds I like most are easily achievable for me.

playing at some of their levels is more difficult for me.

 

[DanTravis62]

I used to think there was some sort of secret sauce because the amps had been around for so long yet nobody else sounded like that. But once I found (i.e. built) the right Marshall my garbage boomer playing went to another level. No longer hot garbage.

At this point I don’t really care what he actually used…at least as far as influencing what I use. I found what I want/need. I still get sucked into talking about it tho.

It was alot like that for me when i got my first tube amp (which was indeed a marshall in like 1999) and when I got my dino - both absolutely made me a better player. I can see switching to a super lead doing the same thing.

Honestly there were a shit-ton of marshall tones, even from the era, that interested me alot more though

I think the vast majority of evh tone chasers don't have the chops to really do the sound, even if they do have all the right gear though - at least in my experience, it was alot easier to do later on in my guitar journey when I had woodshedded my lead playing considerably.

I'm guessing that if they did have the chops, they would get the "holy shit there it is" feeling with basically any paf equipped guitar, a superlead, greenbacks, and maybe an echo plex or schaffer unit copy.

 

[DanTravis62]

The countless videos on Youtube back up every sentence in your paragraph yet people will argue against the obvious. It still is a very invloved recipe to get things right but the main ingredient appears to be a more or less stock plexi/superlead if you allow your own ears to lead you without preconceived conclusions, IMHO.

For sure. People just don't want to hear that because then the alternative is actually practicing their guitar, lol

There's a very good reason most of the people who obsess over this shit and swear there is a "hidden gain stage" or a "second amp" never solve the mystery. It's already been solved; you just need to have the right hand attack and picking triplets-chops to be able to do it, which is the real "Secret sauce"

 

[VonBonfire]

I'm guessing that if they did have the chops, they would get the "holy shit there it is" feeling with basically any paf equipped guitar, a superlead, greenbacks, and maybe an echo plex or schaffer unit copy.

Agree on this. Kinda like just about any of the bigger Fender combos Twin/Super/Showman and a few decent pedals puts you in Jimi and SRV land quite closely. A big Plexi and 4x12 can def nail the big clean SRV tone with a TS in front.

 

[DanTravis62]

Agree on this. Kinda like just about any of the bigger Fender combos Twin/Super/Showman and a few decent pedals puts you in Jimi and SRV land quite closely. A big Plexi and 4x12 can def nail the big clean SRV tone with a TS in front.

That's a really good comparison.

I've never been pressed about the "magic SRV sound" because since the age of like 17 I can replicate it with a plexi or any of the big fenders and a tube screamer and wah

People who pretend it's not in the chops have been chasing their tail for decades about it

 

[VonBonfire]

I've never been pressed about the "magic SRV sound" because since the age of like 17 I can replicate it with a plexi or any of the big fenders and a tube screamer and wah

It makes money to make the SRV/Jimi/Eddie tone into a fetish. It's all about selling people bullshit they don't need mostly. The vested interest in pretending there is some special sauce. Of course there are small secrets and some gear that can help get you there but if someone is trying to sell a pedal or amp claiming that's the magic tone they are full of it. The pedal sales jobs are particularly egregious BS.

 

[DanTravis62]

It makes money to make the SRV/Jimi/Eddie tone into a fetish. It's all about selling people bullshit they don't need mostly. The vested interest in pretending there is some special sauce. Of course there are small secrets and some gear that can help get you there but if someone is trying to sell a pedal or amp claiming that's the magic tone they are full of it. The pedal sales jobs are particularly egregious BS.

Especially because fender amps are so ubiquitous it irritates the shit out of me. "here, this pedal will give you the SRV sound!" so uh literally just a big glass fender and a strat then? lol

We played with a guy that had a "dumble in a box" overdrive. He also had whatever the two rock HRM style was. That shit made me laugh so hard and i feel a little bad because the guy didn't know what I was laughing at and i didnt have the heart to tell him.

 

[VonBonfire]

We played with a guy that had a "dumble in a box" overdrive. He also had whatever the two rock HRM style was. That shit made me laugh so hard and i feel a little bad because the guy didn't know what I was laughing at and i didnt have the heart to tell him.

Somehow I can visualize you laughing while this guy takes 45 mins to an hour to set up and sound check his rig and then still have to ask other guys in the group " hey does this sound alright?", lol. The only guy I know who gigged with an expensive dumble clone is using a cheap digital rig now. Not sure what to make of that, lol

 

[DanTravis62]

Somehow I can visualize you laughing while this guy takes 45 mins to an hour to set up and sound check his rig and then still have to ask other guys in the group " hey does this sound alright?", lol. The only guy I know who gigged with an expensive dumble clone is using a cheap digital rig now. Not sure what to make of that, lol

It's just crazy to me, spend 5 or 6 grand on a dumble clone amp

Then you just HAVE to have a "dumble sound" overdrive on top of it

Seemed like a nice guy and a decent player I just thought it was funny

 

[SpiderWars]

For sure. People just don't want to hear that because then the alternative is actually practicing their guitar, lol

There's a very good reason most of the people who obsess over this shit and swear there is a "hidden gain stage" or a "second amp" never solve the mystery. It's already been solved; you just need to have the right hand attack and picking triplets-chops to be able to do it, which is the real "Secret sauce"

Yep. It comes down to that ole saying, the devil is in the details. Just watching that Dweezil interview and the part about holding the pick different and then bam the intro to Ain’t Talkin Bout Love sounds right…articulate and not muddy like I had been playing it for 40 years. Al Estrada showed me that in a lesson too when I asked why he picked differently for different songs. He said he did it for tonal reasons.

 

[DanTravis62]

Yep. It comes down to that ole saying, the devil is in the details. Just watching that Dweezil interview and the part about holding the pick different and then bam the intro to Ain’t Talkin Bout Love sounds right…articulate and not muddy like I had been playing it for 40 years. Al Estrada showed me that in a lesson too when I asked why he picked differently for different songs. He said he did it for tonal reasons.

Rowan Robertson showed me that, as well. I was lucky enough to be tipped off pretty early about the pick depth/angle stuff. I'm glad I heard it from someone who's words carried some weight with me, or else I wouldn't have heeded the advice lol. Sounds like you did too

 

[SpiderWars]

Rowan Robertson showed me that, as well. I was lucky enough to be tipped off pretty early about the pick depth/angle stuff. I'm glad I heard it from someone whose words carried some weight with me, or else I wouldn't have heeded the advice lol. Sounds like you did too

This dude with his reverse dart thrower picking is the one that first lit the lightbulb about picking making such a difference. Oh, and Jane is hot but I’m a dirty ole man.

 

[DanTravis62]

This dude with his reverse dart thrower picking is the one that first lit the lightbulb about picking making such a difference. Oh, and Jane is hot but I’m a dirty ole man.

I am a reverse darthrower, as well, though i didn't pick it up from anyone, it was just the way it turned out

 

[VonBonfire]

I am a reverse darthrower, as well, though i didn't pick it up from anyone, it was just the way it turned out

Are we talking about reverse picking?

That has definitely helped me clean up my technique a good bit but I still have to remind myself to engage hitch hiker thumb. Believe it or not the first time I heard about it was about 8 months ago.

 

[DanTravis62]

Are we talking about reverse picking?

That has definitely helped me clean up my technique a good bit but I still have to remind myself to engage hitch hiker thumb. Believe it or not the first time I heard about it was about 8 months ago.

reversing your pick slant yes, although dart thrower is a more specific variation of that

you can get plenty clean with any of the common picking motions tbh, but everyone has a variation that is most comfortable and works best for them

 

[VonBonfire]

reversing your pick slant yes, although dart thrower is a more specific variation of that

you can get plenty clean with any of the common picking motions tbh, but everyone has a variation that is most comfortable and works best for them

What's the dart thrower variation? Knowing this might be helpful.

 

[DanTravis62]

What's the dart thrower variation? Knowing this might be helpful.

I naturally adapted this motion when I was really young

I think it's most likely it was the easiest way to get the speed and control I was trying to get playing thrash riffs, it's definitely one of the best picking styles for speed anyhow

 

[Dan Gleesak]

I would like to try one of the pedal clones, I guess it’s supposed to act like a very slight compressor from what I read

I was less than impressed with it. Nothing wrong with it but I can’t see it being the secret ingredient to anything ya know