Randy Rhoads Tone Challenge
- Thread starter lll
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ElectricVoodoo
Well-known member
I was about to ask, how do you know this is FACT as you say?
We're you there with him?
He states in interviews that he uses the MXR + as well as stating the rest of his gear, nothing regarding a variac have I ever heard him say.
We're you there with him?
He states in interviews that he uses the MXR + as well as stating the rest of his gear, nothing regarding a variac have I ever heard him say.
Man.. there is a lot of odd information in this thread regarding Randys tone. In my clip I posted earlier you can easily hear its not rocket science on how to get that tone. Mods, variacs... 
Next it'll be Randy used an AxeFx!! I used a Les Paul with a Fender SS amp with a shitty phone recording in the room. The speakers are what makes all the difference in nailing his sound!! The freq. range on them go up to 8000hz where the typical V30 only hits 5000hz. These things are bright!! Too bright for me to use with any of my higher gain rigs.
I owned an AxeFx and had a really good Randy patch for it. It was close, but thru a poweramp and a 4x12 it was never spot on. Going direct is a whole nother story and I am only referring to a poweramp and 4x12 so no disrespect to the modeler crowd. For anyone looking to duplicate his tone with tube amps, ya aint gonna nail it without the speakers.. no matter what kind of mods you do to the amp or how many pedals you run. You'll get close, but thats about it.
Oh, and if your so inclined to research these things, research the mic'ing techniques from Blizzard and Diary... I cant remember exact now but I believe it was Blizzard that Max Norman mic'ed the cabs from different distances and blended them and the other album he didnt. Thats just one of the reasons why the tone is so different. Christ, I spent waaaay too many years chasing that tone..
Next it'll be Randy used an AxeFx!! I used a Les Paul with a Fender SS amp with a shitty phone recording in the room. The speakers are what makes all the difference in nailing his sound!! The freq. range on them go up to 8000hz where the typical V30 only hits 5000hz. These things are bright!! Too bright for me to use with any of my higher gain rigs. I owned an AxeFx and had a really good Randy patch for it. It was close, but thru a poweramp and a 4x12 it was never spot on. Going direct is a whole nother story and I am only referring to a poweramp and 4x12 so no disrespect to the modeler crowd. For anyone looking to duplicate his tone with tube amps, ya aint gonna nail it without the speakers.. no matter what kind of mods you do to the amp or how many pedals you run. You'll get close, but thats about it.
Oh, and if your so inclined to research these things, research the mic'ing techniques from Blizzard and Diary... I cant remember exact now but I believe it was Blizzard that Max Norman mic'ed the cabs from different distances and blended them and the other album he didnt. Thats just one of the reasons why the tone is so different. Christ, I spent waaaay too many years chasing that tone..
I checked into Altec Lansings once, they're way expensive.
Dan,
There is one company today that makes these and they are repo's using the same components from the originals, or so they claim. They are expensive because they are an Alnico speaker. You can still find them used but they are getting harder to find. I bought 8 of them used well over 20 years ago and wish I had the advantage of Ebay at the time.
That Randy amp sounds good in person, but its funny how bright they voiced it to compensate for his overall rig.
There is one company today that makes these and they are repo's using the same components from the originals, or so they claim. They are expensive because they are an Alnico speaker. You can still find them used but they are getting harder to find. I bought 8 of them used well over 20 years ago and wish I had the advantage of Ebay at the time.
That Randy amp sounds good in person, but its funny how bright they voiced it to compensate for his overall rig.
phil b":1xsrbh9a said:Heres some fun.... I just did this really quick with my phone, 1 take, just noodling to demonstrate how these speakers sound. These are a pair of Altecs in a combo amp. No treble boost {which randy never used btw} and no od or boost of any kind. I honestly cant stress enough how important these speakers were to Randys sound, hate it or not. Anyways, would be fun to see if anyone can guess the amp. No Axefx, Kemper or other modeler. Guitar was plugged straight in. Randys lead tone was a huge inspiration to me when I first heard it.From then every lead I did had to be triple tracked..!
https://soundcloud.com/guitarplyr/altec-417-speakers
That's it. You are right, it's about the speakers. Rest is his fingers. You convinced me. Great clip.
Alex_S":12ex8gim said:phil b":12ex8gim said:Heres some fun.... I just did this really quick with my phone, 1 take, just noodling to demonstrate how these speakers sound. These are a pair of Altecs in a combo amp. No treble boost {which randy never used btw} and no od or boost of any kind. I honestly cant stress enough how important these speakers were to Randys sound, hate it or not. Anyways, would be fun to see if anyone can guess the amp. No Axefx, Kemper or other modeler. Guitar was plugged straight in. Randys lead tone was a huge inspiration to me when I first heard it.From then every lead I did had to be triple tracked..!
https://soundcloud.com/guitarplyr/altec-417-speakers
That's it. You are right, it's about the speakers. Rest is his fingers. You convinced me. Great clip.
Well the one thing about Randys Tone compared to say Eddies, is that Randys sound was so unique compared to anyone else, and it seems to be true to this day. I completely agree that the player has such an influence on the sound, but just playing the intro to say, "I Dont Know", it doesnt take much player technique to nail the vibe of the player to nail that tone vs. say something like "I'm the one" by Eddie.... You obviously need more than just the speakers to nail Randys tone, but its so overlooked because most guys have never played thru them and have no clue. In this instance you can get closer with the speakers than you can with whatever head your using. I find it bizarre, but thats a fact.
phil b":2u500apk said:Alex_S":2u500apk said:phil b":2u500apk said:Heres some fun.... I just did this really quick with my phone, 1 take, just noodling to demonstrate how these speakers sound. These are a pair of Altecs in a combo amp. No treble boost {which randy never used btw} and no od or boost of any kind. I honestly cant stress enough how important these speakers were to Randys sound, hate it or not. Anyways, would be fun to see if anyone can guess the amp. No Axefx, Kemper or other modeler. Guitar was plugged straight in. Randys lead tone was a huge inspiration to me when I first heard it.From then every lead I did had to be triple tracked..!
https://soundcloud.com/guitarplyr/altec-417-speakers
That's it. You are right, it's about the speakers. Rest is his fingers. You convinced me. Great clip.
Well the one thing about Randys Tone compared to say Eddies, is that Randys sound was so unique compared to anyone else, and it seems to be true to this day. I completely agree that the player has such an influence on the sound, but just playing the intro to say, "I Dont Know", it doesnt take much player technique to nail the vibe of the player to nail that tone vs. say something like "I'm the one" by Eddie.... You obviously need more than just the speakers to nail Randys tone, but its so overlooked because most guys have never played thru them and have no clue. In this instance you can get closer with the speakers than you can with whatever head your using. I find it bizarre, but thats a fact.
Agreed. I also never have played those speakers. Speakers are imho anyhow the most overlooked underrated part of sound. But in this case it's really 95%. Of course the other parts of the chain from player to guitar to recording also influence. To get it 100% everything needs to be right, but you identified the major part.
the crush 36
New member
shredhead7":21m17i1m said:the crush 36":21m17i1m said:
Man, you killed those solos. I laughed at your cat. Mine was like that too, just chill next to you, until you try to do anything else, then it's pet me. Pet me. Pet me. Heah, pet me.
Really though, fantastic playing.
Hey thanks alot !! Dam cats got to love em!
But alot of great guitar players here!
Nothing for nothing but Randy was asked about his Distortion + and he did say he kept it on all the time. I am sure a search for the audio clip can be found somewhere online. I think it was his guitar seminar{?} He's also said that every town they would tour in he would look up classical guitar teachers and grab a lesson. Ozzy has also confirmed that in interviews years ago.
Uploaded some clips. Gonna finish vid later.
Goodbye To Romance Solo:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-gtr
Crazy Train:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-ct
I Don't Know:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-idk
Revelation - Mother Earth:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-rme
Suicide Solution:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-ss
Goodbye To Romance Solo:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-gtr
Crazy Train:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-ct
I Don't Know:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-idk
Revelation - Mother Earth:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-rme
Suicide Solution:
https://soundcloud.com/lefty-lounge-lizard/lll-rhoads-test-ss
Shawn Lutz
New member
I love Randy but I didn't like his rhythm tone on Blizzard. I like it better on DOAM. I like what he had going on the After Hours stuff. I really like how he double and triple tracked his solo's on the studio albums.
He is tough to nail and I think its more important to play it right than to nail his tone...having said that and I do a poor job of it but at least I gave it a go
I did these ages ago when I started playing more and recorded them using a J-station late at night after my kids (now adults) were little.
http://www.shawnlutz.com/crowley1mix3.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/mrcrowley2mix2.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/Over_The_%20Mo ... 20Mix1.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/Diary_Mix_1.mp3
I'd love to do a redo with real amps...
He is tough to nail and I think its more important to play it right than to nail his tone...having said that and I do a poor job of it but at least I gave it a go
I did these ages ago when I started playing more and recorded them using a J-station late at night after my kids (now adults) were little.
http://www.shawnlutz.com/crowley1mix3.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/mrcrowley2mix2.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/Over_The_%20Mo ... 20Mix1.mp3
http://www.shawnlutz.com/Diary_Mix_1.mp3
I'd love to do a redo with real amps...
sytharnia1560
Well-known member
lll":2uewrc9g said:
they all sound great. What are you using gear wise?
