Billy Duffy Les Paul tone - Ceremony era Cult

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djpatb

djpatb

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Hey guys,
Anyone know what gear Billy Duffy from the Cult was using around the time of the Ceremony album?
Pickups, cabs, speakers, amps?
I was just listening to Heart of Soul, and I love his Les Paul tones on that song.
Thanks!
 
Not sure what he used but I love that tone on that album as well!! :rock:
 
Doesn't Dave Friedman do his rig? I'd post this in the rackSystem subforum as well.
 
Isn't he a straight up Marshall and either LP or White Penguin?
 
Think he might have been using a Golub Marshall around that time. Or maybe it was Harry Kolbe.
 
The main things I'm trying to find out would be pickups and speakers.
I've always read that he's used Harry Kolbe modded Marshalls and various Seymour Duncan humbuckers...just not sure what he used on the Ceremony record specifically. I usually see Greenbacks mentioned for him, but I coulda sworn there was an EV endorsement at some point. Thanks guys.
 
http://www.hugeracksinc.com/forum/viewt ... illy+duffy The post is from Racksystems.

I have seen them a couple of times and he was using 3 different amps as listed in the above article, Marshall..Roland JC120..and Badcat (think he was using Matchless at some point too).



LP's and a Gretsch White Falcon are his weapons of choice live usually.
 
Main amp for the recording of Sonic Temple and Ceremony was a Kolbe-modified Marshall 2210.

Main guitars for the recording of Electric, Sonic Temple and Ceremony were 70's Les Paul Customs. By the time of Sonic Temple, they were loaded with Duncan Jeff Beck pickups. Regardless of popular rumour, the Gretsch White Falcon was barely used on Electric or any of these three albums, with the exception of some arpeggios and some background fill. The main tone was solely the Les Pauls. A custom super Strat was used for many of the leads on Sonic Temple and Ceremony.

Marshall cabinets, usually loaded with Greenbacks.

Cheers! :rock:
 
Shark Diver":3pcdzkvt said:
Doesn't Dave Friedman do his rig? I'd post this in the rackSystem subforum as well.
Click to expand...

umm safe bet, Dave does everyones rig.
 
rlord1974":ahezk9v7 said:
Main amp for the recording of Sonic Temple and Ceremony was a Kolbe-modified Marshall 2210.

Main guitars for the recording of Electric, Sonic Temple and Ceremony were 70's Les Paul Customs. By the time of Sonic Temple, they were loaded with Duncan Jeff Beck pickups. Regardless of popular rumour, the Gretsch White Falcon was barely used on Electric or any of these three albums, with the exception of some arpeggios and some background fill. The main tone was solely the Les Pauls. A custom super Strat was used for many of the leads on Sonic Temple and Ceremony.

Marshall cabinets, usually loaded with Greenbacks.

Cheers! :rock:
Click to expand...

Sounds about right. There's a bit of whammy bar action on Sonic Temple that obviously is not coming from the Gibson or a Bigsby. Gretsch and the Roland were his earlier sound.

Sonic Temple was just a great album.
 
When I teched for him during his stint in cardboard Vampires he used backline stock Marshall 800 or 900. An SD1 if the amps were not hot enough. He used a couple other effect stomps and that was it. Les Pauls, and a white falcon. We talked about his rigs. He had always been a die hard Marshall guy and I was shocked to see a rack rig for him now as he said he did not like a complicated rig. "A Marshall and a few pedal is all I need".
 
djpatb":3r90euuf said:
It was a 2210, really?
Wow, thanks for the info rlord!
Click to expand...

No problem.

Yeah, it was a 2210, but it was heavily modified. A stock 2210 won't give you that grind and sizzle characteristic of the tone on songs like Sun King, American Horse, Sweet Soul Sister, Ceremony and that lead tone in Heart of Soul you like so much.

Also, during the recording of Sonic Temple and Ceremony, a W/D/W setup was used. The dry Marshall was recorded but a line out was also sent to a chorus unit and split into stereo. The dry and stereo signals are were then mixed across the stereo spectrum. There was a slight delay put on one side of the stereo signal, which was a significant factor in creating the massive wall of guitar crunch that makes those albums so huge sounding.

Fantastic tone.
 
Oh, another interesting tidbit....

Around the time of Sonic Temple, the White Falcon was stuffed with foam to reduce feedback when used live. Also, he had Duncan custom-wind him JB pickups that fit inside the Gretsch Filtertron housing. As a result, his original 70's White Falcon is a heavily modified, rock 'n' roll machine at this point. Doesn't have much of the original Gretsch hollowbody mojo left.......
 
rlord1974":9gej0vmd said:
Oh, another interesting tidbit....

Around the time of Sonic Temple, the White Falcon was stuffed with foam to reduce feedback when used live. Also, he had Duncan custom-wind him JB pickups that fit inside the Gretsch Filtertron housing. As a result, his original 70's White Falcon is a heavily modified, rock 'n' roll machine at this point. Doesn't have much of the original Gretsch hollowbody mojo left.......
Click to expand...


great info. How the hell do you know this much??
 
I have followed the band and his rig closely over the years. ;)
 
boost":3sjkpsxo said:
Sounds about right. There's a bit of whammy bar action on Sonic Temple that obviously is not coming from the Gibson or a Bigsby. Gretsch and the Roland were his earlier sound.Sonic Temple was just a great album.
Click to expand...


I have seen pictures of him playing a LP with a Floyd on before.
 
I read in an interview he had one super strat style guitar with a floyd for all the whammy stuff

he bends behind the nut on the les pauls sometimes as well
 
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