Does anyone here use fusion type lead tones live?

[mentoneman]

talking EJ/Holdsworth/Lane lead tones instead of normal edgy hard rock marshall/modded marshall and boogie tones.
If so what are you running?
I just received the Holdsworth box set and just love his lead tones.

 

[copilot]

I play sort of a fusion style. More like Billy Cobham Spectrum fusion.
I got 7 amps and if I was gonna play a fusion thing and wanted TONE, sustain and wicked fluidity, it would be the Mesa JP-2C. Head is SICK. I recorded myself playing the amp and making adjustments and what i heard back smoked. The notes come off your fingers so fast on this type amp. JP-2C!

 

[mentoneman]

was talking to a friend today and we were discussing amps with tones we like.

his friend just got a carol ann tucana 2 and already had a bludotone and a jtm 45 style, all of which i favor over typical modded marshall lead tones or recto era stuff.

mark series mesa tone is great and i have no doubt the V and jp would work for me, as allan's secrets album was mesa tones and my favorite of his lead sounds on any album.

 

[japetus]

Fender Vibrolux or a Bassman with a good boost

 

[tripstan]

IIRC Holdsworth would set the amp ripping then back off the volume and tone knob to smooth things out. He was getting this tone in the 70's thru a Marshall halfstack. Fuchs and Carol Ann come to mind for amps. Bogner XTC is another know for liquidy leads that gets forgot about. I'd agree the Mark series can nail it, my blue stripe III+ hits that tone perfect when rolling back the tone knob back. Friedman or other modded Marshall's with a compressor will get you there. JHS @ pedal a go to fusion pedal for me, the wattage switch along with the EQ and Air knobs allow you to dial in open crunch/distortion tones or compressed liquid leads. Andy Timmons gets some nice fluid leads with it. Dumble pedals are another option and another rabbit hole to jump down. I love this tone if you can't tell and I've always preferred fusion lead tones and used it in ever group/song that it fits or I can make it fit. The obvious dick answer is it's in the fingers and how you set up the amp and guitar controls. I'm sure Allan could dial his tone in on a Gorilla. There's a lot of ways to get there.

 

[MrHotMod]

I think many of the classic fusion tones were either Marshall or Mesa amps.. Tough to move away from those, as they just worked.
My preference is amps like these, but using boost pedals. Tends to smooth them out, giving me a more liquid feel.

Did a gig with some friends just for fun and half the night was improvising in a 70's fusion type manner (it was ok, not many people were there. lol), and my choice of amps was a boosted Budda Superdrive 80. The notes just flew off the neck. Felt like I was John McLaughlin.... for a second or two.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

Id call fusion smooth and dark with flat mids. In that case yup, its my type of solo tone.

 

[mentoneman]

at first i used boogie mark III and triaxis lead 2 yellow tones and then egnater tol 100 ch 3 or 4.

i noticed a trend that over time it has smoothed and fattened out more and more.

Later mojave coyote, then peacemaker rigs taught me more about cranking/controlling power tubes and stage volumes for natural compression and sustain with more tone fullness and mix cutting than preamp distortion gave me

had wonderful stints with carol ann and axe fx ultra, but went back to mojave for a one channel simple amp that i could hear myself best onstage with and having pedals which are so good these days for all of the od flavors i needed. My ethos overdrive is my lead sound.

with my final rig eventually going all in ears i still preferred a loaded tube amp with pedals to an axefx but boy an ax8 would've sure simplified load in/out! Not playing live now but grateful for the experiences and curious if anyone else has a sumilar journey.

 

[Vin Diezel]

Diezel?

 

[mentoneman]

Diezel?

Peter is great and the Herbert is a killer hard rock and metal amp with awesome cleans, but not my choice for fusion.

Less preamp gain/distortion and more power tube flow and midrange content

i love holdsworth lead tone on Secrets, EJ on a via musicom, and shawn lane powers of ten

Interesting to note those guys used delay effects as a key element of their sound

 

[Scotty]

The oracle of all that is tone is asking this question? The man that should be the voice guiding people through the Rock and Roll HOF spinning tails of man and electric chemistry. Historian of the great amp advances from the 1980s of aquanet to today's pretenders with designs gotten by bad intentions.

The keeper of historical tone.

You are plagued by knowing all and playing all and now have no more lands to conquer. You look at NAMM knowing their is nothing else to be offered that you have not blessed. You sit at the alter of tone satisfied but restless for one more trip into new territory.

Fuchs, Mark Series, Superlead type circuit with Ethos type pedal.

Go forth Mentoneman on that final journey, hope all is well with your family.

 

[mentoneman]

mahalo Scotty!

don't know about all that but i did want to know if there are any guys even interested in that tone anymore? i just put new saddles on my tyler and went down to 9s for fun and i can see why holdsworth used that gauge.

 

[Shawn Lutz]

a lot of fusion guys used Marshall, Fender and Mesa/Boogie amps but with a bit less gain. Check out some old DiMeola, Jeff Beck, Holdsworth, Methany, McLauglin etc live clips on youtube. Its not so much the gear used -- its the settings and player techniques

 

[mentoneman]

a lot of fusion guys used Marshall, Fender and Mesa/Boogie amps but with a bit less gain. Check out some old DiMeola, Jeff Beck, Holdsworth, Methany, McLauglin etc live clips on youtube. Its not so much the gear used -- its the settings and player techniques

yup
marshalls, boogies, fenders...all good

allen hinds rocks fender combos, dumbles, and even the short lived bogner alchemist and all sound great with his ear and feather touch

of course there's landau rocking his sig fender amp and dumble modded super with the jazz ministry at the potato
( i was there that night and it was ~killing~ tone - i liked it way better than his dumble tone with honkies the year before)

or with his suhr od 100 classic at the voodoo lounge with robben ford (also there and equally as great in a crunchier way though rf with a super reverb and zendrive wasn't nearly as toneful as his dumble/2290/pcm70/fender rf sig guitar days

and the great shawn lane at namm-not sure what he was using -gjika??--and the guitar was valley arts and imo the best toneful guitar of the ones he played
the tone that night in that celestion tent was humongous (though bunny brunnel was WAAAAYYYYY too loud on bass, and yes i was there at that show too

and for my fave recorded lead holdsworth tone:

 

[shadow070]

First of i dont play live but the last 2/3 years i have been studying jazz.
I have a Herbert. The cleans are perfect for jazz and the leads fit perfect for fusion. Channel 2 and 3 with a lower gain setting is what i use at the moment.
Ch.2: around 12:00
Ch.3: 10:00
Both using the mid cut intensity: 8:30 and Level: 12:00
In the loop: Strymon Big Skye with just a little verb.

The lower gain makes my tone fatter and smoother while maintaining the fast responsive attack.


Im not in to Marshall but if i had the chance i would def. check out the JP-2, the clips ive heard are really nice.

 

[copilot]

Best Landau tones I ever heard-

 

[mentoneman]

Best Landau tones I ever heard-

it's no secret i am all in when it comes to mike
i loved those recorded tones on the RH discs--very vintage hendrix and srv based, played by a master and recorded and mixed perfectly

unfortunately i started going to his shows after the honkies broke up but i did get to see him:

1) with his teddy/gary trio using the marshall/mini rack-pedal hybrid rig, then
2) his hazey jane gig with the same rig, then
3) the original dyno 4 with his dumble modded super rig, then
4) vinnie/jimmy trio with the marshall dsl, then
5) pre renegade gig with robben ford and an od 100 classic and a stripped down maxon od/teese wah on the floor and a lexicon m-1 rack unit sitting raw on top of the head, then
6) tone merchants with the od100 /lexi/ newer pedalboard, then
7) renegade creation with a fender deville and vertex pedalboard-he was using line 6 dl4 and honestly it was the only time i saw him live that i didn't love his tone. i talked to him after the show and begged him to bring the tri stereo rack out of storage but he felt mono w/d was more his thing at that point
8) raging honkies reunion namm 2014 with his dumble and pedalboard then
9) jazz ministry with his signature fender amp and dumble modded super w/d rig in 2015

i had the luxury of briefly talking to him about the last rig at the gig and honestly his tone that night was really amazing for that fusiony thing. i think his dirty rock sounds are best suited with the od 100

 

[SavageRiffer]

Dude, check out Shawn Tubbs on youtube. That dude always has immaculate tone and great playing. He often uses a /13 amp.

 

[mentoneman]

Dude, check out Shawn Tubbs on youtube. That dude always has immaculate tone and great playing. He often uses a /13 amp.

really great player and tone