Joined a KISS Tribute - Quick Helix "Ace" test - UPDATED

[JerEvil]

Here comes the opinion police! I think the tone is the weakest part of the chain here.. Performance is good, vocals good, and I dug everything else but that tone. It sounds almost like you took an already too gainy amp and then turned down on the volume knob on your guitar. If you want to do old school KISS right, it has to sound big and raw. For that I would use an old Marshall, Gibson copy of some sort, and a treble booster. That's right, old school treble boost. The rest will be digging in with your hands to get that wide ass Ace vibrato (which I think you did awesome btw, you caught his feel). Are you going to be using the Helix live for your shows? If so, I think you could do better dialing in maybe a Marshall Major or a big woofier sounding Plexi and then boosting with a treble booster on the floor.

Oh dude... all feedback is welcome. This was a pretty quick turnaround but as soon as the Les Paul gets here I will be dialing it in proper. I post updated tones for sure.

That's cool as shit. Ace is the reason I started playing guitar.

Oh me to!

AWESOME MAN! Congrats on the gig!
Hope you post some vids from your shows!

I was asked to be Ace in a local KISS Tribute some years ago. I turned it down at the time because I was tired of dressing up. (I had just come off 4 years in a Motley Crue Tribute). Looking back, I kind of wish I had accepted the offer.

At any rate... Stoked for ya man!

"How many people out theya love the taste of VADKA an' O'ange Juice"????

"Awww yay... How you all FEEEEEL????" LOL!

Love Alive! so much! Will definitely post vids. I gotta learn how to do the makeup asap.

AWESOME MAN! Congrats on the gig!
Hope you post some vids from your shows!

I was asked to be Ace in a local KISS Tribute some years ago. I turned it down at the time because I was tired of dressing up. (I had just come off 4 years in a Motley Crue Tribute). Looking back, I kind of wish I had accepted the offer.

At any rate... Stoked for ya man!

"How many people out theya love the taste of VADKA an' O'ange Juice"????

I think Tribute bands are the way of the future for the legacy of bands to live on. Good musicians in their 40's or 50's who can cover most of the eras of a band and who enjoy doing what they do. Not a lot of the real bands themselves can still bring it the same way they used to..(unless they use backing tracks.... ahem, Paul Stanley).

Yeah man I am with that.

Just ordered this guy. PRETTY damn close to Ace's aesthetically. I'll swap the black switch tip and at least get the overlay creme sticker for the black bobbin for now and then nab a DiMarzio Super/Super 2 set.

 

[romanianreaper]

I'm a bit torn on going to see them again.
I really enjoyed the reunion shows with the original lineup. Just don't have much interest in going to see the other guys in makeup.

As much as it pains me to say this, I saw them two years ago with the other guys and it was the best KISS show I'd seen. I saw them at one of the first reunion shows in 96', again in 97', and then saw them around 99' with the 3D Psycho Circus tour. I know I saw them on the Farewell tour but can't remember. LOL! This last one was pretty amazing.

I have always looked at KISS as going to the Circus or a broadway show. You know what you are going to see with the blood and the spitting fire, the guitar shooting rockets, etc., and most time even know what songs they'll do. It is like a big party. As a lifelong fan, I just feel like going to one last party.

 

[JerEvil]

Got another clip in the OP. Used a Dr Z amp this time. Tried getting closer to a cross of the self titled and Alive.

https://soundcloud.com/jerevil/ace-test-2

 

[mrhiwatt]

That tone will work!

 

[JerEvil]

That tone will work!

Awesome! Thanks for the input. I’m pretty pleased with it. Oddly enough it’s a Dr Z amp and Klon in the Helix. Lol!

 

[El Mariachi]

Got another clip in the OP. Used a Dr Z amp this time. Tried getting closer to a cross of the self titled and Alive.

https://soundcloud.com/jerevil/ace-test-2

Sounds killer Jeremy!
Nice work!

 

[El Mariachi]

I'm a bit torn on going to see them again.
I really enjoyed the reunion shows with the original lineup. Just don't have much interest in going to see the other guys in makeup.

As much as it pains me to say this, I saw them two years ago with the other guys and it was the best KISS show I'd seen. I saw them at one of the first reunion shows in 96', again in 97', and then saw them around 99' with the 3D Psycho Circus tour. I know I saw them on the Farewell tour but can't remember. LOL! This last one was pretty amazing.

I have always looked at KISS as going to the Circus or a broadway show. You know what you are going to see with the blood and the spitting fire, the guitar shooting rockets, etc., and most time even know what songs they'll do. It is like a big party. As a lifelong fan, I just feel like going to one last party.

I hear ya man.
I know you can look at it lots of different ways and I'm sure it's a killer show.
I'll be skipping the last hoorah.

 

[JerEvil]

Got another clip in the OP. Used a Dr Z amp this time. Tried getting closer to a cross of the self titled and Alive.

https://soundcloud.com/jerevil/ace-test-2

Sounds killer Jerry!
Nice work!

Thanks man. Just got shipping notification and looks like my Lester will be here Friday! (fingers crossed)

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Got another clip in the OP. Used a Dr Z amp this time. Tried getting closer to a cross of the self titled and Alive.

https://soundcloud.com/jerevil/ace-test-2

Definitely better but still sounds small..and digital. Not your fault, its Line 6's! 20$ says in two seconds if you put a passive pickup through one of your tube amps and a real speaker it will sound 99% there. Boooooo to digital! Love your Ace vibrato though!

That said, nobody is gonna know live so who cares! They will be into the show and volume will help. I'm jealous of your gig.

 

[JerEvil]

Got another clip in the OP. Used a Dr Z amp this time. Tried getting closer to a cross of the self titled and Alive.

https://soundcloud.com/jerevil/ace-test-2

Definitely better but still sounds small..and digital. Not your fault, its Line 6's! 20$ says in two seconds if you put a passive pickup through one of your tube amps and a real speaker it will sound 99% there. Boooooo to digital! Love your Ace vibrato though!

That said, nobody is gonna know live so who cares! They will be into the show and volume will help. I'm jealous of your gig.

Well that's just it. Through the size of the PA we're using it should be just fine. We absolutely are not able to use live amps with this particular run so copping the recorded tones as best we can is... well... the best we can do! If it takes off and we move to another spot, the BE-100 or Henning all be handling the heavy lifting for sure.

 

[rottingcorpse]

Time to plan a Vegas trip. I'm gonna dress in drag and throw my EXTRA large panties at you as you wail on stage. This will be legendary!

 

[JerEvil]

Time to plan a Vegas trip. I'm gonna dress in drag and throw my EXTRA large panties at you as you wail on stage. This will be legendary!

I will practice catching with my teeth!

 

[skoora]

That DrZ sim sounded pretty good for the early tone. Nice job on the lead playing. Were you bending the G on the main Shock Me riff? Sounded like it. Try bending the F# up towards G while also hitting the open d (and maybe g) string instead. I think you’ll hear it as on the money. If you were already, my hearing is going...lol

 

[JerEvil]

That DrZ sim sounded pretty good for the early tone. Nice job on the lead playing. Were you bending the G on the main Shock Me riff? Sounded like it. Try bending the F# up towards G while also hitting the open d (and maybe g) string instead. I think you’ll hear it as on the money. If you were already, my hearing is going...lol

Nope. You’re exactly right. I was bending the G. Someone else pointed that out so definitely doing it “right” now! Thanks for checking it out.

 

[cecilbag]

Great as always Jeremy. Really love your video style. That’s going to be a great gig for sure. I’m waiting on you to get the call for King Diamond

 

[JerEvil]

Great as always Jeremy. Really love your video style. That’s going to be a great gig for sure. I’m waiting on you to get the call for King Diamond

Hey thanks! Yeah... me too on the King!

 

[skullfxr]

Nice job!

side note ,I'm in a Def Leppard tribute and the best thing about tribute bands is you don't have people wanting to play music you hate. That is as long as you like the band your a tribute to

That is a cool thought. Never looked at it that way. But yet again, I have never been in a tribute band.

I would go Crüe all day any day for me.

 

[romanianreaper]

That is a cool thought. Never looked at it that way. But yet again, I have never been in a tribute band.

I would go Crüe all day any day for me.

Dude, let's do it!

My buddy gives me crap about going to see tribute bands but some of these bands are phenomenal. I've seen Brit Floyd like four times and they play places like Wembley Stadium doing Pink Floyd covers. In fact one of the guitarists used to hang out on the Fractal forum.

I've seen "Get the Led Out", a Zeppelin tribute twice and those guys sound phenomenal. It is awesome that we have one of our own here on the forum in an awesome Ozzy Tribute band and they do the look with the stage setup, etc. There are very few bands that can pull that off. In those cases, I don't care what the band members look like and just taking all of the music in.

 

[JerEvil]

Man I LOVE good tribute bands! I’d do a Crue one in a heartbeat.

 

[skullfxr]

That is a cool thought. Never looked at it that way. But yet again, I have never been in a tribute band.

I would go Crüe all day any day for me.

Dude, let's do it!

My buddy gives me crap about going to see tribute bands but some of these bands are phenomenal. I've seen Brit Floyd like four times and they play places like Wembley Stadium doing Pink Floyd covers. In fact one of the guitarists used to hang out on the Fractal forum.

I've seen "Get the Led Out", a Zeppelin tribute twice and those guys sound phenomenal. It is awesome that we have one of our own here on the forum in an awesome Ozzy Tribute band and they do the look with the stage setup, etc. There are very few bands that can pull that off. In those cases, I don't care what the band members look like and just taking all of the music in.

Totally.

I would rather be in a tribute band than a cover band tbh.

I forgot our guy's name on here in the Ozzy tribute band, but his stuff sounds great that he put up.

I was in a modern/hard rock cover band for a bit, but there is only so much Shinedown/Godsmack/Disturbed, et al that I can enjoy playing.

I have seen Badfish a few times (Sublime tribute band) and they are great.

I think that if you were to be a good tribute band it would be satisfying to see the guys reliving their younger days enjoying the show.

I think that if I could get a good enough vocalist I would pick STP first though if I had the choice, but there is no other Scott Weiland. That would be hard to imitate.

But yeah Crüe would be a hell of a time.