Key to Cantrell's tone? (Besides his amps & fingers)

[EXPcustom]

I am going to buy a old Randall tube head.

 

[sinfish]

I teched for Billy duffy and Jerry for a Cardboard Vampires show a several years ago. The both requested a backline of JCM 900s with Vintage 30s. Both used pedalboards. Duffy used mostly Boss pedals. I remembered Jerry having a RAT distortion and a Boss Distortion in the mix. He used his pedals to flavor tone on different songs but relied on the amp for most of it. Duffy had a Boss OD-2 but he says he only uses it if the Head does not produce for him.
(He did not use it that night)

 

[guitarslinger]

Balanced.

+ Melodic Awareness.


FWIW, the Fish DOES sound a lot like him.

 

[SFW]

I've seen Jerry with the Fish, with Shivas and with a rented JCM800 2205 (the channel switcher). He has always sounded like Jerry. I tend to agree with EQing different amps to get that sound in your head. Jerry's inner tone is just really good! lol!

 

[stephen sawall]

Small differences in tone, but the same identifiable sound in the mix.

Any player can dial in any amp to sound totally different, or if desired, almost the same as another amp. It's just that he, like every other guitarist has a certain tone they gravitate toward when recording and playing live, and it's not difficult to achieve 95% of that sound with almost any high gain amp.

This is a big part of why people say the tone is in the fingers.

 

['63-Strat]

Small differences in tone, but the same identifiable sound in the mix.

Any player can dial in any amp to sound totally different, or if desired, almost the same as another amp. It's just that he, like every other guitarist has a certain tone they gravitate toward when recording and playing live, and it's not difficult to achieve 95% of that sound with almost any high gain amp.

This is a big part of why people say the tone is in the fingers.

 

[glassjaw7]

Small differences in tone, but the same identifiable sound in the mix.

Any player can dial in any amp to sound totally different, or if desired, almost the same as another amp. It's just that he, like every other guitarist has a certain tone they gravitate toward when recording and playing live, and it's not difficult to achieve 95% of that sound with almost any high gain amp.

This is a big part of why people say the tone is in the fingers.

Ok, tone is in the fingers if you consider that you use them to turn the controls on the amp. Otherwise, it's all just eq and the player's taste. Like my sig says, tone is in the gear, technique/playing style/skill are in the hands.

 

['63-Strat]

Small differences in tone, but the same identifiable sound in the mix.

Any player can dial in any amp to sound totally different, or if desired, almost the same as another amp. It's just that he, like every other guitarist has a certain tone they gravitate toward when recording and playing live, and it's not difficult to achieve 95% of that sound with almost any high gain amp.

This is a big part of why people say the tone is in the fingers.

Ok, tone is in the fingers if you consider that you use them to turn the controls on the amp. Otherwise, it's all just eq and the player's taste. Like my sig says, tone is in the gear, technique/playing style/skill are in the hands.

Where I disagree with that entirely is that if you are a crap player, you can't have good tone IMO. I've yet to hear a single example where I'd agree otherwise. So while I get what you and many others mean by that and of course agree [insert famous guitar player here] would sound different with a deluxe reverb vs. a diezel herbert etc. the two are so intertwined that you can't separate them. Your skill level where touch and dynamics are concerned largely determines the range and quality of tones you can get out of your rig IMO. I have also yet to meet a single pro that doesn't think tone is in the fingers. [end rant ]

 

[jasonmwnf]

Jerry playing a old Randall tube head.

A little off topic but... MAN, could Layne ever sing! \m/. I think thats what propelled AIC to stardom. Layne's vox tone was every bit as good as Jerry's Git tone!

 

[danhops]

I have to go with most of anyones tone is in the fingers. Yes the gear adds to it, but I have seen plenty of instances of people dialing in a good tone only to hand their guitar over to someone else and the tone had changed quite significantly. No dials changed, and same signal chain. In some cases I was quite surprised how drastic it was. Ones technique is the most important part of their tone IMHO.

 

[stephen sawall]

Tone ....

"A musical sound of definite pitch, consisting of several relatively simple constituents called partial tones, the lowest of which is called the fundamental tone and the others harmonics or overtones."

"Quality or character of sound."

"Any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc"

"Tone, in acoustics, sound that can be recognized by its regularity of vibration. A simple tone has only one frequency, although its intensity may vary. A complex tone consists of two or more simple tones, called overtones. The tone of lowest frequency is called the fundamental; the others, overtones. The frequencies of the overtones may be whole multiples (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc., of the fundamental frequency, in which case they are called the second, third, fourth, etc., harmonics of the fundamental tone, itself known as the first harmonic)."

All of these things well be different for different people ..... with some people very different on the same instrument. This is true when using acoustic guitars with no amps being used.

Can you shape these things with amps .... yes you can. But the tone by definition comes from the hands first and well be different for everyone just like snowflakes.

 

['63-Strat]

Tone ....

"A musical sound of definite pitch, consisting of several relatively simple constituents called partial tones, the lowest of which is called the fundamental tone and the others harmonics or overtones."

"Quality or character of sound."

"Any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc"

"Tone, in acoustics, sound that can be recognized by its regularity of vibration. A simple tone has only one frequency, although its intensity may vary. A complex tone consists of two or more simple tones, called overtones. The tone of lowest frequency is called the fundamental; the others, overtones. The frequencies of the overtones may be whole multiples (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc., of the fundamental frequency, in which case they are called the second, third, fourth, etc., harmonics of the fundamental tone, itself known as the first harmonic)."

All of these things well be different for different people ..... with some people very different on the same instrument. This is true when using acoustic guitars with no amps being used.

Can you shape these things with amps .... yes you can. But the tone by definition comes from the hands first and well be different for everyone just like snowflakes.

Also of interest is the fact that on every other instrument getting good tone is attributed in large part to one's skill. With electric guitar this is seemingly in constant debate online, and, also of interest is due to the popularity of guitar with all types of people and demographics, guitar players have by far the least musical knowledge compared to other instruments. Coincidence?

 

[stephen sawall]

Tone ....

"A musical sound of definite pitch, consisting of several relatively simple constituents called partial tones, the lowest of which is called the fundamental tone and the others harmonics or overtones."

"Quality or character of sound."

"Any sound considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source, etc"

"Tone, in acoustics, sound that can be recognized by its regularity of vibration. A simple tone has only one frequency, although its intensity may vary. A complex tone consists of two or more simple tones, called overtones. The tone of lowest frequency is called the fundamental; the others, overtones. The frequencies of the overtones may be whole multiples (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc., of the fundamental frequency, in which case they are called the second, third, fourth, etc., harmonics of the fundamental tone, itself known as the first harmonic)."

All of these things well be different for different people ..... with some people very different on the same instrument. This is true when using acoustic guitars with no amps being used.

Can you shape these things with amps .... yes you can. But the tone by definition comes from the hands first and well be different for everyone just like snowflakes.

Also of interest is the fact that on every other instrument getting good tone is attributed in large part to one's skill. With electric guitar this is seemingly in constant debate online, and, also of interest is due to the popularity of guitar with all types of people and demographics, guitar players have by far the least musical knowledge compared to other instruments. Coincidence?

It would seem a factor ....
I often wonder what definition of the word tone they are thinking about when they think it comes from gear ?

If it sounded the same when various musicians playing the same piece of music with the same gear set up the same way I would think "tone is in the gear" had some validity ..... but it does not and with some cases it sounds very different.

 

[ericsabbath]

I teched for Billy duffy and Jerry for a Cardboard Vampires show a several years ago. The both requested a backline of JCM 900s with Vintage 30s. Both used pedalboards. Duffy used mostly Boss pedals. I remembered Jerry having a RAT distortion and a Boss Distortion in the mix. He used his pedals to flavor tone on different songs but relied on the amp for most of it. Duffy had a Boss OD-2 but he says he only uses it if the Head does not produce for him.
(He did not use it that night)

no... that's not true...
THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Jimmie]

Any real JC follower knows that the true key to his tone is all in those long blonde locks...
Amps, guitars, picks, pick-ups... Speakers!! Get real

See, now I thought it had to do with being influenced by the "bad thing"

 

[guitarslinger]

I teched for Billy duffy and Jerry for a Cardboard Vampires show a several years ago. The both requested a backline of JCM 900s with Vintage 30s. Both used pedalboards. Duffy used mostly Boss pedals. I remembered Jerry having a RAT distortion and a Boss Distortion in the mix. He used his pedals to flavor tone on different songs but relied on the amp for most of it. Duffy had a Boss OD-2 but he says he only uses it if the Head does not produce for him.
(He did not use it that night)

no... that's not true...
THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This made me LOL

 

[sinfish]

I teched for Billy duffy and Jerry for a Cardboard Vampires show a several years ago. The both requested a backline of JCM 900s with Vintage 30s. Both used pedalboards. Duffy used mostly Boss pedals. I remembered Jerry having a RAT distortion and a Boss Distortion in the mix. He used his pedals to flavor tone on different songs but relied on the amp for most of it. Duffy had a Boss OD-2 but he says he only uses it if the Head does not produce for him.
(He did not use it that night)

no... that's not true...
THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This made me LOL

That's funny!


I was just thumbing through my stack of guitar mags at work and found an interview with Jerry (Guitar World 2009) In the studio the amp exclusively used on both Facelift and Dirt is a Reinhold Bogner modded Marshall. On the new CD The amps were Bogner Ubershalls. He also used some combos, Orange, Laney, AC30, Matchless, and the Fish. His Pickup is a SD Jeff Beck model.

 

[richedie]

Actually he has been using Motor City pickups.

I teched for Billy duffy and Jerry for a Cardboard Vampires show a several years ago. The both requested a backline of JCM 900s with Vintage 30s. Both used pedalboards. Duffy used mostly Boss pedals. I remembered Jerry having a RAT distortion and a Boss Distortion in the mix. He used his pedals to flavor tone on different songs but relied on the amp for most of it. Duffy had a Boss OD-2 but he says he only uses it if the Head does not produce for him.
(He did not use it that night)

no... that's not true...
THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This made me LOL

That's funny!


I was just thumbing through my stack of guitar mags at work and found an interview with Jerry (Guitar World 2009) In the studio the amp exclusively used on both Facelift and Dirt is a Reinhold Bogner modded Marshall. On the new CD The amps were Bogner Ubershalls. He also used some combos, Orange, Laney, AC30, Matchless, and the Fish. His Pickup is a SD Jeff Beck model.

 

[glassjaw7]

Small differences in tone, but the same identifiable sound in the mix.

Any player can dial in any amp to sound totally different, or if desired, almost the same as another amp. It's just that he, like every other guitarist has a certain tone they gravitate toward when recording and playing live, and it's not difficult to achieve 95% of that sound with almost any high gain amp.

This is a big part of why people say the tone is in the fingers.

Ok, tone is in the fingers if you consider that you use them to turn the controls on the amp. Otherwise, it's all just eq and the player's taste. Like my sig says, tone is in the gear, technique/playing style/skill are in the hands.

Where I disagree with that entirely is that if you are a crap player, you can't have good tone IMO. I've yet to hear a single example where I'd agree otherwise. So while I get what you and many others mean by that and of course agree [insert famous guitar player here] would sound different with a deluxe reverb vs. a diezel herbert etc. the two are so intertwined that you can't separate them. Your skill level where touch and dynamics are concerned largely determines the range and quality of tones you can get out of your rig IMO. I have also yet to meet a single pro that doesn't think tone is in the fingers. [end rant ]

So wait, are you agreeing or disagreeing with what I said then... Are you saying that if you are a crap player, then you can not in fact have good tone? Or are you saying that you disagree with that statement? Because some terrible players have good tone IMO.

Also, tone is defined as so many different things. You said "Your skill level where touch and dynamics are concerned largely determines the range and quality of tones you can get out of your rig IMO" I agree that your touch and dynamics can vary tones to a point, but I feel that those results are more just dynamics themselves and not so much different "tones". To me, taking a parametric eq and sliding the 4k up and down while you're holding an A chord, that is changing your tone. I mean, I could play through Jerry Cantrell's rig and sound damn near identical to him. In fact I think I could sound more like him to a listener in a blind test if I were playing through his rig than he would if he were playing through say a micro Marshall stack. So yes, to a point I think tone is influenced by touch, dynamics, etc, but much more so by the gear.

But everyone has opinions, that's just mine. Oh, and I value any intelligent opinion, and not just those of the "pros".

Jordan

 

[Motorpud]

I mean, I could play through Jerry Cantrell's rig and sound damn near identical to him. In fact I think I could sound more like him to a listener in a blind test if I were playing through his rig than he would if he were playing through say a micro Marshall stack.

That is a very good point sir I agreed with you before but now I agree even moreso. That is hard to argue with.