Michael Sweet explains how to get the Stryper tone

[Gainfreak]

I've talked to many people who saw them over the past 6 months or so and all saw Carvins. They were kind of hidden, here is a pic I took:

This was taken from the side of the stage, in between a Line 6 cab and the drums, could not be seen from the front or the back of the stage, only the side. The one with the "M" on it I assume to be Michaels. I have pics somewhere that show all the Line 6 heads were powered but no speaker cables. I'll try to find them.

Believe me, these guys know the tone they want and are tone chasers. I highly doubt they are just using any old backline that happens to be at the venue they are playing. Besides, I watched them as they loaded all their gear up into the trailer the bus was pulling.

I just want this to be clear that Im not trying to start a pissing match because I'm not lol
Im not desputing that there were Carvins being used at the gig you saw. Clearly they were used as the pictures you shot show. Im just saying that Ive seen them many times, was back stage when they played here in my area and there were no Carvins. That's all Im saying. What Im also saying is that I have that sound NAILED cold and they really arent needed for that sound. That's all Ive also seen Oz use a POD floor unit for his sound.

No problem man, I didn't mean to come off sounding confrontational. All I am saying is that I think its a little telling when you have to hide the amp your sound is coming from. Usually means its the amp you prefer but not getting paid for.

Same here ! I didn't mean to sound like an ass lol

With that said, I bet that video was more about Mike Trying to get an Orange amp on the cheap then anything else hahahah!!

All the best!!

 

[steve_k]

Same here ! I didn't mean to sound like an ass lol

With that said, I bet that video was more about Mike Trying to get an Orange amp on the cheap then anything else hahahah!!

All the best!!

I wouldn't even pay shipping on it if they were giving them away. You are probably right though....anything for an endorsement deal.

 

[charveldan]

Wow. I didn't know steve hated orange amps so much!

With his stockpile of toan he can afford to.

 

[petejt]

In the early 80's I was turned on to this sound after seeing John Albani in Wrabbit, he went on to play in Lee Aaron. He showed me his rack after a show and I went out the next day and bought everything...lol. Furman PQ3, MXR MicroAmp, Boss NS-1, Dual 15 band EQ, two Ibanez AD202 one for a doubling chorus effect the other a delay. One side of the graphic was for the dirty preset the other for the clean. I had a Marshall JMP 100 watt Mark II Master Model Lead head. I had it modded for a loop and a second footswitchable Master Vol and preamp control set. It shared the EQ section of the amp. I would run the Furman into the front of the amp in the low channel and set the amp really clean. Massive sound.

Here are some examples.

Canadian Swashbuckler pirate stash rock to the tits.

Is that a Tri-Stereo Chorus on the rhythm guitars?
The drum sound and elaborate hokey set seems very mid-1980s to me...?

 

[petejt]

Love these kinds of videos, not many guys will show you how to get their sounds.

I really like it too, just like how Brian May and Steve Lukather did in the Star Licks videos. Really cool stuff. I wish there was more.

 

[skoora]

Big fan of Stryper. Great players & singers, but have never liked that scooped, honky sound

Scooped

 

[Mark Day]

Is that a Tri-Stereo Chorus on the rhythm guitars?
The drum sound and elaborate hokey set seems very mid-1980s to me...?

It's actually an old Ibanez AD202 Analog Delay set for doubling, it was a huge fat chorus setting when you turned up the modulation control.
I think this was around 1984.

Mark

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Am I the only one who like the "Sans" off tone better??

Not enough gain for what they do.

I'm talking about the over all tone. The boosted version seemed too trebley and thin for me. The unboosted version sounded fuller. They just add more gain to that and sound better to me.

 

[TrentBizzle]

"I'll stick with my pod" - Oz Fox

 

[guitarmike]

I've talked to many people who saw them over the past 6 months or so and all saw Carvins. They were kind of hidden, here is a pic I took:

This was taken from the side of the stage, in between a Line 6 cab and the drums, could not be seen from the front or the back of the stage, only the side. The one with the "M" on it I assume to be Michaels. I have pics somewhere that show all the Line 6 heads were powered but no speaker cables. I'll try to find them.

Believe me, these guys know the tone they want and are tone chasers. I highly doubt they are just using any old backline that happens to be at the venue they are playing. Besides, I watched them as they loaded all their gear up into the trailer the bus was pulling.

I just want this to be clear that Im not trying to start a pissing match because I'm not lol
Im not desputing that there were Carvins being used at the gig you saw. Clearly they were used as the pictures you shot show. Im just saying that Ive seen them many times, was back stage when they played here in my area and there were no Carvins. That's all Im saying. What Im also saying is that I have that sound NAILED cold and they really arent needed for that sound. That's all Ive also seen Oz use a POD floor unit for his sound.

I saw them in Chicago this past March and we saw the Carvin's on the side of the drum riser too.

 

[charveldan]

I don't think i'd want my amp sitting next to all that percussion.

 

[Schaf]

my buddy was working with Lynam a few months ago and they were definately using the Carvins.

 

[petejt]

Is that a Tri-Stereo Chorus on the rhythm guitars?
The drum sound and elaborate hokey set seems very mid-1980s to me...?

It's actually an old Ibanez AD202 Analog Delay set for doubling, it was a huge fat chorus setting when you turned up the modulation control.

I think this was around 1984.

Mark

Thanks Mark.

Yep it definitely does sound like 1984!


That might sound like it has a negative connotation, but take note I love the following modulated tone to death, and it's definitely from 1984! This is the 80s chorused stuff that I really like, way more than the LA 80s studio stuff that most folks go on about.

EDIT: that rhythm riff during the solo and the bridge that follows, has become infectious! I can't stop listening to it! But yet every time I watch it where that fake drawn-in green laser is zapping the chain with the party sparkler on it, I can't stop laughing! People around me are wondering what's going on with me....

EDIT: I just thought of something, would this also be the Ibanez AD202 set for a doubling chorus effect? It sounds like it...

 

[petejt]

Lee Aaron

Lee Aaron = It moved

 

[petejt]

Is that a Tri-Stereo Chorus on the rhythm guitars?
The drum sound and elaborate hokey set seems very mid-1980s to me...?

It's actually an old Ibanez AD202 Analog Delay set for doubling, it was a huge fat chorus setting when you turned up the modulation control.
I think this was around 1984.

Mark

I'm listening to it again now, and there's this faint "flangey" sound, particularly heard when the notes ring out and fade off. But I think that happens whenever a chorus effect is run after a heavily distorted signal. It even happens if I run a cranked amp (via load/line box) into the effects return of a Roland Jazz Chorus 120 combo amp with the in-built chorus switched on.

 

[petejt]

This seems rather flangey, in more ways than one........

In fact it sounds like Stryper's sizzling sound, but with the modulation.

 

[Little B]

it definitely has a "sales pitch" vibe going on.Ive seen them in 85" w/ mk III's, in 87 and 89 w/ quads and 400's, and 92 w/triaxis and sansamp rack,and Michael on his solo career w/ Joey Taffola on 2nd guitar, also @ Creation fest east w/ Dennis Cameron of Angelica and the the last 2 years now back as Stryper...Theyve never dissapointed...no matter what theyre using...

 

[thiswaythatway]

This seems rather flangey, in more ways than one........

In fact it sounds like Stryper's sizzling sound, but with the modulation.

Sounds like one of those little Gallien Krueger amps but with added gain and EQ.

 

[thiswaythatway]

WOW. listen to this. Talk about a change, she probably looks back at that Metal Queen video and laughs.

 

[petejt]

WOW. listen to this. Talk about a change, she probably looks back at that Metal Queen video and laughs.

I suppose so hey!

I reckon she looks hotter now than she did back then. And about changing the music- here how she changed Metal Queen, pretty cool I reckon. Has a really cool groove.