Overdrive/Distortion pedal for John Sykes live tone?

[ericsabbath]

have you tried the peavey rockmaster preamp?
it's around $250 on ebay, has 4 preamp tubes, 3 channels, 5 loops (clean, crunch, ultra, crunch + ultra, common), a very responsive active EQ and weights only 8 lbs
it's got a really dense middy tone and a ton of picking response clarity for both leads and rhythms
not really open sounding on chords like a Marshall, or 3D like a Soldano, but it gets in the Mark III type tone ballpark
works well with pretty much every power amp section I've tried, including solid states

Adrian Vandenberg used that for years
I've read he was using it on the 1990 Monsters of Rock, but I'm not sure if the preamp was out yet (my schematics are from '91, but maybe there was an earlier or a prototype version, and he was a Peavey endorser back then)

 

[craftm1]

Gotta play a Mesa to get Johns tones

 

[EchelonEngineering]

IMHO, the MI Audio CrunchBox is a pretty sweet pedal for the money. I've used it on mostly Fender tube amps and it sounds great. I saw that you already have a tubescreamer, thats a good pedal to drive the front end of an amp, kinda mid-rangey though. Any of the Blackstar HT pedals are cool too. I currently have a HT-DIST and it cooks in front of that fender. Another suggestion is try hitting the front end of your TS-9 with some sort of a boost pedal. BBE Boosta Grande is great for that application and not too bad on the pocket either. For the ultimate drive pedal though, you should check out our pedal on youtube. Search youtube for echelon engineering's imperial overdrive. If you were going to spend the money on a plexidrive, then please check us out first. Thanks again!

 

[JohnSykes]

Lots of cool info here, thanks dudes. Ill check that pedal and also the rockmaster preamp.

 

[AndyK]

Interesting that you named yourself John Sykes. Why not use your own name? It looks strange for 'John Sykes' asking to get John Sykes' tone!

 

[Schaf]

IMHO, the MI Audio CrunchBox is a pretty sweet pedal for the money. I've used it on mostly Fender tube amps and it sounds great. I saw that you already have a tubescreamer, thats a good pedal to drive the front end of an amp, kinda mid-rangey though. Any of the Blackstar HT pedals are cool too. I currently have a HT-DIST and it cooks in front of that fender. Another suggestion is try hitting the front end of your TS-9 with some sort of a boost pedal. BBE Boosta Grande is great for that application and not too bad on the pocket either. For the ultimate drive pedal though, you should check out our pedal on youtube. Search youtube for echelon engineering's imperial overdrive. If you were going to spend the money on a plexidrive, then please check us out first. Thanks again!

The crunch box will not get you there. Great pedal, just not that sound.

 

[Gainfreak]

Does the place that you rehearse have more then one amp? If so If you want to get a similar sound in the studio I suggest that you use the
TS9 in front of the JCM900. Take the direct out or effect send out of the 900 and send that signal to a chorus pedal and then take the o/p
of the chorus and send that to an effects return of another amp running through another cab or cabs. The Chorus will take away some of the smoothness and it will widen the tone.

With that said, if you wanted something closer for your own personal rig, you should look into getting a Jose Inspired modded Marshall and then use the chorus.

These day's (and Drew can confirm..Sup Drew!!) Sykes has been going bone dry into his Jose's with a wah but I'm hearing chorus in the video you posted.
Hope this helps.

 

[jerrydyer]

Sykes is the man,, what P U does he use inm them there Guitfiddles?

 

[Gainfreak]

Sykes is the man,, what P U does he use inm them there Guitfiddles?

In the Old Days He used a Gibson Dirty Fingers pickup. Nowdays I heard that he has since replaced it with a PAF type Pickup. I'm Sure Drew has the info

 

[jerrydyer]

what about like 95'

 

[Gainfreak]

what about like 95'

Drew would have to confirm when the pickup was swapped. I remember his website saying that the Dirty fingers pickup started malfunctioning and he replaced the p/u with a Gibson Style PAF. I just checked Johns site but it didn't have a year when it was replaced. It only said that it was replaced a few years ago but Im not sure when that was because there was no date mentioned and I have no idea when the webpage was updated lol

 

[H Golf Sport]

+1 on trying the crunchbox. More Marshall than boogie but if you can find one cheap used to try.
I use mine more like a boost into a Marshall copy. Level at 3 o'clock, tone to taste, and there is a sweet spot around 7-8 o'clock for the gain. Still will add a lot of gain and dirt. Sure gives that Cameron vibe I hear on all the clips.
I found mine for $40 on Craigslist.
Will really kick an amp over the top.

 

[Drew]

what about like 95'

Drew would have to confirm when the pickup was swapped. I remember his website saying that the Dirty fingers pickup started malfunctioning and he replaced the p/u with a Gibson Style PAF. I just checked Johns site but it didn't have a year when it was replaced. It only said that it was replaced a few years ago but Im not sure when that was because there was no date mentioned and I have no idea when the webpage was updated lol

I haven't really updated the web page since 1999 but his gear is the same now as then (John needs a new page badly). The Dirty Fingers were gone from his main Les Paul when I met him in 1997. So I suspect it was some time in the mid 90's. We think it's a Gibson 57 Re-issue but I'm not positive. His tech installed it and John liked it so he wasn't too concerned with the actual model. It's just obviously not as hot as the Dirty Fingers.

That was a question that came up when Gibson was doing his signature Les Paul--what pickups to use--the Dirty Fingers which is what he was known for or the current lower output model he prefers now. They decided to go with the Dirty Fingers.

 

[Gainfreak]

what about like 95'

Drew would have to confirm when the pickup was swapped. I remember his website saying that the Dirty fingers pickup started malfunctioning and he replaced the p/u with a Gibson Style PAF. I just checked Johns site but it didn't have a year when it was replaced. It only said that it was replaced a few years ago but Im not sure when that was because there was no date mentioned and I have no idea when the webpage was updated lol

I haven't really updated the web page since 1999 but his gear is the same now as then (John needs a new page badly). The Dirty Fingers were gone from his main Les Paul when I met him in 1997. So I suspect it was some time in the mid 90's. We think it's a Gibson 57 Re-issue but I'm not positive. His tech installed it and John liked it so he wasn't too concerned with the actual model. It's just obviously not as hot as the Dirty Fingers.

That was a question that came up when Gibson was doing his signature Les Paul--what pickups to use--the Dirty Fingers which is what he was known for or the current lower output model he prefers now. They decided to go with the Dirty Fingers.

YOU ROCK!!


and....

Sykes OWNS

 

[jerrydyer]

His live tone on those vids above is my idea of the perfect live tone. That sizzle he has is a bright beautiful sizzle and those big chimey chords. its perfect.

 

[Drew]

The funny thing about John's Marshalls is that when I hear them recorded, like on Bad Boy Live or Thin Lizzy's One Night Only, they sound like they have a ton of gain. But when I actually play those amps, they don't seem to have that much gain and I struggle with that sound a little as I'm used to my Cameron modded Marshall with some delay in the loop.

 

[ericsabbath]

the '95 tones definitely sound more like a dirty fingers than like a '57 classic

maybe the tone actually comes from HIS dirty fingers



he's now listed as a Bare Knuckle Pickups user
I know Scott Gorham was using the Cold Sweat model, but I'm not sure about John

I'm working on John Sykes..........Scott Gorham has a Cold Sweat humbucker so there's a good chance John might have a blast.

 

[Drew]

the '95 tones definitely sound more like a dirty fingers than like a '57 classic

maybe the tone actually comes from HIS dirty fingers



he's now listed as a Bare Knuckle Pickups user
I know Scott Gorham was using the Cold Sweat model, but I'm not sure about John

A few years ago John bought a Les Paul Custom that had no hardware on it and while putting it back together, he came across RT member Luxxtone (?) and he recommended the Bare Knuckles pickups. I don't recall what model they ended up putting in that guitar but it wasn't the Cold Sweat model.

So to say he is a Bare Knuckle pickup user is a somewhat misleading as he has those pickups in just one of his numerous Les Pauls that he doesn't really use much.

 

[EchelonEngineering]

Go to guitarfetish.com and check out the GFS pickups. Killer pickups for the money. I suggest the VEH humbuckers or the Power Rails. Those Power Rails are passive but have the output of an active pickup. Totally badasss considering they're like $35 or less a piece!! If you've got money though, Lindy Fralin is the man!!

 

[va1cho]

I think i want the Plexitone... but its 260 bucks...

This is one of my favorite Sykes solos ! I will learn this someday...