Rowan Robertson's guitar sound on Dio - Lock Up the Wolves

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Hey guys, I decided to play this for the first time in ages and by the time I hit Hey Angel, my face melted off with the guitar tone. Does anyone have any idea what this amp may be? To my uneducated ears it could just be a JCM800 cranked, perhaps modified, but as it was 1990 it could be any manner of amps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydkjyzUt8jk

Thanks.
 
I seem to remember an article in Guitar World that said he was using a JCM900 (or 800) and a Boss SD-1.
 
I actually contacted Rowan about this a few years ago and he sent me a reply with lots of info. I'll paste it below :

On the album I used strat style Jackson guitars with EMG humbuckers, the 81 85 combo? I think it was not sure which one was in the bridge position, but its the stock way they put them. I also recorded a bulk of the album with a Charvel strat, same EMG humbucker. Then I used a Boss OD-2 overdrive pedal, the yellow one (sometimes an MXR phase 45 too). Thats about it for stomp boxes. for heads I used Ronnie's Marshall early 80's JCM800 heads (two or three of them? one channel left and one channel right in the stereo mix as you hear the album). Marshall 4X12 speaker cabs loaded with the 75 watt speakers too. That was the album set up. As for live, the same guitars, but I used a marshall 9000 pre amp into a VHT power amp and same 75 watt Marshall cabs. I also used to run a Yamaha delay unit, an old rack mountable one , that split the left and right channels by about 50milliseconds or so, like a slap effect between the left and right sides of the cabs, to thicken the sound.
Click to expand...

There ya go! :thumbsup:
 
MrDan666":10bzg9s2 said:
I actually contacted Rowan about this a few years ago and he sent me a reply with lots of info. I'll paste it below :

On the album I used strat style Jackson guitars with EMG humbuckers, the 81 85 combo? I think it was not sure which one was in the bridge position, but its the stock way they put them. I also recorded a bulk of the album with a Charvel strat, same EMG humbucker. Then I used a Boss OD-2 overdrive pedal, the yellow one (sometimes an MXR phase 45 too). Thats about it for stomp boxes. for heads I used Ronnie's Marshall early 80's JCM800 heads (two or three of them? one channel left and one channel right in the stereo mix as you hear the album). Marshall 4X12 speaker cabs loaded with the 75 watt speakers too. That was the album set up. As for live, the same guitars, but I used a marshall 9000 pre amp into a VHT power amp and same 75 watt Marshall cabs. I also used to run a Yamaha delay unit, an old rack mountable one , that split the left and right channels by about 50milliseconds or so, like a slap effect between the left and right sides of the cabs, to thicken the sound.
Click to expand...

There ya go! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Hey Dan.. Hope all is well and KIK'N ASS!! Still absolutely loving my Kali++.. a masterpiece bro. Still haven't gotten the master 1 above 2 yet for stage volume.. damn she is loud :yes: Any progress on your Reissue SL Kali?? If you end up not liking it, just go ahead and send it my way :D...you already have my address :rock: Cheerz and all the best.
 
Never heard this album before and I really dug some Dio back in the day. Pretty good stuff but always loved Vivians sound and his playing through that Les Paul he had. I just saw him last year with Thin Lizzy and he was using a Les Paul and Marshall's I think wow again great tone. I am going to look into Rowan as I had not heard him before. Thanks.
 
I actually met Rowan recently. He teaches at a guitar store I used to work at in the L.A. area (Grayson's Tunetown in Montrose).
Really nice guy. Had a cool conversation about love for playing, bands, gear, etc...
He's got a band called DC4 that's actively gigging and recording I believe.
 
:rock: I made myself a mixed metal CD over 10 years ago and i had Lock Up the Wolves on it. Loved that tone and the tune itself. Yet again, the old JCM800 + an off the shelf common boost/OD rears it's ugly head. Just like the Lugo video where they put various pedals in front of a cranked ceriatone plexi head, the OD-2 was one of them and i thought it sounded better than the OCD to be honest. Maybe i'll try one of those next time i see one come up cheap.
 
yep he was really young. I remember seeing an interview with him... he had serious chops and got the gig.
 
I was just watching some of those 1990 tour clips and holy smokes what live tone he had. So big and fat with just the right amount of cut and chorus... Dio also had some amazing pipes..that kid had amazing vibrato too. That always helps. I liked him better than Campbell.
 
Rowan Smokes!!!
I wish he did something main stream
after Lock up the Wolves....He should've
Joined Ozzy or something @ some point.
He would've been a Great replacement for
the Viking/Hairy/Biker!
Hey Angel is a Great Tune!!!
 
Oh man, all this Dio related talk, it's been 2 years since Dio passed away.
 
Wow, he teaches at Grayson's tune town?

That's my overall favorite guitar shop. Great stuff and even greater
customer service.

Small world...
 
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