Sykes Live Video

[johnny q]

Yeah, I dunno guys maybe I did hear Sykes wrong in the Eddie Trunk Boneyard interview. Eddie told him that he personally doesnt play guitar, but if he did he would want a tone like his (Sykes) so he asked him how he got it - that was the context. One thing I distinctly recall is that he had no idea what pickup was in the neck of his LP, he said "just a regular neck pickup." Funny, how we obsess over what magnet, dc resistance, covered vs uncovered, potted etc and this guy couldnt give a crap!

I did some searching around the web and a lot of guys also talk of Sykes amps having the Jose mod's so I guess that solves the mystery! And this is good, because now I feel a whole lot better about my JCM800!!!

BTW, from what I hear on Eddie's show recently (and this I did hear correctly) a Blue Murder reunion is on the table for 2010.

JQ

 

[Gainfreak]

Yeah, I dunno guys maybe I did hear Sykes wrong in the Eddie Trunk Boneyard interview. Eddie told him that he personally doesnt play guitar, but if he did he would want a tone like his (Sykes) so he asked him how he got it - that was the context. One thing I distinctly recall is that he had no idea what pickup was in the neck of his LP, he said "just a regular neck pickup." Funny, how we obsess over what magnet, dc resistance, covered vs uncovered, potted etc and this guy couldnt give a crap!

I did some searching around the web and a lot of guys also talk of Sykes amps having the Jose mod's so I guess that solves the mystery! And this is good, because now I feel a whole lot better about my JCM800!!!

BTW, from what I hear on Eddie's show recently (and this I did hear correctly) a Blue Murder reunion is on the table for 2010.

JQ

Sup!!

I hope you didn't take my post as negative lol! I wrote it pretty quick last night and after reading it today I should have chose my words better lol!

With that said, It's great to see a Sykes thread here and is also great that we have Drew hear and Drew knows John personally so he is pretty spot on with his info!!

Hope all is well!!

 

[johnny q]

No offense taken whatsoever! It's all good.

JQ

 

[Gainfreak]

No offense taken whatsoever! It's all good.

JQ

awesome!!!

 

[4406cuda]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

 

[MrDan666]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

Corrrrrectamundo

 

[killertone]

This was just pointed out to me. It's from Sykes 2004 mini tour of Japan.

I saw Sykes, Mendoza, and Aldridge do a TL gig right before this tour. They killed it. I talked to John after the show and he said he was using Jose Modded JCM800 1987s. Cool guy and a fucking blast to talk to.

edit: of course Gorham was there, too!

 

[Batman]

Sykes is absolutely awesome. 1987 is one of my favourite guitar albums. He is fantastic at rythm, and the solo work on 1987 is soo good. Listen to Still of the night. Every tone is absolutely spot on. Nothing can be added.

I did like Vai on Whitesnake though. Not as good as Sykes, not as genuine RnR, but still very good.

 

[ctoddrun]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

I read the whole thread waiting for someone to mention Boogie.

I was under the impression it was the old Colluseium (sp?) power amps.

 

[MrDan666]

Boogie Mark III Coliseum heads on the 87 record and a Jose modded Marshall on some of the solos, such as 'Is This Love'

 

[4406cuda]

Did he use Boogies on the first Blue Murder?

 

[Meathead]

That was really cool...but he's not playing the way he did back in 1987.
What I would have given to have seen Sykes tour with Whitesnake in '87. I saw Whitesnake that year open for Motley Crue and it was just OK...just not right without Sykes.

 

[killertone]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

Whn I saw BM on the Nothin' but Trouble tour in late '93 early '94, he was using 5150s.

Still sounded good though.

 

[Meathead]

That was really cool...but he's not playing the way he did back in 1987.
What I would have given to have seen Sykes tour with Whitesnake in '87. I saw Whitesnake that year open for Motley Crue and it was just OK...just not right without Sykes.

I saw Sykes in '84 with Whitesnake opening for the magnificent Quiet Riot, they killed! Then I saw them on the same tour you did, opening for Motley Crue, front row center, they were better than the Crue but still nowhere near as good as the first time. They were even worse with Steve Vai, that was just awful.

I wasn't much of a Crue fan and left 2 songs into their set. I was suffering watching them and turned to my girlfriend and asked if she wanted to stay and she said 'no' I'd say 30% of the audience left when Whitesnake's set was over (which was way too short). I totally gave up when Vai joined...that wasn't a good fit at all.

 

[zz666]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

Whn I saw BM on the Nothin' but Trouble tour in late '93 early '94, he was using 5150s.

Still sounded good though.

I think you might be mistaken, on that tour he used rackmount Rectifiers, Ive got a picture of the rack somewhere, Ive never heard of him using 5150's

 

[killertone]

Didn't John Sykes use Mesa Boogie Mark III around the time of Whitesnake and Blue Murder?

Whn I saw BM on the Nothin' but Trouble tour in late '93 early '94, he was using 5150s.

Still sounded good though.

I think you might be mistaken, on that tour he used rackmount Rectifiers, Ive got a picture of the rack somewhere, Ive never heard of him using 5150's

You are correct, sir. They were Racktifiers.

Right after I posted I realized I was thinking about the Wicked Alliance show I saw right around the same time (within a month or so) where Jake E Lee was using 5150s. Sykes and Lee are both huge heroes of mine and I mixed up the two shows. Thanks for the correction!

 

[mentoneman]

i sure identify with and prefer the whitesnake JS tone with the mesa MIII simul-coli sound, but earlier tygers and later blue murder sound like marshall.

sykes with the les paul, kk downing and michael schenker with the V's held high, and yngwie slinging the strat set the tone of cocky european guitar god *image* when i was a kid.

 

[mentoneman]

Flashback to 1989: Whitesnake's new album with Steve Vai came out and so did the Blue Murder album. Blue Murder destroyed Slip of the Tongue in every way possible. I still listen to the BM disc. I haven't listened to Slip of the Tongue since it came out.

+1

same with alcatrazz after yngwie

i did like what he did with eatum and smile but his songwriting and sense of melody is too buried in eqyptian dracula music

bad horsie was cool until he started to solo.

 

[tehuk]

Boogie Mark III Coliseum heads on the 87 record and a Jose modded Marshall on some of the solos, such as 'Is This Love'

What amp did he use on "Still of the night"? I'd kill for that tone.

 

[Drew]

Boogie Mark III Coliseum heads on the 87 record and a Jose modded Marshall on some of the solos, such as 'Is This Love'

What amp did he use on "Still of the night"? I'd kill for that tone.

He used two Boogie Mark III Coliseums slaved together with a chorus in between them. Then he double tracked the rhythms--so you are hearing 4 amps.