TOP SECRET TONE

[Ventura]

Hawaiian menu:
POKE (po-keh)
KITTE (kit-teh)

 

[Zachman]

Hawaiian menu:
POKE (po-keh)
KITTE (kit-teh)

No forget Mongoose, and BBQ Rat on a stick

 

[Caligulove]

I like Dual Recs. The early-mid 90's ones are mega killer...

 

[Anonymous]

All that secret sauce is tossed out like last weeks trash when you step up to the rented backline. Yet, a decent soundman will hook you up - and in the end, it's the FOH that will drive your overall tone. You are hearing the ice picks from the amp and in the monitor mix and you think you must have sounded like shit. Finish playing and find out that what the audience heard was panty-wetting.....

Steve

couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[thegreattailz]

Ok, I re routed my line in and it sounds worse. Originally I had it GUITAR > PEDALS > COMPUTER, but the distortion wasnt sounding good so i rerouted it GUITAR > PEDALS > AMP HEAD > COMPUTER and it sounds worse. Plus I get a squealching that isnt artificial harmonics.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Yes, pretty much any combo that you're trying there will suck and possibly blow things up.
I hope you're amp is still plugged into a cab during this experiment...just get a 57 and mic it up

 

[FourT6and2]

Im pretty happy with my equipment maybe ill post pics if anyones interested. But I gotta disagree, hes def got some kind of effect in there, rev, or chorus definately a delay, albeit minute amounts. But ill agree its not just $$$ and equipment. Its how you run and tweak your gear thats actually harder than buying the stuff, IMHO. Ive spent weeks researching what pedals to get, and how to arrange them. Ill do some recordings and let yallz know

*SIGH* Yes... he runs delay and flanger. Both from off-the-shelf Boss pedals that cost $70 each. But you are missing the point. If you really want that sound, he uses a Boss DD-3 delay and a Boss BF-2 flanger. No chorus. No reverb.

 

[redrol]

Ive been looking for that killer tone for years, and its really a million dollar sound. Its a sound that comes with professionalism, and I hate to say it but it all seems so top secret unless you know a someone famous or a guitar tech.

Yeah.. no. I have all the killer tones from all the killer albums I have listened to through the years. While I may suck and not be able to play well, my tones are dead on perfect.

I run a Kemper Profiling amp.

 

[thegreattailz]

Yeah.. no. I have all the killer tones from all the killer albums I have listened to through the years. While I may suck and not be able to play well, my tones are dead on perfect.

I run a Kemper Profiling amp.

Post mp3's

*SIGH* Yes... he runs delay and flanger. Both from off-the-shelf Boss pedals that cost $70 each. But you are missing the point. If you really want that sound, he uses a Boss DD-3 delay and a Boss BF-2 flanger. No chorus. No reverb.

I dont wanna copy anyone, just curious how do you know? I dont trust half the internet claiming they know what equipment so and so has. Actually, ive even watched the rig rundown on tool. It shows what he uses but that dont mean he used that on the album. People like that have unlimited resources to spend of 100 different amps just to use one on a certain song. Not arguing, just being inquisitional

 

[FourT6and2]

Yeah.. no. I have all the killer tones from all the killer albums I have listened to through the years. While I may suck and not be able to play well, my tones are dead on perfect.

I run a Kemper Profiling amp.

Post mp3's

*SIGH* Yes... he runs delay and flanger. Both from off-the-shelf Boss pedals that cost $70 each. But you are missing the point. If you really want that sound, he uses a Boss DD-3 delay and a Boss BF-2 flanger. No chorus. No reverb.

I dont wanna copy anyone, just curious how do you know? I dont trust half the internet claiming they know what equipment so and so has. Actually, ive even watched the rig rundown on tool. It shows what he uses but that dont mean he used that on the album. People like that have unlimited resources to spend of 100 different amps just to use one on a certain song. Not arguing, just being inquisitional

His rig is no secret.

Hell, I could even tell you how his Super Bass was modified. If you watch that rig video (from Dunlop?) his tech says his amp is stock. But it isn't. It's been modified to Super Lead spec with .68 caps in V1 and V2, .68 presence cap, NFB is 100k on the 4 ohm tap. Runs JJ power tubes and Chinese 9th gen. preamp tubes. How do I know this? Came straight from Dave Friedman when he worked on Adam's amp. I have no reason to believe Mr. Friedman made that stuff up.

And how do I know what amps, pedals, etc. Adam used/uses? It's just common information. There are hundreds of rig pics and interviews from the engineers and producers who worked on all their albums. Adam's rig is very simple. Believe what you want I guess. But there's no "Top Secret" tone tricks going on. Aenema was recorded with Adam's Marshall and a Dual Rectifier. The time-based effects he used were, again, a Boss BF-2 and DD-3, among others (wah, EQ, etc.).

But that's cool if you don't trust half the internet claiming to know. Go on believing you need $20,000 to get the same sound.

Let's see...

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Marshall Super Lead
Marshall cab with Greenbacks
Boss DD-3
Boss BF-2
Dunlop 535Q
DOD EQ

All of these things can be found for super cheap at Guitar Center, eBay, Craigslist, or your local mom and pop music store. Probably looking at a price around $6,000. And the best part is almost every rock band in, well... forever... has used the same exact gear. Les Paul into a Marshall. Can't go wrong.

 

[supersonic]

Yeah.. no. I have all the killer tones from all the killer albums I have listened to through the years. While I may suck and not be able to play well, my tones are dead on perfect.

I run a Kemper Profiling amp.

Post mp3's

*SIGH* Yes... he runs delay and flanger. Both from off-the-shelf Boss pedals that cost $70 each. But you are missing the point. If you really want that sound, he uses a Boss DD-3 delay and a Boss BF-2 flanger. No chorus. No reverb.

I dont wanna copy anyone, just curious how do you know? I dont trust half the internet claiming they know what equipment so and so has. Actually, ive even watched the rig rundown on tool. It shows what he uses but that dont mean he used that on the album. People like that have unlimited resources to spend of 100 different amps just to use one on a certain song. Not arguing, just being inquisitional

His rig is no secret.

Hell, I could even tell you how his Super Bass was modified. If you watch that rig video (from Dunlop?) his tech says his amp is stock. But it isn't. It's been modified to Super Lead spec with .68 caps in V1 and V2, .68 presence cap, NFB is 100k on the 4 ohm tap. Runs JJ power tubes and Chinese 9th gen. preamp tubes. How do I know this? Came straight from Dave Friedman when he worked on Adam's amp. I have no reason to believe Mr. Friedman made that stuff up.

And how do I know what amps, pedals, etc. Adam used/uses? It's just common information. There are hundreds of rig pics and interviews from the engineers and producers who worked on all their albums. Adam's rig is very simple. Believe what you want I guess. But there's no "Top Secret" tone tricks going on. Aenema was recorded with Adam's Marshall and a Dual Rectifier. The time-based effects he used were, again, a Boss BF-2 and DD-3, among others (wah, EQ, etc.).

But that's cool if you don't trust half the internet claiming to know. Go on believing you need $20,000 to get the same sound.

Let's see...

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Marshall Super Lead
Marshall cab with Greenbacks
Boss DD-3
Boss BF-2
Dunlop 535Q
DOD EQ

All of these things can be found for super cheap at Guitar Center, eBay, Craigslist, or your local mom and pop music store. Probably looking at a price around $6,000. And the best part is almost every rock band in, well... forever... has used the same exact gear. Les Paul into a Marshall. Can't go wrong.

Yep, agreed. There is NO magic Pixie dust. It's all about the notes in your head, timing etc. Adam would sound like Adam on any rig.

 

[thegreattailz]

His rig is no secret.

Hell, I could even tell you how his Super Bass was modified. If you watch that rig video (from Dunlop?) his tech says his amp is stock. But it isn't. It's been modified to Super Lead spec with .68 caps in V1 and V2, .68 presence cap, NFB is 100k on the 4 ohm tap. Runs JJ power tubes and Chinese 9th gen. preamp tubes. How do I know this? Came straight from Dave Friedman when he worked on Adam's amp. I have no reason to believe Mr. Friedman made that stuff up.

And how do I know what amps, pedals, etc. Adam used/uses? It's just common information. There are hundreds of rig pics and interviews from the engineers and producers who worked on all their albums. Adam's rig is very simple. Believe what you want I guess. But there's no "Top Secret" tone tricks going on. Aenema was recorded with Adam's Marshall and a Dual Rectifier. The time-based effects he used were, again, a Boss BF-2 and DD-3, among others (wah, EQ, etc.).

But that's cool if you don't trust half the internet claiming to know. Go on believing you need $20,000 to get the same sound.

Let's see...

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Marshall Super Lead
Marshall cab with Greenbacks
Boss DD-3
Boss BF-2
Dunlop 535Q
DOD EQ

All of these things can be found for super cheap at Guitar Center, eBay, Craigslist, or your local mom and pop music store. Probably looking at a price around $6,000. And the best part is almost every rock band in, well... forever... has used the same exact gear. Les Paul into a Marshall. Can't go wrong.

Okay man, you proved you know your stuff. RESPECT

 

[Anonymous]

you and that Engl dude should put your heads together outside of here...im sure you guys would come up with some stuff....look him up tailz...

 

[thegreattailz]

Id hook up with someone that was local to the florida area

 

[koury73]

The bad ass production also helps quite a bit with how it sounds on the record. I am not familair with the song, but the recording/mixing/mastering process can really change things up and make good things great. You can't polish a turd, but I guarantee it didn't sound just like that in the room when he was recording it.

And 20k worth of amps aren't gonna get you awesome tone. I have noticed with all of the amps I've owned that I still sound like me when I play (not that its a good thing lol) to a certain degree. And as far as I'm concerned, Dime's tone on the Vulgar Display album is the best tone ever. All done with relatively cheep Randalls, mxr eq, furman eq, and a mxr flanger doubler. The pickups he used are about 55 bucks on the bay. He sounded so good because he was so good. Another example would be Angus Young, SG->Marshall=done.

All of this secret tone, blah blah is a marketing ploy to get gear sluts like us to buy more stuff. And it works. I am a living example lol.

 

[Spaceboy]

There's never been anything fancy or mysterious about Adam Jones' gear. He's always used that old Marshall and silverburst Les Paul. He's added other amplifiers, nothing too unpredictable. He's running a VH4 with the Marshall now... his pedals are nothing special either, same things are available at Guitar Center. It's all in the playing and the songwriting, really. I remember either Seymour Duncan or Premier Guitar doing one of those Rig Rundowns with Adam's guitar techs too. It was nothing mysterious or complicated about the guitar rig, but he was running some synths up front with everything else.

The tones I've most chased for aways turn out to be the simplest rigs... so I've turned out to be a rather minimalist player too. The more money I spend, the more options I have, the more fiddling around with knobs and less playing are involved, the less excited I am to plug in and play. I guess maybe I expect more if I spent 5-6k on a rig, rather than 2k, although that cheaper rig sounds every bit as good and maybe that combination works best for me personally. Just find one guitar and one amplifier combination that sounds right for YOU, not necessarily what someone else plays, and get to work. You can added a drive here, a delay there as needed... but if it doesn't sound good straight into the amp with nothing influencing the sound but your hands, then it's never going to sound good.

 

[D-Rock]

Id hook up with someone that was local to the florida area

That one went right over your head didn't it?

 

[Heritage Softail]

Yeah.. no. I have all the killer tones from all the killer albums I have listened to through the years. While I may suck and not be able to play well, my tones are dead on perfect.

I run a Kemper Profiling amp.

Post mp3's

*SIGH* Yes... he runs delay and flanger. Both from off-the-shelf Boss pedals that cost $70 each. But you are missing the point. If you really want that sound, he uses a Boss DD-3 delay and a Boss BF-2 flanger. No chorus. No reverb.

I dont wanna copy anyone, just curious how do you know? I dont trust half the internet claiming they know what equipment so and so has. Actually, ive even watched the rig rundown on tool. It shows what he uses but that dont mean he used that on the album. People like that have unlimited resources to spend of 100 different amps just to use one on a certain song. Not arguing, just being inquisitional

His rig is no secret.

Hell, I could even tell you how his Super Bass was modified. If you watch that rig video (from Dunlop?) his tech says his amp is stock. But it isn't. It's been modified to Super Lead spec with .68 caps in V1 and V2, .68 presence cap, NFB is 100k on the 4 ohm tap. Runs JJ power tubes and Chinese 9th gen. preamp tubes. How do I know this? Came straight from Dave Friedman when he worked on Adam's amp. I have no reason to believe Mr. Friedman made that stuff up.

And how do I know what amps, pedals, etc. Adam used/uses? It's just common information. There are hundreds of rig pics and interviews from the engineers and producers who worked on all their albums. Adam's rig is very simple. Believe what you want I guess. But there's no "Top Secret" tone tricks going on. Aenema was recorded with Adam's Marshall and a Dual Rectifier. The time-based effects he used were, again, a Boss BF-2 and DD-3, among others (wah, EQ, etc.).

But that's cool if you don't trust half the internet claiming to know. Go on believing you need $20,000 to get the same sound.

Let's see...

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Marshall Super Lead
Marshall cab with Greenbacks
Boss DD-3
Boss BF-2
Dunlop 535Q
DOD EQ

All of these things can be found for super cheap at Guitar Center, eBay, Craigslist, or your local mom and pop music store. Probably looking at a price around $6,000. And the best part is almost every rock band in, well... forever... has used the same exact gear. Les Paul into a Marshall. Can't go wrong.

Yep, agreed. There is NO magic Pixie dust. It's all about the notes in your head, timing etc. Adam would sound like Adam on any rig.

It's magic "Plexi" dust.

Now the secret is out. Carry on smartly....

 

[SonicPulverizer]

Went down to a Battle of the bands in Orlando last week. 4 bands went on, each with a totally different sound and varying quality of gear.

First band had an amazing vocalist but the instruments were sloppy and their cheap gear made it so you couldn't really understand what was going on. The vocals drove the band and the crowd was still very impressed.

The second band, had an amazing guitarist and everyone was tight and had amazing gear--they're songwriting was very out of touch and the crowd was bored.

The third band went on and used the amps the venue provided (a marshall tsl combo and a fender frontman combo) -- They put on a perfect performance and although the sound quality and the musicianship was so-so, you could understand what they were doing and it made sense. They won.

Gear plays a part, but so does a lot of other shit. A professional performance comes from professionals doing professional stuff.
If a band goes on stage with killer live rig and bores me-- all I'm going to be thinking about is how this band should give me their stuff. Sadly, it happens a lot these days.

 

[thegreattailz]

The bad ass production also helps quite a bit with how it sounds on the record. I am not familair with the song, but the recording/mixing/mastering process can really change things up and make good things great. You can't polish a turd, but I guarantee it didn't sound just like that in the room when he was recording it.

And 20k worth of amps aren't gonna get you awesome tone. I have noticed with all of the amps I've owned that I still sound like me when I play (not that its a good thing lol) to a certain degree. And as far as I'm concerned, Dime's tone on the Vulgar Display album is the best tone ever. All done with relatively cheep Randalls, mxr eq, furman eq, and a mxr flanger doubler. The pickups he used are about 55 bucks on the bay. He sounded so good because he was so good. Another example would be Angus Young, SG->Marshall=done.

All of this secret tone, blah blah is a marketing ploy to get gear sluts like us to buy more stuff. And it works. I am a living example lol.

I agree with you to a point about post production, all albums are 'toned". but Ive heard some bad ass live tones before so its not all record. And dime's artificial harmonics are just off the chart I dunno how the hell he gets that kind of tone and a whammy bar.