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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Got tone???????
SRV Recording Rig
This is how it is done folks. When you get into the studio it is all about the tone. Your musicianship at this point is a given. If not, you are sweeping the studio, not recording in it. It may look outrageous but it is necessary to pull out world class tone. SRV had one of the very best and it is because someone would not settle for mediocre crap. You have to be dedicated to finding your unique voice that other people still want to listen to.
I have dedicated most of my life chasing my unique voice. My own rig consist of 4 different amplifiers and a combo of 8 different speakers that rang from 10" to 15". Granted this is not for the meek or the weak hearted and has taken me a lifetime to acquire but... I am one happy camper.
You will also notice a schwack of microphones. None of them the same. All honing in on a specific frequency that the producer will put back together with the mixing console. This gives the producer ultimate control when mixing. They can add or subtract a little of this one and add some of that one.
It takes one to know one and as your ear becomes more in tune with this stuff you will literally be able to tell what is being played when you hear it.
Alan Parson and David Gilmour had different ideas on how to get what they wanted the guitars to sound like on Dark Side of the Moon. Gilmour wanted to play his 15 watt Vox so Parson obliged. Then Parson took those tracks and re-recorded them blasting out of Pink Floyds patented sound system so it sounded like it was live in a huge amphitheater. The rest as they say is history. That album is still the world's bench mark on what kind of sound quality can be achieved.
On Site Mentoring
I have been sucked in by many a studio goof only to find out that I was teaching them and paying them. Just because you have a previous recording or have a serious sound engineer reputation doesn't mean squat. If it sounds like crap it is going to record that way regardless of someone's undeserved but over the top accolades. If it sounds like god your producer or sound engineer can still totally screw it up.
Trust your ears. If you think it sucks... It sucks!!!!
I have been brought into recording sessions to do On Site Mentoring to help achieve godliness.
This service is billed by the hour and is the most well spent cash that you will put into the recording.
It usually takes 3-4 hrs but when I am done your sound quality will have a noticeable improvement.
If I cannot help... You pay nothing.
Tone Management
Speakers
Capacitors
Capacitors
So you bought a Marshall bottom and expected it to sound like the legends. Truth is they are usually modified to suit the player. This cabnet says Marshall on it but has 10inch and 12inch vintage Jensens in it. SRV played these same drivers. Also heard on Floyd and Zep recordings.
Capacitors
Capacitors
Capacitors
All caps are not created equally. SPRAQUE supplied Gibson in the 50's with either Bumble Bee's or Black Beauties and that is what you will find in a 59 Paul. They are extremely musical and provide harmonics like no other. All caps available here are 1950's vintage.
Circuits
Capacitors
Material Selection
There are a million different ways to wire a guitar. Most of them are not useful. It is one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Most artist will rarely let you see any of this. The difference in the same instrument will literally make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. (59 Paul w/Bumble Bees)
Material Selection
Material Selection
Material Selection
It is all about the resonance of the wood. The guitar should scream without amplification. I have built solid body instruments that are louder than acoustics and seem to have endless sustain. If that is your starting point then everything else is just gravy. There is voodoo and magic in material selection.
Frets
Material Selection
Frets
Frets have a massive influence on tone. They are also the difference between notes jumping off of the fret board or you grinding just to get it to come out. The material dictates whether the note is bright and lively or dull and dead.
FAQs
Material Selection
Frets
(57 Paul w/Black Beauties)
What is the difference between Bumble Bees and Black Beauties?
Just the outside markings. Colored rings are for civilian use and printed are for the military. Gibson used both.