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Guys – I’m about a 0 when it comes to the technical aspects of amps and pedals. I have a Marshall JCM 2000 that I used to really like, but lately I feel like I’m fighting it.
I have a Vintage Big Muff pedal hooked to it that I love, but I’m just not getting that awesome tone Jay has.
I use a Kerry King equalizer which is a big help and a necessary must to boost the sound and make it crunch more.
I thought this was supposed to be a great amp, but I’m starting to wonder. Is it my bad playing or does this thing need some help?
maybe you need your guitar set up. sometimes you could have all the right equipment and play everything right, but it still sounds like shit.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Adjusting_the_Guitar”>http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Adj … the_Guitar
let’s say the guitar is in tune, and stays in tune.
I have a marshall valvestate. If I remember right I have bass at 11 o clock, mid at 13- 13,5 o clock, and treble at 11,5 o clock when I use a fender jazzmaster.
have tried the old big muff with mixed results. So can’t give you the final advice there.I’m in the same boat man. My Marshall sounds great……until I distort it. It sound like a JCM800, my issue isn’t with trying to get a J tone……because just the amps distortion sounds from AC/DC to the Ramones. It sounds really good, but I like a TON of gain. I want a Smashing Pumpkins tone. I dont remember what Marshall’s they used but they (later on) used the Creamy Dreamer pedal, which with some research you’ll find that the C.D. pedal essentially is a modified Big Muff. I’m going to have to get another Big Muff (mine died) and see how it sounds.
I love KFK EQ, Ive only used it once but I loved it a lot. I was playing Kerry’s guitar on stage and he came over and hit the EQ and the tone was crazy. It was all nice and clean before he hit it and then it was his signature gainy sound turned on. That was the only pedal I used that he had sitting there, but he used the new (at the time..this was last halloween) Zakk Wylde Wah….which was amazing.
Maybe I’m dissapointed for buying the wrong amp? Maybe I should have a 87x plexi? I dont know……I’m not spending over a grand for an amp though. I wouldn’t even do that for a Fender Twin…..though I’d think about it if I had the money.
Let me know what you find out.
R/J
"rage:man " wrote:maybe you need your guitar set up. sometimes you could have all the right equipment and play everything right, but it still sounds like shit.http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Adjusting_the_Guitar”>http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Adj … the_Guitar
Huh…
I was planning on getting this done and I know this has something to do with it. I don’t think I realized how much it may have to do with the sound.
I’m going to be getting some of Bare Knuckle Pickups (Rebel Yell Humbuckers) for my Les Paul and I’ll get everything adjusted then.
Anyone have any experience with these.
Hey,
I was just reading throgh this thread and thought of a couple of things that may help.
I don’t think there is a single tone that you could pin down as ‘being J’.
He seems to have used a truckload of different effectsover the years.In no doubt an endless amount of combinations.
One common thing over the years is his use of the fatter style single coils in his Jazzmasters.Even in the Les Paul I’ve seen him play ,it had p90’s.Yeah I know he has played jaguars and Teles….
Going to a hot humbucker might send you in a direction further from the tone you are trying to achieve,driving things a bit too hard.I assume you are playing a les paul with humbuckers,maybe you could try backing off the volume on the guitar a bit or screw with the tone a little.Or you could beg,borrow something with single coils and try it through your setup.Or test drive something at the shop.
This could help,or frustrate you more.
Good luck.I wonder how J mascis found his sound in such an early age. stooges didn’t use big muff, did they? where did he get the idea of using big muff?
"simmons " wrote:I wonder how J mascis found his sound in such an early age. stooges didn’t use big muff, did they? where did he get the idea of using big muff?well i remeber reading that electro harminox pedals were really cheap back in the 80s cause no one wanted them
so i think hed buy them cheap, settled for them i guess just like the jazzmaster
you know he wanted like a old strat with a worn in neck but couldnt afford one so he bought the jazzmaster
anyways…
i think the old big muffs are awsome!
the 3003 curcits are the best!Interesting comments guys. Especially about the Humbuckers.
I always seem to have the wrong gear for the band that I’m into…hah.
I have wanted a JazzMaster – but the cost – geez.
Maybe I should look at Ebay. I just can’t imagine buying a guitar without playing it first.
"Randy Jane " wrote:I’m in the same boat man. My Marshall sounds great……until I distort it. It sound like a JCM800, my issue isn’t with trying to get a J tone……because just the amps distortion sounds from AC/DC to the Ramones. It sounds really good, but I like a TON of gain. I want a Smashing Pumpkins tone. I dont remember what Marshall’s they used but they (later on) used the Creamy Dreamer pedal, which with some research you’ll find that the C.D. pedal essentially is a modified Big Muff. I’m going to have to get another Big Muff (mine died) and see how it sounds.I love KFK EQ, Ive only used it once but I loved it a lot. I was playing Kerry’s guitar on stage and he came over and hit the EQ and the tone was crazy. It was all nice and clean before he hit it and then it was his signature gainy sound turned on. That was the only pedal I used that he had sitting there, but he used the new (at the time..this was last halloween) Zakk Wylde Wah….which was amazing.
Maybe I’m dissapointed for buying the wrong amp? Maybe I should have a 87x plexi? I dont know……I’m not spending over a grand for an amp though. I wouldn’t even do that for a Fender Twin…..though I’d think about it if I had the money.
Let me know what you find out.
R/J
Yea…I like Smashing Pumpkins too and they have another tone that’s hard to emulate. I like it, but I’ve heard others say it’s one of the worst tones of all time because it’s so over the top.
Dude,
I got an Electric Mistress going into a Big Muff (Vintage) on an overdriven Marshall AVT150- try it – gets kinda close to J’s tone.
yeah…not a lot of people like my tone/s because they’re soooo gainy and bassy for distortion and twangy for cleans……that or bluesy and muddy. I like an assortment of tones and I have found the setup that works for me……only took 13 1/2 years to do it, so I’m doing alright….lol.
Like Tad Doyle said though, people told told him not to run 10 fuzz boxes in a row……..it’s your tone man, screw what people say not to do. I hate it when people tell me where to put my pedals and how to turn my knobs…..I’ve been doing this for longer than they have…….time for them to shut up. That’s another thing I hate about starting a new band, the people come in and try to change everything to sound like what they think is right. I for one hate the sound of piccolo snares. I like a fat thick wooden snare any day over metal and 1" thick. I also like open drum sounds (hmmm……soundin’ like I like J’s drum tones) I don’t even like to have rings on…..just maybe a blanket in the kicker is all. There again….Alex Van Halen said not to do that, he said you can’t use open drum sounds like Led Zepplin did. He was like, in that one song (which I can’t remember now) they could use it, "I love that sound, but you can’t ever use open drum sounds in a song. It just doesn’t work." Bull butter….it’s my song!
Rant…..FIN……
Randy Jane.
I recently got my hands on a Skreddy ? Lady – closest I’ve managed to get to J’s tone, this is with a Les Paul Studio w/ standard humbuckers, through a clean amp. Highly recommended.
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