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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:17 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
Tomcaster wrote:
Guys great stuff but I really expected the discussion to go into the direction of my question - how you set up your Clapton MBs with different amps, what tones you get etc.

Suppose we continue this discussion by first knowing what amp[s] and effects, if any, you are using.


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:13 pm
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A blackface Fender Vibroverb SRV. Guitar through amp, no effects.

It is not about how I use it but how Eric compensates for the lack of the TBX EQ.


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 2:59 am
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Tomcaster wrote:
A blackface Fender Vibroverb SRV. Guitar through amp, no effects.

It is not about how I use it but how Eric compensates for the lack of the TBX EQ.

The best I can offer you is that the one thing we've really never been able to know, in all the years we've discussed this question, is EXACTLY how he EQ's his amps. Historically there been little more than than in his signal chain. Save for the Leslie cab, no effects we we know of. For each individual, it would be a matter of trial and error because tone is a personal thing. [See Premier Guitar Magazine archives for 'The Psychology of Tone :idea: ]With the Diaz circuit in the '64 Vibroverb Custom, you should also be able to generate a bit of overdrive. We don't know exactly how his guitar was set up with respect to string height. Additionally, he tends to solo high on the neck which yields that singing sustain he generates. I used to play a Strat with gold Lace Sensors in a passive circuit, running it through a Proco Rat into a Fender Concert. I could get close to 'that sound'. When you have the midboost driving the guitar, you have to look for a different balance. Seems to me you're going to just have to go on a tone quest of your own and let us know what you find.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:30 am
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Well when I listen to him I clearly prefer the Lace / TBX era because he managed to get a clearer tone then, in spite of a lot of drive. The best part was when he used a Pete Cornish rig and Soldano amps. Listen to 24 nights when he shares lick with Robert Cray e.g. on "Have You Ever Loved a Woman". It is a beautiful comparison of the old style approach vs the Lace sound.

The only theory for me on how to get the same result with VNs and a normal tone pot is to have a switchable treble booster in front. Then you can use the VNs with a volume rolled down for a nice clean tone and when you turn up volume and the mid boost you also kick in the treble boost to compensate. This is what Brian May basically does with his Red Special guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 12:52 pm
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Tomcaster wrote:
Well when I listen to him I clearly prefer the Lace / TBX era because he managed to get a clearer tone then, in spite of a lot of drive. The best part was when he used a Pete Cornish rig and Soldano amps. Listen to 24 nights when he shares lick with Robert Cray e.g. on "Have You Ever Loved a Woman". It is a beautiful comparison of the old style approach vs the Lace sound.

The only theory for me on how to get the same result with VNs and a normal tone pot is to have a switchable treble booster in front. Then you can use the VNs with a volume rolled down for a nice clean tone and when you turn up volume and the mid boost you also kick in the treble boost to compensate. This is what Brian May basically does with his Red Special guitar.


I saw that Soldano SLO 1000 up close and personal at the Bonham auction in NYC. The '57 Twins as well. Tried to get some idea of the pot setting but they made no sense. Bear in mind that Clapton's '57 Twins were specially designed. Heavy duty wiring, transformers, specially selected aged pine from the floor of a 100 yo church and so on. If you're thinking of using a pedal, Chromeface's favorite tout is that Wampler. He loves it so much you'd think he was stockholder in the company. Something to thing about.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 4:10 am
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Apparently Eric had no plans to purchase the slostortion box, he's rather happy with the fat tweedy tone he gets from the Bassman '59 LTD and Twinolux combos. This is absolutely normal since he's gonna hang up his guitar off the road this summer shortly after the closing concert in Poland in June 28th which marks a happy end to many years of touring.

He had just turned 69 yesterday.


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ZZDoc wrote:
If you're thinking of using a pedal, Chromeface's favorite tout is that Wampler.


To nail the late 1980s/early 1990s tones you should also consider putting light gauge strings (9-42) on your guitar. Clapton switched to thicker gauges (10-46) during the transition to the '57 Twin era in 1993/94.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 6:13 am
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Ha! The thing with the strings was new to me, thanks Chromeface!

Regarding the box - I think that if Eric wanted the tone he would simply use another Soldano and a simple switch between the amps. He just doesn't want to (unfortunately!)

How do you guys like the early EC Strats from the late 80s? How thick is the lacquer on these?


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 7:39 am
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Tomcaster wrote:
How do you guys like the early EC Strats from the late 80s? How thick is the lacquer on these?

I have an '87 prototype in red and an '89 production model in pewter. I'm not under the impression that the finish appears heavy. My 35 yo nephew still has his mid 90's in white. I told him NEVER to let that thing go. It'll be interesting to see where its place in history will be 40 years from now.

BTW: Yesterday I hooked the Pewter guitar up to my new Mesa Boogie King Snake. Ouch!!!! Next stop....my Les Paul.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 9:23 am
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Tomcaster wrote:
Ha! The thing with the strings was new to me.

Regarding the box - I think that if Eric wanted the tone he would simply use another Soldano and a simple switch between the amps. He just doesn't want to (unfortunately!)


You forgot the secret recipient the Journeyman-era tone comes from: the Pete Cornish pedalboard.

This routing system consists of 19'' rackmount units with a remote control footboard connected via a 16m multicore. All the effects bypasses and mutes, preamp muting, preamp channel change, linear boost and dry mutes were pre-selected by Lee Dickson via a pin matrix system on the off-stage rack and controlled in real time by Eric using the on-stage remote footboard. The 20x10 pin matrix allows the creation of any combination of effects and preamp usage to be controlled by a single footswitch thus with the 10 available footswitches (9 on footboard plus 1 in wah pedal) 10 different combinations of the 20 options can be easily accessed.

Considerable modifications were done by Pete Cornish to the Soldano SLO100 amplifiers - Crunch, Clean and Lead preamp levels corrected and buffered to suit effects in use - power amp section isolated to allow separate master volume and linear boosts to be utilized.

Of all those cool effects he used only the Vox wah-wah and the Boss tri-stereo chorus. He went to a more streamlined rig in 1995.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:34 am
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Interesting info, Chromey, thanks.
That Soldano based setup was the mother of all setups IMO.
I think ZZ went to see it in New York and tried to smuggle it out in his pocket... :mrgreen: Can't blame him.


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:51 am
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LeftyElliot wrote:
That Soldano based setup was the mother of all setups IMO.


....and the band lineup from that era was among Clapton's very best since his Cream days in the mid-to-late 1960s!



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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:01 am
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LeftyElliot wrote:
Interesting info, Chromey, thanks.
That Soldano based setup was the mother of all setups IMO.
I think ZZ went to see it in New York and tried to smuggle it out in his pocket... :mrgreen: Can't blame him.

The 'gear-jammer' was not being able to get my truck in my pocket first.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:38 am
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ZZDoc wrote:
I hooked the Pewter guitar up to my new Mesa Boogie King Snake.


Image

Well, it appears that you've exactly the same amplifier as Carlos Santana! :)



Hence's a good reason to plug in your LP! :lol: :lol: :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:04 am
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chromeface wrote:
ZZDoc wrote:
I hooked the Pewter guitar up to my new Mesa Boogie King Snake.


Image

Well, it appears that you've exactly the same amplifier as Carlos Santana! :)

#478 to be exact...on a special commemorative plate, afixed to the inside of the side panel as you face the amp, and signed by both he and Randall Smith.

.......and that sucker weighs 55 lbs.

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Last edited by ZZDoc on Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Clapton: How to use mid boost without TBX
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:16 am
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chromeface wrote:
Hence's a good reason to plug in your LP! :lol: :lol: :lol:


That's a master volume setting of just under 3 with Channel 2 gain set on 9. At the bottom of the first page of the Owner's Manual there appears the following:

YOUR AMPLIFIER IS LOUD! EXPOSURE TO HIGH SOUND VOLUMES MAY CAUSE PERMANENT HEARING DAMAGE! :shock:

Randall Smith was very serious about what he designed into what he referes to as a 'professional instrument'. 8)

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