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Post subject: Need Help With Sound
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:37 am
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AM DLX w/Super Champ XD. Can't seem to get the sound of SRV. Any suggestions?


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:21 am
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String your guitar with 11 or 12s tune down half a step and buy a Fender Twin amp.... :lol:

Seriously you may not be able to get that sound without a pedal. I don't think SRV used noiseless pups so that will make a difference too. There are more knowledgeable people here than me hope you get a better response. Welcome :D


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:28 am
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Don't feel bad. With that rig I couldn't get any tone out of it at all. I tried. Be happy!


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:29 am
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There are many topics on the web of people trying to copy his sound as well. Google it up and check his setup. Pickups, effect and amps are only the beginning. Heavy gauge strings and massive pick attack surely will help getting closer to your goal, or make your fingers bleed if nothing else.


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:32 am
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There are many topics on the web of people trying to copy his sound as well. Google it up and check his setup. Pickups, effect and amps are only the beginning. Heavy gauge strings and massive pick attack surely will help getting closer to your goal, or make your fingers bleed if nothing else.


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:29 am
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The guitar's fine. Most of that tone comes from your hands and the right amp.

You need to really lay into the string and play hard. You won't get that wailing, howling tone sissy-picking the strings. You have to play it with some balls. AND, you need a good, full sounding amp - preferably a good all tube amp. The amp is a huge part of your tone. More so than your guitar.

Sorry to sound harsh, but you have a top of the line strat running through a junk practice amp. You're not going to get the best tone that way. You'd be more likely to get the tone from a Mex strat through a Twin.

Just something to consider.


Last edited by dgonz on Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:31 am
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SRV also used a tube screamer.


Last edited by 3-Tone on Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:01 pm
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Except using a Twin Reverb will blow your ears and walls out. Heavier gauge strings help, plus he used over wound pickups, like Texas Specials. And that's a fine practice amp.


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Post subject: Bring it on, Ha Ha
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:46 pm
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Don't worry about being harsh. I need honest facts. I know the amp is'nt the best, but after the guitar price a better amp will have to wait. Also the amp was free with the guitar purchase. Thanks for all replies. Snipe


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Post subject: Re: Bring it on, Ha Ha
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:50 pm
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Sniper-1 wrote:
Don't worry about being harsh. I need honest facts. I know the amp is'nt the best, but after the guitar price a better amp will have to wait. Also the amp was free with the guitar purchase. Thanks for all replies. Snipe


That's fine, and a good situation to be in. Just realize that you probably won't get a top-notch tone like SRV's, with that thick howling tone from a free "practice" amp.


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:45 pm
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I want to be sure it's me or the amp. This is one fine axe. My fingers are done for the day. Maybe sell this amp and add some $, for an upgrade.?


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:06 pm
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Sniper-1 wrote:
I want to be sure it's me or the amp. This is one fine axe. My fingers are done for the day. Maybe sell this amp and add some $, for an upgrade.?


Eventually? Absolutely!

For now? I'd say wait. Get to be an expert wtih your amp. Tweak this, adjust that, constantly. Until you would instantly know how to dial in YOUR best sound on it even if I messed all the knobs up.

Keep in mind a good amount of that tone is in your hands as well. Not saying I'm a fantastic guitar player or anything.... (well, sure I am).. but anyway. I could probably get a "good" SRV sound out of a decent practice amp and a Squier. To the average person, they'd like it. To me, I'd hate it, so it's all relative. Also, since I've played that style so much, I know how to choke that tone out of a guitar as best as I can, which helps a ton.

Try picking a little stronger. Not as in moving your arm more or blasting the string, but holding your pick just a tad tighter so it doesn't flex as much. A thicker pick might even help as well. Part of his tone is getting a loud solid tone from the strings. Having a strong command on the strings helps a ton. Get that sound from your current gear, until you KNOW you can't possibly get it any better. THEN consider upgrading to a better tube amp. At that point, you'll appreciate that new amp much more, and you'll sound a ton better.


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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:22 pm
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Yea, I know it takes awhile to break in. Trying to find that sweet spot. I guess I may be holding back. I've always had acoustic and moving way up the scale for such a fine guitar.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 7:32 pm
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SRV's tone comes mainly from the thick strings, and the technique he uses more than anything else, that's why his tone is unique even when he's playing acoustic. I was surprised to read that although he uses heavy strings (13 gauge) he plays with a medium guage pick. I can get his tone pretty well (just can't play as well). The sound comes from; 1, he strums and picks in a circular motion instead of up and down. Second and most important, when he played notes, he'd hit more strings than the one he was fretting. If he was playing a G at the 5th fret of the D string, he's use one of his other fingers to lon his left hand to mute the E and A string and hit all 3 so he'd get a scrapping sound out of them while the G note would ring out. Its a weired way to play at first, but like anuthing else, practice will make it easy after a while. I really don't think the amp is going to m.ake much of difference. I use a Princeton reissue when playing with the band, even with a drummer the 15 watts maks people sitting in front of me have to back up. I practice at home on a Vibro Champ, and can emmulate almost any tone I want. Of course its not a complete match, but close enough. Take it from someone who made the mistake already a while ago, when you go for your next amp, unless your going to play in a fairly big joint, stay at the 15 watt range ( on full tube with no amp modeling). Too much bigger and the volume you'll need to go to for good speaker breakup will be too much, plus you can mike any amp. Just practice the string mute with the fretting hand, and you'll get the tone.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:43 pm
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dgonz wrote:
The guitar's fine. Most of that tone comes from your hands and the right amp ... you need a good, full sounding amp - preferably a good all tube amp. The amp is a huge part of your tone. More so than your guitar.


These are wise words.

After I bought my first Strat (new), I paid almost 4 times as much on a top shelf amplifier (about a year and a half later -- had to save up the $$$ afterall). YMMV, but you get the picture.

I added quite a few other guitars to my arsenal, but nothing replaced that amp as Number One.

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