eric`s lead tone here

[groovtubin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uoiUGrRSdc

this lead tone is INSANE!

i believe its a ODS... anyone?? the headbox looks shorter than the SSS, and this is @ 1984 i blv

jp

[nix]

1969 Marshall Super Bass, lefthand side of the screen on top of the two stacked 4x12 cabs.

[boldaslove6789]

In that clip there is the SSS on top of the Rack and behind it you can see the Odyssey Power amp in a head case.

I'm pretty sure this is how this Rig is set up:

Clean

Echoplex
T.C. elec. stereo Chorus
2 Fender Twin reverbs in Showman headcases
Marshall 4x12 cab split in half.

Dirty Rythm

TubeScreamer (Or Tube Driver) into
Dumble Steel String Singer
(MXR Flanger/Doubler in loop)
Dumble Odyssey Power amp
Marshall 4x12 w/ Ev's

Lead

Fuzz Face
Tube Driver
Marshall Plexi
4x12 cab


What a feakin Rig. I hate hauling a 64 Bandmaster Combo and my 100w HRM, EJ's rig is just huge.

[stumpydj]

If this was 1984, he was using the TS-808 for lead, not the Tube Driver. According to drummer Tommy Taylor, the Tube Screamer was used on Tones. The Tube Driver was designed and built by BK Butler and distributed by Chandler beginning sometime in 1986. Prior to the Tube Screamer, he was using another BK Butler product, the Audio Matrix 'Mini-Boogee' which was subsequently renamed the Mini-Matrix per Randall Smith's request.

The 1969 Super Lead was a metal panel amp, with two speaker jacks on the back instead of the usual four. He was using Celestion G12-80's in the lead cabinet. The 80's were also used stock in the Marshall model 1982 A/B high powered 4x12 cabs around this same time period, maybe that's where he got them. He talks of the Strat, HS-2, TS-808, Marshall, speakers in a video Q&A from G.I.T. in 1984 and another from 1985.

There also would have been an Echoplex on the clean, before the tc chorus, and another Echoplex with a Fender Reverb unit on the lead Marshall.

There was an old Guitar World (not sure of the date) article which detailed his Tones setup. The article mentioned that he turned the bass up and the treble down on the lead Marshall. In the May '86 Guitar Player feature, the tone controls were said to be 'less than halfway', and the Tube Driver was in the rig. It mentions his lead amp as being either a 100 watt Marshall, an ODS, or a 50 watt Marshall if he's 'just practicing'.

[stelligan]

Jimbo, you are a whore for Eric Johnson aren't you?
I have always loved his tone and harmonic concept. GREAT player. I have always loathed his time......
This sounds great, but his time feel is distracting for me.

Flame away

[groovtubin]

Jimbo, you are a whore for Eric Johnson aren't you?
I have always loved his tone and harmonic concept. GREAT player. I have always loathed his time......
This sounds great, but his time feel is distracting for me.

Flame away

Hey man! Yep, i am, i`ve read where he really has to work at being a geat guitar player, You guys might have more on him than you think! lolo! In time, i blv Satriani has one of the best meter i`ve heard, he`s the guy i realy started learning from! That has helped tremendously when i work with other musicians, and can SOMETIMES be dentriment to NERVES! lolol!! Him and his techs were SAVVY to THE Dumble thing 25 years ago, we are just catching up!

[dogears]

I feel Satch has some of the worst time feel of any of the famous guys. I can't listen to him.

Check this Satch cut out, like a beginner

http://scottlernermusic.com/shawn/JSGB-LumLum48.mp3 (from Greg Bissonette solo disc)

And the Grace Potter/Kimock/Satch ABOMINATION. He plays BS here. IMHO of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paeNnR33i5Q

Eric Johnson has WAY WAY better time than Satch. Not in same universe.

Of course Robben has better time than all of them. Some of the best rhythm in the business.

Jimbo, you are a whore for Eric Johnson aren't you?
I have always loved his tone and harmonic concept. GREAT player. I have always loathed his time......
This sounds great, but his time feel is distracting for me.

Flame away

Hey man! Yep, i am, i`ve read where he really has to work at being a geat guitar player, You guys might have more on him than you think! lolo! In time, i blv Satriani has one of the best meter i`ve heard, he`s the guy i realy started learning from! That has helped tremendously when i work with other musicians, and can SOMETIMES be dentriment to NERVES! lolol!! Him and his techs were SAVVY to THE Dumble thing 25 years ago, we are just catching up!

[pazzo63]

Ciao I don t agree Scott, Eric Johnson timing is the lacking part of his playing that is phenomenal , but his timing is not !!but i agree Robben has the best of them , but personally i prefer others REGARDS

[dogears]

I don't disagree. I am not a fan of Eric's pocket. However, he is a master of rhythmic subdivision in his soloing. His rhythmic groupings kill and he is right in there with the solidness.

However, I find him to be on top of things in general. But, consistant, not sloppy. Not bad time at all. Just not our taste in time feel. JS I find sloppy, in addition to not having any sense of pocket when playing slow.

Ciao I don t agree Scott, Eric Johnson timing is the lacking part of his playing that is phenomenal , but his timing is not !!but i agree Robben has the best of them , but personally i prefer others REGARDS

[stelligan]

Not bad time at all. Just not our taste in time feel.

This is a kinder gentler way to say it, I guess. He has Eric Johnson time......

Who am I to talk. The guy is a motherbleeper. I just feel that sometimes I know how he meant to play a phrase in time. Like he swung and missed when going for an outrageous line. Human.....

[jurgen]

EJ does like to nest odd figures, quintuplets, septuplets etc, right between more familiar groupings. To some ears that can sound a bit awkward.

More than a few players just crank the odd grouping a bunch of times in a row but to me that can start to sound mechanical.

While we're off topic, Scott have you ever thought about a blog on technique and theory?

Not bad time at all. Just not our taste in time feel.

a

This is a kinder gentler way to say it, I guess. He has Eric Johnson time......

Who am I to talk. The guy is a motherbleeper. I just feel that sometimes I know how he meant to play a phrase in time. Like he swung and missed when going for an outrageous line. Human.....

[Billion81]

I feel Satch has some of the worst time feel of any of the famous guys. I can't listen to him.

Check this Satch cut out, like a beginner

I totally agree. My issue is that Joe S. is just not a very good player at all.
His playing is very sloppy, too much gain and his tunes are totally sophomoric.

His tone also sounds like my Sholz Rockman from '83 which was kind of cool then but...

for the odd timing stuff- Steve Vai on his FlexAble album was a killer example. Clearly he was still in his Zappa mode when he made it.

Check it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_jMMF6AP28

[Structo]

I think that Steve's stint with Frank Zappa really opened his eyes to what is possible in guitar music.
Like a electric opera. It tells a story.

I don't care for mindless, fast noodling but when he settles down to an actual piece of music it is a joy to listen to.

[qtone]

I used to see Ej alot during these times...
SSS is there manzamp used to be in a box or small rack
not in his large rack it said manzamp on it.

Those lead sounds are a super lead with a tube driver
and possibly the ts 808 going at same time...

The cello lo end chewy lead sound is tube driver.

I played that same tube driver we were going to trade
and i was all down for that LOL then his buddy said
dont do it....

The tube driver sounded like cliffs of dover.
It nailed that sound with my super lead as well..

I owned his back up superlead for about 10 years.
before that he had it for 16 years till we traded amps..

tube driver was first version had long silver caps in it.
I was inside it to see the difference between mine and his.

Mine is close but it does not nail cliffs like that one did.

The piggy back twin heads were custom dual showman style heads
built by mike tamas of austin tx.

He would split a 4 12 cab for those as mentioned earlier here.
The sss had its own 4 12 cab with ev 12ls.

The lead amp had celestion 80s 8 ohms.
I chased this rabbit down a long hole for about 20 years..

I used to live around the corner from Eric in Austin and
I used to go to the practice room and watch them rehearse.

I was at the first ACL taping The twins have been a mainstay
since 1977 when I first started watching Ej in clubs...

always marshal for lead and one for clean dirty
the 69 I thought was for clean dirty and his plexi
68 100 for leads...

Keep in mind he had 2 tube drivers 2 ts808s
one set for dumble one for the marshal.

The fuzz and ts808 were hitting the SSS
I stood over this rig and watched them setting it up
many many nights in those days...

Eric was on fire during those times..

[groovtubin]

I used to see Ej alot during these times...
SSS is there manzamp used to be in a box or small rack
not in his large rack it said manzamp on it.

Those lead sounds are a super lead with a tube driver
and possibly the ts 808 going at same time...

The cello lo end chewy lead sound is tube driver.

I played that same tube driver we were going to trade
and i was all down for that LOL then his buddy said
dont do it....

The tube driver sounded like cliffs of dover.
It nailed that sound with my super lead as well..

I owned his back up superlead for about 10 years.
before that he had it for 16 years till we traded amps..

tube driver was first version had long silver caps in it.
I was inside it to see the difference between mine and his.

Mine is close but it does not nail cliffs like that one did.

The piggy back twin heads were custom dual showman style heads
built by mike tamas of austin tx.

He would split a 4 12 cab for those as mentioned earlier here.
The sss had its own 4 12 cab with ev 12ls.

The lead amp had celestion 80s 8 ohms.
I chased this rabbit down a long hole for about 20 years..

I used to live around the corner from Eric in Austin and
I used to go to the practice room and watch them rehearse.

I was at the first ACL taping The twins have been a mainstay
since 1977 when I first started watching Ej in clubs...

always marshal for lead and one for clean dirty
the 69 I thought was for clean dirty and his plexi
68 100 for leads...

Keep in mind he had 2 tube drivers 2 ts808s
one set for dumble one for the marshal.

The fuzz and ts808 were hitting the SSS
I stood over this rig and watched them setting it up
many many nights in those days...

Eric was on fire during those times..

i`ve got my amp really close to sound of marshall with tubedriver, + a tad of the SSS sounds like here..go to 2:37 time line he talks @ and plays all 3 rigs so you can hear them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2yFygGP ... 7BB7136D5B