How do I get this guitar sound

[Streetrod]

Hi guys as I mentioned on here, I have been learning to play the guitar. I am also a massive fan of the Minneapolis sound. i.e. Prince etc. Anyway I love the guitar playing of Jesse Johnson and absolutely love this tune. Does anyone have any idea how he would have got this sound. He is playing a Stratocaster if I remember rightly. Thanks in advance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgFXqnNjLXU&fea...

[Mastodon2]

Steve Vai gets a similar clean tone to this on some of his songs from his album "Passion and Warfare"". He used a very distinctive amp, the Carbin X100B, with some compression. Something with a naturally low bass, moderate treble and high-mids, the classic 80s rock voicing would do it, a Carvin Legacy or Bognor Ecstasy would be a good amp for it. Compression adds a clean, crisp 1980s edge to it. Classic 1980s bright-clean right there.

Use the neck+middle pickup on your guitar, I assume you know how to do this.


However, short of spending £1500+ on an amp just to get that tone, perhaps if you told us what you use at the moment we could recommend some ways of getting close with what you've got?

EDIT: Forgot to add, you'll want an Ibanez Tube Screamer in your line, gain turned down so it doesn't distort the channel, it will tighten the sound up and add more attack to your playing.

Edited by Mastodon2 on Monday 25th June 18:18

[Laplace]

Mastodon2 said:

Ibanez Tube Screamer

[Justin Cyder]

Laplace said:

Mmmm Tube screamer. I've got a TS9. Not rich enough for a TS808. Although on that tone, I agree it sounds like neck + middle on a strat but I would compress the st out of it for that attacky sound rather than put an overdrive on it.

[davepoth]

Justin Cyder said:

Mmmm Tube screamer. I've got a TS9. Not rich enough for a TS808. Although on that tone, I agree it sounds like neck + middle on a strat but I would compress the st out of it for that attacky sound rather than put an overdrive on it.

Given the era, it's likely you need to do absolutely everything wrong to get the tone. I'm thinking solid state amplifier, no distortion, compressor, and probably a bit of chorus since that makes everything sound better if you are a record producer circa 1987.

I do love a bit of TS9 myself - I run a boss graphic equaliser as a clean boost into it to get the signal nice and hot, and then into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. It's a nice tone.

[zygalski]

Mastodon2 said:

Steve Vai gets a similar clean tone to this on some of his songs from his album "Passion and Warfare"...[/footnote]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeVPI95NmK4

[Streetrod]

Mastodon2 said:

Steve Vai gets a similar clean tone to this on some of his songs from his album "Passion and Warfare"". He used a very distinctive amp, the Carbin X100B, with some compression. Something with a naturally low bass, moderate treble and high-mids, the classic 80s rock voicing would do it, a Carvin Legacy or Bognor Ecstasy would be a good amp for it. Compression adds a clean, crisp 1980s edge to it. Classic 1980s bright-clean right there.

Use the neck+middle pickup on your guitar, I assume you know how to do this.


However, short of spending £1500+ on an amp just to get that tone, perhaps if you told us what you use at the moment we could recommend some ways of getting close with what you've got?

EDIT: Forgot to add, you'll want an Ibanez Tube Screamer in your line, gain turned down so it doesn't distort the channel, it will tighten the sound up and add more attack to your playing.

Edited by Mastodon2 on Monday 25th June 18:18

I am new at this whole guitar game but I am very lucky in having access to a large 30 guitar collection than belongs to my brother who is a pro. This includes 50's vintage Les Pauls, Stratocasters, SG 2000's, Flying V's etc etc. The amplification is manly a couple of Marshall 100watt stacks dating back to the early 70's and various other valve and electronic amps. My brother also has a bunch other electronic stuff including a huge range of peddles and rack of boxes with lots of lights and sliders, none of which I know what they do.

So could you please explain the various bits of kit you mention and how they work

Thanks

[Dr Z]

Get a strat with the lowest output pickups you can find, put it on the neck pickup and play it through an acoustic guitar amp. Easy! Nothing extravagant going on in that tone, just sterile and squeaky clean. If you have an acoustic simulator pedal put that between your guitar and an electric guitar amp, preferably a solid state one. Heck, just a electric guitar (preferably a strat or a tele) DI'd with a bit of reverb will be right in the ballpark of what you want to achieve.

[Animal]

Streetrod said:

I am new at this whole guitar game but I am very lucky in having access to a large 30 guitar collection than belongs to my brother who is a pro. This includes 50's vintage Les Pauls, Stratocasters, SG 2000's, Flying V's etc etc. The amplification is manly a couple of Marshall 100watt stacks dating back to the early 70's and various other valve and electronic amps. My brother also has a bunch other electronic stuff including a huge range of peddles and rack of boxes with lots of lights and sliders, none of which I know what they do.

So could you please explain the various bits of kit you mention and how they work

Thanks

Pics or GTFO!

[davepoth]

Tone is in the fingers, in any case.

Having been in a st band for several years, you end up playing through all manner of rubbish backlines, and you always find a way of getting "your" sound out of it somehow.

[Animal]

Just a thought: Jesse Johnson's website has a section on the gear he uses - maybe get some ideas from there?

Edited by Animal on Wednesday 27th June 09:53

[chevy-stu]

I remember having that Jesse Johnson album back in the day....

[Streetrod]

Animal said:

Streetrod said:

I am new at this whole guitar game but I am very lucky in having access to a large 30 guitar collection than belongs to my brother who is a pro. This includes 50's vintage Les Pauls, Stratocasters, SG 2000's, Flying V's etc etc. The amplification is manly a couple of Marshall 100watt stacks dating back to the early 70's and various other valve and electronic amps. My brother also has a bunch other electronic stuff including a huge range of peddles and rack of boxes with lots of lights and sliders, none of which I know what they do.

So could you please explain the various bits of kit you mention and how they work

Thanks

Pics or GTFO!

I will see what I can do, but not sure if my brother will allow me to publish pics of his gear on line. This is a pic of the guitar he lent me to learn on:

[Justin Cyder]

davepoth said:

Tone is in the fingers, in any case.

This is more than anything else, the truth. Still love a good pedal board though.