Blue Cheer's Guitar Tone?

[capz]

Anyone one these boards a guitar player? Besides cranking up the volume to 10 how do you get that heavy tone? Maybe Eric can tell us what settings Leigh used on his amp and pedals?
I tried putting the drive on my Big Muff Pedal all the way up and lowered the distortion a bit to get a thick heavy tone. Also, I put the reverb between 8 and 9.

[FeedbackLourde]

I've done diiferent things depending on what equipment I'm using. If you got a 200 watt marshall head, it seems to work best if you crank the pre-amp all the way up while keeping the post-amp down a bit. This gives a sort of overdrive effect. For the fuzziness, crank up the low-range on the equilization control, turn the mid-range down low, and the high-range about 1/2 way. Also, if you have a crybaby wah-wah (Duck uses one), turning it on and keeping it in the position so the high frequency is there should help you get some nice feedback that you can manipulate.

As for smaller amps, I got an old Marshall Twin Lead and a really old Peavey. I love the Peavey best because it has a built-in fuzzbox called "Saturation" which is between the pre & post gain. Cranking that up coupled with the pre-gain cranked and the post-gain low gives a nice fat distorted sound a-la-Sabbath. My Marshall, which is what I used on stage cause it was louder doesn't seem to be able to get distorted and any distortion pedals I've tried just added high-end white noise crap on top of the rich, but clean sound. I solved this problem by using a bass distortion pedal.

For those of you that don't play, sorry to get self-indulgent & Dewdude like about all this. But Capz did start a seperate thread and it's sometimes fun to talk shop.

[capz]

Thanks for the tips FBL. I'll try some later! Now, I just have to figure out how to play like Leigh does in the Summer Time Blues video
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUUdxPlINCo

[FeedbackLourde]

Leigh doesn't actually play in that video, he's guitar-synching.

[gypsyball]

admin said:

Leigh doesn't actually play in that video, he's guitar-synching.

We need the Steve Allen footage!!!

[capz]

admin said:

Leigh doesn't actually play in that video, he's guitar-synching.

Hehe, I know that but I mean what chord he's playing and so on.

[FeedbackLourde]

Hehhe. Let me know how all this advice pans out for you. Good luck!

[56buzz]

remember Leigh was using a fuzzface for distortion and just plain loud for his "normal" sound. The amps were not equiped with a master volume. Plus each players own fingers and playing style contribute to their unique sound. At that point in his career Leigh was very stylized and not a classic scale burner, so replicating him isn't easy, unless you are willing to do the time and cop the licks straight off the cd's. Using a Gibson SG with vibrato arm and modern Marshall 100w DSL or TSL will do pretty well as a start. You'll need a fuzzface and I think they are still available too.
use this as a mantra..."if you want to sound cool...buy a Marshall...if you still don't sound cool...buy another Marshall" keep doing this until you sound cool...eventually you will
out

[frankenpint]

56buzz said:

use this as a mantra..."if you want to sound cool...buy a Marshall...if you still don't sound cool...buy another Marshall" keep doing this until you sound cool...eventually you will
out

Oh, so that's why Mr. Holden got so pissed off when BC management wouldn't give him 20 Marshall Stacks upon his joining the band. This mantra jives perfectly with the credo that whoever plays louder is better....

[Eric Albronda]

Leigh used as quoted a "Fuzz Face" - round with one switch- on and off---also a wah-wah petal.
Had one extra pickup added to fender strat and sg standard-"Humbucking? (sp) pickups---
Used D'angelo Strings---played with the wah- wah full open ----and fuzz face and most of the time his hand was on the wang bar---------naturally positioning himself for maximum feedback when needed -----amps usually maxed as far as tone controls and volume----not so many gismo's as today----naturally----
we had to pack the fuzz face in ice in Miami because it shorted out bnecause of the heat --tip compliments of Jimmy Hendrix------Headliner.
I preferred the tone from the fender amps--- talk about loud and shrill !!!!!!!!!
Marshalls always sounded marshmellowed to me.

but then again I only herd them play live hundreds of times.

Cheers ,
Eric

[FeedbackLourde]

Buzz,

I know what you mean about Leigh being hard to imitate. Hell, as you & I witnessed, even Leigh cannot imitate his old self!

[56buzz]

Exactly...right now Duck McDonald is about the best guitar player capable of playing early era Blue Cheer songs, as a bonus, he has the ability to launch into his own style using Leighs old licks as a general starting point...If you watch the DVD's of their shows you can see him kinda smile when he plays something from Leigh note for note...I think he gets a chuckle out of using those original lunkhead licks...(and I say lunkhead in the best of terms no insult intended)

[56buzz]

well, Strats are awesome guitars but I have to go with you on the humbucker thing...if you look, Duck's strat is set up with one as well. Although there are lots of great players getting some screaming feedback and sick tones from strats...(Jimi Hendrix being one)
thats where the individual comes in, and creates their own unique sound...the gear is almost secondary...great players sound great and nearly the same using Fenders or Gibsons

[vonearschplitten]

Now if it's the Randy Holden-led Blue Cheer "Fruit and Icebergs" sound that you're after, there isn't a more perfect guitar tone to seek after than that! That was a guitar sound borne out of many years of trial-and-error, according to Mr. Holden.
It all came about when he finally gave up the Fenders for a Gibson with heavy gauge, de-tuned strings, plugged it into Blue Cheer's Marshall amps, but changed the old speakers out in favour of some JB Lansings to cut down on the disortion, that I guess, Leigh Stephens had been fine with.

[dragster58]

I'm not a guitar player, but I can dig all of this!!! Great thread.