Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: AngusYoung01 on January 26, 2008, 03:10:38 PM
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Just wondering if anyone can give me a little information on what Sykes was using for Whitesnake on the 1987 album, that tone is awesome, and I'd like to recreate it, so can you also give me some pointers for the equipment I'm using please?
Charvel San Dimas Star
Marshall DSL50
MXR Distortion+
Regarding EQ and stuff too?
Cheers all :)
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Well, it seems he just used his LP through a JCM800, but how can I use my set up to sound a little more like this?
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I just commented on a live versus studio setting, you just cant compare live rigs with studio recorded sounds.......
If you try and find a live sound, maybe someone can help out.
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This comes from http://www.john-sykes.info/music.html
Gear & Tone
John's guitar tone is god-like for many guitar players. 80% of his tone comes from his fingers, his aggressive style is a big factor in his tone.
Guitars
John is a Les Paul player, his main axe is the very cool looking 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom with chrome hardware, it has the pickup covers removed. He owns many different Les Pauls including the '59 and Les Paul Juniors. Also he owns and has played with different Fender Stratocasters, Telecasters and some superstrats. One of his superstrats is Charvel San Dimas which has a Original Floyd Rose tremolo, this guitar was used for dive bombs and many other whammy bar tricks on many albums where John played.
Pickups
His Gibson guitars have stock or Gibson's replacement pickups. Gibson pickups usually aren't very hot, they sound warm and have great dynamics. His Fenders have stock pickups too. John mostly uses pickups which have great tonality and not a lot of output gain. The hottest pickup he has used was the old Gibson Dirty Finger humbucker which was in his '78 Les Paul Custom but it has been replaced with a PAF reissue. As said before John mostly plays with Les Pauls. Les Pauls sound fat and massive, these things are essential in great rock rhythm tone. I believe John has used Strats for some of the clean sounds, leads and bluesy licks. But most of the stuff is played with Les Pauls. He uses the neck pickup for some clean sounds and for some leads, sometimes the tone knob is turned half or all the way down for slower solos.
Amplification
John owns many Plexi type Marshalls and JCM800 series Marshalls. Some of them are modified. Some are modified by the legendary Jose Arrendondo who worked on Eddie Van Halen's amps. Marshalls have been John's main amps most of the time but during the Whitesnake and Blue Murder days he mostly used Mesa Boogie amps. The main amps for the Whitesnake '87 and Blue Murder's self titled albums were two Mesa Boogie Mark III Coliseum 300 heads. These amps are very rare and one of the loudest ever made. John also owns Mesa Boogie rackmount 2 channel Dual Rectifiers, Mark IIC+'s, Mark III's, Triaxis preamp and Strategy 500 power amp, he has used some of them for recording and gigging. H&H V800 power amp was also part of his rig durning the Blue Murder days. His speaker cabinets are also various Marshalls and Mesa Boogies, 4x12 mostly.
- Marshall and Mesa Boogie amps both have very good and powerful mid-range, Mesa Boogies have lower frequency mid-range which is good for fat and smooth tone, Marshalls usually have higher frequency mid-range which is good for cutting-through tone.
John's rhythm tone is pretty heavy, it has less mid range than the typical 70's classic rock sound but more than heavy and thrash metal rhythm tones. He uses more gain than most of the 80's rockers. I can describe it as really heavy in your face crunchy rock tone with a lot of sustain. It is very distinctive. John's lead tone is very "cutting". It sounds fat, thick and "middy". Sometimes it is very smooth, sometimes it is rough. His clean tone is usually very warm and "sparkling", it is crystal clear and processed.
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(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/cavatator/rectifier002.jpg)
sykes was a well known fan of the Boogie Coliseum amps-he played a MK III Coli, but I have heard he played a 2C+ Coli as well-the boogie on the left is a 2C+ Coli-180 watts of 6 ..count em...6 6l6 power tubes(bitch when it is retube time!!!)-my rig can be Sykes City...as simple as my BK equipped LP straight into the Coli(massive amounts of gain)
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gingataff beat me to it there..!
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Its alright, I have found an AWESOME tone with it, like Sykes', warm, fat defined and plenty of gain :D
Problem solved, can't wait to crank this tone live 8)
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(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/cavatator/rectifier002.jpg)
You must like to Boogie shaman!
(unless that is Sykes' set up)
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yes...!!!a Boogie man! Sykes....love the guy!I run the coli and rec together...blend em, if you will....use the mk for stereo-I have the Sykes thing going on except for the hair(damn near bald!!)
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(http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u162/cavatator/rectifier002.jpg)
Damn I want that setup..including the Tc G system
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thanks! I have been really lucky-got great deals on all heads-pieced together the cabs-very happy-extremely TIGHT with the small Boogie 4x12 closed back and the 2 Thiele cabs-throw in EV speakers and it is TIGHT-the cleans are incredible as well...sooo much headroom-if you are ever down in Alabammy, lets jam! :P
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(http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/6775/img0426wy5.th.jpg) (http://img295.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0426wy5.jpg)
My newest acquisition. Not a big fan of John Sykes but I am a fan of this '84 Greco JS98K. All it needs now is some BKPs , but I just can't decide. Help? (http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11197)
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It has to be Cold Sweats!
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It has to be Cold Sweats!
+ 1
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(http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/6775/img0426wy5.th.jpg) (http://img295.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0426wy5.jpg)
My newest acquisition. Not a big fan of John Sykes but I am a fan of this '84 Greco JS98K. All it needs now is some BKPs , but I just can't decide. Help? (http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11197)
nice score - is that a Khaler trem?
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nice score - is that a Khaler trem?
Thanks. Good eye, this model came stock with it. The guitar and I were both born in '84 and I think it's in better shape than I am :lol:
It's definitely a keeper. MIJ, long neck tenon, thin neck profile(for an LP), mahogany w/ maple cap. Solid. Scored it off the bay for about $600US shipped.
Now if I could just sort out which BKs to put in it I'd be set. I had it narrowed down but now I'm getting all sorts of suggestions. Sorry for shamelessly promoting this thread, but I just cant decide for myself. (http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11197)