Lynch tone from Kiss of Death??? (or mid-late 80s)

[llJasonll]

I should qualify the topic to something along the lines of a "more modern" version of his sound.  I also know he doesn't normally use very much gain, BUT...

- Back in the 80s before his sig series pup came out; he was using a Duncan Distortion.
- I think he was also using a tube screamer, at some point.
- I understand that he tends to go for Alnico magnets.

I do know he loves a lot of the top end of the sound spectrum, and edge to his tone.

I was thinking that a Coldsweat might be good at capturing a more "modern" version of his early sound.
Check this clip out and tell me what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNjaN_89VW8

[metalmaniac93]

You might want to try the Holy Diver bridge to get a similar tone and it all depends on the guitar, amp, and speakers, as I am finding out with my Carvin Bolt+ (Alder Body/Maple Neck) played through an Engl Savage and Bogner XTC.  I can nail his lead tone with the HD for sure.  Other users are more experienced with BKPs than I am since I only own the HDs at the moment.

[darkbluemurder]

George Lynch's tone changed quite a bit from "Under Lock and Key" to "Back for the Attack", where "Kiss of Death" is the first track. "Back for the Attack" features much brighter and meaner tones. I attribute this most to the amps used (the brighter Caswell modded Marshalls vs. the darker Lee Jackson modded Marshalls). In general his tone has a lot of highs and high mids. The Cold Sweat would do this effortlessly.

I think his tone on "Beast from the East" is much too muddy and distorted. The Lynch Mob tones, on the other hand, are much darker and smoother. For these tones the Holydiver would work well.

Cheers Stephan

[FELINEGUITARS]

Hi there - fellow Lynch freak here (although speak to Ben/Denin & leather as well)

I find that using a Miracle Man is the closest I have got to what I feel is his tone of that era
It sort of gives me a tone of somewhere between Under Lock and Key when he used a lot of Les Pauls during the recording and Back For the Attack when he had a lot more sizzle.

As you rightly said he used the Duncan Distortion a lot back then - so ceramic is the way to go
Add that to an all maple guitar  with an original Floyd (schaller springs) and his tone starts to come through
He was using modiified Marshalls - the appetite/Slash amp was used by Lynch first during the 86/87 tour till he had Caswell modify some for him, so he could stop renting SIR's #39 amp and give it back (and let Slash use it to record AFD).

A tube screamer was used to tip his sound over the edge when required and Lexicon rack delay units

You may have success with the Cold Sweat - although it lacks a bit of saturation in the mids compared to the Miracle Man
The Painkiller could also be fun but I still favour the Miracle Man for that era

The later Lynch mob tone he may have been using the Screaming Demon - which is alnico 5, 10k wound with 42.5 gauge wire (closest BKP would be a black dog) and to some extent an alder guitar (the skull and snakes graphic one)

[llJasonll]

That's funny I never thought of the HD, or the MM to capture his tones.  Those two pickups, both of which I have no experience with, seem like they would be a bit smooth for capturing his Back for the Attack tones?  I can definitely see them working for his tones from mid 90s and on.

I have PKs in one of my guitars and it is close to capturing his tones (It definitely has the cut, and edge), but it is in a mahogany body; so the lows and lower mids are a little more pronounced than Maple or Ash.  It would probably sound more like Lynch if the pickups were in an Ash or Maple body.

I have a new custom build coming in, that is going to be an Alder w/carved Maple top body, and a maple neck/fretboard.  I've been wanting to try MM or HD, so I'll probably check out how they sound in that guitar (out of my guitars, it is probably the most comparable to a Kamikazi or something else he would play through)

Cheers!

[Afghan Dave]

I've heard Jon/Feline nail some great Lynch tone with a Miracle Man for sure.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I would say that the Miracle Man is just right
It is muscular enough and edgy enough at the same time - not too smooth at all
If your amp is pretty much in the right ballpark it will work a treat - and yes Afghan Dave has heard me torture too many Dokken riffs.

Having said that - the Painkiller wil sound great too although not quite the Lynch tone I hear in my head

Lynch's main go-to guitar has always been his original maple bodied Tiger guitar - it has had many necks on it but it is the same old guitar - it just has the right tone.

[Afghan Dave]

.... yes Afghan Dave has heard me torture too many Dokken riffs.

Yes, you could say you give em "The Kiss Of Death" !  PDT_008 PDT_002

[Ribboz]

Ceramic holydiver with the right woods can make a glorious lynch tone.
My Cdiver into ash with maple neck into my slo = lynch heaven.

[metalmaniac93]

How does that C-Diver sound compared to the A-Diver?