Sound advice needed

[Ian Price]

Just trawling youtube for some Frusciante clips and came across this. Basically this is the sound I have in my head but I can't quite get. Any advice on what gear would be needed to get close to this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD-Mkn0AzAU

[Twinfan]

Something dead simple should get you there:

Strat with non-locked vibrato
Vintage style single coils
Fender amp (Late tweed Bassman, Brown face Princeton, Silver Face Deluxe Reverb etc)

[Ian Price]

Cheers Dave,

Strat with non locked vibrato - check
Vintage Style Single Coils - check
Fender amp - nope!

Is there a pedal that could get this osrt of sound? Can't afford a new amp so am thinking of maybe the Boss Tweed Bassman unit?

Ian

[blue]

don't forget the stripey pyjamas!  a vital ingredient for that tone!  i think you can do without setting yourself on fire and pulling your teeth though.


i see what you mean, a clean tone like that seems such a simple thing, yet somehow it's much harder to achieve than an acceptable overdriven sound.

[badgermark]

Frusciante uses marshalls for his clean tone, usually a Silver Jubilee or a Major.

[Twinfan]

In that clip, I reckon he's using a small Fender-style amp.

Ian - what amp have you got?  If it's not a clean valve amp, no pedal is going to get you close to that tone I'm afraid  :(

[Ian Price]

In that clip, I reckon he's using a small Fender-style amp.

Ian - what amp have you got?  If it's not a clean valve amp, no pedal is going to get you close to that tone I'm afraid  :(

Currently using a Laney Lionheart although I hardly ever play around with the EQ or channel settings. I have started to lately with the Esquire. Maybe I should start trying different settings!

[Twinfan]

You want the clean channel, hardly any gain, and the master up as far as you can.  Keep the mids low, a reasonable amount of bass but plenty of treble.  You're after a slightly scooped tone.

Give it a whirl  ;)

[Ian Price]

I shall give it a go tonight and let you know what success I have. I may be able to get a Frusciante like sound but I very much doubt it will sound like anything he plays.

Edited - The Laney has a clean volume level,  a drive level and drive volume. The drive level doesn't do anything when clean is being used.

[Ratrod]

You can't beat a small Fender tube combo for that tone.

However alot of his tone comes from his playing. Try to emulate what he does with his picking hand. (And I don't mean sticking needles in it  :? )

[Ian Price]

However alot of his tone comes from his playing. Try to emulate what he does with his picking hand. (And I don't mean sticking needles in it  :? )

 :D He's been off the drugs a while now. I'm trying to get the thumb over the neck technique going but finding it tough so far.

[hamfist]

However alot of his tone comes from his playing. Try to emulate what he does with his picking hand. (And I don't mean sticking needles in it  :? )

Yep, in that clip he's really hitting those strings, and playing very percussively. It's a big part of that particular sound IMHO.

[Ian Price]

Just spent the last hour trying to figure this out (it took me a while to figure out he was playing in Eb!) and get some decent sounding settings on my amp. Here's where I am with it so far:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UNqdpp6NE4

The guitar is a '57 reissue strat with BKP apaches (neck used on this). Amp is a Laney Lionheart 5w. Settings were bass 8, mid 2 treble 9 on the clean channel.

Honest opinions will help me and be very appreciated. I'm not sure about the sound and my playing will probably smooth out the more I play it.

I'll be trying to figure out the rest over the long weekend!

[Twinfan]

A bit less bass I think Ian, maybe try around 4-5?  Listening to the JF clip, I was surprised he was on the neck pickup.  His playing is quite sloppy too, very percussive.

You're not a million miles away to be honest!

[Ian Price]

A bit less bass I think Ian, maybe try around 4-5?

Just tried it - sounds better. You may have saved me GASing for a new amp  :)

EDIT - still GASing for a new amp, just less of a need now!