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Duane's Stormy Monday Tone on Live at the Fillmore East

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,853
+1
Pickups themselves have a much smaller impact on overall tone and voice compared to amp/speaker/strings/picks or fingers. You have to put it all together in a complementary way to achieve a specific result.

Big Al knows, for sure.

The reason I point to pickups is that the vintage style pickups are what was used to get those tones, and those tones really need that style of pickup that has a sort of "hi-fi" element to them. They can be very clean and glassy so they really get the woody tone of the guitar. That crispiness can be passively EQ'd down. Passive circuits can't add what isn't there (Les Pauls have a passive eq).

More modern pickups (and to some degree, the classic 57) tend to be a lot more mid heavy and push too hard to get the dynamic range that is needed for a Duane, Greene, Betts, Page, etc. tone--unless you have great technique and know how to milk it.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Big Al knows, for sure.

The reason I point to pickups is that the vintage style pickups are what was used to get those tones, and those tones really need that style of pickup that has a sort of "hi-fi" element to them. They can be very clean and glassy so they really get the woody tone of the guitar. That crispiness can be passively EQ'd down. Passive circuits can't add what isn't there (Les Pauls have a passive eq).

More modern pickups (and to some degree, the classic 57) tend to be a lot more mid heavy and push too hard to get the dynamic range that is needed for a Duane, Greene, Betts, Page, etc. tone--unless you have great technique and know how to milk it.

I agree. Just reacting to all the pickup posts looking to get tone X from brand X. :hank
 

shakti

Member
Joined
Jan 17, 2007
Messages
494
As others have said, there's so much more than the pickups. Amp and speakers are the really big players. Here's my own attempt at those tones (I didn't do Stormy Monday in this clip, but the basic tone is the same).

 

jlh

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Messages
31
And there ya have it folks... :salude

Pick one of the multitude of Plexi clones out there and pull the trigger... Germino comes to mind... :hmm

Yep, Pickups ain't gonna buy you Duane tone, neither will an amp
Definitely agree with the 50 watt Marshall super bass and JBL set up. Turned up/dimed
Duanes tone was very bright, he culled it full tilt screech, but it wasn't overwound or hot pickups.
Duanes tone, like all players is a signature of touch and DNA, So put a set of PAF clones in your guitar, buy an old 50 watt plexi, buy an open back cab and load it with JBL's and then you will be close to his equipment, maybe an old coil cord, no pedals.
from that point, My suggestion is to listen to Live at the Fillmore all day and night and then practice all day and night

So, if your simply looking for pickups that will make you sound like Duane / Stormy Monday, there ain't none.
all the knick names are all simply sales gimmicks, because every guitar sounds different tonally and every player has developed there own technique and style.
 

Flying Fish

Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
632
As others have said, there's so much more than the pickups. Amp and speakers are the really big players. Here's my own attempt at those tones (I didn't do Stormy Monday in this clip, but the basic tone is the same).
That sounded very nice shakti!



& While I enjoy some of live at the Filmore East, I much prefer just about any other live recording of them. :couch

Love 01 71 SF, particularly the outo to You Don't Love Me @ 45m49s
 

spidey

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
3,265
As others have said, there's so much more than the pickups. Amp and speakers are the really big players. Here's my own attempt at those tones (I didn't do Stormy Monday in this clip, but the basic tone is the same).


Great tone!
 

PaulLaRue

New member
Joined
Jul 2, 2003
Messages
268
Flying Fish "Love 01 71 SF, particularly the outo to You Don't Love Me @ 45m49s"
When pointing out your favorite Allman part of the song in the above video make sure you know who is playing the part.
That is Dickey Betts solo just like on the Fillmore East recording.
Duane is not playing that.

And Duane has used JBL speakers in his half open cabinets...I have pictures to prove it.
If I can find them I will post.

Duane's amp rig stage right with JBL D120F Speakers.
You can also see the Fender Twin with JBL's too.



[URL=http://s179.photobucket.com/user/Hyperfocal/media/Duanes%20Marshall%20amp%20Fender%20Twin_zpswklsobpr.jpg.html][/URL]
 
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jlh

Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2015
Messages
31
Flying Fish "Love 01 71 SF, particularly the outo to You Don't Love Me @ 45m49s"
When pointing out your favorite Allman part of the song in the above video make sure you know who is playing the part.
That is Dickey Betts solo just like on the Fillmore East recording.
Duane is not playing that.

And Duane has used JBL speakers in his half open cabinets...I have pictures to prove it.
If I can find them I will post.

Duane's amp rig stage right with JBL D120F Speakers.
You can also see the Fender Twin with JBL's too.



[/QUOTE. Great pic's
and there is a very clear and distinct audible difference between Dickey and Duane
 

Skydogfan81

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
910
Hot 'Lanta Pickups were:

Neck 8.3k Ohm
Bridge 8.7 kOhm

I don't know anything about the magnets.


Great info on the speaker cabs. I was under the impression that in his closed back cab, he moved to Cerwin Vega CV123's towards the end of his career. I have 2 of the Weber copies mixed with 2 Scumback greenback copies that sounds pretty good.

I have a set of OX4's and they do a good job. Any good PAF clone should work. For your $$$ range, I would look for a used set of OX4 or Wizz.
 
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redisburning

Les Paul Froum Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2015
Messages
256
the Swart you have is a particularly nice amp but it's a far, far cry from a 50W Marshall Bass head and it's just not going to get you where you want to go if you're at the point of wanting to nail that Duane tone to the point you'd get specially wound pickups.

I bet those 57 classics through my 50W Lead with the bright cap out would sound a lot closer than swapping them out and playing them through your Swart and that's not even exactly the right amp. But it is a 2xEl34, solid state rectified Marshall and THAT'S the sound you want.
 

TM1

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Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Duane did use JBL's early on but then switched to C-V's. Dickey was (and still is) the JBL guy. Funny seeing that photo of the backs of the rigs with B.O.'s daughter Brittney sitting there.
The C-V association goes back to the Hourglass days as Gene & Lois Cerwinzki (Cerwin-Vega, known as just Vega in those days)were fans & friends of Gregg and Duane's and were just getting started in the speaker biz. I personally built about a 100 speakers for the Brothers and a P.A. system, etc.
Marshall's: They didn't get any Marshall's until later in 1969. I've seen photos of a couple of the very fisrt concerts and they got Fender's stacked up like crazy. Dickey was still playing his trap tailpiece ES-345 sunburst, Duane had just gotten his Goldtop in either Jan. or early Feb. of `69, Berry had a Guild Starfire bass. Duane bought Gregg his first Hammond B-3 & Reddog would contribute his V.A. Disability check every month to the well being & feeding of the band. But the original amp setup was funny as shit. Stuff wired up everywhere.
The shot of the backs is from a concert at UC Riverside on 20th of Jan. 1970
 

Flying Fish

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Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
632
Flying Fish "Love 01 71 SF, particularly the outo to You Don't Love Me @ 45m49s"
When pointing out your favorite Allman part of the song in the above video make sure you know who is playing the part.
That is Dickey Betts solo just like on the Fillmore East recording.
Duane is not playing that.

And Duane has used JBL speakers in his half open cabinets...I have pictures to prove it.
If I can find them I will post.

Duane's amp rig stage right with JBL D120F Speakers.
You can also see the Fender Twin with JBL's too.
/QUOTE]

I was speaking generally about ABB live recordings; and specifically I was referring to the call and response between the two of them that ensues right after. That's just a good time point to begin listening. Had meant to point that out.
 
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Nick-O

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
223
As others have said, there's so much more than the pickups. Amp and speakers are the really big players. Here's my own attempt at those tones (I didn't do Stormy Monday in this clip, but the basic tone is the same).



Kind of funny. I listen to this YT clip fairly often, and have done for several years... I think the tone is rich, to my ears this would be what I am trying for. I leave it play as background music while I am setting up as well, then TRY and dial in something close. @shakti you really got a great tone out your rig, hope you still have it all. Peace
 
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