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Pearly Gates in Action, 1974

Kris Ford

New member
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
4,003
Sweet tone!


I have to add that Billy used the Super Bass and Dusty used the Super lead. Also the Super bass had a 500pf bright cap and Billy always ran a treble booster. His settings in the studio to live would be different. But still this is a great comparison.

He added a 500pf bright cap to a Super Bass? I thought they never had them.

(wanting to try one on my Super bass..)
 

marfen

Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2016
Messages
330
I tried this "RioGrande" settings : I don't think that it's Billy's Marshall; maybe that one is one of Dusty's Marshall on Billy's side !
It would be cool to see the settings of the Marshall at the right of this one on the pix.

anyway, here are some short mp3s of my Pearly directly into my '67 Marshall 100W (nothing in between...) with a 4X12" basketweave Marshall cabinet.


same settings as on the pix #2 : http://dicitte.com/images/RioGrande_settings_delayed.mp3 it does sound too "bassy" (personnal...)

my personnal "ZZ zone" settings : http://dicitte.com/images/ZZzone_settings_delayed.mp3
closer to Billy's Marshall tone and more woody (love that setting)
Presence at 2
Bass at 1
Middle at 10
Treble at 9
Volume I at 8+
Volume II at 2 (no jumping; acting as ghost tone !)

Gaston :salude

Jan 30th edit : speed up the tempo and delayed Left side just a little and only kept the "Waitin for..." part !


Gaston, all of your tones thru that old marshall are very righteous indeed. For your cool soundclips are you using bridge pickup vol and tone full up?
 

Joe Boy

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Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
515
Wow..Thanks for posting. Awesome pictures!

Now I have to fire up the Reinhardt V50
 

MapleFlame

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Jul 3, 2005
Messages
14,044
I think the amp settings are close, but being a huge Billy guy, he plucks the up stroke strings after initial pick pluck with his middle and ring fingers, if you play his riffs with pick alone, won't matter what settings you have. His fingers/muting really change the sound characteristics. Love this thread and thank you very much for the sound clips.
 

GastonG

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Joined
Jul 25, 2001
Messages
1,397
Gaston, all of your tones thru that old marshall are very righteous indeed. For your cool soundclips are you using bridge pickup vol and tone full up?

Yep ! bridge pickup vol and tone full up :hank

Gaston :salude
 

The Real MC

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
742
Gibbons was notorious for keeping copycats off his tail. I doubt those pointer knobs on his amps are normalized. What looks like 10 could be 4.
 

Pat Boyack

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Joined
Oct 19, 2011
Messages
4,510
Nice pics!! Thanks for posting.

Just because you have the same settings as Billy did then doesn't mean you'll get the same sound and tone.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
Joined
Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Nice pics!! Thanks for posting.

Just because you have the same settings as Billy did then doesn't mean you'll get the same sound and tone.

As the renowned relic master, Vince Cunetto once said:

"If you don't have titanium strap buttons, ... " :ganz

Play on! :hank
 

Elmore

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Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,853
I think the amp settings are close, but being a huge Billy guy, he plucks the up stroke strings after initial pick pluck with his middle and ring fingers, if you play his riffs with pick alone, won't matter what settings you have. His fingers/muting really change the sound characteristics. Love this thread and thank you very much for the sound clips.

Excellent point. I started trying to be a chicken picker on a Tele about 8 years ago. Now when I play my Les Paul, I use the technique described, and it really does change the tone. Better is subjective, but it makes the notes jump out and sound more separated. More earthy. I believe this to be a major part of Billy Gibbons' tone. I encourage any rock player to go down the chicken pickin' road.
 

Tom Wittrock

Les Paul Forum Co-Owner
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Aug 2, 2001
Messages
42,567
Billy also uses string gauges that start with .007.
Are you guys using strings that size, to try to get his sound? :ganz
 

AXE752

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Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
812
Billy also uses string gauges that start with .007.
Are you guys using strings that size, to try to get his sound? :ganz

Always amazed me he could get that sound out of those skinny little strings, but I guess "horsepower" can make up for just about anything (a good Les Paul with PAFs and a high powered amp.):jim
 

sglp63

Active member
Joined
Jun 29, 2007
Messages
529
Always amazed me he could get that sound out of those skinny little strings, but I guess "horsepower" can make up for just about anything (a good Les Paul with PAFs and a high powered amp.):jim

When did he start using .007s?
 

Mark Kane

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Jul 18, 2001
Messages
5,742
I heard them twice on the green V-neck sweater tour. Both times his tone was loud and clean, brutally clean. les Paul, V, Explorer, all loud and clean. I guess it was something with the house system, I don't know.
 

AXE752

New member
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
812
When did he start using .007s?

There are a lot of folks A LOT more knowledgable than me in this. The first time I knew for sure was the interview provided by (If I remember correctly) the gentleman who does all his guitar work (at least at the time, anyway). It was a on a youtube posted here a while back. You should be able to find it on a search. I had heard he used very light strings several years before from a pretty reliable friend who said he thought he did, but the youtube confirmed it. Like others, I always found it interesting. Seems to defy traditional logic in some ways.:jim
 

randall

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 21, 2002
Messages
1,310
Update!

These amp settings work if you have a super lead with the 5000pf bright cap, i tried it and i get that live tone for sure. without this cap it doesn't sound the same. very cool!
 
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