When I'm playing the blues I am looking for a overdriven rude texas blues rock type style. But, I can't get the sound on the records, were the bends scream and the playing is reponsive. I thought I had it once but, I forgot what I did. Any type of playing dynamics are a little flat. I need my amp and guitar to scream not purr. Should I run my overdrive pedals to a amp that is already on the drive or more drive channel because I been only using the clean channel?
Here is my gear if you don't know:
Jimmy vaughan strat
Squier Affinty Series
Oscar Schmidt Delta King Hollowbody
Hotrod Deville 2x12
Sreamin Blues pedal, Behringer vintage tube overdrive, Snarling dogs wonder wah, Behringer compressor
Thanks any tips, comments, or questions are welcome!
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
So, do you want to be barely controlling the feedback kind of screamin'? While waiting for a response on that question, I'll suggest an EQ pedal or two in your chain. Try the Danelectro Fish 'n' Chips for about $30. I also just purchased the Behringer for $20, but have not tried it out yet. Others here might also suggest the fish 'n' chips. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much an EQ pedal can change your sonics.
It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!
I'm looking for something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4xhS3dPTdk&search=albert%20king
or
http://www.dolphinstreet.com/video/badmonkey-bd2-hellhound.wmv
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
Hard overdrive sound
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
What you really need is an attenuator for that DeVille. You want to really crank the amp up without blowing out the windows. The amp will sing all by itself, you won't even need a pedal.
Check out Weber, they make some very good and affordable attenuators.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes do you know what cable I will need. For the weber mini mass.
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
I'm going to second the eq pedal. Many people around here would recomend one also.
Vacate is the word...Vengance has no place on me or her...Cannot find a comfort in this world.
If you read through this part of the forum you'll find were many of us have posted our signal chains. Mine probably being one of the most complex and creative of chains. However when called upon I know I can take a 12 watt all tube amp, an equalizer, and attenuator to get the job done. The right amout of Reverb will add flavor to the tone. There is also more to getting that tone than just putting together a bunch of equipment. There is hard work and determination.
Make sure you have fun.
Joe
Also dont' forget that a lot of those guys are playing into A/B/Y boxes and driving multiple amps to get their sound.
It's an old, but very effective trick to split the signal and send one to an amp with some reverb on it and the other to a clean(er) amp. The result of having the slightly out-of-phase stereo sound can be quite impressive.
For recording yourself there are as many different tricks as there are sound engineers, but my favorite is to use two mics, one right into the speaker cone, and the other slightly off to the side at an angle. Again, slightly out-of-phase signals can do a lot to make a mix sound richer.
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST
djdubb
I just went to Weber and looked at all the attenuators. As you can see in the intro, Weber recommends that you get an attenuator rated higher than your amp. The DeVille is a 60 watt amp, so you should probably get a 100w attenuator. But that is a big jump in price.
I have a Hot Rod Deluxe. It is practically the same exact amp as the DeVille, only rated 40 watts and with a single 12" speaker. I own the Weber 50w Low Power Load Dump ($75) and it works very well with my amp.
I have read articles, many claim the DeVille is really only 40 watts. I don't know, I am not a techie, but I have read several articles that say this. So perhaps the 50w Load Dump will work well with your DeVille. Perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable than me about electronics can give some advice.
These attenuators are super simple to hook up. You need two speaker cables (not instrument) that you can get right on the site for about $7 each. One must have two male 1/4" connectors on both ends, the second cable should have a 1/4" male connector on one end, and a 1/4" connector on the other end.
You simply pull the cable from your speaker that runs into the underside of your head out. You can reach right in the opening in the back of your amp. There are two Speaker Outs. Use the one on the left. The output on the right is for an extension cabinet. Run this cable from the speaker into the female connector. The male end of this connector goes into the Output on the attenuator.
With the male/male cable, one end goes into the Input on the attenuator, the other end plugs into the Speaker Out on the underside of your head (the one you just disconnected).
I have made it sound far more complicated than it is. It takes you all of 30 seconds to do the whole operation.
These attenuators have a switch for 4, 8, and 16 ohms. You use 8 ohms for the Hot Rod amps.
There is also a switch for bypass. So you can switch the attenuator off to see how your amp sounds with attenuation. You have to be careful, you can get really blasted. :shock:
These attenuators also have a Line Out. So you can go out from this into a PA or recording equipment, or even another amplifier.
The attenuator has a Volume control. To the far left is max attenuation. You will still hear your amp at this setting, but it will be very quiet, you can easily play at home without disturbing anyone. As you turn the know clockwise you get increased volume.
The attenuator allows you to turn Volume up on your amp as high as you want but control the volume. I like to turn my amp up to around 6-8. I NEVER go to 12. That is just asking to blow your amp. At this setting the Clean channel will break up very nicely. It is the old fashioned overdrive from a pushed amp. Chords sound great. You will also notice the tone is thicker and you have much more sustain. It is also easy to get controlled feedback. Harmonics are fantastic too.
It reminds me of early Who recordings. Just great natural overdrive.
With the Drive channels pushed, this amp will go pretty wild. Think Hendrix.
It is not a magic pill. But it will allow you to get a cranked tone at safe volume. Part of the sound you heard on those recordings is the speaker too. So, you still need to turn it up a little to capture those tones you heard.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
djdubb
I just went to Weber and looked at all the attenuators. As you can see in the intro, Weber recommends that you get an attenuator rated higher than your amp. The DeVille is a 60 watt amp, so you should probably get a 100w attenuator. But that is a big jump in price.
I have a Hot Rod Deluxe. It is practically the same exact amp as the DeVille, only rated 40 watts and with a single 12" speaker. I own the Weber 50w Low Power Load Dump ($75) and it works very well with my amp.
I have read articles, many claim the DeVille is really only 40 watts. I don't know, I am not a techie, but I have read several articles that say this. So perhaps the 50w Load Dump will work well with your DeVille. Perhaps someone a little more knowledgeable than me about electronics can give some advice.
These attenuators are super simple to hook up. You need two speaker cables (not instrument) that you can get right on the site for about $7 each. One must have two male 1/4" connectors on both ends, the second cable should have a 1/4" male connector on one end, and a 1/4" female connector on the other end.
You simply pull the cable from your speaker that runs into the underside of your head out. You can reach right in the opening in the back of your amp. There are two Speaker Outs. Use the one on the left. The output on the right is for an extension cabinet. Run this cable from the speaker into the female connector. The male end of this cable goes into the Output on the attenuator.
With the male/male cable, one end goes into the Input on the attenuator, the other end plugs into the Speaker Out on the underside of your head (the one you just disconnected).
I have made it sound far more complicated than it is. It takes you all of 30 seconds to do the whole operation.
These attenuators have a switch for 4, 8, and 16 ohms. You use 8 ohms for the Hot Rod amps.
There is also a switch for bypass. So you can switch the attenuator off to see how your amp sounds without attenuation. You have to be careful, you can get really blasted. :shock:
These attenuators also have a Line Out. So you can go out from this into a PA or recording equipment, or even another amplifier.
The attenuator has a Volume control. To the far left is max attenuation. You will still hear your amp at this setting, but it will be very quiet, you can easily play at home without disturbing anyone. As you turn the knob clockwise you get increased volume.
The attenuator allows you to turn Volume up as high as you want but control the volume. I like to turn my amp up to around 6-8. I NEVER go to 12. That is just asking to blow your amp. At this setting the Clean channel will break up very nicely. It is the old fashioned overdrive from a pushed amp. Chords sound great. You will also notice the tone is thicker and you have much more sustain. It is also easy to get controlled feedback. Harmonics are fantastic too.
It reminds me of early Who recordings. Just great natural overdrive.
With the Drive channels pushed, this amp will go pretty wild. Think Hendrix.
It is not a magic pill. But it will allow you to get a cranked tone at safe volume. Part of the sound you heard on those recordings is the speaker too. So, you still need to turn it up a little to capture those tones you heard.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Wes, from your advice I bought the attenuator awhile back and I've used it every night I practice so my neighbors don't hang me. It was a good investment. :-)
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Yep, those attenuators help quite a bit. I can crank late at night and not get shot by my neighbors. Well, only when I accidentally flip the bypass switch... :shock:
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Thanks everyone for the help and time spent on your answers. This weekend I'm going to play around with my pedals and the amp and maybe buy a eq. Maybe I can get attenuator later, (I just go $150 dollar speeding ticket) :lol: Finding your tone is not a easy task, thats for sure.
"Failure is the key to success" Lee Wen; Champ vs Champ
Your welcome.
Wes gave great advice on utilizing and effective use of an attenuator. Even the custom built dummyloads I use I adjust the amp till I find the point where the amp just begins to sage the power supply. Sometimes you'll hear folks say they suck the tone and damaged their amp. Perhaps because they didn't effectivly adjust their equipment and didn't find what they where looking for because they had gone beyond where they needed to be. Most of my are set to just clip -4 to -16 db's off the output and the amps are far from being turn up full tilt.
When you add equalizers between the different stages in the signal chain will also enhance your tone. Equalizer's can also be over used to the point were it deterorates the sound. Sure I use many of them but I only use them just enough to enhance and not subtract from my tone. Almost like less is more when it comes to adjusting or dialing in your tone.
Good luck on your Quest for tone.
Joe
