I have an AXE FX III which is whole beast of modeling amps/pedals/ etc.. So I thought I would be able to get close to that super saturated valvvy (<<< new word) tone of the lead guitar in the most beautiful track "Crying to the Sky"...
But where do I start, what guitar (neck/bridge pickup) , what amp (s) cabs should I be trying to emulate, were they Mic'd up or DI.
Any help appreciated.
Also, the sound of the thunderclap at the beginning of the solo is a part of it as well. Prince definitely now that I know he was a Bill Nelson listener copied that at the beginning of his guitar solo in 'Purple Rain' methinks.
It surprised me that, Crying to the sky was not included on any of the gigs recorded for, Live in the Air age.
I'm sure I saw / heard it played at a few gigs
Hi Bring Back The Spark. If you need help with the music as well as the tone I have transcribed the song and solo in tablature, available to view on this very website in the Archive section.
TC
i humbly offer my variation on this valvvy theme. Vox amp on nine, bass on ten, treble at five, gain at 1/2. add univibe, tape echo at 1/3 power, step on the fuzzbox at designated moment.
Many thanks for the reply, tonight I will plug in my Gittler Guitar via my 13pin output into my GR-55 using the Cosm guitar to get the 345 characteristics then feed the axe fx and build up a scene with the details you have kindly shared. I just need to find the dimensions of the room and amp circuit from the WWW then my 30 year journey towards coveting this tone can start.
Humbly... Duncan.
Well, Perfect Monster has clearly seen my answers to the many questions I've been asked about the solos on 'Crying To The Sky' over the years! 😃 Yes, it was my Gibson 345, plugged into a Watkins Copycat tape echo with the input volume turned up to overdrive the Carlsbro 100 watt head and 4x12 cabinet, plus a Univibe pedal, the entire rig turned up to the max and close miked and the big room at Abbey Road ambient miked up too. I stood at the opposite end of the room so as not to get any microphonic feedback, just natural saturated feedback. Then that sound was recorded on tape through Abbey Road's 'Beatle' era desk and eventually the track was mixed with eq adjustments and old, (now much sought after,) valve compressors. Can't recall which pickup was used on the guitar but probably the bridge pickup with a bit of a treble roll off. So, an awful lot going into achieving the sound you hear on the album.
Mind you, on the UK 'Be Bop Deluxe And Beyond' tour that I undertook in 2004, I approximated the solo with nothing but an old Line 6 Pod, (the red kidney bean shaped one,) and no-one complained! 😜
Big room in Abbey Road, Gibson 345, Carlsboro amp turned up to 11, stand at other end of studio, close miking on the amp, ambient mikes around the room, Watkins Copycat for echo, Univibe pedal. Good luck with that!
And whaling is wrong, in more ways than one :)