rockfish Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 I'm aware that Rick Nielsen was using both Rivera modded Fender's and Marshall's back in the day.What amp, built today, would get me the closest to that early Rick Nielsen tone, such as on the earliest Cheap Trick albums ??? I just love that tone, after all these years it's my benchmark for honest, great guitar tone. Unfortunately, I've been unable to duplicate it with any amp I've ever owned. It doesn't quite sound like Marshall tone, and my Rivera Quiana isn't close either.Frank
murkat Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Fender Pro reverb cranked with a EH linear power booster in front, slaming it to self's taste. real close.
tomteriffic Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 In the early "wall o' fake Marshalls" days, this is what you would find behind them, with an SM-57 jammed in front of it.
princeofdarkness56 Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 I had a 79 Music Man 112 RP 65 watts. A little too clean for me but it took pedals very well. I should never have sold it. One of my big 3 mistakes of selling something really, really good.
elduave Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 My first "real" amp was a Music Man 110RD Fifty. I have very fond memories of that tone!
rj2858 Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 In the early "wall o' fake Marshalls" days, this is what you would find behind them, with an SM-57 jammed in front of it. Tom, Are you sure on this? First time I saw them was in December of '76, when Rick had a wall of tattered 'Sound City' cabs, that we could see were empty (at least we could see some were). I assumed he was blowing a Marshall head through 1 cab, and naturally figured that first album was the same. I've always wanted that first album sound that he had, but never got real close. You know that 'Taxman', 'He's a Whore', 'Elo Kiddies' tone.
elduave Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Somebody needs to come up with a tone conversion app.
velorush Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 I was going to say, when they played [the prestigious] UT Martin fieldhouse, it was a wall of [fake] Marshalls and a Music Man miced back stage.
murkat Posted February 5, 2012 Posted February 5, 2012 Ace did the same, only with a harvard tweed slammed by a Duper distortion....
sonic1974 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 It's super hard trying to replicate a tone from an album. Don't forget a lot of the tone comes from studio work. Also the way the guitar sounds in the mix might not be the way it sounds by itself at home.
princeofdarkness56 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 I may be wrong on this, but I think I read somewhere that on that first CT release Rick played a strat on a couple of songs.
zenmindbeginner Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 Ummm... the Musicman amps that I've played through were all clean as whistles. He must have used a distortion pedal...
gorch Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 It all starts off with a 4-digit. Are you fitted?
elduave Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 Ummm... the Musicman amps that I've played through were all clean as whistles. He must have used a distortion pedal...That RD series referred to above has a distortion channel (oddly called "Limiter" when I think the model number refers to the word "distortion"). That side of the amp does have gain and volume. I *so* want to hear what one of those sounds like to my 46 year old ears!
rj2858 Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 It all starts off with a 4-digit. Are you fitted?Not since I sold my last one in '06, but I do have a 30 year relationship with a Sunburst, and have acquired 3 more over the years. Just picked up an '03 Standard back in November, and have had a PRS Custom 24 since late '89, that is no slouch.Even in the 20 years that I had at least 1 '4-digit', I couldn't get that tone. Just wondering what it took.
rj2858 Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 I may be wrong on this, but I think I read somewhere that on that first CT release Rick played a strat on a couple of songs.I've heard the same, and I know he did 'live' back then, and may still now.
polara Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 Occurred to me tonight at rehearsal that I was in the ballpark just putting an MXR '78 Distortion in front of a Deluxe Reverb. With the '81 Special it was pretty straight clean-raunchy if that mahes sense. But yeah, studio sounds ain't like doing it live.
Bobby Marshall Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 Also the way the guitar sounds in the mix might not be the way it sounds by itself at home.I really started to understand the quote above when I received files that were supposed to be the guitar tracks only from the first album of some west coast band that had a guitarist who liked stripes. It was amazing to me how different the guitar sounded outside of the entire song, and how some playing is not as perfect as I originally thought (but still awesome).Good journey everyone for unearthing some amazing RN tones.
tomteriffic Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 In the early "wall o' fake Marshalls" days, this is what you would find behind them, with an SM-57 jammed in front of it. Tom, Are you sure on this? First time I saw them was in December of '76, when Rick had a wall of tattered 'Sound City' cabs, that we could see were empty (at least we could see some were). I assumed he was blowing a Marshall head through 1 cab, and naturally figured that first album was the same. I've always wanted that first album sound that he had, but never got real close. You know that 'Taxman', 'He's a Whore', 'Elo Kiddies' tone. I'm sure of what I saw on those two occasions that I saw them. It would have been about that same period, and frankly I don't remember what the fake backline was. Could have been Sound Citys for all I know. I just use the "wall o' fake Mashalls" as a generic term since they wwere so ubiquitous back in the day. What burned it into my brain was just the fact that that little amp was producing such a huge sound out in the house. That and the fact that I was using a Music Man in the band I was in at the time, a lot bigger one in a lot smaller room.
cmatthes Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 He also played a '50s LP Jr. on the first LP.
FrankieIII Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 Guitars:Approximately fifty guitars, includingGibsons, Gretsches, Fenders andcustom Hamers.Amps:Fuchs 50 watt Train model, with two Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.Custom Fender with Fender two 12"ISO cabinets. Rivera modified Marshalls and Fenders.Effects:Dunlop Cry Baby wah.Strings:Dean Markley .011-.048.Picks:Custom R.N. model,V-Resin .073 mm.
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