lurgan liar said:
Hey guys... simple question... i recorded a band today and the lead guitarist plays a tele ....we miced up his marshall amp with a shure sm58 pointed at an angle about 1 inch from the cone ...i also put a studio projects b1 about 2 foot back from the amp...
the guitarist is brilliant, the playing is excellent, the tone is the only probably. Maybe its just because i am not used to a telecaster as i play a les paul... I know tele's are trebley in nature but this is just too much...
can anyone offer some EQ suggestions ...
In the end we had to change to a different amp and turn the treble way down on it ....
Thanks in advance
ahh, the famous telecaster issue. Well I think you're on the right path...you're getting at the problem from the source. I think trying to get a good balance starting at the mic is probably the best thing. Or even before that, maybe consider the environment around it. You never know if lifting it from the ground corrects the problem, or simply swinging it towards another angle in the room. Maybe the particular room is already contributing to the brightness, so perhaps a different type and size of room could help. The idea is that every little bit does make a big difference.
So for example:
-Before you start messing too much with mic placement, try to feel how the amp sounds in different parts of the room.
-Before you start messing with EQ adjustments on the amp head, play around with mic placement and/or types. You can usually get a good balance by this stage, if you take your time. So you may not even have to mess with the amp too much.
-However, if that's not enough. You can make your EQ and tone adjustments on the amp, before you start tweaking on the board.
-Then if the sound couldn't be tamed by this point, then you can try to correct for it on the board. But for me personally, that's if all else fails.
I think room and mic placement alone can get all the good sounds you'd ever need.
Telecasters are naturally twangy, which is why they are really good for lead stuff. They cut through the mix really well. So for example, it's not uncommon to see a rhythm les paul section blended to a lead telecaster part.
Also, remember that the idea is not to think of tracking the telecaster by itself, but relative to the other tracks already recorded. So think of how it would sound against the drums, bass and rhythm stuff, rather than EQing by how a telecaster "should" sound by itself. If that makes sense.
Not a rule though.