Funk Guitar Recording?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Elvisish
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Elvisish

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I've always admired the sound of Prince/Michael Jackson style funk guitars, but have no idea how to record them. I have an excellent rhythm guitarist at hand, so no worries about the playing, it's just recording that close, crisp sound we can't seem to get. I tried close miking both the amp and the guitar simutaniously, but it didn't really work the same way. Any suggestions?
 
it's all about the amp/git (and the mic too)

try a tele and a bassman

i'll bet it's a good start
 
I'd imagine you might get some better answers at the Guitar forum. Like Giraffe says, this is guitar / amplifier issue.
 
i don't play funk but its always been my understanding that heavy compression was involved on clean funk guitar as well. I could be totally wrong though.
 
Wireneck said:
i don't play funk but its always been my understanding that heavy compression was involved on clean funk guitar as well. I could be totally wrong though.
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Sure. If used right, a good comp can help a funky rythm sound a lot tighter and punchier ... can help cover for uneven playing technique. You're dealing mostly with very clean settings, so you don't have a whole lot of amp drive to naturally compress the signal for you or anything. Depending, I guess, on what kind of funk guitar you're playing. If it's chili peppers funk, then it's mostly clean.
 
If you're going for the clean guitar tone like Prince, the Time (in which it was actually Prince playing the instruments secretly), and Zapp/Roger, you go direct into the board. Use a direct box if you want. But the tones I mentioned above are all direct. They are straight up pickup induced tones without amp coloration.

Now if you want a DIRTY funk tone like Funkadelic, the Chili Peppers, the Meters, Sly & the Family Stone, etc. you get into amps and miking.

As for the slick processed funk guitar tones of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and the BRothers Johnson, that's all Quincy Jones production with a bunch of chorus and processing. I won't comment on those tones...
 
So, direct is the key to the sound? Shame I can't just go into my Mackie like the book says... it sounds absolutly awful when I've tried!

Thanks for the brilliant advice, what kind of DI boxes would you reccomend, personally?
 
How about a Stratocaster (using an 'in-between' pick up selection) through a Roland JC-120. That should do clean funk pretty nicely.
 
I recommend a Radial DI for clean funk. If you're hellbent on using an amp and mic then for the love of god use a Roland JC if you want the clean funk tone. Again, if you want nasty funk tone go with a tube amp.

Strat? Depends. If you want the "Michael Jackson"/Quincy Jones funk tone then yes, the Strat in the neck/middle out of phase troggle selection is it (of course with gobs of chorus). I'd recommend a tele in the middle selection for the Prince/Zapp clean tone. A strat in the bridge/middle out of phase position is close, but not quite as Prince as the tele.
 
The key to getting good funk tones is not to be another white neo-hippie making the oh so funky white-boy "pouty mouth with the overbite" funk face. Oh look that hippie is getting funky now! I'm getting hives just thinking about it . . .jazz funk by white hippies. Please pass me the upper-middle class dredlocks . . .
 
So, are you using the JC as DI box, and just come straight out of it or would you mic it up? Sorry for all the questions, it's just I'm new to Di-ing guitars as I've never had any luck in the past with them, except for bass!
 
you should mic the JC if you go that route. I've never gotten good results using the line out on the back of the amp into a mixer.
 
I can get a clean funk sound out of my Fender strat reguardless of amp.
 
Theres a guy in the book " Behind the Glass" by howard massey and he talks about recording funk guitar i think. He says that he got the best results DIing the guitar.
 
I though I might chime in....

As far as getting the "Peppers" funk sound, nothing beats a strat into a marshall(800, 2000). I have a american strat with vintage noiseless, and a JCM 2000 DSL and can nail Frusciante's sound on Blood Sugar Sex Magic. I really don't think it has as much to do with equpiment as it does with technique. You need a lazy right hand. Nice and loose.
 
raab said:
I recommend a Radial DI for clean funk. If you're hellbent on using an amp and mic then for the love of god use a Roland JC if you want the clean funk tone. Again, if you want nasty funk tone go with a tube amp.

Strat? Depends. If you want the "Michael Jackson"/Quincy Jones funk tone then yes, the Strat in the neck/middle out of phase troggle selection is it (of course with gobs of chorus). I'd recommend a tele in the middle selection for the Prince/Zapp clean tone. A strat in the bridge/middle out of phase position is close, but not quite as Prince as the tele.
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Have you got any examples of guitar run thru the Radial? I ask cause I'd love to hear a good DI recording.
 
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