Stevie Ray Vaughn and the overweight tone

[Atipp]

I just love the really fat tone that Steve Ray Vaugh gets (got) form his guitar. I've been able to get a fairly Fat sound by turning the High's and low's up full, and the mids down all the way. and run through my neck single coil. Problem is, as you'd expect, I lose clarity. Is there another approach to get this sound? BTW, I have a sweepable mid on my amp, and I just cut all the mids at about 900hz or 1k. If it matters. Could anyone recomend an awsome replacement pick-up?

Thanks
Adam T.
adtsks@citlink.net

 

[Fed]

I read somewhere that he used strings starting with .13 on his strat so that could be one thing. I think same article said he used frets of the heaviest guage from like bass guitar and had to change them every year because he played so hard. Wow!

Anyway the strings thing I think is for real and will make a difference. You might have to do some bodybuilding though LOL

cheers

 

[Henri Devill]

Besides the tone in the fingers thing...He used pretty heavy strings I dont remember the if they were 012's or 013's..maybe higher..


Don

 

[foo]

Tuned down to Eb Ab Db Gb(?) Bb Eb.

I think he used a Fender Super Reverb, Wah pedal and Ibanez Tube Screamer (the TS-9?)

As for a replacement pickup, try a Seymour Duncan vintage Alnico.

They are really responsive and have great tone.

foo

 

[M.Brane]

Stevie used Vibroverbs and a TS808 (old style script logo/small metal switch) for dist. and Supers for clean. He started out with heavy strings but eventually was forced to go light to save his fingertips (you can only super-glue 'em back together for so long....). The Supers had EV speakers in 'em with custom baffles made of plywood to support the extra weight. Find a copy of "Live at the El Macambo". Some good shots of his setup in there as well as an absolutely smokin' performance.

 

[jimistone]

SRV got his tone from massive volume and touch. it was mainly the way he attacked the strings and his vibrado technique.

I once read an interview with jimmy vaughn and he said "stevie could get his tone on a crappy silvertone guitar and a chaep solid state amp....he sound was in his technique"

 

[JR#97]

SRV's tone came from his soul. End of discussion.

 

[Bighand]

I've been watching the Austin Texas DVD...
I love it, I can watch it over and over (with exception of "If the House is Rockin'") Some parts are just explosive. Hope to pick up a few licks.

Interesting how he uses his pick and pickup switch using neck and middle pickup combined. I always thought it was just neck.
I've already changed my pick holding technique, it's not good for speed picking, but smoothes out the attack.

I'm gonna stick with .09's on my Strat. If I convince myself to tune down to play along, maybe .10's will be just right.

 

[crawdad]

For recording SRV was known to use a multiple amp setup which included a Vibroverb, a Dumble and a Marshall, along with various pedals. In the first recording, he used a tweed bassman, or so I heard. Dito on the heavy strings. If you tune down, you should be able to manage 10s with no problem. Since you probably can't do the multiple amp setup, get a tubescreamer (808 preferred) and study the licks and techniques. Should get you at least close.

 

[FZmontanaDF]

I just love the really fat tone that Steve Ray Vaugh gets (got) form his guitar. I've been able to get a fairly Fat sound by turning the High's and low's up full, and the mids down all the way. and run through my neck single coil. Problem is, as you'd expect, I lose clarity. Is there another approach to get this sound? BTW, I have a sweepable mid on my amp, and I just cut all the mids at about 900hz or 1k. If it matters. Could anyone recomend an awsome replacement pick-up?

Thanks
Adam T.
adtsks@citlink.net

You want a lot of mids.

 

[jimistone]

i don't think you can get the srv tone with 9's. I use an 11 guage set and tune standard....when you attack the strings like srv you will pop a 9 guage E in the 1st measure of the 1st lead ride.

why would you have to tune down to use a 10 guage set?....must have tender finger tips i guess.

 

[BrettB]

I played 0.11 a long time on my strat (Amercian Standard One), untill I noticed the neck of the guitar started to suffer. I went to the local guitar technician who told me: Bad luck, the neck of your strat doens't seem a strond one, 0.11 is too strong for a strat. So I play 0.10 since...

 

[Nailhead]

Stevie didn't just play his guitar, he RAPED his guitar. That tone is all Stevie. You can duplicate the sound with the right combination of amps string and guitars, but you will be hard pressed to duplicate the TONE. A great example of what Stevie Did while playing; getting the more than the most from his Strat. Listen to "Love Struck Baby" from the "Live at Carnegie Hall". In the middle of the song he repetely plays the same phrase untill he finally beats the guitar into giving him the TONE he was waiting for. Once the guitar gave it to him he coninued the song. I don't care what type of argument of disscusion I getting ready to start, But Stevie Ray Vaughn IS the BEST guitar player EVER. PERIOD.
Better than Jimi, better than, Clapton,Johnson, all three Kings,Page,any name you want here. He's better. Nonw if these guys suck by any means, but when it come to down to the balls to the wall play your guitar and shut up---Stevie wins every time.
Clapton once said of Stevie; "...how do you follow that?."

 

[Bighand]

why would you have to tune down to use a 10 guage set?....must have tender finger tips i guess.

Perhaps, I should educate you from my perspective.
.10's are fine on my LP and other smaller scale necks.
On the strat it diminishes my autopilot choke moves.
For example:
It is automatic for me to stretch the G string to the next desired note(s) at an appropriate time. If you use a heavier guage string you will have to reprogram this autopilot move more or less.
Make sense?

 

[BrettB]

[BI don't care what type of argument of disscusion I getting ready to start, But Stevie Ray Vaughn IS the BEST guitar player EVER. PERIOD.
Better than Jimi, better than, Clapton,Johnson, all three Kings,Page,any name you want here. He's better. Nonw if these guys suck by any means, but when it come to down to the balls to the wall play your guitar and shut up---Stevie wins every time.
Clapton once said of Stevie; "...how do you follow that?." [/B]

I disagree on that. A guy like Hendrix changed the whole idea of how a electric guitar sounds, and I like him way better than SRV.

But we shouldn't get started, because such discussions never end... Everybody his own opinion

 

[jimistone]

SRV had everything that jimi hendrix ever recorded to listen to, to pick up on, and to emulate....jimi didn't have that luxuary. He had to INVENT hard rock guitar.

i think alot of people nit pick hendrix, for things like not being in tune on some live recordings. I challange anyone to do the kind of whammy bar work he was doing with a fender standard tremelo and not go out of tune (before electronic tuners)

things like that kind of shit makes people overlook the fact of just how much of a pioneer hendrix was in the advancement of electric guitar playing,,,,and what could be done.

I think SRV would probably be the 1st to disagree about himself being better than jimi hendrix.

in technique maybe so...but in musical vision no way.

 

[Clive Hugh]

Reading an old Guitar Player a short while back it noted that Stevie played down to Eb plus had heavy strings and a high action. These are often quoted as the key to a killer tone.

If you have trouble going from .009's to .013's do it the easy way. Go to the next gauge,.010' thru.046 and get used to it. It didn't take long for me and I was set in my way, try practising on an acoustic with whopper strings, you'll find the .010's a dream after that.

 

[Aaron Cheney]

"Live at the El Macombo" is a great video from SRV's early years, though I always cry when I watch him stomping on his main axe towards the end. He actually plants both feet on the neck, grabs the headstock and lifts himself off the ground! The neck on that guitar must have been one strong mutha!

I remember reading that because he played with such force and on such heavy strings he was constantly shredding the skin on his fingertips. From time to time he would put a drop of superglue on those fingertips, stick them to his forearm, and then rip them away. Sort of a "poor-man's skin-graft"!

SRV was very consitant, but he had less than stellar moments too. I alway thought that his leads in "Let's Dance" by David Bowie sounded pretty thin, though they are unmistakeably him. There are a couple songs on the Austin City Limits video that are a little spotty too.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

 

[64Firebird]

SRV is a tough tone to nail down! I've gotten the best results from using GHS Nickle Rocker strings (011, I can't find them any bigger than that) on my Strst and GHS Bommer 52s (also 011) on my Firebird and Les Paul. You don't have to tune down, but it helps. You'll want the amp to just start to crunch, it's not a full on kind of distortion. On both my Fender Bassman and my J-Station, I set the EQ flat, with everything on 5 and tweek it from there. It doesn't take much.

SRV's tone makes you want to boost the lows but you have to be careful. Instead, try boosting the highs a little more than you think is needed and then rolling them off at the guitar. Stevie was always twiddling with the knobs on his strat.

To really get that sound, you have to beat your guitar without mercy!!! See if you can get your hands on some live video of him and you'll see what I mean.

Also, SRV's sound was the sound of Double Trouble! You can hear this by listening to Kenny Wyane with them backing him up or Johnny Winter in the 70s when Tommy Shannon was in his band.

 

[Vox'71]

I just love the really fat tone that Steve Ray Vaugh gets (got) form his guitar. Could anyone recomend an awsome replacement pick-up?

Thanks
Adam T.
adtsks@citlink.net

Fender have a pick-up (can't remember if they are called Texas Special, or Tex-Mex--its one of the two, anyways) Fender used these pick-ups on the SRV model. They sound pretty beefy, but like some people have said replicating Stevie's sound is one thing....his tone is another