Getting a vintage tone?

[80's Rocker]

Alright, so I have a JCM 800 from '86 and a 1960 cab which I think is stock from 2003. I get a pretty good 80's metal sound out of this combo...which is fine...but I have moved away from wanting that kind of sound...plus when I really crank it...it starts to sound too harsh and modern for anything classic...


I am about to pull the trigger on a new guitar but after that I want to possibly get a new amp, cab or both...mainly I want an old 60's amd 70's type crunch...

Think...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KbcYnP2ZWQ]YouTube - ZZ Top - Tush[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRnXiHGQBSs]YouTube - 1960 Gibson Les Paul 01013 Phil X[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf_3V0urAA8]YouTube - Aerosmith- Sweet Emotion + Lyrics[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqG2lOfD9cc]YouTube - Aerosmith - Same Old Song And Dance [2004][/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw5Zhul-pgc&feature=related]YouTube - Kiss Let Me Go Rock 'N' Roll (Studio Version)[/ame]



now I don't expect you guys to click on all of those lol but you get the idea. My main question is would I benefit more from buying a Marshall Plexi or...should I maybe get a new cabinet? I know speakers have a ton to do with tone and...2003 stock 1960A cab?...I am thinking like guitar sounds from before Van Halen came out...let me know what you guys think!

 

[tonefreak]

you still running your krammer or did you get a gibby yet?

what are you boosting it with?

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

What you want is a good ole' Gibson, a plexi, greenbacks, and hands.

 

[LesPaulopolis]

...and VOLUME.

 

[Jason77]

There's no reason you can't get there with amp you have. I would suggest lower/medium output pickups and different speakers. And, oh yeah... volume!

 

[80's Rocker]

Tonefreak-I just got a lot more hours at work so unless something comes up I am just gonna keep the kramer. I boost I slightlyt with the tubescreamer at low volume. High volume its straight it.

My pickups are dimarzio super distortions. What marshall cabs will have greenbacks? What about the vintage 30's? How much of a difference should an 800 be from a plexi?

 

[Salsg]

As Chris George would say "Vi-ij maw-un"

 

[chuckharmonjr]

Get a DSL and mod it...lol...Im getting those tones PLUS 80's and 90's metal

 

[big dooley]

As Chris George would say "Vi-ij maw-un"

?

i'm pretty good with phonetic stuff, but i can't make anything out of this

 

[S.A.T.O.]

I think he's saying "Vintage Modern" ?

Back off the gain and pre-amp on the 800 and put the mids and bass up and see what you get. My bass player has a wonderul 800 that I run an LP through along with a Boss blues driver and I get some awesome 70's/ZZ Top tones with.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

Speakers! If you are gonna make changes, one of the easiest and most dramatic change is using different speakers with your amp.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

@ S.A.T.O. : that girl in your pic sure has some nice cans. it's good to see nice cans here from time to time.

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

My pickups are dimarzio super distortions. What marshall cabs will have greenbacks? What about the vintage 30's? How much of a difference should an 800 be from a plexi?

SD's are not wat you want if you're looking for vintage style tone. What you want is a nice set of PAF clones. I realy like BK's (bare knuckle's) the mule set. They're great PAF clones but they're realy expencive. If you don't want to spend THAT much on pickups, Gibson burstbuckers are a great 2nd choice.
They're great pickups, but they sound best in a les paul.

A lot of vintage Marshall cabs have greenbacks, blackbacks, creambacks (those are the same as greenbacks, but celestion was out of green magnet rings so they went with other colors) etc...
Newer cabs with greenbacks; 1960TV, 1960AC, 1960BC, 1960HW, 1982 Hendrix reissue cabs, 425a, 425b, 1960AX and the 1960BX.

V30's are great speakers, but they sound pretty modern so they're not what you want.

Basicly the 2204 is a 1987 with a cascaded preamp and a master volume. But of cource that's not exactly what it is, and personally I realy prefer my 1987 over my 2204.

 

[80's Rocker]

Ah ok that's helpful stuff then.

I will surely consider not putting a SD in my new Gibson then...although I really liked the switch from my stock to the SD on my Epi.

Sounds like I am going to need to look into getting a new cab first and then look into a plexi and attenuator



Now what about tubes...I know that tubes make a big impact on the sound so are there any particular type of tubes I should look for or avoid? And is the TS9 a good option for low volume boosts or would something else work better? (Love it but it does pretty much transforms your sound into 80's)

 

[SoloDallas]

Nothing as much as a vintage cabinet - or great emulation (replica) of it will give you instant vintage tone, no matter of the amp and guitar you are using.

I strongly recommend to look into a vintage 4x12 with - possibly - G12Ms 25 watters.

Such as the one here:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIcxJKSoAEo]YouTube - 1953/1959 Les Paul Standard Conversion on Metro JTM50[/ame]

 

[drewz120]

@ S.A.T.O. : that girl in your pic sure has some nice cans. it's good to see nice cans here from time to time.

Her name is Tori Lane, and you can find alot more than just pictures on the internet if you know what I mean

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

Ah ok that's helpful stuff then.

I will surely consider not putting a SD in my new Gibson then...although I really liked the switch from my stock to the SD on my Epi.

Sounds like I am going to need to look into getting a new cab first and then look into a plexi and attenuator



Now what about tubes...I know that tubes make a big impact on the sound so are there any particular type of tubes I should look for or avoid? And is the TS9 a good option for low volume boosts or would something else work better? (Love it but it does pretty much transforms your sound into 80's)

I'd say first get the cab, then the right pickups and then the new amp.

For tubes, I like using Winged =C= 34's. Groove tubes make good power tubes too, they're my 2nd choice. And por the preamp, I like Mullards, Tung Sol's, TAD's. (and EHX's for V3) JJ's are good too, many people like em' but personally I don't. You could also get NOS pre's if you have the money. For a boost, I like the xotic EP booster, I'm getting pure vintage tone from that thing. It's based on an Echoplex's preamp circuit. My Fulltone fat boost is another awsome boost pedal.

 

[indeedido]

Ah ok that's helpful stuff then.

I will surely consider not putting a SD in my new Gibson then...although I really liked the switch from my stock to the SD on my Epi.

Sounds like I am going to need to look into getting a new cab first and then look into a plexi and attenuator



Now what about tubes...I know that tubes make a big impact on the sound so are there any particular type of tubes I should look for or avoid? And is the TS9 a good option for low volume boosts or would something else work better? (Love it but it does pretty much transforms your sound into 80's)

The man in your avatar used the super distortions as did a few others in the 70's.

If you're looking for '60s vibe, I'd say yeah change to a PAF style pickup, perhaps the Duncan '59. Keep the amp, no reason you can't get there with it. You can try some different preamp tubes to lower down the gain a bit too. Back off the preamp and go with some greenbacks or V30s and keep your cab. They just mount right up, easy swap. If you go greenbacks, look at the Celestion EVH's they are the same thing only less expensive for some reason.

 

[germ_x]

I agree with others that greenbacks or vintage30's are a good choice. For tubes, I like Tung Sol EL34's in a 2203 - they warm it up quite a bit.

Have you ever played through a 2061x, or Class5 (through a 4x12)? Those amps definitely have that vintage tone right out of the box.

 

[KH Guitar Freak]

Seriously, you need to check out those Vintage Moderns...