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previous: anonymous Best Ed Emulator? -- 9/2/1999 7:23 PM

Ed-tone ruminations

9/3/1999 1:58 PM
fet	Ed-tone ruminations This would appear to be the Holy Grail of distortion stompbox design. I just listened to a bootleg CD of VH circa '76 ("Eyes of the Night"), and a few things struck me about the guitar sound (besides virtuosity, imagination, intensity, etc.) 1) Very compressed-sounding. 2) Unlimited sustain combined with crispy attack and clear note separation; nowhere does the guitar sound like mud, although it is very distorted. 3) Lots of amp noise. 4) Simple effects (slow phaser or heavy tape echo) add drama during certain passages. The inimitable combination of extreme clarity and extreme distortion is what eludes players and builders seeking to emulate the VH sound, IMO. I think that it's key to approach it as a basically clean tone pushed beyond the limits, rather than a distorted tone from the get-go. Other opinions?

9/3/1999 1:58 PM

fet

Ed-tone ruminations

This would appear to be the Holy Grail of distortion stompbox design. I just listened to a bootleg CD of VH circa '76 ("Eyes of the Night"), and a few things struck me about the guitar sound (besides virtuosity, imagination, intensity, etc.)

1) Very compressed-sounding.

2) Unlimited sustain combined with crispy attack and clear note separation; nowhere does the guitar sound like mud, although it is very distorted.

3) Lots of amp noise.

4) Simple effects (slow phaser or heavy tape echo) add drama during certain passages.

The inimitable combination of extreme clarity and extreme distortion is what eludes players and builders seeking to emulate the VH sound, IMO. I think that it's key to approach it as a basically clean tone pushed beyond the limits, rather than a distorted tone from the get-go. Other opinions?

Replies:

Doc So is this bootleg CD a live record... -- 9/3/1999 3:13 PM