Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

[_Golubovic_]

Hi everyone, for those of you who don't know, Adam Jones from Tool uses a Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst with a SD JB in bridge and Jazz in the neck, but more importantly, he uses a Diezel VH4 amp which is absolutely amazing.
I own a VOX VT40X and an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro with stock pickups. My VT40X has a Diezel VH4 preset which sounds decent. But I've been planning to upgrade to some better amp soon, but not too expensive. Does anyone know what amp can I use to get the tone as close as possible? There are a couple of things that need to be considered:
1. The amp must be brand new
2. Tube/valve or solid-state, doesn't matter
3. My budget is about $500.

Thanks in advance, hope some of you can help

[VinceT]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Why does the amp need or be new?


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[dystrust]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Why does the amp need or be new?

+1

A budget of $500 limited to only new purchases will SERIOUSLY limit the options.

[rainsong86]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

For 500 you'd really have to go with used. There's plenty of lightly used gear on ebay/reverb. Find a 20-30 watt tube head (egnater, blackstar, panama) for cleans then buy a petal for your dirt. You won't get articulate, soul-crushing heavy tones from a used tube amp head for less than 400. Adam uses 100w tube amps that have high headroom in the power amp section, with all the distortion generated from pre-amp. So Id recommend a pedal to get that distortion. Get an eq pedal to go into the effects loop of an Amptweaker fat metal. The Amptweaker tight metal jr has a "fat metal" eq setting, but no designated effects loop for the pedal.. so if you wanted to tailor a Tool-esque sound with an eq pedal following it you'd have to turn on/off both to go from cleans. With a 2x12 cab, this setup would cost you 600-700

[Van Noord]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Considering your limited budget, I'd look at getting the Diezel VH4 preamp pedal and run it through the effects return of a decent 50-100w power amp. Get a good cabinet with V30s too. Like a Mesa Standard 4x12.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

I want to point out that his tone is a blend of a modded Super Bass and a modern high gain amp, first Mesa then Diesel. The older albums have a more straight ahead tone, the “newer” ones have a more complex, layered sound. The idea of running the Preamp into another power amp is a good idea.

Dumb question but do you already have the JB and know his lines 100%? I ask because if you can copy his technique exactly, a Dual Rectifier should get you close and can be found a lot cheaper than a Diezel.

Also he plays loud to get the feedback, etc. so keep that in mind.

[rainsong86]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Wouldn't he have been replacing a Tim Shaw pickup with that JB? Maybe it's because Chicago Music Exchange has convinced everyone to pay a fortune for 70s/80s Gibsons, but aren't the Tim Shaws pretty well regarded?

[PFDarkside]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Are Tim Shaw designed pickups post T-Top and Tarback?

And how many late 70’s Silverbursts now have JBs, completely due to Adam?

[rainsong86]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Are Tim Shaw designed pickups post T-Top and Tarback?

And how many late 70’s Silverbursts now have JBs, completely due to Adam?

Correct. The Shaws wouldn't show up in a les paul like Adam's until late 1980, and les pauls typically had t-tops instead of tar-backs up until then (these two pickups had the same bobbins, different magnets/potting)

[dystrust]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

Correct. The Shaws wouldn't show up in a les paul like Adam's until late 1980, and les pauls typically had t-tops instead of tar-backs up until then (these two pickups had the same bobbins, different magnets/potting

I had a '77 Les Paul Custom, and the original pickups were a rather meh set of T-Tops.

Dumb question but do you already have the JB and know his lines 100%? I ask because if you can copy his technique exactly, a Dual Rectifier should get you close and can be found a lot cheaper than a Diezel.

You won't need the tube rectifier for Tool tones, so a used Single Rectifier would do it for even less than a Dual.

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

If you're budget is $500 for a brand new amp, stick with the one you have, buy a JB off the Trading Post for $50, maybe get an EQ pedal so you can play the intro to "Stinkfist," and save the other $400 for when you can afford to spend more.

If you're set on a new amp, maybe check out a Boss Katana, and set up a Marshall/Diesel dual modeler rig. Actually, yeah, do that. Sounds like it'd be fun. And get the JB. Don't worry about the neck pickup, as Adam has repeatedly said he never uses it, and keeps the volume rolled off.

[arayadis]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

You can get Tool sound with any ENGL amp. Closest one to you is a used Engl gigmaster 15.
Or you can buy Blackstar Ht Metal 5 or bigger... HT Metal 5's sound samples like that: https://youtu.be/jiTOMshUs74

[TLM95]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

This is actually one of the first tones I started chasing once I started to figure out what I was doing. I am by no means a professional at this stuff, but this is what I use to get that tone.

Boss Katana (100W) - Really versatile amp for the money, I have it set on the dual rectifier amp when using the sneaky amps. Very low gain (almost none) with a TC Spark running into the front of the amp for some more punch. I usually leave Bass around 12 (clock positions) Mids around 1 or 2 and Treble around the same.

Have a Les Paul copy with a JB installed (you need this in my opinion)

I can say this covers about 85% of all Tool songs except for the segments that Adam uses some slight Flanger, Synth, slide and just plain weird sounds.

Hope this helps you out and maybe gets you your desired tone, I would definitely say go check out the Katana, the base amp is great but once you get into the sneaky amps it opens up a lot of possibilities!

[devastone]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

For the price I'm going to agree with the Boss Katana suggestions, lots of decent sounds in those boxes, I used a GT-100 for years and the Katana models are based on those.

[blind1]

Re: Need some help how to get Adam Jones' (TOOL) tone

For the price I'm going to agree with the Boss Katana suggestions, lots of decent sounds in those boxes, I used a GT-100 for years and the Katana models are based on those.

Meh.. Boss Katana amps have a shrill/nasal voice to them that I just can't stand.