80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

astrozombie

astrozombie

KatyPerryologist
hey guys, what EQ settings defined the 80s?

high mids?

anything at all on how to get a cool 80s sound (i know this is general but...)

would be greatly appreciated.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

I don't know if there's a defining 80's sound, but I think what you mean is 80's metal like Scorpions, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Ozzy, Dokken, etc.

That sound is the JCM 800/Celestion G75T's/Boss OD/Seymour Duncan JB, 59, or Custom.

The DSL's, TSL's, Jubilee, Splawn, Roccaforte are the right amps to get that sound. It's tight on the bottom, neutral mids, and crunchy highs, with most of the mids coming from the pickups.......which is why Duncans like the JB were popular.

In the 90's, the tone shifted more towards the Mesa Dual Rec sound, so if you like the tone of Ozzy/Judas Priest/Scorpions more than Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Nickelback, then you're after the highgain Marshall sound.

There's no real EQ tips. You need the right amp, and the DSL50, JCM800 or 900 with a 4-12 is the most surefire way to get it.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Lipstick knob turned all the way to 11. :6:
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Pretty much the same eq as the Duncan Distortion.....

....very little bottom, strong top end, even stronger mids.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Bump up the EQ in the 2.0 & 2.5k range dip the mids around 1.0k & 500hz and raise the low mids around 250hz.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

i always thought the DS1 has the 80's metal sound in some ways.... but ya the JCM 800 and super strats are it...

of course the "other" 80's sound is Fender Strat stock, big clean Fender Twin or Roland JC120.... Chorus and Comp pedals......
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Crunchy highs and tight lows define the 80s.

Scooped or boosted is up to you.

I boost the living hell out of my highs and leave my bass and mids at 50%. Also, a delay or a chorus is a must!
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

I was almost going to mention the Roland JC120 or a Red knob twin with a Roland CE-1 Chorus. I also consider the Mk Series Mesas to be a big part of the 80's sound, mostly with blues, fusion, and soundtrack solos.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Cover the pickups with hair spray... :)

Actually, high gain amps and high output pickups are the combination to look for.
Just playing around with my guitar yesterday, I thought about it-
The thing that makes you sound 80's the most is pinch harmonics. Use them in your rhythm and in your solos and you can use almost any type of gear and get the 80's tone.
I've been playing 50's rock n roll rhythms and started throwing harmonics in them. The result was 80's without even using the proper gear.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

I think I get a good 80s metal sound.

I use a ENGL Screamer, and I dont boost the mids or anything, roll a bit off of the Treble as my Celestion Lead80s are very trebly with a amp like the ENGL Screamer, which has ALOT of high mids.

80s sound do have alot of high mids, but also reverb is a big must when doing a 80s sound.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Rid said:
The 80's are long gone;)
And in general 80's sounds where quite different and widespread.
Click to expand...

Yeah and no.

The 80s are still here dammit... I base my guitar sound around the 1980s :D

The 80s sound was quite different yeah. Some had solid state buzzy tones, while other had tones from heaven like Scorpions. Unlike those solidstate users in Accept.


:D
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

There's a big diff between the USA type players and metal music of the 80s (LA Metal..hair metal..whatever) and the Euro/Power metal players.

The USA sound is def the superstrat with a Floyd,..JB/Distortion type pup into a Marshall 800 with 65/75 Celestions. It was usually more compressed and smooth...tones made for tapping, and often had alot of effects. E.G. Warren De martini, George Lynch, Steve Lynch, Reb Beach, etc

The European guys sound was very different...Usually a Gibson type with stock PAF type pups or DiMarzios, into an old Plexi/metalface/JMP/early 800 sometimes with older cabs with gb/bb speakers...or the 65/75s. Usually pretty dry signal, but not always... E.G. Schenker Brothers, Jabs, Smith & Murray, Vivian Campbell, Sykes, Judas Priest, Fast Eddie Clarke etc.

The guys from Tesla fit into either category. Tommy Skeoch was the floyded strat type kid (teles actually) with the high gain compressed american sound, and Frank Hannon had the European/70s fat crunchy sound. Nice contrast.

By the time the late 80s rolled around it was effects out the wazoo, and compressed tones like the ADA MP1, Rockman, and Gallien Krueger amps :blackeye: Slash kinda changed that...he started bringing back that older 70s type sound.
 
Re: 80s guitar sound (what are the characteristics?)

Hairmetal was and still is a bad joke...look at those moronic poses...don't get me started on the bad hairdo!
There where good stuff...but hairmetal was like modern days Nu-Metal....something to avoid!
I like the popstuff better from back then, but I do not miss the perfect perfect sense everything needed back then...it was something dead about it...perfect is dull, non interesting, plus most of the sounds where so compressed and expanded at the same time...it was hillarious at best;)
 
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