A question regarding the tone of a specific Slash lick, YouTube link included

oilpit

New member
So this isn't strictly a pickup question rather it's more about tone in general so if this is in the wrong section that's my bad, but this seemed as good a place as any.

Also just a shout, I used to post here all the time when I was younger but it's been some time. Not sure how many long time users are on here but Im psyched this place is still going strong and here to vent my tone obsession to.

Anyway I've just gotten myself some Senneheiser's for my desktop and these headphones are farrrrr nicer than anything ive owned in the past so I've been going back through all of my favorite albums just to hear them through these things because they sound so good.

Well lately I got around to Use Your Illusion and a few things have stood out to me. First of all if GnR had cut all the filler songs and made UYI a single album it could be as classic as AFD.

Second and more on topic is that there is a series of licks on the closing track to UYI1, "Coma" that are both awesome and confusing. It begins at roughly 8:32 and it starts with a fast run of low notes and for the next few bars he stays pretty low on the guitar and eventually ends up an octave higher (more standard guitar solo territory) for the outtro.

The clip in question: beginning just after 8:30 in and out through the rest of the song. Also you should listen to the entire thing because it's epic, and I hate that word.

https://youtu.be/_CnSTSixzcg


Well first of all I'm absolutely obsessed with basically the whole second half of the song, IMO probably his most technically proficient work on any GnR song by the whole crew (Paradise City remains a strong contender, however). But that specific part has been on my mind constantly for the last few days, specifically the tone of it.

To me that sounds like the mids are scooped, almost single coil-esque. And I'm not sure if I'm just misidentifying the frequencies or what but I just don't get what (besides pick attack/it's Slash who's playing it) is creating that sound. Everything in Slash's signal chain is just dripping with mids, from the APH-1 loaded Les Paul (see I mentioned pickups that makes this relevant!) To the Silver Jubilee. True, he dials in his Marshalls *extremely* bright which I'm sure plays a role but I don't hear that same spanky, hollow tone anywhere else in his sound, I would think the bridge pickup would be far too bright after how clear the neck pickup sounds playing such low notes, which it's not, he switches to the bridge shortly after and it sounds great!

So I guess what I'm asking is are my ears decieving me, does that not sound scooped and if that is the case what frequencies are causing that particular tone and secondly, regardless of the answer to that, what in his signal chain is causing the notes to sound so percussive and snappy?

I'm sorry for being so long winded and again, I'm sorry if this is not appropriate for the pickup section.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read and any insight is greatly appreciated.
 
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Re: A question regarding the tone of a specific Slash lick, YouTube link included

Did you post a link to the wrong song?
What am I missing here?

Well, the song's about as epic as the pile of brown squishy stuff I stepped in at the dog park last weekend. And Slash's playing is about as technically simple as it gets. Give a 10 year old a guitar and turn up the distortion to the point where you can't distinguish one note from another and he'll nail it (heck, there's so much dist that I can't even tell what instrument is playing)!
 
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Re: A question regarding the tone of a specific Slash lick, YouTube link included

Decided to listen to Coma and UYI 1 this morning. I’ve always liked that tune kinda reminds of Alice Cooper
 
Re: A question regarding the tone of a specific Slash lick, YouTube link included

It sounds like classic LP/Marshall to me. While I am not a fan of the song or the band (or the production of this track), I don't think there is any secret- it is a classic rock n roll sound.
 
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