Accept "Balls to the Wall" = Tubescreamer into Marshall?

LLL said:
I would bet at the very least either a whopping massive PT or double PTs.
Click to expand...

Yeah -there definitely two (based on the size needed for a single 200W transformer), But I wonder what else he did ..... I'll see if I can find out.

**edit -I looked up vintage >200w Transformers -They are not as big as I thought -possible there is only 1 PT***
 
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Aceman said:
You know, a lot of that chainsaw-awesome comes from guitar players and producers knowing a couple of things that bedroom shredding destroyed:

1. Guitars tuned to E
2. No scooped mids to cut throw
3. No need to push the bass, because the bass does that

And a MArshall 800 modded/goosed w/ TS9-RAt-Etc on 10....
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. How many awesome tones were recorded with that simple formula. The production also plays a huge role. Every instrument has it's own place and it sounds great. Dieter Dirks was the producer for this album. I think Hoffman played a Gibson Flying V at the time.
 
Aceman said:
You know, a lot of that chainsaw-awesome comes from guitar players and producers knowing a couple of things that bedroom shredding destroyed:
Click to expand...

I was just going to say that. No producer/studio engineer wants a guitar player cranking a 200 watt Marshall in the studio. People's live rigs are very rarely what they use in the studio.
 
Only remotely related... I love the Accept chord progression style in "Balls to the Wall".

Hanging back and forth between the 5th and 6th for the verse and dropping to the lower heavy 3rd during the bridge (which sounds very dramatic) and bouncing to the root for the Chorus.

Ratt uses this style extensively too.

It's great.
 
LLL said:
Ballz:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/foru.../6054185-ballz

Not a ton of info out there.

What I do know:

Gibson Flying V
MXR Distortion+ (does a mid-hump/frown with peak at 1-2KHz)
Marshall (guessing 4 holer)
Celestion Greenbacks
Click to expand...

Not sure if you just threw that together, or what. I don't think this is you typical level of quality.

Sounded a little hollow, and not quite enough "edge".

Maybe not sufficiently mastered/mixed? It just wasn't as present and in your face as the original IMO....
 
1. THANK YOU. I know it took time and effort to make that clip and I appreciate it.
2. Regardless of what Ace says, your clip hits the same essential quality.
3. MXR Distortion+? Really?? What settings? I'm just surprised. So I wasn't TOO far off thinking Tube Screamer after all.

This is actually the second time I have heard something I liked and it turned out a Distortion+ was involved. Guess I will have to chase down one to try.
I actually owned one of the originals (no led or power jack, rounded enclosure, don't recall the text type) that I bought used way back in the mid 1980s for a short time but I have totally different equipment and goals now.
 
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Dave Locher said:
1. THANK YOU. I know it took time and effort to make that clip and I appreciate it.
2. Regardless of what Ace says, your clip hits the same essential quality.
3. MXR Distortion+? Really?? What settings? I'm just surprised. So I wasn't TOO far off thinking Tube Screamer after all.

This is actually the second time I have heard something I liked and it turned out a Distortion+ was involved. Guess I will have to chase down one to try.
I actually owned one of the originals (no led or power jack, rounded enclosure, don't recall the text type) that I bought used way back in the mid 1980s for a short time but I have totally different equipment and goals now.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't put any weight to what Ace says about tone related subjects due to the fact he doesn't delve deep into the details, but takes on a more general approach.

It's in the ballpark - I could have given it touch more time focusing on the mids but "nahhh".

I used mostly non-canonical gear:

MXR 10 Band EQ (emulating Distortion+ midrange hump) > AMT M2 > Two Notes Torpedo (greenback with SM57 + 421)

Guitar was Gibson CS SG with Seth Lovers

Lots of DAW EQing and some Lexicon plate reverb VST.


Like I've stated previously, there's not much info out there on the particulars.

My best (educated) guess is he was doing what lots of hard rock guitarists were doing back then:

Goosing their PAF/T-Top humbucker guitars and Plexi/Metal panel Marshalls with a Distortion+, DS-1, RAT or the like.

Sometimes just using the "Level" knob to boost the signal and low to no clipping.


I've found if you have a PAF-output type pickup and a Plexi or similar, you need a boost to reach these levels of gain.

But if you have a SD Custom, JB, DiM SD or similar output pickup, you don't really need a boost.

There is also the concept of pre and post EQ which comes into play - generally speaking, boost the mids going into the amp (EQ, etc), then cut the mids at the console.
 
Dave Locher said:
This is actually the second time I have heard something I liked and it turned out a Distortion+ was involved. Guess I will have to chase down one to try.
I actually owned one of the originals (no led or power jack, rounded enclosure, don't recall the text type) that I bought used way back in the mid 1980s for a short time but I have totally different equipment and goals now.
Click to expand...

The new MXR (current manufacture) ones are different than the originals and seem to be a little more cutting than smooth.

Whirlwind Gold Box is what I would investigate. Whirlwind company was started by one of the original MXR dudes.
 
LLL said:
Yeah, I don't put any weight to what Ace says about tone related subjects due to the fact he doesn't delve deep into the details, but takes on a more general approach.
Click to expand...

See - there is where you are missing the point. Your work is usually spot on. You are KNOWN for the detail. And regardless of my more general approach (accurate description) my ears know the details of how it sounds. You set your own ridiculously high standard. Just saying you missed it this time. And not by a lot, but enough. Slapped together factor was stated.

This is the spouting part to not put weight on => I could do better with a Marshall MG50 and a 498 loaded Les Paul off the wall at GC. ;P
 
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Aceman said:
I could do better with a Marshall MG50 and a 498 loaded Les Paul off the wall at GC. ;P
Click to expand...

Well, you know what they say:

"Talk is shit."

Let's hear your take on it, tone maestro - show us how it's done.

But realize that if you don't, you're just talking out of your arse... again.
 
Dave Locher said:
1. THANK YOU. I know it took time and effort to make that clip and I appreciate it.
2. Regardless of what Ace says, your clip hits the same essential quality.
3. MXR Distortion+? Really?? What settings? I'm just surprised. So I wasn't TOO far off thinking Tube Screamer after all.

This is actually the second time I have heard something I liked and it turned out a Distortion+ was involved. Guess I will have to chase down one to try.
I actually owned one of the originals (no led or power jack, rounded enclosure, don't recall the text type) that I bought used way back in the mid 1980s for a short time but I have totally different equipment and goals now.
Click to expand...

Here's a great article on the techy specs of the Dist+, including freq curve. Not surprisingly, the Dist+ has a similar mid-hump as the Tubescreamer.

https://www.electrosmash.com/mxr-distortion-plus-analysis

mxr_distortion_plus_op_amp_gain.png
 
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