Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

[STLMTLHD79]

So, as for anybody that is/was a fan of this band back in the day knew that Jim Martin had a truly unique tone and style, which over the years I have embraced as genius. With that said, here is what i know about his tone from "The Real Thing" album

We all know that Jim used a black late 70s Flying V with an EMG in the live setting-Heavy as **** tone. However, on the Real Thing album, i remember reading about 15 years ago that he used a 70s Strat with some kind of humbucker. I think a JB was mentioned but it could have been a 59.

His tone on the record seems a tad thin, jangle-ly and bright but in a really good way. It does NOT sound like a Flying V in any sort.

Do any of you remember or know what i am refering to when i hear that he used a Strat on the recording of that record? I can NAIL the tone with my MIM 2015 strat with Floyd and SD-9 Silverbird bridge pickup. Its PERFECT!!!!


"The Real Thing" is one of my absolute favorites to play along with from front to back. There are so many different techniques used on this album, its almost like a warm up lesson all in one. I am not even a big FNM fan, but this record has always done it for me since it was released.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Interesting....I have always seen him with the V and nothing else.
His tone to me, doesn’t resembles anything Strat-like but with humbuckers sure, anything is possible.

 

[dpaterson]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

"Another tone thread"!!! I love it!!! LOL!!!

I cannot pass comment. Don't know enough about them. But did listen to the song out of respect for ya!!! LOL!!!

Sure a nice tone I must say. Not my style (the music). But very nice nevertheless.

Noticed the date though. Are you not seeing a pattern here i.e. all the great tones came from the '80's!!! LOL!!! (I'm gonna get shot at dawn for that comment I'm sure). Now it's all processed (same as food!!! LOL!!!).

Regards,

Dale.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

"Another tone thread"!!! I love it!!! LOL!!!

I cannot pass comment. Don't know enough about them. But did listen to the song out of respect for ya!!! LOL!!!

Sure a nice tone I must say. Not my style (the music). But very nice nevertheless.

Noticed the date though. Are you not seeing a pattern here i.e. all the great tones came from the '80's!!! LOL!!! (I'm gonna get shot at dawn for that comment I'm sure). Now it's all processed (same as food!!! LOL!!!).

Regards,

Dale.

With a few exceptions I feel that the 90’s era produced some horrible guitar tones.
It was like a backlash to the 80’s.
If the 80’s was the era of excess the 90’s were the era of a more stripped down approach.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

That's the thing about tone (and many other things), one person's garbage is another's Grail.

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[Silence Kid]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Sorry I can't help much- but chiming in to say I love Faith no More; I do enjoy the later albums more though, where Mike Patton developed or implemented more of his signature to the group. Can't say I ever thought much about the guitar tones on their records though, they seem pretty conventional IMO; their style of music doesn't really put a focus on it to me.

 

[Golem]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

With a few exceptions I feel that the 90’s era produced some horrible guitar tones.
It was like a backlash to the 80’s.
If the 80’s was the era of excess the 90’s were the era of a more stripped down approach.

Some one does not like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, etc?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Demanic]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Some one does not like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, etc?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, while they all may have sucked, it wasn't necessarily because of their guitar tones.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Some one does not like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, etc?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I despise radiohead and SP is meh, but I like the others enough.
Pearl Jam’s guitar tones are ok. Adam Jones has killer tone.
If I had to cite one 90’s tone that I LOVE its Jerry Cantrell’s.
Not that I’m chasing his tone but I try to get something resembling what he has going on out of my rig.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

I think a lot of 90s popular rock is underestimated as to the effort put into musicianship and tone; it's pervasive in belief that "grunge" musicians 'never solo'd' and tended to stick with random ratty gear and simple rigs vs. the '80s - but I think that's basically targeting Nirvana. Focusing on the more popular bands - Cantrell just was '80s tone and style. He used a JB Superstrat with a Kahler, and played very bluesy riffs and solos that wouldn't have sounded out of place in a lot of '80s metal. Kim Thayil basically shredded through a lot of Soundgarden's most popular hits (think Spoonman or Black Hole Sun.)

Keeping the Smashing Pumpkins on their own little island - They did something very different with their guitar tone and it was far from stripped or bare-bones: on record they explored a lot of effects/multitracking. Like it or not there's basically a cottage pedal industry based on capturing their sound, so it's not quite so plug & play as many imagine of the '90s. When they couldn't capture that tone live? They used JCM800s, what else. Billy's solos could also get pretty quick/technical (though eclectic.)

Even Dean Deleo's tone and soloing style was pretty much just mock-Led Zeppelin/arena rock; while that is certainly a different planet from '80s rock and metal, it's hard to argue his Telecaster/Les Paul & Marshall stack/Vox tones really meet the "'90s idiom" as most nowadays would imagine it. (Caveat - The above are some of my favorite bands and I'm not really a fan of '80s rock/metal- though I tolerate it just fine.)

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Some one does not like Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, etc?

Guilty as charged.

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Damn i wish i could find this article. I think i read it in an old Guitar world where he said he used a strat with a humbucker for the album. It was probably a Guitar World from the early 90s. Somebody should archive all those old Guitar World magazines into a database.

 

[Despair]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

We all know that Jim used a black late 70s Flying V with an EMG in the live setting-Heavy as **** tone. However, on the Real Thing album, i remember reading about 15 years ago that he used a 70s Strat with some kind of humbucker. I think a JB was mentioned but it could have been a 59.

His tone on the record seems a tad thin, jangle-ly and bright but in a really good way. It does NOT sound like a Flying V in any sort.

I don't recall him using EMGs on The Real Thing or later. He was known for using a Live Wire Metal in the bridge on his V, with a passive ('59?) neck pickup, for a ridiculous contrast in output.

From Out of Nowhere and Woodpecker From Mars are bright, I'd say searing, but I wouldn't describe it as thin. Especially on the last, more growly part at the end...

I'd bet on the amount of bass having more to do with mic technique and EQ than with the pickup. Not that I'd discount any step in the chain, and I'm sure he didn't slam the preamp with excessive bass or he'd get a loose flubby tone rather than the tight thrash metal rhythm sounds he did. Most Boogie players cut the preamp's bass and boost it back with the graphic EQ, so that it is tight but not thin.

He did comment in interviews that one of the songs, I think From Out of Nowhere, destroyed his favorite Mesa Boogie, which sounded like no other. Finished the take and it lit on fire and was destroyed, and he didn't find another that sounded quite the same.

Could he have used another guitar in the studio for some or all of the parts? Sure, but I don't recall anything about him doing so. And a strat, even with a bridge humbucker, does tend to have a different feel and sound than a 24.75" scale instrument. But that's subtle stuff, easily dwarfed by EQing for the mix.

 

[Despair]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

A bit of poking around shows a lot of people claiming he also used an EMG 60 in the neck with the Live Wire bridge in the V.

 

[STLMTLHD79]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Thanks for the info Despair. I so wish i could find this article i seem to remember. Maybe he recorded the clean parts with a strat. The "funky" part of Underwater Love definitely sounds like a single coil.

Regardless of the gear used, i have been playing along to these songs for nearly 20 years and all i can say is that i have nailed the tone with both a 2003 HW1 strat with the Fender humbucker (which was really hot) as well as this MIM strat with the old SH-9 Silverbird bridge pickup, probably even better with the later.

 

[Lovegun]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

This is the only pic I found of Jim Martin with a strat.

He had the V from the very beginning.


What a band that could have been. (Martin, Mike Bordin and Cliff Burton)

 

[Det1973]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

So, as for anybody that is/was a fan of this band back in the day knew that Jim Martin had a truly unique tone and style, which over the years I have embraced as genius. With that said, here is what i know about his tone from "The Real Thing" album

We all know that Jim used a black late 70s Flying V with an EMG in the live setting-Heavy as **** tone. However, on the Real Thing album, i remember reading about 15 years ago that he used a 70s Strat with some kind of humbucker. I think a JB was mentioned but it could have been a 59.

His tone on the record seems a tad thin, jangle-ly and bright but in a really good way. It does NOT sound like a Flying V in any sort.

Do any of you remember or know what i am refering to when i hear that he used a Strat on the recording of that record? I can NAIL the tone with my MIM 2015 strat with Floyd and SD-9 Silverbird bridge pickup. Its PERFECT!!!!


"The Real Thing" is one of my absolute favorites to play along with from front to back. There are so many different techniques used on this album, its almost like a warm up lesson all in one. I am not even a big FNM fan, but this record has always done it for me since it was released.

From everything i've read....JM used a 70's Gibson V With a Dimarzio Super Distortion & a Mesa Mark series amp, Most likely the Mark 2.

 

[oilpit]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Just gotta jump in to say that The Bends by Radiohead has some of the best guitar tone I’ve ever heard.

If you dislike that band because of their later bizarre Thom York masturbation, you should listen to The Bends because of how different it is.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

Just gotta jump in to say that The Bends by Radiohead has some of the best guitar tone I’ve ever heard.

If you dislike that band because of their later bizarre Thom York masturbation, you should listen to The Bends because of how different it is.

I will give this a listen tonight.
Tbh, I have never liked Radiohead but maybe I just haven’t heard the right material.

 

[oilpit]

Re: Another tone thread-Jim Martin from Faith No More on "The Real Thing"

I will give this a listen tonight.
Tbh, I have never liked Radiohead but maybe I just haven’t heard the right material.

You might hate it, but it might as well be an entirely different band than their later work so if you've only heard the songs I assume you've heard, I think it's worth giving that record a shot.

I used to hate the band as well but my guitar teacher practically forced me to listen to the entire album when I was like 18 and it turned me into a fanboy.