Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

[PFDarkside]

What are the basic ingredients of the Billy Gibbons tone? Not the newer stuff, the 70's stuff and then the early 80's stuff. I know Pearly Gates is a legend, ans I assume he was using a Marshall, but was he using a fuzz or something back in the day? Also, getting into the Eliminator era, what was he using? I'm assuming he was still recording with real guitars and only using those crazy furry Dean's for show. Also, are Esquires a new thing for him or did he use them during the older era too?

(I want a Gilmourish.com of Gibbons, I guess. )

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Gosh...even the basics are intense!

Get a killer Les Paul, a good sounding Strat and a great sounding Telecaster, get a few killer sounding Marshalls (JTM-45's, 50 and 100 watt Plexi's and even Majors) and a stack of old tweed Fenders (Lots of Deluxes, Champs, Supers, etc) then pile on the dirt boxes...Pro Co Rats, old Fuzz tones, a ring moduator and a Crybaby...

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Gosh...even the basics are intense!

Get a killer Les Paul, a good sounding Strat and a great sounding Telecaster, get a few killer sounding Marshalls (JTM-45's, 50 and 100 watt Plexi's and even Majors) and a stack of old tweed Fenders (Lots of Deluxes, Champs, Supers, etc) then pile on the dirt boxes...Pro Co Rats, old Fuzz tones, a ring moduator and a Crybaby...

...and you still won't sound like Billy Gibbons unless you ARE Billy Gibbons...or at least can play like Billy Gibbons! LOL! Using a peso for a pick might help.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

C'mon guys, a little help? You can say the same thing about Gilmour, but if you break it down it's all about a Strat, Fuzz Face or Big Muff and a clean amp (Fender or Hiwatt). Throw in a little echo and you're basically there.

I know I can't hit his tone exactly, I'm just looking for "the basics". I can see a LP into a Marshall and small Fender on 10, was he using RATs back then? He seems to have more gain than a Paul into a vintage Marshall.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

C'mon guys, a little help? You can say the same thing about Gilmour, but if you break it down it's all about a Strat, Fuzz Face or Big Muff and a clean amp (Fender or Hiwatt). Throw in a little echo and you're basically there.

I know I can't hit his tone exactly, I'm just looking for "the basics". I can see a LP into a Marshall and small Fender on 10, was he using RATs back then? He seems to have more gain than a Paul into a vintage Marshall.

I think he does use a coin for a pick...sometimes a peso. Don't know if he always does...

Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

You might be better asking about his tone on a certain release instead? I Mean his tone on the first album is alot different then their 80's stuff etc...

I'd say Christian pretty much nailed what most of us would call Billy's basic tone....He used a strat given to him by Hendrix through tweed Fender Deluxes and stuff in the early period also....He has probably the hardest tone to nail down,as he's also used rack stuff and different effects through the years..

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Christian is the expert on here

He advises me what to do with amps and pedals and I run like a lemming and do it. Still thanking him for leading me to the Fender Princeton Reverb, an amp I had overlooked for as long as I have been playing.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Christian is the expert on here

He advises me what to do with amps and pedals and I run like a lemming and do it. Still thanking him for leading me to the Fender Princeton Reverb, an amp I had overlooked for as long as I have been playing.

He's one of my favs on the forum also! And he knows it...LOL

 

[Sirion]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/bios/Gibbons.shtml

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Fair enough, Let's say Tres Hombres. I have heard the about the Peso before, in fact I tried using a quarter back in HS when I heard about it.

Thanks for the link Sirion.

(Although I also love the crunch of Deguillo, I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide and Cheap Sunglasses...)

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Wow, thanks for the kind words guys!

On to Billy's tones...there are lots if them but with the gear I mentioned oyu could get very close to most of the early stuff...

The First Album is pretty much Pearly through a metal front 100 watter and a single 4x12, the second album is pretty much the same with a little fuzz mixed here and there also with the adition of a 50's Broadcaster but the time they got to Tres Hombres it got a little more involved...however it can be summed up pretty easy

Marshalls (mostly tyhe metal front from the first 2 albums) and those tweed Fenders...Im telling you, plug a Les Paul into a Tweed Deluxe and you'll find more Billy G than you know what to do with! Add the old Broadcaster in and also a Strat (hardtail, 50's maple neck job) used for lots of clean tones as well as brighter less nasty leads (like the first solo in La Grange for example) and use the crybaby as more of a tone filter and much less as a true wah-wah pedal...

That really will get you going in the right direction...

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Cool, thanks.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Billy is a gear pig for sure.... god i wish i had his collection.... in a radio interview he did here in Toronto last year when his book came out he said he pretty much uses anything and everything.... he said he was well known for driving into a city for a gig and be buying cheap axes at department stores and pawn shops.... He said back years and years ago he was talking to some of his favourite blues musicians and they showed him some of the homemade instruments and studio mics and stuff they made out of hardware store parts.... Billy said if these guys could make these amazing recordings out of this stuff that these cheap axes he was buying were like real prizes....

That being said, He has a primo vintage collection and custom made guitars as well!!!! Billy uses everything from Fender, Grestch, Vox, Marshall. Gibson, and all the others....

Getting Billy's main sound i would figure you could do with a mahogany axe, 24 3/4 scale, a set of Duncan Pearly Gates, a Marshall, and an XXX fuzz pedal... a Tele on the side would not hurt

 

[Slider]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

I thought he was playing Crate VFX5212 with Tone Tubby's these days

 

[jerryjg]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

well, im a good personal close friend of Billy Gibbons, and even if im not, i would say the first thing you need is a '59 Les Paul Standard, if you happen to have a spare 350.000 dollars.

 

[these_go211]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

the tone on tres hombres is INSANE!

 

[these_go211]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

^, uh, sorry, nothing real to add, just had to say it as i picked up this cd last friday. still in shock.

 

[Slider]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

...and you still won't sound like Billy Gibbons unless you ARE Billy Gibbons...or at least can play like Billy Gibbons! LOL! Using a peso for a pick might help.

Oh come on now Lew.....you take all the fun out of it...

 

[Rushfan2112]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

Six Expandoras.

And nowadays I think a few Analogman Sun faces...

 

[tone?]

Re: Basics of Billy Gibbons tone?

What are the basic ingredients of the Billy Gibbons tone?

Tequila+badass attitude.

Seriously, you gotta try and cop his vibe is my take on it. We had these deeply philosophical conversations with my friend years ago, and we called his playing 'drunk' with attitude.
I think you can get it with basically anything. just have that attitude. feel it and cop it. it aint easy but it aint the toughest thing in the world. Now coming up with totally original stuff like his is a job only for Gibons. It is HIS music after all.

Its all in the attitude of his licks man. sounds silly but it is.
He has totally played anything and everything. Played through an old tube FM radio live he has.