Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
- Thread starter lareplus
- Start date
LtKojak
New member
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
Larry Carlton in the '80s used a Valley Arts Strat loaded with EMG SAs.
It was a 24-fretter, 24.75" scaled Strat with a 3/4 sized body, made by Michael McGuire.
The ultimate Carlton's Strat tone for me is the one in the song "Last Nite".
HTH,
Larry Carlton in the '80s used a Valley Arts Strat loaded with EMG SAs.
It was a 24-fretter, 24.75" scaled Strat with a 3/4 sized body, made by Michael McGuire.
The ultimate Carlton's Strat tone for me is the one in the song "Last Nite".
HTH,
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
carlton's tone is all 335, gonna be hard to nail it with a strat with single coils
ford is much more doable i think. hes used lots of guitars, a tele last time i saw him. vintage type pups and learn to use your volume and tone controls
carlton's tone is all 335, gonna be hard to nail it with a strat with single coils
ford is much more doable i think. hes used lots of guitars, a tele last time i saw him. vintage type pups and learn to use your volume and tone controls
LtKojak
New member
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
Jeremy, they don't call him "Mr. 335" for nothing!
Anyway, a part of his career (early '80s to early '90s) played the Valley Arts I've told about in my past post.
IIRC, his signature 335 came out in 2006.
Jeremy, they don't call him "Mr. 335" for nothing!
Anyway, a part of his career (early '80s to early '90s) played the Valley Arts I've told about in my past post.
IIRC, his signature 335 came out in 2006.
Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
I think I get close to some of his jazzier tones with my G&L Legacy. It has an ash body and maple neck; and the G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato and Leo's PTB controls. This one was modified with a set of Texas Hot Antiquitys, with the RW/RP middle and the Custom Bridge pickup. That neck pickup is warm and fat--one of the best Strat neck pickups I've ever heard.
Bill
I think I get close to some of his jazzier tones with my G&L Legacy. It has an ash body and maple neck; and the G&L Dual Fulcrum Vibrato and Leo's PTB controls. This one was modified with a set of Texas Hot Antiquitys, with the RW/RP middle and the Custom Bridge pickup. That neck pickup is warm and fat--one of the best Strat neck pickups I've ever heard.
Bill
RayBarbeeMusic
New member
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
As noted above, when he did play a strat somewhat regularly it was a valley arts with EMGS.
It's much more about the amp, or specifically the tone. Lots of mids and low mids. You don't need a Dumble or a Zendrive to get there either. He's used a lot of things over the years. A lot of the Steely Dan stuff was a Fender Tweed Deluxe.
The other thing about getting his tone is not using a lot of overdrive. In fact, the amp needs to be where it breaks up when you hit it hard and can clean up in a hurry if you hit it soft or back off the volume a bit. If you look around the web, there is a video out there called "sweet sing" where he talks about it, and it is really as simple as what I said above. He hardly ever uses the OD channel, he turns the clean channel up until it responds the way he wants.
That and super human control of natural sustain and compression using nothing but his fingers. I've seen him a bunch of times including being no more than 10' from his amp in a small, quiet room. With nothing on the floor but a volume pedal he has the most amazing control of his sound I've ever seen, hands down.
You weren't clear whether you meant the tone when he was using a strat, or you were trying to get his 335 tone from a strat? Would help to know that.
Ford's tone.....it depends on what you mean, I've seen him use a lot of different guitars and various tones. I also think his best playing and tones were never captured on a recording either, so that makes it hard to references a specific tone. One of the best tones I've seen him get was through a backlined twin reissue with some kind of drive pedal (not a zen), switching between a butterscotch Tele and a LP. That tone was very similar to some of the things I've seen Larry do. Ford also uses a lot of mids and low mids like Larry. Other times, if you listen to some of his live videos, he uses a fair amount of gain and when he does, he's pushing a lot of low end through the gain stages such that if he hits multiple notes down low or a chord, it's mush city, not tight at all, but that gives him the super fat single note sound.
As noted above, when he did play a strat somewhat regularly it was a valley arts with EMGS.
It's much more about the amp, or specifically the tone. Lots of mids and low mids. You don't need a Dumble or a Zendrive to get there either. He's used a lot of things over the years. A lot of the Steely Dan stuff was a Fender Tweed Deluxe.
The other thing about getting his tone is not using a lot of overdrive. In fact, the amp needs to be where it breaks up when you hit it hard and can clean up in a hurry if you hit it soft or back off the volume a bit. If you look around the web, there is a video out there called "sweet sing" where he talks about it, and it is really as simple as what I said above. He hardly ever uses the OD channel, he turns the clean channel up until it responds the way he wants.
That and super human control of natural sustain and compression using nothing but his fingers. I've seen him a bunch of times including being no more than 10' from his amp in a small, quiet room. With nothing on the floor but a volume pedal he has the most amazing control of his sound I've ever seen, hands down.
You weren't clear whether you meant the tone when he was using a strat, or you were trying to get his 335 tone from a strat? Would help to know that.
Ford's tone.....it depends on what you mean, I've seen him use a lot of different guitars and various tones. I also think his best playing and tones were never captured on a recording either, so that makes it hard to references a specific tone. One of the best tones I've seen him get was through a backlined twin reissue with some kind of drive pedal (not a zen), switching between a butterscotch Tele and a LP. That tone was very similar to some of the things I've seen Larry do. Ford also uses a lot of mids and low mids like Larry. Other times, if you listen to some of his live videos, he uses a fair amount of gain and when he does, he's pushing a lot of low end through the gain stages such that if he hits multiple notes down low or a chord, it's mush city, not tight at all, but that gives him the super fat single note sound.
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Gypsyblue
New member
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
It isn't the pickups, it isn't the guitars, it isn't the pedals, it isn't the amplifiers. It's fun tinkering with all that stuff and I do too but that's not really why those guys (Larry and Robben) sound the way they do.
Those guys (and EVH, Yngwie, EJ, SRV, Gilmore, Satch, etc.) sound the way they do because they are soulful, accomplished, master musicians playing in the styles they are drawn to play in and they have put countless hours in with their instruments - mostly out of the sheer love of making music. That's all there is to it.
As Jol Dantzig said: "Believe me when I say that some of the most amazing music in history was made on equipment that's not as good as what you own right now."
As far as putting humbuckers in a Strat goes I'd go with a vintage paf type pickup even though Robben has used a JB and 59n combo in some guitars. But I'd suggest Seth Lovers, Pearly Gates...maybe 59's. Or something even better from the Duncan Custom Shop.
But you'll never sound like Larry or Robben unless you have their chops, taste, soul, background and experience, because that's where that tone really comes from.
So instead of new pickups (or in addition to new pickups) maybe buy a couple of Robben's instructional DVD's and study hard. http://www.amazon.com/Robben-Ford-The-Blues-Rhythm/dp/B0013XS88O
Everyone has their own way, and mine is to not even plug in when I practice at home. I plug in at band rehearsals and onstage. I write songs, learn new licks, learn new chords combinations, work on my technique, touch, vibrato, phrasing, etc., unplugged.
I don't copy anyone anymore.
I try to do everything in my own voice and I'm a firm believer in the idea that if I can't get a beautiful tone from my electric guitar playing unplugged, plugging it in isn't going to help. So I practice unplugged.
It isn't the pickups, it isn't the guitars, it isn't the pedals, it isn't the amplifiers. It's fun tinkering with all that stuff and I do too but that's not really why those guys (Larry and Robben) sound the way they do.
Those guys (and EVH, Yngwie, EJ, SRV, Gilmore, Satch, etc.) sound the way they do because they are soulful, accomplished, master musicians playing in the styles they are drawn to play in and they have put countless hours in with their instruments - mostly out of the sheer love of making music. That's all there is to it.
As Jol Dantzig said: "Believe me when I say that some of the most amazing music in history was made on equipment that's not as good as what you own right now."
As far as putting humbuckers in a Strat goes I'd go with a vintage paf type pickup even though Robben has used a JB and 59n combo in some guitars. But I'd suggest Seth Lovers, Pearly Gates...maybe 59's. Or something even better from the Duncan Custom Shop.
But you'll never sound like Larry or Robben unless you have their chops, taste, soul, background and experience, because that's where that tone really comes from.
So instead of new pickups (or in addition to new pickups) maybe buy a couple of Robben's instructional DVD's and study hard. http://www.amazon.com/Robben-Ford-The-Blues-Rhythm/dp/B0013XS88O
Everyone has their own way, and mine is to not even plug in when I practice at home. I plug in at band rehearsals and onstage. I write songs, learn new licks, learn new chords combinations, work on my technique, touch, vibrato, phrasing, etc., unplugged.
I don't copy anyone anymore.
I try to do everything in my own voice and I'm a firm believer in the idea that if I can't get a beautiful tone from my electric guitar playing unplugged, plugging it in isn't going to help. So I practice unplugged.
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Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Carlton, Ford tone on a strat. .
I know it's not what the OP was looking for, but Gypsyblue's answer is the right one.
Robben Ford doesn't need his Baker guitar and $14K Dumble. He can show up to a clinic, plug in a Fender Twin Reissue, and grab any $500 guitar with stock pickups off the wall. And then make it sound like his own rig.
+1 on buying his lesson DVD's. I've got a few of them and learned a lot from them.
He's a real guitar player's guitar player.
I know it's not what the OP was looking for, but Gypsyblue's answer is the right one.
Robben Ford doesn't need his Baker guitar and $14K Dumble. He can show up to a clinic, plug in a Fender Twin Reissue, and grab any $500 guitar with stock pickups off the wall. And then make it sound like his own rig.
+1 on buying his lesson DVD's. I've got a few of them and learned a lot from them.
He's a real guitar player's guitar player.