"Communication Breakdown" Tone

[lazyfinger]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Blasphemy! Great energy and playing on LZ I, but some of the guitar tones were a little thin. Overall tone quality was definitely upgraded on LZ II. Regardless, undeniably two of the best blues-rock albums ever.

+1

I love his live tones so much more when he'd use double neck SG or iconic LP. It just doesn't sound heavy enough with the tele.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

How is his different than others of the era?

The wah Jimmy used on LZI predates the Clyde by a year or 2...different overall circuit, different inductor...it's just a different wah.

If you google "Grey Vox Wah" you'll find a lot of info...they were the first Vox wahs and in truth were changed for a reason...they have a really thin sound that lacks fullness but the top end is sweeter than a Clyde most of the time.

Also of note the Grey Vox wahs seem to work quite well before a Tone Bender which a Clyde will not do.

Only a few other guys used them as they were not made long...The Beatles had one you can hear on some mid 60's Beatles stuff.

I had a clone briefly and it does LZI but not much else IMHO.,..it was cool but not cool enough to keep!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

+1

I love his live tones so much more when he'd use double neck SG or iconic LP. It just doesn't sound heavy enough with the tele.

Ya know, it's funny...from the time LZ I hit until the Tele/Supro storys got more wide spread people were convinced LZ I was a Les Paul and a Marshall...after all that was the standard Britt Blues rig of the time right!

After the story hit and was confirmed by Page the story changed to how much thinner and wimpier that tone was vs LZ II and other later Zep...

I stand by the tones on LZI with everything I've got...that's a hell of a beefy tone...nice and fat for days!

 

[Left_Hand_Strat]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

i like his danelectro '59er

 

[AniML]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

This video, in particular the first 1:40 is to my ear the nastiest, greasiest tone Jimmy ever had, and it is on the white Tele c.1969. Thin, my arse. I can just listen to the intro over and over. You have to listen to the whole thing at least once. This is when no one, but no one touched LZ as a raw improvisional blues rock band. Enjoy...

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

The wah Jimmy used on LZI predates the Clyde by a year or 2...different overall circuit, different inductor...it's just a different wah.

If you google "Grey Vox Wah" you'll find a lot of info...they were the first Vox wahs and in truth were changed for a reason...they have a really thin sound that lacks fullness but the top end is sweeter than a Clyde most of the time.

Also of note the Grey Vox wahs seem to work quite well before a Tone Bender which a Clyde will not do.

Only a few other guys used them as they were not made long...The Beatles had one you can hear on some mid 60's Beatles stuff.

I had a clone briefly and it does LZI but not much else IMHO.,..it was cool but not cool enough to keep!

Thanks for the info! I'll have to look into those some more.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Love the tones Jimmy got on LZ 1..

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Ya know, it's funny...from the time LZ I hit until the Tele/Supro storys got more wide spread people were convinced LZ I was a Les Paul and a Marshall...after all that was the standard Britt Blues rig of the time right!

After the story hit and was confirmed by Page the story changed to how much thinner and wimpier that tone was vs LZ II and other later Zep...

I stand by the tones on LZI with everything I've got...that's a hell of a beefy tone...nice and fat for days!

Have to say this is pretty funny. I remember talking to a friend a while back and he was going on about how good the tone of the solo was in Stairway... "only a Les Paul could sound like that man." etc etc. Then I told him it was a tele and he thought I was full of ****. Showed him a bunch of stuff online about it and it shut him up. Now you will never hear him talk about the tone from that solo.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

LZ I sounds great guitar wise. Granted, the later stuff is still grand..

 

[blueman335]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

This video, in particular the first 1:40 is to my ear the nastiest, greasiest tone Jimmy ever had, and it is on the white Tele c.1969. Thin, my arse. I can just listen to the intro over and over. You have to listen to the whole thing at least once. This is when no one, but no one touched LZ as a raw improvisional blues rock band.

Well, I am in full agreement that no one touched what LZ did in their early days, and I'm one of the few who consider Page to be my primary influence on guitar. Regardless of the tone on this video, on LZ I some of the lead tones are thin, and an LP would have fixed that. There's a reason why Page switched his main guitar for the second album.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

It might be worth remembering that, thin tone or not thin tone, back when it was current, it damn well rocked like not much else that was happening at the time. Judging the tone by today's standards is not really a fair comparison. By today's standards, Jimi Hendrix's guitar probably sounded 'thin' too, but like LZ, it was the rockin' sound of the day.

Anyway, even with a LP, LZ sounded quite pedestrian in the fat tone stakes compared to Black Sabbath, who had a fatter sound than any other band of the era.

and I'm not speculating here, I was there, I was a teenager then and these were the bands of my youth. I saw Zep, Sabbath and many others back then too. (no Jimi or Free unfortunately).

 

[AniML]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Well, I am in full agreement that no one touched what LZ did in their early days, and I'm one of the few who consider Page to be my primary influence on guitar. Regardless of the tone on this video, on LZ I some of the lead tones are thin, and an LP would have fixed that. There's a reason why Page switched his main guitar for the second album.

Oops. If thin=lack of chunky bass then I'm not disagreeing. I'm saying there is nothing wrong with the "thin" tone on LZ I. It kicks all kinds of a$$

 

[Frankly]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

The dominant sonic ingredient in the Zep1/Zep2 formula was this ...



Frankly, the choice of electric guitar was largely irrelevant.

As for Page's later Zep career, he owned numerous guitars, multi-tracking layers of various instruments to construct the overall recorded timbre.

Thanks for letting me know in such a pleasant, personal way.

Thank you.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Well, I am in full agreement that no one touched what LZ did in their early days, and I'm one of the few who consider Page to be my primary influence on guitar. Regardless of the tone on this video, on LZ I some of the lead tones are thin, and an LP would have fixed that. There's a reason why Page switched his main guitar for the second album.

:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

You heard it here first.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Well, I am in full agreement that no one touched what LZ did in their early days...

There were many bands at the time playing similar music, or that had played it and then disbanded (e.g. the Jeff Beck Group). Zepellin happened to get the most notice. Not to diminish anything they did, but calling them untouchable, unique, or innovative is off the mark IMO.

...I'm one of the few who consider Page to be my primary influence on guitar.

No, you aren't. He is possibly the biggest guitar hero and most emulated hard rock player of all time. You have somehow managed to out-assinine yourself with that one.

...on LZ I some of the lead tones are thin, and an LP would have fixed that.

Can you possibly learn to state your opinions as opinions? There are no rights or wrongs in tone. What needs to be "fixed" to one person is perfect to another. You aren't proving a damn thing by continually stating your opinions as facts; you're just making yourself out to be an arrogant prick. OK; we get it. You love Les Pauls, you love thick tone, and you are overly sensitive to high end. That's great. Whoop dee doo. Does that mean you continually have to swing your ****ing opinions around as if they were gospel in the faces of anyone who feels differently?

There's a reason why Page switched his main guitar for the second album.

Yeah...because he felt like it! He can make his own decisions without comment from us in the peanut gallery. And just 'cause The Great Jimmy Page did it doesn't mean everyone will think it was a good decision. Personally, I think the Les Paul ruined his tone. You think otherwise. So be it. That's all that needs to be said on the issue. I respect your opinions, and you can surely do the same without being a condescending ******* to anyone who feels other than you do. I'm all for opinions...but at least learn some tact and humility in how you state them.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

I highly doubt Jimmy Page would have ever recorded with the Tele if he found it lacking.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

I agree with Blueman for the record. And its not just bass. The highs are somewhat thin sounding compared to a Lester. Thats just a Tele for you. It isnt really an opinion per se, like it may be to say you dont like Pages tone or something similar..and it may certainly well be true Page liked the thicker more syrupy highs as well and bass on subsequent albums ,that the Paul afforded him.
Im not really saying Tele treble is necassraily thin or icepicky or brittel or whatever..it certainly can be though.
A les paul tends to have a thicker warmer high end, although it can certainly be bright as well, its just fatter more creamy ass a rule.

 

[Flint Stone]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

I've listened to a lot of LZ and have seen Page in concert twice. While I liked most of Zeppelin's music, overall Page's tone didn't come close to matching his contemporaries of the time like Beck, Clapton, Blackmore, etc.

If you think his tone "thickened" up with a Les Paul, you need to listen to Houses of the Holy from start to finish. Page himself called the album "orange" sounding because it was so obnoxiously bright.......

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: "Communication Breakdown" Tone

Of course the tone on LZI is different than their other albums. Brighter, thinner, whatever you want to call it. But that's why I like it. It's gnarlier and rawer, less produced, more straightforward. But what gets my goat is when someone acts like it's a matter of fact that his LP tones were "better," and anyone who thinks otherwise is a ****ing retard, or a blasphemer. I accept that the LP tones are more to most people's liking. BFD. No need to be a ********.

**** it. I'm gonna go see Batman.