getting the Cream tone with APH1

[dasfonzie]

Alright, as you may know I have a set of APH1s in a Strat. I absolutely ove the tone. But after listening to Cream religously for the past few days I've been really wanting that nice woofy neck bucker tone he gets. Particularly on Sunshine of your love. When he hits the first note of the solo it's pure tonal ecstacy for me.

Now when I compare my APH1s to this tone it seems to me that the APH1 isn't as open sounding. It has the sweet boomy kinda sound but not the hollowness I like. Would scatterwinding give me something closer to this? Or maybe having the coils mismatched? I read that the Fralin unbuckers have a real transparent sound to them.

another notion popped into my head, maybe unpotting would help?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

The pickup closest to the pickups Clapton used in his SG would be the 59B. And you're right: alnico 2 humbuckers tend to have more mids...that's the tone on Fresh Cream, IMO: an alnico 2 humbucker. But on the second Cream album it sounds like an alnico 5 humbucker to me. The Marshall amp is a HUGE part of that tone too.

The way I hear Clapton's tone is:

alnico 5 with John Mayall and Bluesbreakers
alnico 2 on Fresh Cream
alnico 5 on Disrali Gears and Sunshine of Your Love and most of Wheels of Fire

 

[dasfonzie]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

well I don't want to switch pups, as I really like these, and in a strat I think the alnico 5 HBs might a bit bright for my liking. I just wanted to know what would get me closer

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

I just wanted to know what would get me closer

Plugging what'cha got into a cranked Marshall plexi... ...that ought to do it. The APH-1's are great pickups and really, you ought to be able to get a pretty good Clapton/Cream tone plugging those into a Marshall.

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

APH-1's through a Marshall Plexi = :baby: :32:

That is just a classic setup right there. You cannot go wrong with it.

 

[dasfonzie]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

now that's a good suggestion, one which I plan on acting upon, as soon is it seems realistic. Hopefully I'll get to paying some larger venues which would warrant such a purchase

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

IMO, the right amp is as big a part of any tonal equation as the guitar or pickups...tho the player is #1.

I remember the first time I plugged my Strat into a Marshall...suddenly my Strat didn't sound like the Beach Boys...it sounded like Jimi Hendrix.

Lew

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

Well, if you are listening and watching the Cream Re-Union DVD, you'll note that he's using his Signature Strat with the Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and the active TBX mid-boost circuit into Fender Tweed Twin Reissues. Most of the concerts he's using the middle pickup alone, but goes for the neck pickup on "Sunshine Of Your Love". Those Twins probably retain a little more high-end "air" than a Marshall, though the heavy boost of the TBX really can thicken up the tone. If your Traynor amp has EL84s, it will probably sound more Marshall-ly than Fender-ry, as the EL-84s compress more like a Marshall's EL-34. The Fender's 6L6s stay cleaner longer, and maintain their top-end better at high volumes.

It might be something you can get with subtle changes in relative settings of your amp's tone circuit with judicious changes of your guitar's tone control. And you might even find you get closer with your Antiquity Surfers than your humbucker guitar.

Barring that, it's a good excuse for GAS, and going out and buying another guitar and amp!

Good Luck.

Bill

 

[dasfonzie]

Re: getting the Cream tone with APH1

hehe GAS pains are a batch. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I surf around this site and warmoth particularly