Old Aerosmith Tone

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Does anyone know how Perry and Whitford achieved their sound on the older albums (i.e., "Get Your Wings" through "Draw the Line")? I just love their overall sound and have to say specifically that one of my all-time favorite tones comes from Whitford's guitar solos on "Nobody's Fault" off "Rocks."

After "Draw the Line" they got off drugs. That's when they really started to suck. Ironic, huh?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Does anyone know how Perry and Whitford achieved their sound on the older albums (i.e., "Get Your Wings" through "Draw the Line")? I just love their overall sound and have to say specifically that one of my all-time favorite tones comes from Whitford's guitar solos on "Nobody's Fault" off "Rocks."

After "Draw the Line" they got off drugs. That's when they really started to suck. Ironic, huh?

Lots of Strats, BC Richs and LP Customs. Ampeg amps in the studio and MM Amps live, by the middle late 70's both Joe and Brad had all their guitars fitted with Bill Lawrence pickups (good luck on finding the pickups...I have spent the past 8 months or so looking and I've gotten my hands on one set of single coils and 2 humbuckers).

The first record Joe played a LP Jr, and a Strat (I belive they were still stock then) and Brad played LP's, by Draw the line they both had a few BC Rich guitars, and Joe had taken to playing a telecaster a bit (the title track "Draw the Line" was said Tele...it had Lawrence pickups as well Joe also started using the clear Dan Armstron guitars for slide in about 1976.

They started using the MM amps on the tour for Toys in the Attic. If you listen to Live Bootleg you can hear the gear that Joe is talking about it the interview (see below)...that would be MM Amps, Strats, BC Richs, LP's, a Tele...all set up with Bill Lawrence pickups...

Here is the interview with Joe Perry form the March 1979 Guitar player

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/9299/articles/gp379.htm

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

bump

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

I remember someone giving me a link to an article that talked a lot about those albums but never really touched on their first album. Clearly this is that article.

Where did you get the info on about that first album? It's not exactly clear in that GP article.

- Keith

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Sorry I can't add anything to the party, I'm following the thread to find out too...

After "Draw the Line" they got off drugs. That's when they really started to suck. Ironic, huh?

Can you name anyone that has made better music post-drugs? I mean from Aerosmith, to Johnny Cash, to Megadeth, to SRV, et al.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

I was once told that Toys In The Attic album was recorded with Black Face Deluxe Reverb amps......

 

[J Moose]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

By the mid to late '70's they were touring & recording with MM heads that were modded to hell & they called 'em "Airbags". Not much of the stock MM head was left in the process...maybe trannys & infastructre stuff like pots, jacks & switches, some were added & some were disabled. There's a pair of 'em kickin' around the place I used to work...LOUD as hell and they sound like 'rock'...killer tone but if you think a 100 watt Plexi is loud...

:chairfall

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Christian & I spoke about this alot when I was designing my Firebird....when the builder came into a set of NOS '70s Bill Lawrence mini-hums.

I wanted to go with Duncans, but the guy swore the BLs were "THE SH!T" & Christian confirmed that they were awesome.

I went with them & they ARE fantastic.....I can get GREAT early Aerosmith tone, especially the "ROCKS" stuff.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Christian & I spoke about this alot when I was designing my Firebird....when the builder came into a set of NOS '70s Bill Lawrence mini-hums.

I wanted to go with Duncans, but the guy swore the BLs were "THE SH!T" & Christian confirmed that they were awesome.

I went with them & they ARE fantastic.....I can get GREAT early Aerosmith tone, especially the "ROCKS" stuff.

Okay, let me see if I have this straight...

You designed and built (or had someone build) a custom Firebird guitar and put NOS '70s Bill Lawrence mini-humbuckers in it? Also, what do you plug that guitar into to get the "Rocks" tone? I LOVE the tone on that album.

- Keith

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

YUP....designed it but had it built....see the MY GUITARS link below.

Run it into a Vox wah--Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket--T-Rex Mudhoney--H&K Replex--into the Edana 45--into an open backed 2x12 loaded with a Greenback/G12H30 combo.

If OOPS (UPS) ever returns my damaged Plexi Re Issue, I'll have that too!!!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

YUP....designed it but had it built....see the MY GUITARS link below.

Run it into a Vox wah--Mesa Boogie Bottle Rocket--T-Rex Mudhoney--H&K Replex--into the Edana 45--into an open backed 2x12 loaded with a Greenback/G12H30 combo.

If OOPS (UPS) ever returns my damaged Plexi Re Issue, I'll have that too!!!

Oh.... The Firebird in question is a Frankinstein...... he/they built a tele for Candian rock legend Kim Mitchell.....

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

I imagine Frankinstein guitars don't come cheap.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

It was less than a new Gibson!!!!

You'd be surprised...I was.

And Seppo, the builder, is very cool....lots of questions/correspondence, keeps you updated, offers lots & accepts your input.

I'd get another....EXCELLENT axe!!!


And yes, WHO FAN....he's built a couple of guitars for Kim Mitchell.

Also, don't really judge the guitars he has in the pictures posted on his site. A lot of them are...ODD...but he'll build the most traditional axe you want to spec or the strangest axe you want to your spec.

Shoot him an e-mail & tell him what you want....he'll give you a price & then you can work from there with no harm done. :wink:

 

[viewaskew2k5]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Just get some alnico 2's in a LP. Why do you think slash sounds so much like joe perry half the time ( i Swear Rocks and Appetitie are '
sister' albums)

 

[Corbic]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Just get some alnico 2's in a LP. Why do you think slash sounds so much like joe perry half the time ( i Swear Rocks and Appetitie are '
sister' albums)

Slash was majorly influenced by Perry so thats understandable. However, Slash uses the more modern sounding Alnico II Pro, and I've read on the Seymour Duncan site that Joe Perry uses the Seth Lovers. I don't really know the differences between them, the above was just a guess. But really, there isn't much difference in their tones. When they are using Les Paul's of course.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Aerosmith used everything they could get their hands on that was quality. Don't forget Joe had some Travis Beans back then as well. They could throw Fender VI's into the mix too. Brad had (has) some old Tele's and Jr's that stuck their noses in back then a lot also, I think they were featured pretty heavily on the first album.

 

[jdm61]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Brad rarely put down the LP at the show in Tampa. I will report further as i am seeing them again on March 4th in Pensacola with Cheap Trick:fingersx: Joe was using Marshall cabs, but I could not identify the amps because they were just bare chassis with no box. His tone on "Train Kept a Rollin" was as cool as any LP tone i have ever heard. i desperately need to eventually figure out his tone from "Rocks".......especially the sound from "Combination" which may very well be my favorite Aerosmith song of all time.

 

[Sludgenutz]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Around 1976-1977, Cheap Trick borrowed some of Aerosmith's gear for 'Tricks first album. Among the gear were Sound City 4x12 cabs according to lore.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Brad rarely put down the LP at the show in Tampa. I will report further as i am seeing them again on March 4th in Pensacola with Cheap Trick:fingersx: Joe was using Marshall cabs, but I could not identify the amps because they were just bare chassis with no box. His tone on "Train Kept a Rollin" was as cool as any LP tone i have ever heard. i desperately need to eventually figure out his tone from "Rocks".......especially the sound from "Combination" which may very well be my favorite Aerosmith song of all time.

MAN....you get to see them TWICE?????!!!!!!!

I missed the local show w/Lenny Kravitz, but I hear they're coming back w/Cheap Trick, so :fingersx:

I don't play "Combination", but I get pretty damn close on "Sick As A Dog", "Nobody's Fault", & "Get The Lead Out" with the 'Bird & the Edana in "BITCH" mode.

On that 1st album, you can hear a lot of Tele in there, especially the rhythms.

I'm not very good at the picking part in "Moving Out", but you can tell it's there.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Old Aerosmith Tone

Holy crap. This is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite threads. "Rocks" in a truly amazing album; it's just not possible to find a bad song -- or even a bad moment -- on that album.

I'm with you, JDM: "Combination" is one of the greatest Aerosmith songs...easily in the top five for me. On "Rats in the Cellar" either Joe or Brad gets a tone that sounds almost just like Steve's harmonica. How the hell do they do that? There are some volume swells in there but even apart from that the very tone is so harmonica-esque. I've longed for the lead tone on "Nobody's Fault"...perhaps my favorite guitar tone ever. And right across the album the rhythm tone is so crunchy and sweet.

Hey Puckboy, do you think it's a Tele panned right and a LP panned left on "Movin' Out"? You've just picked out another one of my top five Aerosmith tunes. Sounds like there's a touch of phaser (or some sort of modulation) going on when the drums first kick in. Then the guitar on the right doing the solo suddenly gets dirtier. Yum.

- Keith