Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

not.quite.slash

New member
Hello fellows,

As you may notice I´m a big fan of Slash, not only in his GN´R Era ... but also in his solo projects: Snakepit & Bluesball.

I have a JCM 2000 DSL 401 (40w all-tube combo-amp), an Epi LP Custom loaded with SD APH-2 Humbuckers ... pluging the guitar right into the amp i can´t get the Appetite For Destruction tone...

Now i need your help ... I want that tone (AFD)... do i need to get something like an eq pedal (MXR 10-Band) to cover the frequencies i can´t cover with bass-mid-treble controls ... and then push the gain stage (it has 2 gain stages od1/od2) with an overdrive pedal ? Does anyone knows how slash get his sound in AFD ?[

Thanks
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

Good luck. I've never heard anyone get the AFD tone since then, not even Slash himself. Stock #39 had everything to do with it, like mentioned. That album is the perfect example of magic in the studio. You get a tone that good, lock the knobs and faders on the console down and don't touch 'em until they're done....LOL.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

I have a old Aspen Pitman tube amp manual that mentions and shows a picture of an amp used extensively by George Lynch.


This is probably not #39, but the caption reads:

"(our) most famous amp, the 72 Purple Marshall 100 used by George Lynch for his last few albums (this was printed in the late 80's) George has scads of modern tube equipment but always falls back to this amp for that classic tone, of course his technique helps alot.."

I don't know if this is Tim Casswell's exact mod or not, but a temolo 1959 can be converted to high gain fairly non-invasively (no hacking), by using the tremolo circut's extra tube. It's a reversable mod, and the other channel is still 100% vintage that you can still use, by plugging directly into it.

The output from V1A is run through the extra tube, instead of going through the mix resistor, and on to V2, and the output from the extra tube can be then routed to a spare jack. You can then plug this signal path into the remaining channel. The first channel's vol becomes a gain control, and the remaining channel's vol control becomes a master. At this point it's quite similar to a Jubilee, but the circut uses an extra tube (much similar to a Soldano Hot Modded amp), instead of the LEDs like the Jub. Since the master is fairly upstream, compared to a JCM800 2204 or a Jubilee, the tone stack stage drives harder into the PI, and the PI drives the power tubes harder in turn. If it's too buzzy or something, you can further tweek the preamp gain by using a 12AY or something in the tremelo tube's slot.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

...1986 Marshall 2205 and a LP w/PAF's.......of course the whole mysterious "legends and myths" are a whole lot more fun!.....

...just a suggestion

Jeff Seal
 
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Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

Well the Purple George Lynch amp doesn't have enough knobs to be a tremelo version...it's probably bone stock....
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

You have already got a Marshall, that will be close enough IMO! Slash does use a Boss EQ pedal but, I think that is mostly used for solos??? Also, Slash uses his Tone control ALOT! I have found that this is one of the keys to getting the sound! Forgot to mention, he also uses 11-48 slinkys. I usually play 10's but, 11-48's offer a different tone than the usual 10's I play. I am not sure if they may be pure nickel or what but, they are alot warmer!!!

And BTW, I had a Marshall 2555sl at one point and I can tell you it isnt a must to get the sound! I can get it just fine through my Marshall 2100.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

You will NOT get Slash's tone off a DSL401. I had one, the sound was too muffled and muddy. I ended up trading it in for a JCM800 4211 2x12 combo, which is the combo version of the 100 watt 2210 channel switching head. I just had the amp serviced, I told Music Zoo to improve the sound. I don't know what they did in addition to changing the tubes, but it nails Slash's AFD tone now (with a Les Paul playing through it, of course, but suprisingly my Ernie Ball Axis nails the tone better)

The DSL401 lacks a presence control, which is crucial to getting great tones. The EL84 power tubes are too spongy as well. I heard a rumor that it you disconnect the reverb tank then the reverb control turns into a presence control, but this was after I traded in the amp and I wasn't able to try it myself.

There's alot of information if you google the marshallampforum
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

Jeff Seal said:
...1986 Marshall 2205 and a LP w/PAF's.......of course the whole mysterious "legends and myths" are a whole lot more fun!.....

...just a suggestion

Jeff Seal

My 2210 ('88 or '89) can get pretty close with either of my Les Pauls. If I get a mic this week I'll have to record Sweet Child O' Mine.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

If you've got a LP and Marshall, just spend some months learning Slash's song's and licks, and your tone will automatically start sounding more like him.

I hate to revert to 'the tone is in the fingers', but if you've already got the gear that's close, then the rest of it is all you.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

Don't listen to most of these fools!

You have a Marshall and an LP...get the hat and you'll be there...it's all in his hat!
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

Yes, you should be able to approximate his tone. Just keep the treble and mids high, and don't use a TON of gain.
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

the guy who invented fire said:
Don't listen to most of these fools!

You have a Marshall and an LP...get the hat and you'll be there...it's all in his hat!

:laugh2: +1! :laugh2:
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

He uses a rack-mounted crybaby.... Just thought Id share that. Im a big Slash fan too, GNR, Snakepit, BluesBall, Velvet Revolver. Thats why I always wanted a Les Paul before I started playing and all the guitars that I have owned are Les Pauls (Epiphone made this possible as my first guitar - the Epi LP Standard in ebony which is now in the shop getting fitted with pearly gates - the neck zebra the bridge reverse zebra like one of Slash's 15 grand LP replicas has those same color pickups). Anyway, Slash has a few slide licks which are really fun to play like from The Garden the main part thing. you can figure it out in 2 seconds if u got a slide. Good luck with your gear search. eBay search a Marshall Silver Jubille (Im not familiar with the exact name of the amp, maybe a 2555 or something like that, Im more of a Fender amp guy).
 
Re: Quest for Slash tone ! Gimme a little help here ...

the guy who invented fire said:
Don't listen to most of these fools!

You have a Marshall and an LP...get the hat and you'll be there...it's all in his hat!

Is that like Billy's tone is all in his beard? :6:
 
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