Members jazzbo Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Anyone ever listen to the 5 or six discs Frank Zappa put out of the 1988 tour? His lead guitar tone on those albums is a chunky clean sound with sparkling treble, unlike his classic wah-in-one-position distorted SG through a Marshall sound. I wonder what kind of stuff he was using to get that sound on that '88 tour. It sounds like a Strat through a clean Marshall head, but there is that sparkling high end to account for. Is it an aural exciter? etc.. anybody have any idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ottobahn Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Originally posted by jazzbo Anyone ever listen to the 5 or six discs Frank Zappa put out of the 1988 tour?His lead guitar tone on those albums is a chunky clean sound with sparkling treble, unlike his classic wah-in-one-position distorted SG through a Marshall sound.I wonder what kind of stuff he was using to get that sound on that '88 tour.It sounds like a Strat through a clean Marshall head, but there is that sparkling high end to account for.Is it an aural exciter? etc.. anybody have any idea I always wondered the same thing. I saw him live during that tour and it was absolutely amazing how he would fill the auditorium with his huge guitar sound. There was some discussion here that might give you an idea how complicated an endeavor it would be to obtain that tone: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=970243&highlight=zappa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Robert Keeley Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 The guy that build Zappa's guitars and "maybe" some of Vai's stuff in the late 80's is still around. He is in California and still has a shop!!!! I talked with him at the NAMM show. He was very open about anything you wanted to know.....so if you can track him down, he probably love to talk...if I'm not mistaken he also said he was a guitar tech for zappa on the road...I could be way off there. My Japanese was not so hot and I couldn't understand his english so well with all the noise and people around. If someone REALLY wants to know...I know that guy's grade-school friend. Buck Nosaka in Japan.... so I can get some info...Might take some time of course. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jazzbo Posted July 2, 2005 Author Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Whoa - check this out (and I thought I was just looking for an effect like a harmonic exciter or something) On the 1988 tour, according to Meri Saunders, Jr., Frank used a combination of Marshall, Carvin, Seymour Duncan, and Acoustic 100-watt heads in stereo and mono configurations. All the amps had paralleled, hot-rodded inputs doubled into the bass channel, and each setup had a characteristic tone that Frank could blend in or isolate at will using his relay switcher. For a nasty tone, a single Marshall JCM 800 drove two 1x12 cabs with EVs. The wet signal from the VCF, flangers, and Mu-tron Bi-Phase drove a pair of Marshalls into two open-back 4x12 cabs with Celestion speakers. The clean signal from the Roland GP-8 was fed from two Carvins into 4x12 Marshall cabs. Another wet signal from the GP-8 and the MXR DDLs was sent to a pair Acoustic amps into two closed-back 1x12 EV cabs. All the speakers were kept under the band riser pointing towards the rear of the stage, miked with Sennheiser 421s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members impala Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Originally posted by jazzbo Whoa - check this out (and I thought I was just looking for an effect like a harmonic exciter or something) On the 1988 tour, according to Meri Saunders, Jr., Frank used a combination of Marshall, Carvin, Seymour Duncan, and Acoustic 100-watt heads in stereo and mono configurations. All the amps had paralleled, hot-rodded inputs doubled into the bass channel, and each setup had a characteristic tone that Frank could blend in or isolate at will using his relay switcher. For a nasty tone, a single Marshall JCM 800 drove two 1x12 cabs with EVs. The wet signal from the VCF, flangers, and Mu-tron Bi-Phase drove a pair of Marshalls into two open-back 4x12 cabs with Celestion speakers. The clean signal from the Roland GP-8 was fed from two Carvins into 4x12 Marshall cabs. Another wet signal from the GP-8 and the MXR DDLs was sent to a pair Acoustic amps into two closed-back 1x12 EV cabs. All the speakers were kept under the band riser pointing towards the rear of the stage, miked with Sennheiser 421s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GPD Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Keneally > Vai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members impala Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Originally posted by GPD Keneally > Vai agreed. Keneally doesn't get any love here but he is brilliant, if not quirky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GPD Posted July 2, 2005 Members Share Posted July 2, 2005 Originally posted by Mightyguru agreed. Keneally doesn't get any love here but he is brilliant, if not quirky. I've seen him several of times in different band configurations. He plays San Diego all the time. He does a fantastic version of "Electioneering." I've seen him do "Apostrophe." He does some Crimson covers. He's great and very personable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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