SRV sound...what amps are we talking about?

[Young Angus]

Okay im just getting interested in Stevie Ray's tone, just getting seriously interested in it anyway. So what amps did he get that screaming strat tone from, what amps and what tubes?

[STRATDELUXER97]

Okay im just getting interested in Stevie Ray's tone, just getting seriously interested in it anyway. So what amps did he get that screaming strat tone from, what amps and what tubes?

BF Fender Vibroverb amp with 1x15" speaker....Marshall Club and Country combo amp...Twin and Super Reverbs(Black Faced again) Tube Screamer,Wah,Dallas Arbiter fuzz face..

John

[echofinger]

Quote from Richard Mullen, producer/engineer for the Texas Flood recording sessions, from interview in Guitar World magazine, February 2004.

" Just one mic on everything. I used two Shure SM-57's on his guitar amps: one on a Fender Vibraverb with a 15-inch Altec Lansing speaker, and one on a Dumble 4 X 12 bottom (with Electrovoice speakers) connected to a Dumble head. Stevie played through two Vibraverbs, but I only miced one of the speakers in one of them. I positioned the mics about 3 or 4 inches off the cabinet at about a 45 degree angle to the cone."

"The only effect he used was an Ibanez Tube Screamer."

And a few more about the Couldn't Stand the Weather sessions...

"It was exactly the same, except he had his own Dumble, the 150-watt Steel String Slinger, by that point. "

Mullen also says SRV used a Roland JC-120 on the solo for "Stang's Swang".

AND also some interesting tidbits about his number one guitar.

" He could slam it or pick it gently, and it always had a huge tone. When I'd see him live, standing on top of the guitar, and pulling on the neck, I'd get sick. 'Stevie, You're gonna break it!' The neck got a little loose on that guitar, even when it was screwed down, so if I told him the guitar was a little out of tune, he'd just give the neck a yank and it would be right back to pitch."

Maybe someone else can chime in on the actual tubes he ran with, I generally read whatever I can find about him, and now that you mention it, I can't recall reading anything about his tubes...

[JammerMatt]

Stevie said himself... Heavy strings, tune low, and play hard.

It's in the hands man! I've got a friend who plays a beat up strat and a 60-watt tube combo and can nail the Stevie sound. He plays the same way.

[Gearjoneser]

I agree that it's the hands. I heard that he bought that Dumble from Jackson Brown, after using his studio and plugging into that amp.

Heavy strings 11+, medium action, and his touch are ultimately 'the SRV sound'.
I heard that he'd fnd his tone by digging in hard on his E string, making sure that the amp stayed tight and bell-like on that one note. Once he had that, he'd be happy.

Even though Fender considers the Texas Specials to be the Stevie sound, I disagree.
Fender CS Fat 50's, to me, sound way more like SRV. I really like those pickups. I have them in both of my strats.

[STRATDELUXER97]

I agree that it's the hands. I heard that he bought that Dumble from Jackson Brown, after using his studio and plugging into that amp.

Heavy strings 11+, medium action, and his touch are ultimately 'the SRV sound'.
I heard that he'd fnd his tone by digging in hard on his E string, making sure that the amp stayed tight and bell-like on that one note. Once he had that, he'd be happy.

Even though Fender considers the Texas Specials to be the Stevie sound, I disagree.
Fender CS Fat 50's, to me, sound way more like SRV. I really like those pickups. I have them in both of my strats.

Man...I totally forgot about the Dumble amp Stevie used! And I agree that the Texas Specials don't do it for me as far as the SRV tone...I always find TS to be too harsh and too middy....I Just don't like em...

John

[nuntius]

he had some insanely loud dumble. thats not gonna be cheap

i also heard he used 13's the madman ! lol

[Lewguitar]

I don't think there's one definative amp for SRV sound...SRV could sound like SRV through any great tube amp. Anything from an original 59 tweed Bassman to a 60's Super Reverb to a Zillion$ Dumble.

He also used a Marshall JCM 800 head sometimes and I think "In Step" was done with an original tweed Bassman with four 10" P10R's.

SRV used vintage 6K Strat pickups...alnico 5. From everything I've read in interviews with SRV's guitar tech (Rene Martinez?) and with his amp tech, Cesar Diaz, SRV did not use overwound pickups for his classic recordings.

I don't know if he ever recorded with the Fender Texas Specials...not much, if at all, would be my guess.

Vintage style alnico 5 staggered polepiece Duncan SSL-1's (or even better Antiquity a5 Surfers or a2 Texas Hots) are a little stronger than what SRV used with his huge strings, but with .010 through .046 strings they sound fine to me.

Never liked the Texas Specials...I replaced them with SSL-1's and liked that livlier tone alot better and when I replaced those with Antiquity Surfers I liked that tone even more.

I was watching the Live At the El Macombo video just last night...

Boy, what a great show. 1982. People say he was better after he cleaned up but that show is outrageous and as good as anything I've heard by SRV! They were on fire that night. Highly recommended.

Even better than the Austin City Limits stuff, which is also great.

Lew

[Hot _Grits]

Here's a biggie no-one notices:

SRV used one of the blunt corners of his teardrop shaped picks. Try it, and you find you'll get a fatter tone than with the point.

Lew's right: SRV could have destoyed a room playing through a blues deluxe and a squier.

[RACER X]

Can you say Fender, alot of times.

[Gearjoneser]

I have Live at El Mocambo and both nights at Austin City Limits on VHS. You know what I find the most interesting? I know it's arguable, but I hate what Cesar Diaz did to SRV's tone. I don't even like the Diaz boutique amps!
I noticed that SRV's tone got worse as the years went by, not better. El Mocambo was when Stevie had total control over his tone, and it was raw and killer. Then, on the 1st Austin City Limits show, it was still great, fat, and bell-like. Somewhere around that time is when Cesar started adding gain to Stevie's tone, and IMO killed it. The second Austin City Limits show, closer to his death, was a tone that was more buzzy and less articulate. Still good, but not as good as his earlier tones.

I still can't believe that Clapton was supposed to be in that helicopter with SRV. Clapton and SRV were playing that night with some of their guitar heroes, and Clapton opted to hang out and party that night. Imagine, partying actually saved Clapton's life! Too bad Stevie was clean, or he might have stayed behind and stayed off that friggin Helicopter, which slammed into the side of a hill while navigating through fog.

[jmv]

A big part of the SRV 'Wall of sound' is the way everything he plays, even single note lines, are attacked vorasciously (sp??) with his right hand.... he would mute the strings he didn't want going with his left hand, so he could hammer with reckless abandon with his right. Understanding that got me closer to his tone than any gear changes could.

[texasguitarslinger]

So what amps did he get that screaming strat tone from, what amps and what tubes?

I don't know how accurate this site is but thought it might be of interest to you: http://www.torresengineering.com/5751jan.html