# AH...the age old question..how to get SRV's tone..or close to it.



## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Me and my mate are getting more and more into blues, and i'm thinking of switching gear these days. THe Mark III mesa boogie is a greath amp, but NOT for the blues. nothing beats it for metal stuff.

SO..now, i want a fender..but wich one!...i was thinking Fender Blues Junior at some point, but unfortunaly they don't sell the Tweed version in Canada, and doing a load of mods ain't my thing. I also saw the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue 40w. enough for my needs power wise...they have also a Princton reissue, DRRI and a few others.

My qyestion is what would be a good amp to start with toward a SRV Style tone. and yes..i do have a few strats to get it..

Thanks for the help guys.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

you could get an old pro reverb, or super reverb, used....add a tubescreamer to your strat & there you go


even cheaper would be a SF bassman head into a cab if you already have one


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bolero said:


> you could get an old pro reverb, or super reverb, used....add a tubescreamer to your strat & there you go
> 
> 
> even cheaper would be a SF bassman head into a cab if you already have one


thing is..I don't want a 100 pound amp.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Well...unfortunately a large part of his sound was a BF Super reverb and -sigh- a Vibroverb. The Vibroverb with it's 15" speaker gave a distinctive sound and was in his backline for most of his career. Unfortunately, Fender's reissue is a custom shop only offering and the origional ones are wayyy outta reach of most buyers...


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I think a big part of SRVs sound is his right hand technique - he smashes those strings with his right hand. I can get closest to his sound when I really dig in with my right hand. As well as the Eb tuning that Paul refers to above. 

As for gear, I think pretty much any Fender tube amp with a Strat and a tubescreamer should get you close. The tubescreamer should be set more to boost (ie gain low, level high). I remember hearing a guy "nailing" this tone with a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe actually - although I could never get it to sound like that ).

I found this Youtube pretty useful in trying to get the right hand stuff down. Its worth searching out more of Greg Kochs stuff - hes a funny guy, and an awesome guitarist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7fRbXad1Qo


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

You don't need a big rig realy....check out this dude's sound

http://www.steviesnacks.com/

it's awsome..and using a NOS tweed Junior Pro...that's what i'de LOVE to get, but unforuntaly. not available in Canada


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I have a DRRI (with a Tone Tubby ceramic) with a with a tube screamer clone. While I can't play nearly as well as SRV, I can definitely get close to his tone. You also must play LOUD.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Paul said:


> Right, Vibro*VERB*, not Vibro*LUX*. My bad.
> 
> I know a guy with a '64 VibroVERB for sale. I tried it, it wasn't for me.


ooo...how much??lofu


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Paul said:


> $2 700.00. IOW...Too much.


Do you know if the speaker and tranformers are origional?


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

nonreverb said:


> Do you know if the speaker and tranformers are origional?


:food-smiley-004: just like you !!


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Paul said:


> I can't say for either. The seller is/was an amp tech, Rob Fowler of classicamps.com. I do know that the amp sang and rocked, it just wasn't the amp for me.


Either way, that's a rare and desirable amp:smile:


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

My Carr Rambler with the 15" does it real well . :smile:


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Paul said:


> So I guess it is even more rare that I did not desire it. I ended up with a Victoria Victorilux. The single 15" speaker is my favorite flavour combo amp.


It would be a nice pairing with my '66 Deluxe reverb:food-smiley-004:


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## sproul07 (Jun 23, 2007)

Pretty much any Fender amp will get you close to his sound. That Fender low end and bark is essential to SRV's tone. Or as close as you can get to it. I've tried everything from Super Reverbs and Twins to Vibro Champs and they all have a similar tone, all well suited for SRV style. My suggestion would be a Super Reverb. It has a nice chrystally overdrive to it. Its all in the hands too. Dont forget that


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

sproul07 said:


> Pretty much any Fender amp will get you close to his sound. That Fender low end and bark is essential to SRV's tone. Or as close as you can get to it. I've tried everything from Super Reverbs and Twins to Vibro Champs and they all have a similar tone, all well suited for SRV style. My suggestion would be a Super Reverb. It has a nice chrystally overdrive to it. Its all in the hands too. Dont forget that


i'M trying to get a smaller amp..after reading and hearing the Fender Blues Junior, it impressed the hell outa me. now, it needs to be the tweed NOS edition..but that ****er ain't no where to be seen in Canada.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

al3d said:


> You don't need a big rig realy....check out this dude's sound
> 
> http://www.steviesnacks.com/
> 
> it's awsome..and using a NOS tweed Junior Pro...that's what i'de LOVE to get, but unforuntaly. not available in Canada



Wow,,,,guess anyone can give lessons. The internet is a wonderful thing.

CT.


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

As it has been said the key part is the fender sound, although I played a Carr Rambler with the 15 in it and it was awesome, liked it better than the fenders. As for the Blues Jr look on ebay, I picked up a laquered tweed special edition with the Bill M mods and a Eminence Texas Heat in it off of ebay a year ago, they are nice but the 64 bandmaster that is for sale on here paired with a 2-12 cab was one of the nicest combo's I have played. Crank it and spank it, it's full of tone


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

The blues jr is an EL84 amp. I dont think they do a great job of capturing that definitive 'Fender bark' at higher volumes.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Archer said:


> The blues jr is an EL84 amp. I dont think they do a great job of capturing that definitive 'Fender bark' at higher volumes.


listen this this..and see for yourself..

http://www.steviesnacks.com/


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

al3d said:


> listen this this..and see for yourself..
> 
> http://www.steviesnacks.com/


It's all very subjective. That's the beauty of music...we all hear something different and consequently pursue something unique that we can call our own.
The guitarists that impress me the most are the ones who have a distinct sound. Yes, you hear bits and pieces of others in their playing but when you hear them, you know it's them...


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## bluesmostly (Feb 10, 2006)

SRV's tone is one of the most sought after and copped tones for sure, he was a tone freak himself of course, always tweaking, experimenting, changing his gear. He has alot of different recorded tones, and his live rig was constantly changing. My fav tone by far and the one I have NEVER heard anyone cop is of course the Texas Flood early tone where he apparently used Jackson Brown's Dumble Steel Stringer. 

He used Fenders, Marshalls, Dumble, always cranked, and usually 2-5 amps at once - hugh sound. 

The recommendations given are good ones for getting SRV type of sound. Most SRV style players that I have seen seem to prefer the Super Reverb and a tube screamer, but like you say it is big and heavy and not my prefered SRV type of tone anyway. 

BTW my fav Texas blues tone comes from the Recto model amp on my Fractal Audio Axe-fx...

Have fun!


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

I will go tryout the Fender Blues Deluxe edition early this week. this sounds like a nice alternative


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

al3d said:


> listen this this..and see for yourself..
> 
> http://www.steviesnacks.com/


sounds like all the other SRV wannabe players out there. THere are millions


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

nonreverb said:


> Well...unfortunately a large part of his sound was a BF Super reverb and -sigh- a Vibroverb. The Vibroverb with it's 15" speaker gave a distinctive sound and was in his backline for most of his career. Unfortunately, Fender's reissue is a custom shop only offering and the origional ones are wayyy outta reach of most buyers...


The non-custom shop option for a Fender tube amp would be the '65 Twin Custom 15


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bobb said:


> The non-custom shop option for a Fender tube amp would be the '65 Twin Custom 15


unfortunaly this amp is A-) WAY to powerfull for my need...B-) WAY to heavy, and C-)..WAY to expensive at 1599$


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

al3d said:


> unfortunaly this amp is A-) WAY to powerfull for my need...B-) WAY to heavy, and C-)..WAY to expensive at 1599$


But other than that ... its perfect for you ! ! :smile::rockon2:


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> But other than that ... its perfect for you ! ! :smile::rockon2:


Ahahah..yep..


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

al3d said:


> unfortunaly this amp is A-) WAY to powerfull for my need...B-) WAY to heavy, and C-)..WAY to expensive at 1599$


Does this mean that you won't be buying two for a true stereo effect?


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

Another thing that contributed to his tone is the fact that he used very heavy guage strings. .013 for the high E and the ability to bend it like Albert King! OUCH!


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

According to SRV's tech Stevie was down to using 10's in his final couple years. SRV was having pretty major hand problems due to using those huge strings.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

Hamstrung said:


> Another thing that contributed to his tone is the fact that he used very heavy guage strings. .013 for the high E and the ability to bend it like Albert King! OUCH!


I read somewhere that for a while he was actually using 14's for his high E. 
Pretty impressive, if it's true, when you consider the way he bent strings...


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

I have to say a black face fender sounds more Stevie than the Tweeds. Closest I've heard would be a Super Reverb but again too big and heavy.

I'm going to vote Vibrolux Reverb because it's smaller and still running 6L6s.

As for a guitar, a strat loaded with some vintage wired noisy pickups and 12 guage strings would be close enough.


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## ben_allison (Sep 16, 2008)

This might sounds bizzare, but I just played a buddy's Mesa Mark IV, and the clean channel is _VERY_ Blackface... I used to own a 66 Bassman, so I have a fairly good reference point.

They often go for $900 used, and you get 2 other channels, the Lead channel being one of the nastiest most articulate channels around. So if you happen to like playing Lamb of God tunes as well, bonus!

Of course, a Hot Rod Deluxe with a mod will get pretty close. In fact, actual Blackface amps (65-66) are still comparitavley cheap... you could also grab a Silverface and mod it to Blackface specs.

Throw in a TS-808 (clone) + Strat, 12's... you're there.

So much of the tone, invariably, really does come down to how you play and attack the guitar. Stevie playing my Les Paul into my Dr Z... will still sound like Stevie.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

ben_allison said:


> Stevie playing my Les Paul into my Dr Z... will still sound like Stevie.


Especially now!!  (jus' kiddin')

Good point though. I've always wondered why people bought into the "signature" series of any kind of equipment when most of the music that the artist is known for (and usually their best work) probably came from stock equipment. The uniqueness is in the players themselves.
I think of artists like Carlos Santana playing a blistering "Soul Sacrifice" at Woodstock with a Gibson SG sporting P90s. Quite a different beast from the PRS model with his name on it but it sure sounds like him (and great at that!)
The only time I could kind of justify it is if the player did personal mods outside the norm that you may wish to emulate i.e. Jimmy Page's mods to his Les Paul. Even then, on the first Zep album he used an old Tele through a Supro amp! 
Without their fingers it's still gonna sound like you.


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## Mr Yerp (Feb 24, 2006)

CocoTone said:


> Wow,,,,guess anyone can give lessons. The internet is a wonderful thing.
> 
> CT.


There's no smilie to express how much I agree......


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Has someone mention that he has fingers like the Incredible Hulk and beats the crap out his guitar???


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

Robert1950 said:


> Has someone mention that he has fingers like the Incredible Hulk and beats the crap out his guitar???


LOL..so true..watching videos of him playing and you wonder how that neck is holding up..


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Robert1950 said:


> Has someone mention that he has fingers like the Incredible Hulk and beats the crap out his guitar???


And that I think has more to do with it than anything. 

I used to work with a guy who could really do the SRV thing - through his Super Reverb, his Classic 30, or even unplugged - it didn't matter. It was truly "in his hands". He'd wring and pound the living daylights out of his old strat and that is how THE SOUND comes out.

Sadly, I cannot do that ....


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

The short answer ...$$$!


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

theroan said:


> The short answer ...$$$!


not realy...i just bought a blues junior texas red and with a strat with 50's fat custom shop, and you get very close realy.


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## theroan (Oct 7, 2008)

al3d said:


> not realy...i just bought a blues junior texas red and with a strat with 50's fat custom shop, and you get very close realy.


Or a dumble and a 50's strat.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

al3d said:


> not realy...i just bought a blues junior texas red and with a strat with 50's fat custom shop, and you get very close realy.





theroan said:


> Or a dumble and a 50's strat.


I know you haven't been around here long, but most of us dont own Dumbles and 50s Strats. Whats that expression .. "When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras".


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

dumb question.but what's a Dumbles?


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## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

Dumble is to Fender as Mazerati is to Mustang......the holy grail of amplifiers.


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

al3d said:


> dumb question.but what's a Dumbles?


The Dumble is a legendary amp used by guys like Larry Carlton and Robben Ford.

Here's a great recording of one. It doesn't hurt that the guy has some great guitars, the song is catchy and Gregor plays beautifully, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0NAofXeieM


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