Blitzkrieg Bop Isolated Guitar (mostly)

[HardlyRamone]

Thanks. I think I'm probably more serious about the goal of getting a Hallmark than I was before. I don't like to think too poorly of my current guitar, but it's lack of quality has definitely become more obvious as I've gotten better and tried out other guitars at the store. I do my best to maintain it and keep it playing it's best though, it's all I'm going to have for a while

[zarfnober]

<Having said that, his later tone would be much easier to copy if you just insist on doing it. Get you a Hallmark or Mosrite, put a Dimarzio Fat Strat single in the bridge, and plug into a real, early 80s vertical input JCM 800 or late 70s JMP 2203 and run that into a standard 1960 cab. Run the gain and master volume around 8. Wear earplugs. That's his 80s and beyond gear. The JCM 800 has a more consistent sound than his Super Lead days. The rest is up to your hands.>

Early records/tours he was using 100 watt heads with EL34's(later 70's used 6550's, big sound difference) and, according to his book, one cab on the stack was empty. And his early cabs used Greenback Celestions, one would guess he changed speakers often, or was very lucky! Sound changed quite a bit with the JCM800's, big part of that is the speakers, which were no longer Greenbacks, plus the DiMarzio pu. Live shows, especially overseas recorded bootlegs sound completely different, as they were using rented equipment.

Listen closely, and try different pick attacks till you get close. You'd be surprised at how close you can get using different guitars/strum technique/speakers. But if you really want to sound like the early, more signature tone, you're gonna need a Marshall with Greenbacks, THE guitar and a lot of stamina.

Rocco

[Greg_L]

Yeah good points. There's no telling what was actually in his cabs. And speakers do make a huge difference like the tubes. His early cabs were probably no doubt Greenbacks, but towards the end of the 70s Marshall started experimenting with several different speaker models and magnet weights to coincide with their new master volume 2203/2204 amps. His 80s cabs could have been G12T-75s, G12-65s, Blackbacks, or not likely, but maybe even Vintage 30s depending on what he felt like using or rented. The "Animal Boy" album has a drastically different guitar sound from his usual stuff. His recorded tone didn't really become consistent until around "Halfway to Sanity" and beyond. Not counting "Acid Eaters". That album just sounds weird all around.

My own personal favorite Johnny recorded tone is from the "Road to Ruin" album. I love it. That guitar sound is fantastic to me. I'm assuming it was the famous then-new white Ventures II, original pickup, Marshall 2203, and a Greenback cab. It's a lot crunchier and drier than his earlier tones which were apparently swimming in some production reverb on the "Leave Home" and "Rocket to Russia" albums. But it doesn't have the roar of the first album which was done with Super Leads. The "Road to Ruin" crunch leads me to believe that it was done with one of Marshall's new at the time master volume amps. I have one of those amps, and it has that kind of crunch sound.

[HardlyRamone]

My favorite tone would be a toss up between the first album and Road to Ruin. I like how aggressive the guitar sounds on RTR, but that may be in part because of the faster tempos, production and song writing. Does anyone actually know when Johnny installed the Dimarzio Fat Strat? I assume it's somewhere between 1978 and 1980, but I've never been sure.

[Greg_L]

My favorite tone would be a toss up between the first album and Road to Ruin. I like how aggressive the guitar sounds on RTR, but that may be in part because of the faster tempos, production and song writing. Does anyone actually know when Johnny installed the Dimarzio Fat Strat? I assume it's somewhere between 1978 and 1980, but I've never been sure.

I would guess around 80-81. Some time around there. It is not in the guitar during the live Rock and Roll High School scene. That was 79. If you watch the US Festival 82 vid, it looks like the FS-1 is installed. So really some time between 80 and mid 82 I guess.

[motiersbad]

The DiMarzio FS-1 was installed in the beginning of 1980.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEfpGStfVfU
This is the first gig that i know with the new FS-1 & stock slab pickup configuration. (15th january 1980)

best regards,
Phil

[HardlyRamone]

Wow, I've never even seen that clip. Thanks for sharing. I didn't know the pickups were swapped out almost exactly at the transition from the 70's to the 80's.

[Greg_L]

There ya go. That really narrows it down.

[zarfnober]

His 80s cabs could have been G12T-75s, G12-65s, Blackbacks, or not likely, but maybe even Vintage 30s depending on what he felt like using or rented. The "Animal Boy" album has a drastically different guitar sound from his usual stuff. His recorded tone didn't really become consistent until around "Halfway to Sanity" and beyond. Not counting "Acid Eaters". That album just sounds weird all around.

Later 70's Marshalls had blackbacks in them, which were just Greenbacks with different dustcovers. The RIC coned speakers are the ones you want. I have this cab for sale, and it sounds killer:

http://reverb.com/item/67100-marshall-v ... 7-78-black

Feel free to contact me if anyone is interested.

Rocco
630-306-8639

[zarfnober]

BTW, I've had guys play 4-5 different amps through this, and when you turn it up, they all get that killer tone. Seriously, pretty much any decent amp, from 5-50 watts sounds like a Marshall through this cab when the amp is dimed.

Rocco