Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Getting that Jimi Hendrix sound...


Squ

Recommended Posts

So hey guys! Long time no see. I've been very busy with work/the band/crap.

 

For this topic I don't want any "tone is in the hands" answers, or "you should be yourself" responses, because: 1) I agree tone is in the hands and I do woodshedding and practicing and all that stuff, and 2) the goal here is to sound like Hendrix.

 

My band scored an awesome gig which I've always wanted to get, which is playing a Halloween show as The Jimi Hendrix experience. Thus: I want to sound like Jimi Hendrix, and I'd like your expert advice on what I should do with the gear I have, and how I should use it.

 

I have:

Fender Strat

50 watt Marshall DSL

Big Muff Pi

Fuzz Face

Tube Screamer 808

Crybaby wah

 

Besides gear, I will take technique advice. In particular, I was never sure how to switch between the pick ups of a strat, and I was never very good at getting a good sounding hi-gain lead with single coils. I know that for the ballads, I should use the "in-between" settings, but for everything else I've been defaulting to the neck pick up. Advice?

 

And before you ask, here's the (tentative) song list:

Killing Floor

Fire

Wait Until Tomorrow

Crosstown Traffic

The Wind Cries Mary

Foxey Lady

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Hey Joe

Little Wing

Bold As Love

Red House

Wild Thing

 

Wurd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 38
  • Created
  • Last Reply

strat

Marshall (loud)

Octavia

Univibe

Fuzzface

Wah

 

That's it. Sound simple, doesn't it?

 

Good luck....keep us posted as to how it works out. And, audio clips are required!!

Don

 

"There once was a note, Pure and Easy. Playing so free, like a breath rippling by."

 

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=574296

 

http://www.myspace.com/imdrs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hah, well I don't have the Octavia or the univibe. I do have the boss rotary ensemble, if we play a song that would benefit from it.

 

So do you recommend having just one loud channel on and using the volume knob for dynamics?

 

Elwood, I'd like to hear your suggestions on what channel/mode of the amp I shoud use, and how much gain/volume, since we have the same amp.

 

I don't know if there will be any recordings but maybe I can work something out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Alright Stamp!! And, it would appear that Jimi used the fancier Univibe with the "expression pedal".

 

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dunlop-UniVibe-Effect-Pedal?sku=151092

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Dunlop-Univibe-Control-Pedal?sku=151093

 

Cool

Don

 

"There once was a note, Pure and Easy. Playing so free, like a breath rippling by."

 

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=574296

 

http://www.myspace.com/imdrs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hiya Squ!! good to see ya again!! :) OK first of all you are gointg to be on your neck pickup almost ALL THE TIME!!! and when you go to your wah...STAY on the neck pickup also. WE run the same amp SO.....this is how I run mine, on the clean channel, I run that channel wide open! so it's Strat to KLON..to peddleboard to amp..NO effects look ..hit it straight in! Do all your gain adjusting using the volume on your front pu. What I dont know is what you are going to use in place of the clean boost? but in almost every tune there stay on the neck PU. Nothing you can get out of the classic gain channel on that amp will sound as authentic as using the clean channel OPEN.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's all pointless unless you tie a scarf around your head.

 

Mind you, the scarf has to be at least 40% rayon. The static caused by friction on the scarf as you shake your head up and down creates a subtle but perceptible energy field which interacts with the pedals and adds a second layer of distortion.

 

It's all in the headscarf, I'm tellin' ya.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You gotta use the rotary for "Little Wing" and "Bold as Love" at the very least. I wouldn't use the Muff for Hendrix, the fuzz face'll be all the fuzz you need. Doc nailed the signal chain pretty well although you might want to stick the tube screamer in there for more dirt options, to get the bluesy overdrive sound and whatnot (he was known for his fuzz sound but he did plenty without it as well). And play around with the chain a little until you're happy with the sound, I know how he set it up and blah blah but personally I've always liked my wah before dirt. And just listen to a bunch of live Hendrix to get the feel for some of those signature licks and sounds he does. Definitely pull out some high-feedback, whammy squeals too. Oh and can you play with your teeth :P:D:rawk:

 

p.s. Where's the gig?

Then you'll never hear surf music again...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll be using this pedal for any univibe sounds:

 

http://www.bossus.com/ProductImages/rt20_sm.jpg

 

I'm not looking into buying too many more pedals, but I think I'll use this as an excuse to get a Vox wah. But do you use the klon for just volume's sake?

 

Lee, the "clean" channel has two settings, super clean and not that clean, which one do you use?

 

And Kramer, I'm trying to find a pink boa somewhere. I'm going for 1967 Monterey Pop Hendrix:

http://hendrix.free.fr/images/jimi424.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aqu,

 

You beat me to the Boa. Kramer nailed the do rag.

 

A little Hendricks trick. He use to leave the Wah on and set on the treble side,

 

Doc And Ellwood have covered the important stuff. Loud. Front pickup on the Strat. He rarely played any other pickup.

 

Cool Gig! Kick butt!

 

Peace

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It depends on how close you want to get. If you are intent in nailing his tones exactly, you'll need a 4-input Marshall, a Vox wah, and a Fuzz Face with germanium NKT-275 transistors. But your situation may not require an anal retentive's attention to detail...

 

I've never messed with a DSL, but you ought to be able to get a decent, warm breakup on it to mimic the sound of a 4-input rig. Add the Fuzz Face on top of it as necessary. Keep in mind that Jimi left his Fuzz Face on most of the time and controlled the amount of distortion with the volume knob on his guitar.

 

Other than that, just practice the tunes and try to cop his feel as much as you can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a Hendrix tribute band I was in. We had four sets of Hendrix material together, all the big hits plus lots of deep album cuts. It was a great band, everyone was totally fearless as far as allowing improvisations to boldly go where we had never gone before...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I just want to do the best I can with the gear I've got. Though I think I will get the Vox wah because I've wanted it for a while, and my Cry Baby is inherited and a little busted. But I don't need to be anal, I'm not playing at a Jimi Hendrix convention. The other bands that night are playing as Ziggy Stardust, Poison and Def Leppard. I'm unsure of how many arms the drummer will be using for Def Leppard.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...