Jerry's natural sound / X3 Live

[Tennessee Jedi]

Clash of The Titans !

[strumminsix]

I would also reccomend jamming along with DVD's, and watching how Jer touches the instrument.
He gets alot of tonal distinction from bright to dark by simply changing the area at which the pick hits the strings (closer to or farther from the bridge).

Hmmm, may have to contest distance from the bridge. While I'm sure he does that, at times, I believe me more often focused on distance from the pickup he was using.

Gotta go with Pete on this one- it's the differing string tensions relative to the bridge that are the reason I move the picking up and down the strings.

Of course you do. We all know about you and Pete

I'm feeling all ganged up on and skeered!

[bcresci]

I guess that leads me to another question. I've seen a lot of references to Jerry's technique and fingering. Personally, I've never given too much conscious thought to the hands. There probably some things that I just do second nature or by habit, but not always with conscious intention.

Can anyone offer up a short list of the fingering techniques that are charectristic of his playing - those that tend to affect tone.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Dude dont interrupt the steel cage showdown!

The solo from Loser.
The squealy harmonics thing.
Right hand thumb and pick hitting the strings at the same time.
Not the "fretting hand" but tone wise cool....

[BlobWeird]

This was stated already somewhere else in the forums but Jerry used his whole body. He moved with his notes and let the guitar float in front of him instead of holding the guitar so much. This gave him more of a bouncy tone. Also helps with his vibrato im sure. But really its somethin that cant be explained. Its just comfortability (is that a word even?). He was comfortable on the guitar which helped give him that sound. There are rare days when I pick up the guitar and instead of really pressin down my fingers just float from one position to the next. Those are the days I sound most like Jerry

[Pete B.]

I think both points are valid.
fwiw, I just used the bridge as a reference point.
As a test of your own, just plug in and play while moving your picking hand from on top of the upper frets and work back to the bridge.
A notable tonal difference will occur.
Then do it for all your different pickup selections.
Now we're talking tonal pallett.
Spread those gossamer wings and fly, bay-bee!

[Tennessee Jedi]

Sure -thats Why the Strats have 5 - way pup selectors;throw in in a coil tap and there are many cool tones.

I like to hold a chord and strum slowly as close to the bridge as I can get and still sound the strings;a "thin" sound.
Strumming over the neck is cool too;not in yer face sound.
An Ebow works on the distance it is from the neck pup.
A bad habit I had was the right hand would move up too close to the neck;I prefer to the hand to be over the middle pup.

[CommonStranger]

One should always soak in LSD for at least one hour prior to attempting to achieve the Jerry tone.

[strumminsix]

I think both points are valid.
fwiw, I just used the bridge as a reference point.
As a test of your own, just plug in and play while moving your picking hand from on top of the upper frets and work back to the bridge.
A notable tonal difference will occur.
Then do it for all your different pickup selections.
Now we're talking tonal pallett.
Spread those gossamer wings and fly, bay-bee!

I'm wondering, Pete, if you and I both don't do both of these without much though where appropriate?!

Cuz what you say makes sense and I know I do that too!

[Pete B.]

I think it becomes second nature, for sure.
You don't have to plug in to hear the concept.
Play the intro to Loser (for example) over the 12th fret, then over the bridge.
'Sounds like two different pickups, but you're not even plugged in.
Funn Stuff!
Pete B.

[strumminsix]

Agreed. Long ago I learned 3 key things for the strumming hand for chords:
1 - how to focus on strings for mood
2 - proximity to pickup
3 - playing up to the neck or bridge

They seem natural now but I do notice, at times, especially when switching guitars when my natural stance is off and I need to focus on it...

[Dozin]

You ever put a Twin amp with E120's next to a Twin preamp with a Mac power amp powering E120's? It's a WHOLE nother world.

[playingdead]

LOL ... I just did that the other day, although not with a Mac.

Saturday afternoon's gig in Vermont I'm going to run the Trio preamp with a poweramp into the E-120s for at least the first set, then switch to the Twin unless I love the Trio too much.

[jenkins]

IMO there is definetly something to the mcintosh power amp helping jerry's tone. It allowed him to be crsytal clear at high volumes while retaining a warmth to his tone that was just awesome.

I feel the Mcintosh into the JBLs was a critical part of his tone.
I have a crest p3501 power amp and it's tone is kind of sterile for the guitar, not enough warmth. I get a much better tone running my tube amp at a fairly low volume so the power tubes don't break up and then miking the amp and getting my volume and headroom from the PA system. This is my best way of getting a warm clean tone that is also loud. But I still haven't gotten my mcintosh.

When I played through a friends mc2205 for a show I was majorly impressed with the tone. Warm clean headroom to pay the bills. definetly in another ballpark than my crest or QSC which i've also tried.

[myoung6923]

I always see so many postings about Jerry's tone being all in his fingers. Well - I've seen a couple of videos where Jerry's sitting in on jams with other people and he plays straight into a stock Twin - no effects loop, JBL's, Mac or any of that magic. And - yes - you can tell it's Jerry because of his style - but it's not the "Jerry tone" that we all know and love. The amps break up too early on stock models and it just gets a gritty distortion tone.

So - I hear what everyone means but the tone is the tone - style is the style. Even Jerry doesn't sound 100% like the sound we know without his rig.