Grateful Dead Music Forum

I'm sure we've spoken about this session before, however, it still fascinates me.

http://www.archive.org/details/gd1975-0 ... eok.flac16

Listen to tracks 8 & 9. Pan your stereo far right and listen to Weir. This provides great insight into his sound on Blues For Allah. He's playing his new Ibanez, however, too my ears, I don't hear any single coil sound as opposed to '76-'83. How would one describe and reproduce this sound? It's that clanky, metallic sound that slices right through. I'm guessing he's playiing both Super 80s as humbuckers with the volume pots rolled off to get a thinner sound. I also think the speakers are a key ingredient (JBL's with metal domes??). Can any ID any of Weir's equipment in these photos:

http://barncard.com/gallery2/v/HISTORY/ ... 0.jpg.html

Thoughts??

mk

mkaufman wrote:I'm guessing he's playiing both Super 80s as humbuckers with the volume pots rolled off to get a thinner sound.

Rolling off a volume pot produces a darker or warmer sound.

To my ears it sounds like he may be doing some mega EQ'ing out of his top high end

Don't know what I'd call it exactly but words like: glassy, clear, strong midrange all come to mind.

I can get something similar on a Tele, bridge pickup, reduce volume, roll off the tone knob, focus on G B E strings the the bulk then A D G B strings in the fatter rhythm.

Rolling off Super 80's definitely yields a cleaner, thinner tone. You may be right - lots of EQ.

mk

Michael,
To my ears Weir sounds like he is direct to mixing console. he may have some type of guitar pre-amp before the board (the boogie head using the slave/recording out is a possibility), but I do not think a mic'd speaker is part of the equation of his sound on this rehearsal recording. Remember that they are actually sitting in a studio here, all jamming with headphones on. It has that direct type of jangle to it. Just my guess, but if you ever have plugged a guitar into a mixing desk you get that type of feel. Granted this sounds better than your standard guitar>board deal, but keep in mind that this is a custome hand made board that Barcard RAVES about the quality of.

mkaufman wrote:Rolling off Super 80's definitely yields a cleaner, thinner tone. You may be right - lots of EQ.

mk

Odd, I've never owned a guitar that sounded thinner as you roll off.... Try the EQ on your UE700.

Jeff makes a good point, all sitting jamming into headphones, the board has to be the answer, the big question is the pre settings and what equipment. Probably his usual preamp of the time period, plus his axe and flat wounds.

Either way, love the material, cool to jam along to and practice to. I never gave that stuff a close listen before now.

Direct to board - interesting. I'll see if I can get Steve to provide some info.

btw...Weir had no pre-amp in that guitar. In '75 he used a Boogie - that would have been his pre-amp. I'm not convinced Weir used flat wounds in 1975 - not sure when he started using them.

mk

strumminsix wrote:

mkaufman wrote:Rolling off Super 80's definitely yields a cleaner, thinner tone. You may be right - lots of EQ.

mk

Odd, I've never owned a guitar that sounded thinner as you roll off.... Try the EQ on your UE700.

Maybe I should have said 'cleaner' rather then 'thinner'.

In 1975 Weir was using Music Man amps for his public performances with The Dead and Kingfish. First Boogie doesn't show up in his rig until Spring/Summer of 1976.

Yes, Music Man, of course. I have the same HD130 head that Weir had.

mk

jonarobb wrote:In 1975 Weir was using Music Man amps for his public performances with The Dead and Kingfish. First Boogie doesn't show up in his rig until Spring/Summer of 1976.

Except that there are boogies sitting in the studio in those pics

I thought I might have seen a Boogie for JG, however, I'm not sure I could see anything else.

Anyway...some more missing info. I sent an email to Steve Barncard. Hopefully he'll respond with some good info.

mk

Again, last night: setup amp very trebbly with just enough bass to not sound thin, strong mids. Then EQ'd out the highest end. Very close.

But I've suggested this a few times already....

Jerry appears to play the Boogie, which also appears to have a K120 and power tubes

Bob's cab looks to be perhaps a Musicman with back removed, one K120 is visible out... never seen a 2x12Musicman cab like that but the hardware and construction looks right... perhaps associated with the HD-130 head he uses with a Cerwin-Vega cab at 9/28/75?

strumminsix wrote:Again, last night: setup amp very trebbly with just enough bass to not sound thin, strong mids. Then EQ'd out the highest end. Very close.

But I've suggested this a few times already....

Strummin,
Totally agree on your recipe to get in that ballpark. Not a doubt. Just knowing MK as I do he is not going to rest until he gets confirmation of the full signal path on track 9 cd 1 of rehearsal A on the 3rd Tuesday of Feb 1975!