jenkins wrote:assuming you can already play pretty well ill give u what i think is the best trick, bar none. Use 2 amps at once. I think the true beuty to jerry's tone is that it always sounded perfect. It was high pithced-yet low pithced at the same time; it was distorted-yet clean at the same time. it had reverb but was clean at the same time.
Use 2 amps. have one set with no reverb at all and more of a higher pithced sound, one that is good for hearing notes on the G B and high E. Then set another amp with a really warm, rich tone. have it set more for low end and crank up the reverb. use a A/B switch or another pedal to split it (i use a line6 delay modeller and run my guitar and all effects mono into it and ouput form the line6 as stereo to my two amps). I put all my effects in line before the splitter so they go into both amps equally.
Using dual amps is the easiest way to get jerry tones that I know of. Dual amps will do much more for your tone than any effects you will buy.
I love the way you are thinking but totally disagree with your suggestion to obtain it.
Firstly, Jerry didn't use 2 amps for most of his career so right off the bat it's further away from his rig.
However, you did hit on something I've not heard stated before but ears have heard it: Clean yet OD, Reverb yet dry, bright but dark etc...
The first thing I thought of was did Jerry split his signal wet and dry and mix it back in? All you'd need is a little dry to help off set the dry.
So, now let's talk about your suggestions of 2 amps and why and apply it to 1 amp with a small mixer that has a parallel FX loop which has a mix knob.
Set the mix to say 90% wet (10% dry) and put all your FX in the loop (yes, reverb too and a hi quality EQ) then send that mixed signal to your amp?
Maybe that is the mystery knob that is on his rig?! And when he turns it down that low mix of 10% audible on stage but too soft to open the noise gates to make it off the board?!
What do you think?
