[mushroom65]

Hello all, I am new to the boards here. Im wondering if anyone can give me any tips of Bobby's nice clean tone from 69-70.

I know he was using the ES-345 and a Guild hollowbody into a Fender Twin.

My guitar background is mostly acoustic stuff, but im making the jump to electric.
I just picked up a '99 Epip Dot and im running it into a Vox AD30VT. (Which, btw has a very respectable 2x12 amp mod)

I dont beleive he was using any effects until early 71, when you can start to hear a Phaser. But since i am new to the electric, i would love any info on how to get close to where he was. (think live/Dead...or 5/2/70) bridge/neck p-up use? tone and vol. settings? amp setting? Anything please.

Im not a total dummy, but this is all new to me. Thank you in advance, Jon

[Staemius]

I'm no expert either - but sounds like you're on the right track. Bobby plays flatwound strings - so give that a try.

[tigerstrat]

can you point to a *live* instance of Phaser in '71? my impression was he started w/ an Orban unit in '73 - HCS comes to mind.

[mushroom65]

Thank you, I was going to look into flatwounds.

tigerstrat- You are correct, it was a typo on my part. Feb. of 73 is what i was thinkin of. (I was listening to 4/29/71 and labeling a few other 71 shows y.day, musta been on my mind).....my bad tho

[JonnyBoy]

bobby's got some great technique that is very original. The whole band was doing something that was not the conventional way to chop at a guitar, bass,drums or piano. I like watching the Europe '72 videos on you tube and watch his serious approach to laying down his mix. I think for tone you are pretty set up with the amp and the guitar. A lot of his tone is working the guitar with his hands to make the guitar sing the way he wants. For that aspect there is a great Article on Dozin's site about bob and how he approaches his instrument. it will give you a lot of insight to what Bobby was trying to do with the band. Check it out, Peace, JB

http://www.dozin.com/bobs/interview/custom.html

[strumminsix]

Don't think he used flatwounds in 70.

[jeffm725]

Don't think he used flatwounds in 70.

Does anyone know definitively (or even approximately) when Bobby started using flatwounds? I gotta tell you, I am over my flatwound experiment for Weir tones. I get much better results with standard round 10's or 11's than I did with Flats. At least for the 77-83 tone which is what I usually shoot for.

[strumminsix]

Don't think he used flatwounds in 70.

Does anyone know definitively (or even approximately) when Bobby started using flatwounds? I gotta tell you, I am over my flatwound experiment for Weir tones. I get much better results with standard round 10's or 11's than I did with Flats. At least for the 77-83 tone which is what I usually shoot for.

Those are some varied years for Weir! Which flatwounds did you use? I LOVE flats on some guitars, not others

How close are you already to your Weir tone? I can cop Weir tones on most any guitar with my amps/fx. But couldn't on an IVP and Ue400! LOL!

[jeffm725]

I have had flats on a Gibson ES135, A Casio PG 380, an Ibanez 2681, and a homemade strat. They do sound different on different guitars but again, did not find them to be to my liking from a personal Weir tone standpoint. Just my opinion.
I can get very close to almost dead on with a Deluxe reverb and a UE400 with a homemade strat....I will post some clips. But I have had an IVP and have about 5 different rigs I can use. And get close with all of them. It is more of an approach than any individual piece of gear although the phaser and flanger on the UE400 both help with certain songs

77-83 is not that varied in my mind and is actually a pretty distinct period. I should say that 83 cuts off by summer though, until he switches to modulus. The switch to modulus was a fairly healthy change right out of the gate. Really the period I shoot for were the cowboy years (which is 77-83). There are some minor differences when he switches from boogie to Peavey to IVP, and there are some different effect choices, but to my ear the jangle/cut of the cowboy is the defining characteristic of the era and the meat was similar even though the condiments (effects) and bread (amps) changed a bit.

[strumminsix]

It is more of an approach than any individual piece of gear

^^^THIS^^^

77-83 is not that varied in my mind and is actually a pretty distinct period. I should say that 83 cuts off by summer though, until he switches to modulus. The switch to modulus was a fairly healthy change right out of the gate. Really the period I shoot for were the cowboy years (which is 77-83). There are some minor differences when he switches from boogie to Peavey to IVP, and there are some different effect choices, but to my ear the jangle/cut of the cowboy is the defining characteristic of the era and the meat was similar even though the condiments (effects) and bread (amps) changed a bit.

Jeff, besides a constant guitar, Cowboy, he went through 3 VERY DIFFERENT amps (all tube to all SS) and different FX boxes and different speakers and sizes. Having owned an IVP I do feel it was SS sounding. That's not bad, per say. I hear guys get great tones from it like Roland JC's but it ain't for me. Also the UE700's FX are very different from the UE400s. Plus, with the 400 he used a lost the 700s EQ which was a big part of his sound. Don't even know where he landed on speakers and cabs except that in that decade I've seen him with 15",12" and 10".

[tigerstrat]

Never seen Weir use a 15" (post-1967-68)! image link?

[strumminsix]

Never seen Weir use a 15" (post-1967-68)! image link?

Thought I saw him with a showman and 15s. Maybe one of the early vids?