I'd like to be able to sometimes achieve something approximating the very clean, yet very "alive"/"electric" and full-bodied tone that we hear in Garcia's playing during the 70s, while also being able to sometimes effectively use FX boxes like an envelope filter and Octaver. I think I can get sort of close now with a Strat/Nashville Tele middle PU through a Fender Blackface-style amp, and just go straight from the guitar into a pedalboard and then the amp. Volume/gain is obviously a concern here, and I am not playing on huge stages that can support the volume of a cranked Twin (I have a Princeton-style build with a 12" speaker that works OK). I'm not really a big fan of Jerry's 80s and onward dirty tones. I prefer the '72-'77/8 era.
I see a lot of Jerry tone chasers recreating every aspect of his latter-era signal chain. Is this primarily because those folks want to be able to cover all the ground Garcia hit during that era, or do folks think it also does a better job of getting the early/mid 70s (primarily clean and only using EF/octaver on a few songs later in this period) sound?
I ask because I'm thinking about buying a guitar with the fancy electronics, hotter pickups, etc., but am really not sure it's worth the spend. Wondering if maybe investing in a higher-headroom amp with a good master volume or attenuator, different speaker (my Princeton clone has a Texas Heat in it and doesn't really break up until you crank it, and it's surprisingly loud for a 15-watt amp) would get me a little closer. I have a Vox/Marshall-style 15 Watt BadCat amp and their "K-Master" really works well to get the power tubes cooking without having to crank the preamp, keeping the tone super clean. I even use it for pedal steel sometimes. So I'm wondering if maybe getting something similar in a blackface flavor might help (though I guess not cranking the preamp section might defeat the purpose...). On the rare occasions when I do use the EF/octaver I think it sounds good enough, so sort of question the need for the on-board loop/buffer and how much of a difference it would make.
I'm not playing in a Dead cover band. I might at some point in the future but not really in the cards at this point. Right now this would be primarily for my own recording as well as the Americana group I play with a handful of times a year (we have a few GD tunes in our repertoire but with different arrangements). So I'm not interested in nailing Jerry's tone exactly as much as getting that really full clean tone that I think would suit the music I'm playing well.
I know folks here have spent a lot of time researching and trying various gear and methods, so thought it would be great to hear the community's thoughts.
I see a lot of Jerry tone chasers recreating every aspect of his latter-era signal chain. Is this primarily because those folks want to be able to cover all the ground Garcia hit during that era, or do folks think it also does a better job of getting the early/mid 70s (primarily clean and only using EF/octaver on a few songs later in this period) sound?
I ask because I'm thinking about buying a guitar with the fancy electronics, hotter pickups, etc., but am really not sure it's worth the spend. Wondering if maybe investing in a higher-headroom amp with a good master volume or attenuator, different speaker (my Princeton clone has a Texas Heat in it and doesn't really break up until you crank it, and it's surprisingly loud for a 15-watt amp) would get me a little closer. I have a Vox/Marshall-style 15 Watt BadCat amp and their "K-Master" really works well to get the power tubes cooking without having to crank the preamp, keeping the tone super clean. I even use it for pedal steel sometimes. So I'm wondering if maybe getting something similar in a blackface flavor might help (though I guess not cranking the preamp section might defeat the purpose...). On the rare occasions when I do use the EF/octaver I think it sounds good enough, so sort of question the need for the on-board loop/buffer and how much of a difference it would make.
I'm not playing in a Dead cover band. I might at some point in the future but not really in the cards at this point. Right now this would be primarily for my own recording as well as the Americana group I play with a handful of times a year (we have a few GD tunes in our repertoire but with different arrangements). So I'm not interested in nailing Jerry's tone exactly as much as getting that really full clean tone that I think would suit the music I'm playing well.
I know folks here have spent a lot of time researching and trying various gear and methods, so thought it would be great to hear the community's thoughts.
my music: https://soundcloud.com/st-justin