Rory Gallagher's 66 (67?) Telecaster sound

So, the sound in my head is Rory Gallagher's 66 (67?) Telecaster -- the one he played at the Isle of Wight. Specifically that neck pickup -- I know it's mostly him, but I'd like to find a neck pickup that can do something close to that.
Beefy, mids, not muddy.
I read Don's comment in this thread (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/318617-sound-1967-tele-pickups.html#post4016805) and thought that sounds just what I want, but was disappointed to hear later that it's not a production piece (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/318617-sound-1967-tele-pickups.html#post4024453), so I can't have one.

Any suggestions where to start looking? Where can I get a neck pickup close to those specs? I'm tempted to just go with Don's 54 to 64 Al5. Wondering about the Stelly? Anything else I should look at?

Thanks

FWIW here's Rory

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Any suggestions where to start looking?

Definitely start looking at the AMP he was using that night,than at the mic used to mike it,the pre-amps of the console..e.t.c

:lol:

Definitely start looking at the AMP he was using that night,than at the mic used to mike it,the pre-amps of the console..e.t.c

:lol:And the hands he was using on the guitar -- something tells me if you had handed him a ruler with three rubber bands stretched across it, he'd still have sounded fantastic ... sadly, I'm the opposite.

Not really trying to emulate it exactly, more just looking in that ballpark, as I'm terrible at describing sound -- it's all dancing about architecture. :wink:

FWIW, I have a Rangemaster and an old JMI era AC30 (although Rory's used some weird tubes IIRC).

Here's another version

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i'm fairly certain he used a custom pre-amp or boost, now marketed as a Hawk, i think...even an LPB-1 would get you closer to that tone

i'm fairly certain he used a custom pre-amp or boost, now marketed as a Hawk, i think...even an LPB-1 would get you closer to that toneHe used a Rangemaster with the AC30 with Taste (as well as later). I think the Hawk was later on.

He used a Rangemaster with the AC30 with Taste (as well as later). I think the Hawk was later on.

Pretty sure that's correct. The Dallas Rangemaster is a one-transistor boost box (available as a kit or diy). I think it sat on top of the amp rather than the floor, try to spot nondescript box. The Hawk is available from http://www.flynnamps.co.uk

From memory, he had a pair of pretty-much stock Telecasters i.e. stock pickups, which he used for slide, so slightly raised action but normally concert tuning. Yes, Rory could play great slide in standard tuning. Favoured rosewood fingerboards, once compared a maple neck to playing a nice sideboard (furniture).

At the period shown in the clips, most likely the AC30, possibly two of them, one front-facing on stage and the other down behind mic'd for the PA.

I have no real idea how many times I saw Rory play, at one point he seemed to be playing everywhere at once. If you think his recordings are good then you should have seen him live, no comparison.

I have no real idea how many times I saw Rory play, at one point he seemed to be playing everywhere at once. If you think his recordings are good then you should have seen him live, no comparison. I saw him a bunch of times in the 80s. What a trip that was; great player, great showman too. First time I saw him was early 80s, he had a Rangemaster -> AC30. What a sound. And this was in the days when a 100 W Marshall + two 4x12swas considered the bare minimum rock rig. Heard him in a rock radio interview and the host was asking him about how he could play a big venue with a 30 W amp (he said "Ah, but it's an honest 30W" Classic Irish understatment).

What do you guys think if the Klein 67 pickups (http://www.kleinpickups.com/p-53-1967-telecaster-pickups.aspx)? Looks like 6.9k Alnico 5 in the neck. Might be just what I need?

At $80, I might just buy it and try it, but if you have any experience with em I'd love to hear.

Love his sound! Guitars afaik are standard. Rig and style are main factors here.

Sent from my iPhone using TDPRI

So, the sound in my head is Rory Gallagher's 66 (67?) Telecaster -- the one he played at the Isle of Wight. Specifically that neck pickup -- I know it's mostly him, but I'd like to find a neck pickup that can do something close to that.
Beefy, mids, not muddy.
I read Don's comment in this thread (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/318617-sound-1967-tele-pickups.html#post4016805) and thought that sounds just what I want, but was disappointed to hear later that it's not a production piece (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/just-pickups/318617-sound-1967-tele-pickups.html#post4024453), so I can't have one.

Any suggestions where to start looking? Where can I get a neck pickup close to those specs? I'm tempted to just go with Don's 54 to 64 Al5. Wondering about the Stelly? Anything else I should look at?

Thanks



Call Don, I'm sure he'll hook you right up. That kinda stuff is his wheelhouse ( Zep, Buchannan, etc. ) or email him if you're not into phones.

I saw Rory Gallagher at York College of Pennsylvania back in the day. (I can't remember, and can't seem to find the date when he played there...) My search for the date led me to his official website where they discuss aspects of how he achieved his tone...

http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/archives/amps

i never, and guess never will, get tired of watching the youtube vids of his live performances. i became a fan of his in the late '70's but never got an opportunity to see him play. there just ain't no one like him !

So, I just went ahead and bought a Klein 67 neck pu.
Think I'll grab one of Don's 54-64s or a Stelly too for good measure (Hey, I can always build another tele round whichever one doesn't make it into this guitar amiright? :wink:)

Here's some footage from 71/2, where you can see the Rangemaster on top of an AC30. He brings out that tele around 30 min in.

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Just for fun, here's some later 70s Rory, with the Esquire he put Strat pickups in (near the end).

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And some from the 90s, not long before he died. He was quite ill by this time but man he could still rock. Tele with a humbucker in the neck...

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I saw him a bunch of times in the 80s. What a trip that was; great player, great showman too. First time I saw him was early 80s, he had a Rangemaster -> AC30. What a sound. And this was in the days when a 100 W Marshall + two 4x12swas considered the bare minimum rock rig. Heard him in a rock radio interview and the host was asking him about how he could play a big venue with a 30 W amp (he said "Ah, but it's an honest 30W" Classic Irish understatment).

What do you guys think if the Klein 67 pickups (http://www.kleinpickups.com/p-53-1967-telecaster-pickups.aspx)? Looks like 6.9k Alnico 5 in the neck. Might be just what I need?

At $80, I might just buy it and try it, but if you have any experience with em I'd love to hear.

1) The AC30/6(TB) was a 46W amp, not 30 watts. Pushed that hard, the EL84 were a bit prone to blowing. That model usually fitted with Greenbacks, it would blow them as well...

2) Pretty sure Rory had a pair of them on stage. It was certainly fed into the PA at larger venues. Brain May (copied Rory) used six of them, two on, two standby and two spares. Rory did use a Fender as well as the AC30.

3) I have an idea that Rory's strat pickups were stock Fender rewound by Kent Armstrong, and one of The Strat tone pots was broken so everything ran through the top one. Rory did most of his own repairs and modifications.

1) The AC30/6(TB) was a 46W amp, not 30 watts. Pushed that hard, the EL84 were a bit prone to blowing. That model usually fitted with Greenbacks, it would blow them as well...Rory's AC30 didn't have the top boost apparently, and it also seemed to run EL83s ... which is weird. Different pinouts -- unless he got a bunch of mislabelled tubes I suppose.
He had the blue Vox/Celestion bulldogs in it too, not Greenbacks.

Pretty sure I've seen pics of a copper top AC30/6 (or 4 can't remember) too though. I bet he had more than one. I always figured the Rangie was at least partly to make up for the darkness of those amps.

I can defintitely believe the AC30 puts out more than 30W -- mine is loud loud loud, esp with the Rangemaster in front of it.

2) Pretty sure Rory had a pair of them on stage. It was certainly fed into the PA at larger venues. Brain May (copied Rory) used six of them, two on, two standby and two spares. Rory did use a Fender as well as the AC30.Depends. I've seen him with one AC30, an AC30 and a Marshall, a few Fenders (a Bassman and also a Concert I think), and German Stramps too for a while.

3) I have an idea that Rory's strat pickups were stock Fender rewound by Kent Armstrong, and one of The Strat tone pots was broken so everything ran through the top one. Rory did most of his own repairs and modifications.He only used a master volume and a master tone on his Strat. Said it was easier and otherwise he'd get confused...


http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/b01edc37.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/7fac8556.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/ec3e6e92.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/43137614.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/fd1aaf16.jpg

Awesome find, dev. Kudos. I didn't even know there were EL83 tubes. I think the the Bulldogs were a big part of it. As you can see, a Bassman was involved. As far as the Marshall goes, I'd guess a 1959 series? Either way, I wouldn't be too concerned about replicating someone else's tone. Just get a setup that puts you in the ball park and develop your style. You can get some really great tones with amp sims for a lot less $ and hassle. Gallagher style was at once "balls to the wall", creative and intimate with traditional roots. Guess you got to be him to really sound like him. Maybe, go back to your roots to find yourself? As Townsend said: "who are you?" -- a good question for the modern age.

Awesome find, dev. Kudos. I didn't even know there were EL83 tubes. I think the the Bulldogs were a big part of it. As you can see, a Bassman was involved. As far as the Marshall goes, I'd guess a 1959 series? Either way, I wouldn't be too concerned about replicating someone else's tone. Just get a setup that puts you in the ball park and develop your style. You can get some really great tones with amp sims for a lot less $ and hassle. Gallagher style was at once "balls to the wall", creative and intimate with traditional roots. Guess you got to be him to really sound like him. Maybe, go back to your roots to find yourself? As Townsend said: "who are you?" -- a good question for the modern age.Def don't want to replicate Rory (wouldn't be capable of it anyway :mrgreen:), just looking for that ballpark tele neck pu tone...

Rory's AC30 didn't have the top boost apparently, and it also seemed to run EL83s ... which is weird. Different pinouts -- unless he got a bunch of mislabelled tubes I suppose.
He had the blue Vox/Celestion bulldogs in it too, not Greenbacks.

Pretty sure I've seen pics of a copper top AC30/6 (or 4 can't remember) too though. I bet he had more than one. I always figured the Rangie was at least partly to make up for the darkness of those amps.

I can defintitely believe the AC30 puts out more than 30W -- mine is loud loud loud, esp with the Rangemaster in front of it.

Depends. I've seen him with one AC30, an AC30 and a Marshall, a few Fenders (a Bassman and also a Concert I think), and German Stramps too for a while.

He only used a master volume and a master tone on his Strat. Said it was easier and otherwise he'd get confused...


http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/b01edc37.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/7fac8556.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/ec3e6e92.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/43137614.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/davida54/fd1aaf16.jpg

Weird, Mullard don't even list an EL83 in their 1969 data book
It's a video output valve http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/frank/sheets/030/e/EL83.pdf they don't even list characteristics as an amp bottle - Pa(max) 9W and Rk 500ohm (EL84 is Pa 12W and Rk 270ohm) No idea why and especially how that is (was???) working, or is it some gash valve shoved in there :confused:

Those speakers are alnico, all Vox speakers were blue (except the ones that weren't painted, and the green ones) and there was a 20-25W alnico fitted to AC30 (T2250?), forerunner of the ceramic Greenback. The G12-15 Alnico "Blue" was for the AC15 which blew them with monotonous regularity (don't ask). Denny ran the B+ on the EL84 higher than Mullard spec 300V...
This one does have Greenbacks
http://www.newkingsroadguitars.co.uk/guitarshop/RORY_AMPS_AC30_-_4.html

There was the TB add on box, which was a brilliant idea because when you groped around the back in the dark for the knob it meant you grabbed a very hot valve (don't ask), and then there was the one with the TB built right in to the circuit. I cannot read the model plate on that but it does appear to be an AC30/6 (3-channels, 2-inputs each) most of which were the built-in TB variety (knob labelled "brilliance"). My old ears tell me it was a TB live, but let's not forget he collected stuff.
http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/ac30.html
http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/archives/amps

Strange instruction "link to Bassman in series" can only refer to speakers. Was it in use as an ext cab? :confused:

I believe the 'link to Bassman ..." refers to running a guitar cable from one of the Vox' low input jacks to one of the Bassman inputs. Similar to 'cross channeling' a Marshall four holer amp.

I believe the 'link to Bassman ..." refers to running a guitar cable from one of the Vox' low input jacks to one of the Bassman inputs. Similar to 'cross channeling' a Marshall four holer amp.

That is done in parallel.

Common practice when running several amps.
Charlie Watkins (WEM) called it "daisy-chaining", although when he did it with his PA amps (Stones/Who/Jimi's back line) it was buffered (line out level).

It says "link in series" and there are a lot of wires in the back of the combo.

What is a "Bellman cable"? - Bellman is just a make, it could be any type of cable.