SRV tone

I understand most of SRV tone came from his fingers, however, I just bought a classic vibe on eBay and I was thinking on installing some pick ups that would get close to his sound. Is it possible to get that fat tone from a tele and which pick ups would you guys recommend?

Should have got a strat and put Texas Specials in it.

If you want the neck to sound like a strat Budz has a set that do that. I know Van Zandt does too. Anybody that makes a "hamel tall" type should work but as always I recommend Budz. I have no experience actually using a strat pickup.

Stevies tone was the product of many factors. Heavy strings, hard picking, Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal, Fender tube amps, fingering techniques, Texas special pick-ups, and most important a "Stratocaster". Tele's are awesome guitars, but they do not sound like strats, and vice versa. This guitar is going to be the building block of getting the SRV sound.

Uh, not so much. My telecaster with the tall neck pickup using 9s though my boogie get that sound.

You could play SRVs rig and sound completely different at the same settings.....or you could sound the same on a completly different rig.

Not trying to argue (maybe just a little) but cats do get skinned differently. The cat dies in any case.

Welcome to the forum Mike.

Should have got a strat and put Texas Specials in it.

+1 and a tube screamer or two

I understand most of SRV tone came from his fingers, however, I just bought a classic vibe on eBay and I was thinking on installing some pick ups that would get close to his sound. Is it possible to get that fat tone from a tele and which pick ups would you guys recommend?

It's not to discouradge anybody but to get SRV tone or anybody else tone good luck. In my opinion we all have a distective tone of course we can get close to a certain tone but that's what make music so special. The most important thing is when you feel comfortable whit a certain tone(played whit any kind of guitars, amps,effects etc...), stay whit it and have some fun and enjoy and explore it. I've been playing guitar and bass guitar for about 30 years and that's my way of doing it(of course i express my opinion). Cocoboudin

It's not to discouradge anybody but to get SRV tone or anybody else tone good luck. In my opinion we all have a distective tone of course we can get close to a certain tone but that's what make music so special. The most important thing is when you feel comfortable whit a certain tone(played whit any kind of guitars, amps,effects etc...), stay whit it and have some fun and enjoy and explore it. I've been playing guitar and bass guitar for about 30 years and that's my way of doing it(of course i express my opinion). Cocoboudin

Right on, bro. Couldn't have said it better, myself. That being said, SRV did not use overwound pickups. Fender TS PUP's were created in an attempt to replicate SRV's sound without the necessary rig components. He used several brands/types over his brief career and even used lipsticks in his cleaner tone guitar.

There's no easy answer to your question, but some quality pickups modeled after the early 60's Strat PUP's should be a good start. SRV used the N/M combo a lot, so you won't get that or the M/B sound for a Tele, unless you add a middle PUP. If i were you, I'd just save up for a decent Strat copy, or partscaster and make a few mods over time.

There's a lot to do to get a certain tone from there, not the least of which is cable capacitance consideration. Rather than spend thousands on pedals and amps, I'd just get a good modeling pedal/amp/app, and go from there. There are several good ones about. You'd surprised at what they are capable of.

Thanks for the quick responses. I should have been clear on my post. I understand you can't really go wrong with a strat and Texas special pups. However, I bought this tele to use it as a modding platform but I want to know what pups I could use to get me in the territory of Stevie's using a tele. Sorry guys these might b dumb questions but I thought I would ask.

42 and Tall.

http://www.budzguitars.com/budzguitars/T-Styles.html

Fender 57/62's 4 sure


oh sorry, thought you were talkin' Strat. Might want to get ya onena dem, no such things as too many geetars !


:razz:

2:40. close enough for me.

bAR_yW2XCqw

I recommend a Strat with these :

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Even though, if any of us played through SRV's rig, we would sound nothing like him. :neutral:

I recommend a Strat with these :

dJxey59H7uY

Even though, if any of us played through SRV's rig, we would sound nothing like him. :neutral:

That sounds about right -- early 60's style. Not a bad place to start at all. They sound nice, but you could find the same type of thing for ~1/3 the price from someone like Reilander, or a few others.

SRV would sound like SRV no matter what he was playing through and no matter who he was playing with. I'm not a big fan of the Texas Specials.....they're a little too limited in range for my tastes. You can take a good sounding set of clearer p/us and get them in the ball park with a Tube Screamer type pedal but you're not going to get a lot of cleaner spank/bell like tones out of a set of texas specials. Most of the mojo is in the hands....not the equipment. Find the gear that does it for you. With that said, if you still want a set of CS tele texas specials PM me, I've got a set that's just collecting dust.

Gotta have a Strat....gotta have those 2nd and 4th positions, Custom Shop Texas Specials..and a Overdriven Fender tube amp.

GFS Pure Vintage pups

SRV would sound like SRV no matter what he was playing through and no matter who he was playing with. I'm not a big fan of the Texas Specials.....they're a little too limited in range for my tastes. You can take a good sounding set of clearer p/us and get them in the ball park with a Tube Screamer type pedal but you're not going to get a lot of cleaner spank/bell like tones out of a set of texas specials. Most of the mojo is in the hands....not the equipment. Find the gear that does it for you. With that said, if you still want a set of CS tele texas specials PM me, I've got a set that's just collecting dust.

That's what I've heard. I'd try a standard early 60's style set with an aluminum pick-guard shield to soften the mids a bit. Works wonders.

Dan Earlywine states in one of his books that SRV always used 13 guage strings detuned to Eb. I would think that would have an effect on the tone.
I'm lucky enough to have seen SRV play live (Costa Mesa in California '88 or '89) and he used the N&M setting on his Strat a lot.

If I'm not mistaken, "The House is Rockin" off of In Step is a tele. Sounds like SRV.......through a tele. :o)

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p41071.jpg

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p41071.jpg

:lol::lol::lol::lol:
this!

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p41071.jpg

EPIC !

I want it!!!

Haha! Sweet. Another classic ice breaker from the fezz. Luv it, man. Don't underestimate the value of your creativity. He who laughs, lasts. Not to overshadow, but for some reason I'm reminded of the first time I saw a certain AIDs awareness bumper sticker. I thought it said "Fight kids, not people with kids". I thought, "yeah, I guess I can get with that?"

Yeah get the American Stratocaster (used) and get either Texas Special which he used later or Fenders 57/62.

Everybody knows you can't get SRV tone from a Tele! :roll:

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:grin:

All kidding aside, I know Fender makes the Texas Tele set which I believe is the T equivalent of the Texas Specials. That might be a good place to start.

You could always talk to one of the custom pickup winders (Brierley, Klein, Duff, etc.) and let them know what you're looking for. They may have suggestions or be able to wind something based on your ideal sound. Might be a little more expensive but you'd have it tailored to your gear/sound.

aside from srv's brain and fingers - 13's down to Eb, slightly "overwound" pups in the 6.2k to 6.7k range, a5 mags and 42awg wire ... and don't forget the series strat dummy coil that rene stuck in the control cavity. :mrgreen:

for a tele, swap that dumb-a$$ covered neck pup for a fat strat pup and get some added thick horsepower for the bridge. :cool:

I really think an instruments tone has more to do with the way it makes the player feel than anything else. Ever pick up a guitar and the particular instrument feels like smokey blues or skanky funk. The mood that the instrument puts you in is reflected in your/ the tone. Sometimes everything clicks and its great...... sometimes it doesn't....even with the same guitar and amp. Different folks will sound completly different on the same rig.

That's why I think time and money can be better spent chaisin your tone instead of someone elses. But…you kinda have to know what you're looking for before you start chasin or you just end up running around in circles. Its always good to study what others use to get a particular sound, but just so you have an idea of where to start the search. Playing an instrument is totally different than just listening to someone else play.

Its really about how the instrument and its collective parts makes the player feel and not so much how pickup x sounds....if that makes any sense and comming from someone who has spent the better part of the last 30 yrs learning that lesson the hard way.

I'm a winder but it's really all about big strings, a heavy hand and tons of attitude.

To me it sounds like he generally plays farther from the bridge than most other strat guys.

I saw SRV live & that man PLAYED that darned Strat. Tremendous & heavily rhythmic attack when called for, subtle sweet tone when he wanted that. He had that puppy mastered. Amps etc. sure but I got no doubt he could take my Strat with any amp I got and sound like Stevie in about five minutes.

Get a copy of "Live at El Macmbo" and watch closely & learn.

Need a strat, low output pickups, lowered almost to the pickguard. Amp cranked and the rest is mostly right hand technique. Round end of the pick, fingernails, a lot of palm muting.

I saw SRV live & that man PLAYED that darned Strat. Tremendous & heavily rhythmic attack when called for, subtle sweet tone when he wanted that. He had that puppy mastered. Amps etc. sure but I got no doubt he could take my Strat with any amp I got and sound like Stevie in about five minutes.

Get a copy of "Live at El Macmbo" and watch closely & learn.

Yep the only two amps he was using in that video was Fender Vibroverb and Super Reverb

i think i'd have to agree.

2:40. close enough for me.

bAR_yW2XCqw

Thick strings, round end of the pick, fingernails and muting technique makes the most sense. Brian May used coin for the Queen's sake. I've tried the round end thing, but just can't get with it. Certainly, a rounded rather than a sharp pick would be helpful, and a pretty thick one at that. SRV also tuned down to Eb, so that's a factor. With the right rig and strings, you could use a standard 0.010 set at standard tuning and get away with it. Thin steel strings tend to sound a bit harsh. There are new alloys that sound more like pure nickel, but are higher output without sounding dull in any way. Basically, the elasticity is excellent without being too rigid like steel. Alloy 52 is very nice, but I like the Sfarzo Alloy 5109's.

I gotta say, I like what gallred said. I'll have some of what he's smokin' :lol: Seriously, don't worry about emulating others, just try to find what you like. After some 30 years, I finally found a few guitars that I love the sound of, and love playing every time I use them. I used the tones of the greats as aids in my quest, but never tried to really emulate anyone in particular. Regarding pickups, it wasn't until I finally learned a few basic things about how everything in the chain works that I really understood how to get the sounds I want. In short, get some early 60's style pickups from some inexpensive quality winder like Reilander, Keystone\Wilde NF's, or even Dave Allen if you want to go that high. Try Zexcoils' if you want something noiseless and efficient with individual voicing per string. Each of those designers has an early 60's type set. I see no reason to spend lot's of money on a standard SC design. Nothing in the results warrants it.

Use an 0.015" aluminum pick-guard shield, or two with your early 60's pickups to take a little edge off the tone without reducing the highs. That combo is a sort of holy grail. Fender really nailed it with the early 60's formula as far as versatility goes. They just needed the aluminum shield to tame the edge. It's sweet and full with great articulation -- sounds great clean and with a good amp distortion.

The lower wound late 60's era pickups can lack that same kind of SRV articulation for amp distortion based lead playing. Hendrix certainly made good use of them, but his sound was different. Over-wound TS type pickups were created as an attempt to emulate the early 60's/Al combo sound. and to push more gain. They lack the same type of sweet articulation because of the high end roll off, but it's not highs that sound harsh and edgy when distorted (most guitar speakers roll off above ~4kHz anyway), it's the upper mids in the ~3-4kHz region that sound harsh. TS types work for some things, but can be a little dull for clean, or even crunch tones. However, slightly higher wound bridge pickup can be useful for a more meaty lead sound, but it has to be voiced just right to have good sparkle for clean sounds, and not sound "honky" (for lack of a better descriptor). I don't think anyone could confirm this, but it's likely that the aluminum shield concept was lost, or replaced with thin tape when Leo left Fender. He may not have even been aware of the tonal advantage of the shield -- people just raved about the sound of those guitars. That and marketing hype alone might explain the TS pickup concept.

Distortion pedals and hi gain preamps often have LP filters above ~2kHz. It wouldn't matter what the pickup's upper mids and highs are like in that case, but it's crucial with passive eq vintage style preamps and amp distortion. As with all pickups, experiment with cable capacitance to tune the resonance of the lead pickup to your liking. You should know the inductance of the pickup and the cable pF/foot value to accomplish that. A resonance in the 4.2-4.5kHz range should be nice and round with good articulation. ~5kHz might be brittle. Maybe not. Above that, and it starts to smooth off. If you do everything I mentioned, your tone will be optimized before it hits the preamp, assuming the guitar sounds good (not thin, nasally, harsh, or dull) in the first place. Leave out any one part of the formula, and the results will not be as expected. A bonus to having the bridge pickup resonance tuned to at least the 4.2kHz range is you'll find that the tone knob will be more useful. You'll be able to get smooth and meaty, but still articulate tones above ~4 on the tone knob. Same will be true for the other pickups.

Closest I ever got was this: G&L Legacy with 11s tuned to Eb, old FD2, 1965 BF Tremolux, cranked as in both vol knobs on ten, with the channels bridged, NOS tubes and Weber speakers.

Closest I ever got was this: G&L Legacy with 11s tuned to Eb, old FD2, 1965 BF Tremolux, cranked as in both vol knobs on ten, with the channels bridged, NOS tubes and Weber speakers.

Can you be more specific ? :mrgreen:

Can you be more specific ? :mrgreen:

The guitar has stock G&L pickups. The strings were GHS Boomers.
The FD2 is a 1999 blue push pull comp cut one.
The tubes were GE JAN 6L6 and a 5751, RCA rest of the preamp tubes.
I used to plug a 1ft cord into normal channel input 1 to vibrato channel input 1, plug the guitar into vib channel input 2, crank both volumes to 10, tone knobs@ 6, bright switches on, guitar wide open on the neck pu.
Speakers were a Weber C10N & C10Q.

Specific enough;)

I've gotten it. Play a strat LOUD. Through a twin reverb. Texas specials will help. I play 11s.

The guitar has stock G&L pickups. The strings were GHS Boomers.
The FD2 is a 1999 blue push pull comp cut one.
The tubes were GE JAN 6L6 and a 5751, RCA rest of the preamp tubes.
I used to plug a 1ft cord into normal channel input 1 to vibrato channel input 1, plug the guitar into vib channel input 2, crank both volumes to 10, tone knobs@ 6, bright switches on, guitar wide open on the neck pu.
Speakers were a Weber C10N & C10Q.

Specific enough;)

I was actually being sarcastic, I guess that didn't translate... :lol:

what about the hat? cant forget the hat.

Actually, the hat/attitude prolly had more to do with his tone than specific amps, pickups, guitars and the like. Not really what most of us want to hear but he would sound like him through whatever. Remember, this is the guy that had one of his pu's duct taped in place for a while. Haven't seen that recommendation yet......

Before SRV came along, most of us wouldn't have given $50 for a guitar that was as beat to hell as his #1. Especially if you had seen him rake his boot across the front, throw it on the floor and bounce it around by the trim or bang it on the face of the amp. Maybe that's the key to the SRV tone :o)

Meh. Now Rory's Strat, there's somethin' to talk about:
http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p36828.jpg

:idea: :shock:

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2:40. close enough for me.

bAR_yW2XCqw

I think that was his best demo...I like that geetar, may have to build me one....

They were both beat to hell..... :o)

Yeah...you can hear the "rawness" of the bare wood, and the "grit" from all the dirt, and the "hair" from all the...hair.

Actually, the hat/attitude prolly had more to do with his tone than specific amps, pickups, guitars and the like. Not really what most of us want to hear but he would sound like him through whatever. Remember, this is the guy that had one of his pu's duct taped in place for a while. Haven't seen that recommendation yet......

Before SRV came along, most of us wouldn't have given $50 for a guitar that was as beat to hell as his #1. Especially if you had seen him rake his boot across the front, throw it on the floor and bounce it around by the trim or bang it on the face of the amp. Maybe that's the key to the SRV tone :o)

He was a troubled soul with a lot to offer. I'll never forget what he said when I saw him on a double billing with Jeff Beck: "Sometimes I find myself turning..." No that wasn't it. "One thing I've learned is..." No. I guess I forgot. Seriously, he said something about learning to accept the love from the people around him. He had such a hard childhood. It makes me a bit choked up to think about it. I miss him so much. He was just starting to allow himself to expand when he was taken from us. At least he got a chance to make that great album with his brother. Amen.

I saw Stevie play many times in the clubs in Austin and Houston, once at a keg party, and at the N.O. Jazz Festival.....The only constant was Stevie, heavy strings, tuned down 1/2 step, a tube screamer and LOTS OF AMP VOLUME. The guitars and amps changed a lot. Even his #1 strat was a lot different at the end than when he started. Lots of posts about Texas Specials and overwound pickups for the SRV sound. When I saw him, it was stock Fender late 50's and early 60's strats. Low output, and not Texas Specials. I'm not saying Texas Specials won't get you there, I'm just saying that Stevie got there with low output pups, volume, heavy strings, etc.

You could give steve your tele, and play his. He would still sound better.

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p41071.jpg


LMAO! Yep, just the thing.

Otherwise, a Strat w/CS Texas Specials strung with .012's or .013s, a Tube Screamer, and a Dumble amp head would be my suggestion for the gear. After that if you can find Stevie's head and heart inside yourself and make that trickle down to your fingers you should be good to go. :smile:

strat>ts808>ts808>cranked super reverb

I think any junky old strat would have sounded good through stevies rig. To me its more about his amps/pedals. Also, remember he'd use a fuzz face as well as the tube screamers. Or at least some of his later stuff sounds fuzz faceish to me. To me, his tone changed a bit throughout his career.
I agree with the posted that said years ago you wouldn't give someone $50 for a guitar beat up as that. Much like Van Halen, he played what looked like a piece of junk, but he was every bit as talented.