the black crowes guitar tones

[brendan780]

my band just started playing some black crowes songs out...alot of people seem to request their songs. thought i would ask if anyone knew maybe what kinda overdrives pedals to use to get the lead guitar sounds from a song such as "hard to handle". i personally dont know much about their lead guitarist. any ideas?

[Smokin' Joe Picante]

The Crowes ALWAYS have great guitar sounds, both live and recorded. Most of thier tones are from cranked Marshalls, Matchless, Fender's and/or Harry Joyce (essentially a HiWatt) amps. That sound is very much linked to the power tubes not pre-amp tubes bieng driven a fair bit. I saw them a couple months back and they didn't step on much in the way of pedals. Rich had a rack with a few Harry Joyce heads in it that were definitely working all night. I couldn't see exactly what they were using, but I know Rich Robinson has used a Klon Centaur off and on.

That said, If you're setting your amp a bit crunchy (not heavily overdriven with pre-amp gain), then pretty much any nice, full range sounding, semi-clean drive pedal should get you in the ballpark. Try a BOSS OD-3. Several of us around here have been raving about this pedal for a while. It's cheap, sounds great, and though it sounds fantastic bone stock, there's an easily reversable mod that takes all of about 15 minutes total to do that makes it sound insanely good! HIGHLY recommended for what you're trying to do.

[kmcypress]

TBC is my favorite band and I've been obsessed with their sound and gear for quite some time. I could go on about them forever but I'll keep it short. Check out the thread below. It was compiled by me and a few others on the amorica messageboard. I know that it might seem like overkill for what you are trying to look at but maybe someone will be interested.
http://www.amorica.org/showthread.php?t=18160

Here's some info on the guitarists:

Rich Robinson has been with the band throughout their career. But the crowes have had 3 different "lead guitarists" (if that's what you want to call them). On the first album, Shake Your Money Maker, it was Jeff Cease. In 1992, Marc Ford joined the band, replacing Cease. He recorded SH&MC, amorica, Tall (unreleased album), and Three Snakes and One Charm. In 1998, he was replaced with Audley Freed (studio musician who was in Cry of Love). Audley play with the band for that tour and then the Crowes recored By Your Side (with out him though...Rich Robinson did all the guitars). Audley then toured with the band through 1999, 2000, and 2001, where they released "Live at the Greek with Jimmy Page" and "Live". In late 2001, they recorded Lions. Soon after the band went on Hiatus, persuing solo careers.

March 2005 marked the return of TBC, with what many refer to as the original guitarist...Marc Ford.

[JTM45blues]

When it comes to the Crowes think: rugged, trashy, strutting type tones, like the Exile era Stones and the Faces.

Here's a general description to get you in the ball park

Marc Ford:

Guitars: Les Paul with PAF type pickups, or a good sounding strat
Effects: Vox wah, a Fuzzface or Tone bender type for leads, analog delay, a treble booster
Amps: Marshall 50 watt style non-master volume

Rich Robinson

Guitars: Tele with HB in neck tuned to Open G, 335, Zemaitis
Effects: Fulldrive 2, Fulltone 69, analog delay, a Vox wah
Amps: Hiwatt style turned up loud, Tweed twins also work well, Marshall Jubilee for the 1st record tones.

Most importantly for the Crowes is the volume, they crank up LOUD!!! I saw them a while back and Marc only kicked on and off from his wah and the fuzz box all night, it was really loud, but REALLY good. Rich also is one helluva player, he does a lot of Keef type riffing, but he's much more than just that. He's got a real soulful, Steve Cropper type vibe working too, that goes unnoticed a lot of the time. Both of these guys are great players first and foremost. I'm probably one of their biggest fans on the planet, and could go on and on, but I won't.

[TB72]

When I saw the Crowes a couple months back, I couldn't get a view of Rich or Marc' pedalboards. But I did notice that they were both using Fulltone Tape Echos (perched on their cabs). Those things cost a lotta scratch, but they sure do sound fine. The guys really exploited the "sound on sound" feature of the units during one particularly psychedelic jam.

Later...

[brendan780]

thanks guys. i been hearing amazing things about the bad monkey, and for $40!! for their songs ill probably mostly be playing a semi hollow body through a cranked up DRRI. anyone recommend the bad monkey over the OD-3 or fulltone fulldrive 2?

[kmcypress]

I have heard great things about the badmonkey. And as an owner of a FDII, I can tell you that it's perfect for Crowes too (I'm acuatlly selling my FDII...I know that you aren't supposed to buy/sell anything here on the forum but maybe we can workout something outside here...send me an e-mail if you are interested).

[oltimeyrider]

Last fall I checked out Marc Ford's pedalboard and he had a couple Roger Mayer "Page" boxes - that's it.

[DougieLove]

On the new Black Crowes DVD, Marc Ford is playing through some Roccaforte amps.

He also has a sweet looking Tele that he uses on a few of the tunes.

[Wayne Alexander]

The main thing you're hearing in those juicy tones is a good tube amp voiced for nice gainy tone with the power section cranked. If you've got a gainy tube amp that sounds good cranked all the way up (Vox, Marshall, some tweed Fender types, etc.) but you want those sounds at lower volumes, get an attenuator. Weber Mass and THD Hotplate are both good, there are other good ones too. I don't think you'll be able to get there with a Fender Blackface type amp, wrong power section architecture (though my Allen Encore can get close, given the Raw control and the master volume, even though it's based to a great degree on a Blackface Vibrolux).

[PdL]

It really depends on if you are trying emulate the tone(s) you hear on the Crowes albums, or the tones you hear when you see the band live. The lead on Hard To Handle (on the record) sounds like its played with a humbucker equipped guitar, maybe a Les Paul, through a Marshall amp. Probably an older Marshall, not one of the super hi-gain ones that came about in the mid 90's. The solo on Hard To Handle was played by Brendan O'Brian, who was the producer of the album. I would bet he also played the leads on Jealous Again and Twice As Hard because the guitar tones and style are very similar. The Crowes lead guitar player at the time of their first album, Jeff Cease, was not very good. They actually let him go before they recorded their second album. Prior to recording their 2nd album the Crowes hired Marc Ford to play lead. He really took the band to a new level during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th albums. Back to guitar sounds - on the first four records a lot of the tones sound like they are coming not from overdrive or distortion pedals, but from amps that are cranked. Probably very basic amps too, like older Fenders and Marshalls, just wide open. There are a couple tunes where Marc Ford used a Fuzz Face, but for the most part I think its primarily guitar straight into the amp.

I think the Crowes' current live guitar sound is no where as good as it used to be. Rich Robinson's amps are way too distorted to begin with, and then he piles on tons of effects via pedals. Rich's sound is just distorted and mushy. Marc Ford's tone is much better than Rich's although I think Marc's is too distorted as well. I think their best live tones were circa 1996 when Rich ran a pair of Matchless amps and Marc used one Matchless amp and one Marshall amp.

[calibre2001]

The 'Hard to Handle' solo reminds me alot of Joe Perry.

[Smokin' Joe Picante]

To each his own, but I gotta diasgree with PdL about the current guitar sounds Marc and Rich are getting. I saw them earlier this year on their current tour, and if you watch/listen to the recently released DVD of the band performing live at the Filmore, the guitar tones are stellar. I was impressed by how close some of the live tones were to the recorded versions on more than a couple songs. I guess it IS all in the hands, right?

[kmcypress]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Joe Picante

To each his own, but I gotta diasgree with PdL about the current guitar sounds Marc and Rich are getting. I saw them earlier this year on their current tour, and if you watch/listen to the recently released DVD of the band performing live at the Filmore, the guitar tones are stellar. I was impressed by how close some of the live tones were to the recorded versions on more than a couple songs. I guess it IS all in the hands, right?

Well...I agree with PdL on some things.

Marc did have a few sound problems early on in the tour. But he has just began to settle in with his current sound. (He switch gear from January all the way until June trying to find a sound). He always kept the Roccafortes but also added a Scheyer (sp?). His current sound is killer.

I will agree with Rich's tone to some extent.....his Matchless tone in 96/97 was one of the best guitar tones that people have had. It really shows on the bootlegs too....it's just phenominal. His current tone is no where near what it was back then...I'll agree with it being too distorted/overdriven and somewhat nasty. But that's comparing it to his tone in 96/97. I think what he's got is still pretty damn good! I wondered why he dropped them and in a 95/96 article he said that "they are some of the best amps he has ever played but they are a pain to deal with."

I personally think Rich should look into BadCat amps. With the many sounds he has to deal with, the'd be perfect. I think they are a little better than Matchless...at least when cranked (the Matchlesses now-a-days produce a little too much high-end to be able to handle the Open G tuning)

[JohnnyCrash]

Aside from a lot of "Keith"ing with riffs, Rich and company like to use Open G, Open E, and other open tunings Keith Richards "borrowed" from his favorite blues players.

"She Talks to Angels" I believe is in Open E tuning.

I'd say dig into their influences as well as gear to get you on that wavelength... old soul (Otis Redding obviously, with Steve Cropper of course), Rolling Stones, etc.

[JohnnyCrash]

Oh, and Rich on them Marshall Jubilee amps is great sounds.

That's the same EXACT amp Slash chose as his "signature amp" from Marshall. Same circuit, different colors/cosmetics.

[PdL]

Rich's tone with the Marshall Jubilees was good, but I think it was even better when he added an old Fender head. (Bassman, Bandmaster? - not sure what it was.) Anyway, it helped to clean up his sound a bit and give it more of a classic rock tone. I believe this amp configuration was used during some tours in 1993.

[todd richman]

As a major Crowes fan, saw them again twice this summer and 12 shows since 2005, I though I would add to this old thread:

http://www.hugeracksinc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60801

[davidge1]

They've never been my favorite band by any means... but I really love the guitar tone on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2fX...om=PL&index=10

Which guy is this?

[Geoff738]

Originally Posted by davidge1

They've never been my favorite band by any means... but I really love the guitar tone on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2fX...om=PL&index=10

Which guy is this?

Rich Robinson.

50's Esquire through a tweed Deluxe (I think?).

Cheers,
Geoff

[Dr. Bill]

Originally Posted by davidge1

They've never been my favorite band by any means... but I really love the guitar tone on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2fX...om=PL&index=10

Which guy is this?

Rich Robinson.

[xjazzy]

I've been trying to dial some TBC sound out of my rig and the best results are with a CV tele Esquire-zed, SX LP Jr. (P-90's) or Gibson LP standard into a DRRI with a Lovepedal Les Lius in between or a SD Twin Tube for some of the lead stuff.

I've been doing fine.

[ravindave_3600]

Crank up a little amp (I'm getting those Stonesy tones with a Blues Jr on 8!).

Or a big one, if you'd prefer.

[clayfeat]

Originally Posted by calibre2001

The 'Hard to Handle' solo reminds me alot of Joe Perry.

Good observation.

[4 Strings]

Originally Posted by Geoff738

Rich Robinson.

50's Esquire through a tweed Deluxe (I think?).

Cheers,
Geoff

Even two 5E3's...

Love that clip BTW!

[greenmeanie]

This has been a good read & just wanted to chime in. A far as the 'Crowes recorded tones, it is true that Rich has used older Fender tweeds; Deluxe, Tremolux, early low power Twins...But he likes to run them into 2x12 or 4x12 cabinets. He has said in interview that he really liked the Marshall Silver Jubilee cabs and used them in combination with the old Tweeds for the "By Your Side" album.
It really does do something to your sound when you run a smaller tube amp into a big cab like that.

[Inuitdream]

Originally Posted by Smokin' Joe Picante

The Crowes ALWAYS have great guitar sounds, both live and recorded. Most of thier tones are from cranked Marshalls, Matchless, Fender's and/or Harry Joyce (essentially a HiWatt) amps. That sound is very much linked to the power tubes not pre-amp tubes bieng driven a fair bit. I saw them a couple months back and they didn't step on much in the way of pedals. Rich had a rack with a few Harry Joyce heads in it that were definitely working all night. I couldn't see exactly what they were using, but I know Rich Robinson has used a Klon Centaur off and on.

That said, If you're setting your amp a bit crunchy (not heavily overdriven with pre-amp gain), then pretty much any nice, full range sounding, semi-clean drive pedal should get you in the ballpark. Try a BOSS OD-3. Several of us around here have been raving about this pedal for a while. It's cheap, sounds great, and though it sounds fantastic bone stock, there's an easily reversable mod that takes all of about 15 minutes total to do that makes it sound insanely good! HIGHLY recommended for what you're trying to do.

I agree with this. Basically their sound is power tube saturation, not overly compressed. Having said that, I get some close-sounding BC tones using a Tele > HBE Power Screamer > Peavey Classic 20.

The most important item in this equation is the amp.

[SMurphy28]

I know the lead guitarist Luther Dickinson is using an Analogman King of Tone for his lead tones and he's playing through a Fuchs Triple Drive Supreme 150W.

I'll try to get some shots of his board up if my friend sends them to me. He's actually making/carving Luther a guitar (smfguitars.com). He says all the Black Crowes are great guys and know their equipment.

[Unadan]

Guitar World has the lead guitar player using an MXR 108 Classic Fuzz as one of his pedals.

[JosephB]

I just saw them this past weekend in atlanta and Rich was running a 65 amp with a huge cab, maybe 2x15? and a Vox ac30 head and cab in creme tolex! i was shocked! Luther was running a Fuchs head and cab w/ a little tweed deluxe next to it.

[CrowePhil]

Last year, and up until September of this year (right when the new album came out), Luther was playing through a 50 watt Marshall. I'm anxious to hear him through the Fuchs. Rich will sound the same through any amp. Regardless of what amp he has, it's cranked, and it's undeniably Rich.

[SMurphy28]

Originally Posted by JosephB

I just saw them this past weekend in atlanta and Rich was running a 65 amp with a huge cab, maybe 2x15? and a Vox ac30 head and cab in creme tolex! i was shocked! Luther was running a Fuchs head and cab w/ a little tweed deluxe next to it.

Luther mentioned to my friend that he uses the Fender Blues Jr. tweed as a monitor which he controls with the volume pedal lying loose on the floor.

Here's some video of Luther playing my buddy's guitar.



Here's another where you get glimpses of Luther's rig.