what effects get you that nashville sound?

[killacaster]

hi, im fairly new to country tele playing. i guess for about a year ive been focusing soley on country. i play a highway one tele through a plain old fender 90 watt solid state. i hope to get a tube amp soon. but i was wondering what advice you all could give me on an effect pedal for that brent mason, johnny hiland sound?

thanks so much

[SteveY]

Compression is prominent on lots of Nashville recorded Tele sounds.
Kinda smoothes things out.

Gives me ear fatigue though.

[Roscoe]

Yeah I could see how compression with fast attack can give a good tele sound...thats just my ear though, Im gonna try it as soon as I get me one...

[Stefan]

1) Compression
2) Delay
3) Overdrive (just a little, little bit of it though...)

Compression is a bit of a must in modern countryguitar. And I would use a fast slap-back delay as well. Johnny Hiland uses the "RT 66" pedal from Visual Sound. It´s a combination of compression and overdrive. I believe it gives him that raw country tone.

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by Rec79

Compression is a bit of a must in modern countryguitar.

Most all guitar players use these pedals
1)Blue Boss Compression/Sustain
2)Delay
3)Reverb (although most amps now come with this built in)
4)TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
5)Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
6)Boss Blues Driver (warm overdive)

Here's Alan Jackon's studio musicians setup
http://www.brentmason.com/images/pedalboard-305.jpg

[poorplayer]

Also helps significantly if you use your thumb and index finger rather than just a flat pick. Plucking up with the index finger on the treble strings really gets those snaps and pops that make country guitar licks so distinctive sounding. I believe this technique helps more than outboard effects to get that sound.

[streetglide06]

Originally Posted by poorplayer

Also helps significantly if you use your thumb and index finger rather than just a flat pick. Plucking up with the index finger on the treble strings really gets those snaps and pops that make country guitar licks so distinctive sounding. I believe this technique helps more than outboard effects to get that sound.

This is exactly what I did, and still do alot, before I purchased a compressor. I use a .96 pick but that is a matter of choice. I will also use the fat rounded part of a teardrop rather than the point. For me, this combined with a compressor can really produce a distinctive twang/pop.

[killacaster]

thanks for all the help. im definately gonna check those out. does anyone know what effect i should use to get the waylon jennings sound? he used it almost exclusively. i really dig it. i just dont know whats its called.

thanks

[streetglide06]

I know what your talking about and I bet its used on "Are you sure Hank done it this way" right? Im not sure what it is but Ill bet someone here does. You will find about anything you want to know here at TDPRI....some pretty smart cats around here....well....with the exeception of me.
As for compressors, I bought a Boss. I like it, not overpriced IMO got it for around $90 at GC. Good luck!!

[fiddler59]

That sound on the Waylon records is a MXR Phase 90....Reggie Young is the
geetar player on those classic sessions.
DB

[Soupbone]

Originally Posted by killacaster

what effects get you that nashville sound?

My right hand.

[Mr. Jinx]

Having bought pedals before getting a decent tube amp, I would make the amp my first priority -- that alone will have the greatest impact on your tone. You can get a used Fender Pro Jr. for the cost of two or three new pedals. Old country don't need a compressor. Your Tele, that tube amp, and a little slap back will sure put a smile on your face.

[CountryShawn]

There is a lot of ground to cover in country - it can be fairly broad in sound these days.

Having said that, I think that what generally most people associate with the modern "country" tone is that snappy mason-ish sound.

To get that, you just need a compressor and a single slap short delay (preferably analog sounding) - and a lot of snap and picking dynamics from the right hand which is hybrid picked almost exclusively for this style.

I wouldn't spend mega bucks on fancy schmancy pedals - as one poster mentioned above, a blue Boss compressor works just fine for this.

Shawn

[Acephspades]

I don't know how anybody gets into Brent Mason. Granted he's a good player, far better than I'll ever be, but his licks are plastered all over everything "Nashville" and for me he's gotten to the point where it's all generic, stale and emotionless. Of course maybe it's the artists he does the recording for that are stale, generic and emotionless. I don't know it just seems like he plays a few notes and collects his check and gets ready for another. Not my thing at all.

[Jean-Baptiste]

Yep, I agree with almost everyone so far.

I'll go along with the suggested hybrid picking & really letting those strings snap against the fretboard once & a while as the most important part of the sound. And you ain't gonna get that out of a pedal!

Of course the tele and the blackface amp are the next critical part of the recipe - I guess any single coil/6L6/6V6 combo'll get you there faster than, say, a Les Paul & a Marshall stack.

Next up's the compressor. Those old fender amps compress real nice all by themslves, but you really want that *squishy* over-the-top compression for this style of playing - not one of those fancy opto-comps or big racks. I really like the old MXR DynaComp for chickenPickin and my trusty BOSS CS-2 (the CS-3's got a nasty tone control in the circuit, but Brent seems to do OK with it..) is the one I go to when I'm tryin to squeeze fake pedal-steel licks out of my tele. The CS-2'll give you the gobs of sustain you need when doing those huge string bends.

Now, if you're really good, you can just double up your pickin for that slap-back echo stuff, but I'm lazy so I'll kick in a cheap digital delay when needed. If you're doing those fancy cascading arpeggios with dotted 8th note delay (a la Albert Lee, Danny Gatton, etc..) a nice clean digital delay sounds better to me (the tap tempo don't hurt neither) but for the Scotty Moore rockabilly/country stylin, an analog delay sounds more like the tape they used to use for that sound.

[Kingpin]

Originally Posted by Acephspades

"and for me he's gotten to the point where it's all generic, stale and emotionless."

I must be listening to a different guy named Brent Mason. The one I hear is nothing short of astounding in taste, feel, and service to the song. Being a studio musician (or a musician, period) isn't about trying to impress everyone with your chops everytime out. Brent gets it, apparently you don't.

Back to the original thread:
Tele, clean amp, comp, slapback and hybrid picking will put you in the right direction.

[Leon Grizzard]

Originally Posted by Bandit

Most all guitar players use these pedals
1)Blue Boss Compression/Sustain
2)Delay
3)Reverb (although most amps now come with this built in)
4)TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
5)Ernie Ball Volume Pedal
6)Boss Blues Driver (warm overdive)

How do you set your Blue Boss Compression/Sustain?