well its my first post on here, but ive had my american olympic white tele for a while now, what im looking for is some sort of pedal or even amp setting if anyone knows to get that thin lizzy sound, as you may have guessed from my user name, it would be my fave band of all time, its jsut when trying to learn their music it would be real nice to get the sound, my amp is a mrshall mg15cdr, and i hve quite a few pedals my dad gave to me, the original marshall guv'nor and various boss pedals like overdrive, chorus, etc etc.........so any ideas anyone?
Thin Lizzy sound
- Thread starter ThinLizzy
- Start date
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Geyser
Tele-Meister
I love Thin Lizzy too and my band has recently started covering "Jailbreak". However, to truly get their sound, you're on the wrong forum. Looks like the three main guitarists in their history were Les Paul players.
I used google and typed in "Thin Lizzy gear" and found this...
link to Brian Robertson's gear (circa 1974)
(link removed)
link to bio of Scott Gorham
http://www.rocklegend.thin-lizzy.com/bio-sgorham.htm
Gary Moore said this on vintageguitar.com...
What were you playing during your two associations with Lynott in Thin Lizzy?
The Les Paul Peter Green let me have. I think I was about 20 when Peter let me have that guitar. I met Peter when I was in Skid Row, and we opened for [Fleetwood Mac] at a place called the National Stadium, in Dublin, which is an old boxing place. He was my hero by then, obviously, and he came up to me and told me he liked my playing. So I was very excited – and flattered.
After the show, we sat up half the night playing guitar together. We became friends. He got his manager, Clifford Davis, to bring Skid Row to England.
He left the band not long after that, and I was in the Marquee one night and ran into him. He asked me if I’d like to borrow his guitar. To me, that was the Les Paul to have. I went to his parents’ house the next day to pick it up, and he called me a few days later and asked what I thought. I said, “It’s an amazing guitar!” Then he asked if I’d like to buy it. I told him there was no way I could afford it, and he said “Just sell your guitar, and whatever you get, you can give to me, and it’ll be like swapping guitars, because I want it to have a good home.”
I had the SG at the time, and I sold it for about £160, and he wouldn’t even take that much; he wanted to take just what he paid for it; about £110-120, which wasn’t a lot of money, but it wasn’t about the money. I told him if he ever wanted it back, all he had to do was tell me. So I played that for many years. It’s so special; like no other instrument I’ve ever played. He turned the neck pickup around, which is how he got that funky, out-of-phase sound.
I used google and typed in "Thin Lizzy gear" and found this...
link to Brian Robertson's gear (circa 1974)
(link removed)
link to bio of Scott Gorham
http://www.rocklegend.thin-lizzy.com/bio-sgorham.htm
Gary Moore said this on vintageguitar.com...
What were you playing during your two associations with Lynott in Thin Lizzy?
The Les Paul Peter Green let me have. I think I was about 20 when Peter let me have that guitar. I met Peter when I was in Skid Row, and we opened for [Fleetwood Mac] at a place called the National Stadium, in Dublin, which is an old boxing place. He was my hero by then, obviously, and he came up to me and told me he liked my playing. So I was very excited – and flattered.
After the show, we sat up half the night playing guitar together. We became friends. He got his manager, Clifford Davis, to bring Skid Row to England.
He left the band not long after that, and I was in the Marquee one night and ran into him. He asked me if I’d like to borrow his guitar. To me, that was the Les Paul to have. I went to his parents’ house the next day to pick it up, and he called me a few days later and asked what I thought. I said, “It’s an amazing guitar!” Then he asked if I’d like to buy it. I told him there was no way I could afford it, and he said “Just sell your guitar, and whatever you get, you can give to me, and it’ll be like swapping guitars, because I want it to have a good home.”
I had the SG at the time, and I sold it for about £160, and he wouldn’t even take that much; he wanted to take just what he paid for it; about £110-120, which wasn’t a lot of money, but it wasn’t about the money. I told him if he ever wanted it back, all he had to do was tell me. So I played that for many years. It’s so special; like no other instrument I’ve ever played. He turned the neck pickup around, which is how he got that funky, out-of-phase sound.
geddyleedog
Tele-Holic
Hey ThinLizzy, Geyser is probably correct, you would be better served with a Les Paul. Having said that my band was also doing Jail Break and I used my Tele and a Keeley modded Boss DS-1 with the distortion knob set at 11:00 through a clean amp. It worked for me. Nice and thick.
Tim Swartz
Friend of Leo's
geddyleedog said:
To me, there is no substitute for a Les Paul and an old school Marshall.
JohnnyCrash
Doctor of Teleocity
TUBE AMP!
First thing I would do... get rid of the Marshall MG and go for a Marshall Tube amp. The tube amp will get you most of the way towards the right direction.
1. All Tube Marshall (or EL84 Power Tube based amp).
2. Les Paul (or Les Paul Deluxe).
3. Celestion Greenback Speakers (G12M models).
Going ON A BUDGET? A Marshall Combo and/or Les Paul is pretty expensive.
1. Peavey Classic 30 (new or used).
2. Les Paul COPY.
3. Install good pickups.
First thing I would do... get rid of the Marshall MG and go for a Marshall Tube amp. The tube amp will get you most of the way towards the right direction.
1. All Tube Marshall (or EL84 Power Tube based amp).
2. Les Paul (or Les Paul Deluxe).
3. Celestion Greenback Speakers (G12M models).
Going ON A BUDGET? A Marshall Combo and/or Les Paul is pretty expensive.
1. Peavey Classic 30 (new or used).
2. Les Paul COPY.
3. Install good pickups.
i see, damn i wish my dad dint sell his gibson LP, i just think gibson guitars are a crazy price so there is no way id buy one, my dad didnt think they were that good either, just the name you pay for. i quite fancy an epiphone les paul though, they are decently priced and look just as nice, anybody know how they match up to a gibson?
JohnnyCrash
Doctor of Teleocity
Epiphones are evil.
Epiphones are pure garbage.
I'm not sure if they're still made by Samick or whoever.
Gibsons are very, very good guitars.
Every Epi I owned, I sold - they are terrible. I have owned many guitars over the years, I can't believe Epi is still in business.
Epiphones are pure garbage.
I'm not sure if they're still made by Samick or whoever.
Gibsons are very, very good guitars.
Every Epi I owned, I sold - they are terrible. I have owned many guitars over the years, I can't believe Epi is still in business.
Re: Epiphones are evil.
All the ones I've played were great except the Les Paul Standard that I tried. I dont think I'm never getting rid of my Epi LP Custom unless I NEED to, I havent played anything else in the same price range that I've liked more. If you do plan on getting a new valve amp, I WOULDNT recommend getting a Fender HRDx, great clean but the overdrive sucks!
JohnnyCrash said:
All the ones I've played were great except the Les Paul Standard that I tried. I dont think I'm never getting rid of my Epi LP Custom unless I NEED to, I havent played anything else in the same price range that I've liked more. If you do plan on getting a new valve amp, I WOULDNT recommend getting a Fender HRDx, great clean but the overdrive sucks!
JohnnyCrash
Doctor of Teleocity
Guit and Amp together = 100%
I'm not a guitar snob and I am NOT saying _tom_ has low standards... so please do not take offense anyone
From *MY* experience ('58 Epi Explorer, LP, and SG - bolt on and set neck varieties, etc) the solid body Epis are TRASH... the Semi-Hollowbodies on the other hand are OK - for their price range (this is perhaps what _tom_ is referring to).
FOR REFERENCE:
I've OWNED Gibson USA, Gibson Custom Shop, Fender (US, MIM, and Asian), Epi, Jackson, Ibanez, Johnson, Kima, Squier, and on and on.
I've done WORK on Metal, Blues (new and old), Country, Rock, and so on. I ain't rich, but I can pay my bills (barely).
As far as GEAR, I build single ended Class A tube amps (I take custom orders), as well as use commercially available amps (mainly Marshall and Fender). I also repair, upgrade, and modify my guitars and amps.
PICKUP SWAP
Swapping the pickups will give you an *approximately* closer sound to what your aiming at - I definitely recommend replacing the pots, jack, and switch as well...
EVEN THEN, the wood is poor quality (yes, wood quality even among the same species can vary - wood is not wood), the hardware is extremely cheap (nut, bridges, etc), and the craftsmenship (frets, tuner bushings, etc) is poor as well. Cheap Squier Fenders excel the quality AND craftsmenship - so this should give you an idea of where the Epis sit!
AMP:
If you can get an EL34 power tube based amp this will be a start - a Marshall would be your best bet.
Otherwise a semi-"british" voiced amp will be a close approximation as well... that's why I recommended the Peavey Classic 30 - it's cheap and "british"... although it's more along the lines of an Orange amp flavor (a little brighter than a Marshall, and EL84 instead of EL34).
BUT, for a small budget you can get pretty close
I'm not a guitar snob and I am NOT saying _tom_ has low standards... so please do not take offense anyone
From *MY* experience ('58 Epi Explorer, LP, and SG - bolt on and set neck varieties, etc) the solid body Epis are TRASH... the Semi-Hollowbodies on the other hand are OK - for their price range (this is perhaps what _tom_ is referring to).
FOR REFERENCE:
I've OWNED Gibson USA, Gibson Custom Shop, Fender (US, MIM, and Asian), Epi, Jackson, Ibanez, Johnson, Kima, Squier, and on and on.
I've done WORK on Metal, Blues (new and old), Country, Rock, and so on. I ain't rich, but I can pay my bills (barely).
As far as GEAR, I build single ended Class A tube amps (I take custom orders), as well as use commercially available amps (mainly Marshall and Fender). I also repair, upgrade, and modify my guitars and amps.
PICKUP SWAP
Swapping the pickups will give you an *approximately* closer sound to what your aiming at - I definitely recommend replacing the pots, jack, and switch as well...
EVEN THEN, the wood is poor quality (yes, wood quality even among the same species can vary - wood is not wood), the hardware is extremely cheap (nut, bridges, etc), and the craftsmenship (frets, tuner bushings, etc) is poor as well. Cheap Squier Fenders excel the quality AND craftsmenship - so this should give you an idea of where the Epis sit!
AMP:
If you can get an EL34 power tube based amp this will be a start - a Marshall would be your best bet.
Otherwise a semi-"british" voiced amp will be a close approximation as well... that's why I recommended the Peavey Classic 30 - it's cheap and "british"... although it's more along the lines of an Orange amp flavor (a little brighter than a Marshall, and EL84 instead of EL34).
BUT, for a small budget you can get pretty close
If you do get an Epi or Tokai etc.. I would get BareKnuckle Pickups. They are from the UK so might be expensive for you guys in the US. www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk . . I have the Mule and I love it
JohnnyCrash
Doctor of Teleocity
NO!
I'd avoid Epi's like they are the plague... because they are.
Try eBay for "Orvilles". They were Gibson's stab at asian manufacturing of the Gibson trademark. Closed up in the 90s I believe. Great Gibson copies... IDK if "copy" is the right word
Check Hamer's prices as well... ANYTHING, BUT EPIs!!!!
Shop around!
Get the flat top Les Paul Specials, or anything NON-Epi!!!
I'd avoid Epi's like they are the plague... because they are.
Try eBay for "Orvilles". They were Gibson's stab at asian manufacturing of the Gibson trademark. Closed up in the 90s I believe. Great Gibson copies... IDK if "copy" is the right word
Check Hamer's prices as well... ANYTHING, BUT EPIs!!!!
Shop around!
Get the flat top Les Paul Specials, or anything NON-Epi!!!
OaklandA
Friend of Leo's
I have an Agile LP copy with SD 59's in it that is pretty darn close to the real deal. Very high quality for the price. Much better than an Epi, IMO, and for less too.
.
.
Oster
Friend of Leo's
Thin Lizzy
Old thread but I have to jump in. I'm a big Thin Lizzy fan.
FWIW, I played a Thin Lizzy tribute show a few years back (we did mellower, Soulfull stuff like Dancing In The Moonlight, Sweet Marie & Old Flame). We had teles in that band.
LPs are definitely the Lizzy sound, esp. harmonized LPs. Gibsons are indeed expensive - worth every cent I'd say - but expensive. I would avoid Epiphone (unless it's an old, real Epi). You'd only be prolonging the yearning for a Gibson.
Here's what I'd do: Keep the love of Thin Lizzy alive in your playing and in your sound but do it on your Tele. A tele is, as many here would agree, a very versatile guitar.
If you want a fatter sound, trade around for a 'Fat Tele' (or one with a neck humbucker). Best of both worlds: LP and Twang.
Good Luck!
Old thread but I have to jump in. I'm a big Thin Lizzy fan.
FWIW, I played a Thin Lizzy tribute show a few years back (we did mellower, Soulfull stuff like Dancing In The Moonlight, Sweet Marie & Old Flame). We had teles in that band.
LPs are definitely the Lizzy sound, esp. harmonized LPs. Gibsons are indeed expensive - worth every cent I'd say - but expensive. I would avoid Epiphone (unless it's an old, real Epi). You'd only be prolonging the yearning for a Gibson.
Here's what I'd do: Keep the love of Thin Lizzy alive in your playing and in your sound but do it on your Tele. A tele is, as many here would agree, a very versatile guitar.
If you want a fatter sound, trade around for a 'Fat Tele' (or one with a neck humbucker). Best of both worlds: LP and Twang.
Good Luck!
I suppose what you could do is go to a store and play some different guitars to see which you play the best on etc and which sound best to you both unplugged and plugged in. I went and played a PRS Santana SEII earlier and was amazed how much easier it was to play than my LP..just need to get the cash to pay for one now
GopherTele
Tele-Afflicted
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2003
- Posts
- 1,218
Harmony guitar parts--need a Boss HR-2
In case no one has mentioned it yet, harmony guitar parts (usually in thirds if memory serves) were one of the trademark sounds of TL.
A Boss HR-2 will do the trick quite nicely.
You can hear the cool harmony bits in most of their big tunes.
They are relatively cheap and will give you a lot more bang for the TL buck than worrying about which humbucker pups you install.
In case no one has mentioned it yet, harmony guitar parts (usually in thirds if memory serves) were one of the trademark sounds of TL.
A Boss HR-2 will do the trick quite nicely.
You can hear the cool harmony bits in most of their big tunes.
They are relatively cheap and will give you a lot more bang for the TL buck than worrying about which humbucker pups you install.
