Stevie Ray Vaughan Discussion

[Blind Melon Chitlin]

TTrahan: Jesus Christ! What did you do to that poor guitar?
If you don't mind my asking, what was wrong with it the way it was?

Sure I'll admit to trashing a guitar when I was in high school, but it was a Harmony and I only paid $30 for it. The original pickups make great refridgerator magnets too! The lesson I learned was that I could get a lot more out of a musical instrument by playing it, rather than fucking it up trying to make it look cool.

As for the 'nitro vs. poly' debate, it's nitro hands down IMO. I played an '89 American standard strat for several years that had a thick poly finish. When I finally got a guitar with a nitro finish there was a world of difference. A thick coat of plastic muffels resonance resulting in a guitar that's fairly dead sounding. Guitar builders know this. Violins and cellos have almost no finish on them at all. There's a reason for that. Wood vibrates better when it doesn't have something to absorb or dampan the vibrations on it. I've heard people say "It's a solid slab of wood, all you're hearing is the electronics," but that's not true because anyone who isn't tone deaf knows that different types of wood have different tonal characteristics. ie; ash vs. alder, maple vs, rosewood, etc. A thin, hard finish allows an instrument to resonate better than a thick, elastic finish does. If applied properly, a poly finish can be as good as a nitro finish. However, most of the strats I see look like they've been dipped in a vat of liquid plastic.

Having said that, I'd rather be playing my guitar than talking about it.
_________________
The stars at night are big and bright....

[kirk95]

[Vaughanabe13]

I don't have any clips yet that accurately portray the sound. I'll keep working on it.

Anyway, I know some of you out there think I'm crazy for doing this to my strat. Keep in mind a few things:

1. My parents wouldn't let me plunk down thousands on a new guitar (I'm only 17) and I outgrew my old stock Mexican Strat (plus the frets were wearing down).

2. The only method I could see of getting a new guitar would be to build it, buying a part or two every once in awhile. I built the guitar spread out over the duration of a year, so my parents got the feeling that I wasn't really spending that much money (even though I probably ended spending thousands)

3. I've admired SRV's guitar for years, and my Mexi Strat had potential. What else was I going to do with it? Sell it? Nah, I can't bear to part with my instruments

4. I wanted a guitar that nobody else has, except for maybe a few people.

5. The guitar had to be customized to MY playing style (eg. huge strings, huge frets, high-output pickups, high action)

6. The looks I get when I take that guitar into a shop or show my friends are priceless!

This guitar really was just an introduction into the world of luthiers and guitar-building. It has become my part-time hobby now. I'm already starting my next project - lightly reliced Fender 1962 strat, lake placid blue, nitro finish, vintage specs.

Also, the SRV tone era that I was going for was the super reverbs/vibroverbs era. I liked his Marshall tone, such as Live from Austin Texas DVD, but it sounded more like Jimi than Stevie. The earlier live concerts and bootlegs were my inspiration.

Anyway, thanks for all the comments and questions guys....keep it coming

PS: My relic job started off terribly. http://www.geocities.com/vaughanabe13/projectSRVBody4.html

That pic was taken on a GOOD day. Orginally my relic job looked nothing like the real thing, but my quest for near-perfection caused me to re-sand and stain the guitar many times. Eventually it started to clean up.

[UncleSalty]

[Blind Melon Chitlin]

I really like the tone Stevie got with the double Super/double Vibroverb rig from the '83 to early '85 period.

In response to Uncle Salty's comments about SRVs tone on the live version of "Life Without You", the nasel tone you're describing is probably a Fuzz Face. You can hear it all over the '89 Austin City Limits performance, where he's using a Dumble in his rig. I really don't like the tone he'd get when he used a Fuzz Face.
_________________
The stars at night are big and bright....

[TTrahan]

The Couldn't Stand the Weather tone was great, and I believe it included alot of the Dumble SSS. I love that tone.

I should have been more specific. I like the live recorded tone of pre '83. Which would make it Vibroverbs and Super Reverbs, or anything Fender, not always, but more often than not. Also lets just say that it would be between Texas Flood and In the Beginning. The tone on In the Beginning sucked IMO, which I think is all Marshalls. ANybody know? They don't sound like Fender's to me.

I like SRV's tone when he cranked up the fenders and just played, or hit the amps with a tubescreamer (ala El Mocambo). You normally only hear the Fender setup (only fenders) on the pre Texas Flood bootlegs. That tone to me, is awesome.

I know that nasally tone that salty is talking about, my guess is that it's either two tubescreamers on at once, which would add maximum nasalage or it's a fuzzface with the guitar volume knob rolled way down. SRV didn't really use the fuzzface before In Step, so it's hard to tell.

Here's a tid bit, which some might know: I listened to an interview once where SRV said he liked Fenders for his overdrive and Marshalls for his clean, which is cool, but normally folks like it the opposite. I personally like Fenders for everything, don't like overdriven Marshalls, but love clean Marshalls.

[TTrahan]

[Vaughanabe13]

I own a fuzz face myself and those little buggers are NASTY TONE SUCKERS! Ugh, I'm trying to get rid of it but nobody will take it. lol.

I will admit though, the one song that I just love listening to from '89 Austin City Limits is TIGHTROPE! I looooove that song, and the solo is unbelievably awesome with the fuzz face.

I can get pretty much all those tones with my strat, from the "Lenny" clean to the "Tightrope" distortion, to Couldn't Stand The Weather tone.

I'm working on the whole sample thing so sit tight

[TTrahan]

What amp are you using Vaughanabe?

Just curious.

It's still hard for me to believe that one GUITAR is giving you all of these tones, LOL. Call me stubborn, but I think its gotta be your fingers/amp/guitar all at once! I guess I'm just bustin' yer chops

Have you thought about having your fuzzface modded at all? Maybe by Alf Hermida at Hermida Audio?

Have him true bypass that sucker and put some good trannies in it, you'll have a great fuzzface!

Can't wait to hear the clips.

I found this clip, thrown together 1.5-2 years ago. It's SRV Strat before I put Van Zandts in it ---> Bad Bob clean boost (you can hear this when it's turned on) ---> Vibroverb

http://www.streamload.com/Deliver/Deliver.asp?cxInstID=15488518&nodeID=82833092&returnPage=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Estreamload%2Ecom%2FNodes%2FNode%2Easp%3FcxInstID%3D15488518%26nodeID%3D2039891615

I wanted you to listen to this just to hear the amp. The playing is half ass, but it still kind of shows the tone of the amp and guitar together. I'll try and make some more to post up here sometime, I've made some significant improvements in the guitar, and not too mention my playing since then. I'm young like you so I still have room to grow.

[TTrahan]

[UncleSalty]

[TTrahan]

[Vaughanabe13]

My amp is a Peavey Classic 50 all tube, 4X10 combo (50 watter) with replaced JJ tubes from Bob at www.eurotubes.com

Don't think for a second that this amp can't keep up cause it sounds amazing, all the time. Once I took off the Peavey logo for a jam and everyone was complimenting me on my "awesome Fender Bassman."

LOL, I'm not trying to brag, but I'm sure a lot of you out there think Peavey's are crap. I'm here to tell you this is one amazing working-man's amp.

[UncleSalty]

[TTrahan]