software

OK here is one that may be tough to answer... Me being a fan of Pete Townshend and The Who i sometimes really want to copy some of the neat sounds he has come up with....

The 1978 tune Who Are You has a pretty cool backing track that most people think is a synth..... well it is and it is not at the same time.... The backing synth sound is an electric guitar with an EBOW.. the signal is then put thru the filter section of some of Petes 70's synths and then into a guitar amp... Part of the synth effect is an ON OFF type effect that i can copy with a Boss Tremelo pedal... On Who Are You they pan it left and right in the mix... That pedal does it very well to turn the guitar on and off in same pattern... The Ebow is used to keep a constent ringing string going with no pick attack..

But the trouble is getting some of the filter sounds that came from Pete's Synth Effects unit.... I can get close to some of the sound by adding a flanger and/or a phaser to some degree.... I'm wondering if the Moog Moogerfooger thingy may help get the sound.... is there any more common and cheaper effects that are out there that may help get me closer to that sound?

WhoFan

PS -I was happy as hell that i found a way of copying Townshends guitar synth sound on 1971's Going Mobile.... For that solo he had also sent his guitar thru his ARP synth.. I can get dam close to that strange tone with a new Ibanez Auto Wah and Boss Flanger.... Harder i pick the more it sounds like Pete's sound on that...

THe three thing I can think of are:
-One of the Moog effects
-Electro Harmonix Micro Synth/one of their other crazy pedals
-Envelope Filter

Infact it's probably going to go: Ebow - Tremolo - Envelope Filter - Moog/EHx.

The ramping tremolo will trigger the quot;wahquot; from the envelope filter which will get filtered to the synthy overtones by the next pedal.

Check out musician's friend for clips of a while slew of mainstream pedals. There are some boutique pedals that might do it all in one, but I'm not familiar with them at all.


Originally Posted by PFDarksideTHe three thing I can think of are:
-One of the Moog effects
-Electro Harmonix Micro Synth/one of their other crazy pedals
-Envelope Filter

Infact it's probably going to go: Ebow - Tremolo - Envelope Filter - Moog/EHx.

The ramping tremolo will trigger the quot;wahquot; from the envelope filter which will get filtered to the synthy overtones by the next pedal.

Check out musician's friend for clips of a while slew of mainstream pedals. There are some boutique pedals that might do it all in one, but I'm not familiar with them at all.

Thanks.

WhoFan

Check out Z. Vex ooh wah or seek wah. Both sound incredible. I was thinking quot;relayquot; when I demo'd one in a store.

the Boss VF-1 and GT-x units have a sound called a slicer- this will do it. Also, the Line6 Filter modeler pedal (FM4) will do it too.
Pete didn't have his ARP guitar synth that early- he processed his sound through the filter section of an ARP 2600 synth. I don't think it was an Ebow on Who Are You either, since even a processed Ebow sound is nothing like that. It was too early anyway, since he started work on that song in 1971- there were no Ebows then.

Off the subject, have you seen Pete's custom shop Les Paul? It's wine red, a deluxe, with a standard humbucker (DiMarzio Dual sound) in the middle. Bet it sounds excellent.


Originally Posted by hackerCheck out Z. Vex ooh wah or seek wah. Both sound incredible. I was thinking quot;relayquot; when I demo'd one in a store.

Cool... That is yet another tune that has some pretty cool effects on the guitar....

WhoFan


Originally Posted by Mincerthe Boss VF-1 and GT-x units have a sound called a slicer- this will do it. Also, the Line6 Filter modeler pedal (FM4) will do it too.
Pete didn't have his ARP guitar synth that early- he processed his sound through the filter section of an ARP 2600 synth. I don't think it was an Ebow on Who Are You either, since even a processed Ebow sound is nothing like that. It was too early anyway, since he started work on that song in 1971- there were no Ebows then.

Thanks for the Boss and Line 6 tips.... I know Pete didn't have an ARP Guitar Synth but i do know he used the filter section of his ARP 2600 on a few Who tunes. Later in 1979 for Rough Boys he did use a Roland guitar synth

As far as the EBOW goes they were out in the early 70's... Genesis used them on The Lamb.... and maybe eariler albums like Selling England By The Pound... It is on some Bowie stuff too. It has been said in interviews that the EBOW was used on the Who Are You backing track... To let the string have a constant ring while the Effects did most of the work..

It is also said Pete almost had a break down trying to get the backing track just right for this tune.

WhoFan


Originally Posted by Slash2987Off the subject, have you seen Pete's custom shop Les Paul? It's wine red, a deluxe, with a standard humbucker (DiMarzio Dual sound) in the middle. Bet it sounds excellent.

Ya i have seen that on Gibsons web site.... It is an exact copy of the Les Paul Deluxe Pete throws around at the end of Won't Get Fooled Again in the Kids Are Alright Movie... That wine LP quot;number 1quot; he has hung onto all these years and is said to be the only one he has left from his 70's Who gear. It had been damaged and repaired a few times... It was beat up in the Kids movie and smashed the following year at a Brighton 1979 Who show and repaired. The custom shop copies of this guitar say they have a Custom neck profile... i had heard all of Pete's Les Paul Deluxe's had their necks reshaped and refinnished by his techs when they were brand new guitars. But i also wonder if the custom neck shape is from all the repairs...

In a 1979 interview were Pete is talking about the mods to his Les Pauls he said he has no idea why he adds the middle Dimarzio dual sound humbucker and the 2 extra switches. He says he almost never uses them but likes the way they look. He started doing that in 1976 on Moons last tour... but a smashed Les Paul goldtop that Tom Wheeler from Guitar Player owns has a middle humbucker and is said to of been smashed on the 1973 Quad tour... Yet i have never seen any photos of Pete on stage with the modded LP's before the spring 76 tour...

WhoFan

ps here is a link to the Gibson Custom Shop PT Les Paul.....

from : localhost/imagine they are dam expensive..... too expensive for an LP Deluxe....

PS-What i find weird about the PT Signature LP Deluxe is the 1st fret inlay..... 1970's Les Paul Deluxes didn't have a first fret inlay......

WhoFan

So, what did you choose and how close does it come?


Originally Posted by PFDarksideSo, what did you choose and how close does it come?

Nothing yet.... I have been not willing to order any over the net and want to get down to Toronto for some effect samples and a few good stores.... Trying in person i'll be able to hear what i want

WhoFan