Eddie's guitar sound on the VH3 tour

**Ashe** · 08.21.02, 10:06 PM

When I went to the VH3 tour a while back, noticed his guitar sounded very different than past tours. Then, today I was listening to the radio broadcast that I taped from that tour. I was thinking, "Whoa, that sound is so much more raw than past tours with Sammy." I love his concert sound from the 3 Tour. I also remember that he didn't use a wireless unit on that tour. Maybe that had something to do with it. Anyone else wonder about this?

I know, I'm bored.

**JMJ** · 08.21.02, 11:19 PM

a big part of that sound was from the copper picks he used

JMJ

**homeunit** · 08.21.02, 11:45 PM

I absolutly hated his live tone on that tour.

It sounded like someone killing a cat with a chainsaw.

I was hoping that he would have evolved the Balance tone. It would have been cool to hear it without all the goop on.

I've heard a lot of other guys who liked the 3 tour tone but not I.

**JMJ** · 08.21.02, 11:53 PM

Originally posted by homeunit:
I absolutly hated his live tone on that tour.

It sounded like someone killing a cat with a chainsaw.

I was hoping that he would have evolved the Balance tone. It would have been cool to hear it without all the goop on.

I've heard a lot of other guys who liked the 3 tour tone but not I.

the boots sound way different from the live show...even the SB ones

JMJ

**Romeo Delight** · 08.22.02, 01:04 AM

He was road testing the 5150II on that tour wasn't he? It has a more Marshall-like tone than the original 5150 I believe - that probably has something to do with it. Also, he dropped the thick chorus effects on the 3 tour that he had back in the Sammy days. That would have taken away some of the fatness of his sound.

I actually liked the tone - at the show I saw anyway - it was really raw sounding - a bit like the tone of the early days.

**VHND** · 08.22.02, 03:33 AM

I can't really compare because I didn't see the Balance tour live, but Eddie's tone on the VH3 tour was just about as good as it gets IMO.

I don't know what it sounded like live, but I thought Eddie's tone on the Balance tour (listening to the Toronto PPV) was *way* over processed. It sounded like it was going through so much processing that it ended up being nothing like what a guitar should sound like.

**homeunit** · 08.22.02, 03:33 AM

[quote]Originally posted by JMJ:

the boots sound way different from the live show...even the SB ones

JMJ

That may be it because it didn't sound anything like a marshall to me and I use one.

**Raldo** · 08.22.02, 04:41 AM

I really didn't care for Eddie's sound on the III tour. It was weird because it sounded really raw yet it sounded like it was missing something. Hard to explain but just my observation.

**Halenizer** · 08.22.02, 04:43 AM

Originally posted by Ashe:
When I went to the VH3 tour a while back, noticed his guitar sounded very different than past tours. Then, today I was listening to the radio broadcast that I taped from that tour. I was thinking, "Whoa, that sound is so much more raw than past tours with Sammy." I love his concert sound from the 3 Tour. I also remember that he didn't use a wireless unit on that tour. Maybe that had something to do with it. Anyone else wonder about this?

I know, I'm bored.

You are exactly right! Eddie tone was great on the VH3 tour. Wireless units color your tone big time! That cable he is using is thick 16 gauge instead of the normal 20 gauge guitar cables you can buy in a store. I have a 16 gauge cable and cant believe the difference it has( more lowend). I remember recording the 10 Spot Special on MTV and noticed his tone was raw(like the old days). I can't wait to hear his sound again (whenever that will be).

**JMJ** · 08.22.02, 05:14 AM

trust me on this, the sound live was incredibly different from the bootlegs, big time. the bootlegs sound very "harsh" and "rough". live, the songs sounded raw and ballsy if you will

on that tour, they did have a sound comparable to their old days..loud, deep, raw, pounding, hard, it was all there...you just can't hear it in the boots, even the good ones. but that's just my opinion

actually, let me add something here...

if you listen to a SB boot from that tour, like the one from PA..try playing with the eq a bit. turn down the treble so it's a bit lower than the bass...that will get you close to what it sounded like live. you could hear al and mike big time live, they were thunderous. on that cd especially, you can see what i mean on mean street and dance the night away, along with humans being.
JMJ

[ August 22, 2002, 05:16 AM: Message edited by: JMJ ]

**subway** · 08.22.02, 05:18 AM

Eddie sounded fucking awesome when I saw him at Madison Square Garden in May of 1998. Best guitar sound since 1984 Tour.

At least the VH3 lineup respected the tone of old!

**cyberfiddl** · 08.22.02, 05:26 AM

Fair Warning had the best tone, VH1 the rawest tone. The VH3 live tones were good yet generic.

**Ashe** · 08.22.02, 08:03 AM

Well, all I know is that "Somebody Get Me a Doctor" sounded soooo badass on the 3 Tour. That part in the song where you think its over, then it starts up again. I love it. Eddie's guitar sound was awesome on that. It actually did sound like the early albums. Sort of like he was plugging straight into the amps, instead of going through a lot of effects.

**Brett** · 08.22.02, 09:48 AM

I thought they VH3 live tone was his rawest since 1984, if not before that! He dumped all that processor garbage and was running very few effects period. There was a period of time where his tone was so muddled in processor grease that it almost didn't sound like Ed anymore. His "Balance" tone live sucked I thought, and I liked his sound on that album. The 3 tour was a welcome return to a raw tone.

**willy4pres** · 08.22.02, 09:57 AM

It's funny how us Guitar Player type's always inevatably end up adding more and more to our sound to try and get what's playing in our head, but the people listening always prefer the straight ahead sound of guitar to amp, period.

If I havent picked up a guitar in a while I always prefer the direct approach, as I continue playing I add more and more until the sound eventually turns me off.