6.6.2011 - Dave's Sound?

scorpion,

How does willie gee achieve mustaines tone with a digitech gsp1101 or axe fx?

-Ezekiel
New York City

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Hi Ezekiel, I caught up with Willie G today and this is what he had to say about your question...

HMM!!!

Well, if he is using WHICH unit we use, Dave has been using the Fractal Audio Systems Axe FX Ultra exclusively for almost a year now. Prior to that, we used the Digitech GSP1101 since about 2007.

Dave's sound has alwasy been based around a Marshall or "Marshall type" amp (meaning a pretty high-gain tube head with EL34 power tubes) with maybe an overdrive pedal giving it a slight "push". To get Dave's tone with a preamp like the Axe FX, we use amplifier simulations that are based on amps like the Marshall JCM 800 or modded "Marshall types" like the "Marsha" amp, and add a touch of overdrive pedal (such as a TS808 or ProCo Rat overdrive, with the level dialed up a bit and the drive/distortion barely on), and a bit of boosting of midrange frequencies using parametric EQ. That's pretty much the whole key to it - getting a good, British-type amp sound, driving a bit harder at the input with a gain-boosting device, and tweaking the sound for a bit more "teeth" in the midrange with EQ. You could do it with graphic as well, but I've had better luck with parametric eq-ing.

Same thing with the other units Dave's used ...just pick a good, high-gain amp type, add a touch of drive from "Tube Screamer" or whatever overdrive it has, and a bit of judicious midrange tweaking to accentuate the midrange (NEVER "scoop out" the mids!) and you should be in the ballpark! A lot of the punch in Dave's tone also comes from using a pretty hefty string gauge, tuned to standard, A440 tuning...Dave uses a light top/heavy bottom set, .010 to .052.

Hope this helps!

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