"Thrash" guitar tone?

[lolgreg]

Out of sheer curiousity...

EZDFH for drums.

"Secret weapon" (ahha) for guitars. No eq, no compression, just a low cut @130 hz.

Is this tone bad?
Is this tone good, if so:
How much would you pay to get this tone?
I'll tell you where to find it (minus what's in the fingers, of course).

-Greg

[brandondrury]

The tone is unique. It doesn't sound like Primus, but it has that weirdness that a band like Primus could use.


This doesn't strike me as what I would call a "thrash" sound. It kind of reminds me of my Marshall but not cranked enough to get the power tubes really working. I guess we could call this low gain. I would want more harmonic content in there. I don't feel like there is enough harmonic junk in the upper mids.

It needs to be said that you are asking us about the way you set your tone controls on your amp. This is 100% subjective to each and unique to each and ever guitar player. I don't hear any obvious flaws in trackiing it.

If this is the sound of the "band", this is the sound of the band. The sound works. This sound should be serving some kind of music and that is why little shootouts and stuff are sometimes of limited use because they don't provide any real musical energy to speak of. They are just a riff or just a guitar sound. The "meaning" behind the music is what makes the engineering work.

So this isn't my ideal guitar sound, but with the write music it could work.

Brandon

[lolgreg]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

So this isn't my ideal guitar sound, but with the write music it could work.

Brandon

It actually happens to be a BOSS GT-8. I was wondering if anyone would ask "is it DI'd."

-Greg

[brandondrury]

It didn't sound DI'd. You passed that test. I sounded like an old Marshall that wasn't working hard enough. (That's the sound that the Boogie guys hate and the reason for the anti-Marshall tendencies).

Brandon

[devin516]

Is that a drum loop sample, or self recorded?

[lolgreg]

Originally Posted by devin516

Is that a drum loop sample, or self recorded?

EZDFH, program. It's a programmed track.

-Greg

[adorian]

I've actually heard something like this on some lower budget thrash bands from the 80s, can't come up with the exact name, maybe it was one of the German thrashers like Virus or Mekong Delta, the C-list of German thrash
I don't really like it as it is quite bland and saying it is close to a Marshall amp sound is an insult to Marshall. To me it sounds more like a Boss Metalzone via a Roland Jazz Chorus with the mic on the dull (away from center) position.

[brandondrury]

saying it is close to a Marshall amp sound is an insult to Marshall.

Well, you haven't heard the Marshalls I've heard. Not all of them sound like Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, or Zakk Wylde. I think a good Marshall is the best amp out there. A bad Marshall is bad. If you aren't aware of these, I'm not sure what to tell you. They are out there. I think it's fair insult Marshall some because of their shitty products just as it's fine to glorify Marshall for their amazing products.

Find a guitar forum where they get into the big Marshall vs Boogie fight and they'll bring up this C-list metal sound. I guarantee it.

Brandon

[adorian]

Brandon - maybe you're talking about the solid state Marshall HDGFX or whatever new crap they've been putting out?
Only bad Marshall I've heard was a JCM800 that was just too tame. Wouldn't call it "bad" but wouldn't record thrash metal with it, now a ballad on the other hand...

[brandondrury]

I'm a big Marshall fan so don't get the wrong idea. I've never really been a "Boogie guy" and I don't think I've ever be a Recitifier guy.

In my experience some Marshalls take more work to get the modern tones out of them but the results are more rewarding when you do. A lot of Marshalls have a way of sounding like Twised Sister's "I Wanna Rock". This is not a tone I've ever personally desired and I can't recall anyone wanting that sound. I think it sums up not-so-good Marshall sound.

I think the JCM 800 is one of the better Marshalls made. I wish I could afford one. It's a mean amp. The 2203 is the one to get, from what I hear. They often need a bit of gain sent to them in front of the amp (this is what Zakk Wylde did for years and may still do).

My 1971 100 watt Superlead is a bit tame for thrash without proper tweaking and cranking (no gain knob). While the tone can get a bit "spongy" which isn't usually good for most modern metal it can get mean as hell if you know what you are doing and couple it with the right cabinet.

This stuff is always tricky.

Brandon