Was watching JB at Ronnie Scots and saw that he used the JTM 45 over the DSL 50.. Found a Youtube video of his tech saying that he was using them now.. but.. Does anyone know what was altered on them compared to stock?
The guy is fantastic. I saw him in Chicago. He's in really good shape. He could play through an Orange Tiny Terror and still make me smile.
Sup. I saw him during the "Who Else!" tour (he was backed up by Jennifer Batten and others). It's all Beck. I also spied a Vintage Modern in the background on the Ronnie Scot DVD.
Saw him on Claptons "Crossroads" and then heard about the Park West show. My youngest sister and her husband live in Chi-Town and we all went. What a great place to see Jeff Beck. Jeff Beck: The great British guitarist routinely surrounds himself with virtuoso talent spanning generations, including Australian bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, who caused quite a stir with her mighty playing at the Crossroads Festival in 2007 at Toyota Park. Beck remains a master of six-string ecstasy, his finger tips conjuring an array of effects-free tones and textures that lift the imagination and spirit, Thursday-Friday at Park West, 322 W. Armitage, $90. APRIL 2009
I recorded a recent show of his from the PLADIA channel(satellite) at some small exclusive club. He was using a vintage/modern in that show..had a really young female bass player that rocked! His guitar playing was tremendous, extremely original...and totally inspirational..there are guitar players, and then there is Jeff Beck..brilliant..
See aforementioned Australian bassist Tal Wilkenfeld. She just turned 24. Has a big jazz recording contract. Hot bassist, hot looking.
Yea Marty..hot for sure..but I thought she was much younger..like barely 18! Now that I know she is of age I can comment on how nice her one boob looked poking through her shirt directly above her Fender guitar!
Good eye! I posted that same vid on the Backstage and right away I had several guys point that out. Ain't it funny how a guy will notice that. Yeah, she looks young for her age, but she "is" of age. Carry on.
Yep...this is the same show that both of you are referring too. And...unless I'm mistaken, the VMs were the only amps with the lights one. I did see the 45s, but I think he was pretty much playing through the VMs. I could be mistaken...wouldn't be the first time, but I do pay attention to stuff like that. Kind of a sound geek when it comes to checking out how someone as good as Jeff Beck is getting his tone.
Actually, He used the JTM 45 for all but one of the songs at Ronnie Scotts on that video .. Heres a Youtube video with his amp tech Steve Prior who mentions he is using the JTM 45, but I was wondering if he changed anything from stock.. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wg-9WrMxf8[/ame]
1993: 'When we go into the studio we'll take a selection of guitars and amps, but nine times out of ten he'll use a Jeff Beck Signature model and a Fender Twin Reverb - The Twin. At the moment for gigs with the Playboys he's using a new Bassman and no effects - the man's like a walking effects unit anyway!' 2003: BluesQuest.com: Well, the sounds that you come up with are just mind-blowing sometimes. I don’t even understand where the tone is coming from. You don’t use effects? Beck: All I’ve got is an A/B switch, a single switch, which kicks in the distort channel. It adds some level and distortion. The other position is off. In other words, it goes to a clean channel. For certain things where you have chords in E, you can’t have too much fizz. And for clean…some figures that I play, little chops, they’re like early Stax soul, like Steve Cropper. And he would never use distortion. A lot of people think that Jimi (Hendrix) used a lot of distortion, but a lot of his records are very beautiful: clean, pure tone. Although he’s got the power and the sustain, it was clean. BluesQuest.com: What amps are you using these days? Beck: I’ve just got one head. One JCM 2000 (DSL50) head. As long as I spend time dialing in sound through the side fills on the stage, and give the front of the house guy plenty of time to dial out the nasty fizz, it’s been fine. Although I am going to change up and go back to all four cabinets and two tops (after the B.B. King tour), ’cause that’s not for B.B. They went berserk on me ’cause it was too loud on stage at one point. And I just went, ‘OK, if I turn it down, I don’t get the fatness and the importance of the sound. It just disappears into a country sound,’ (laughs) which is fine if you’re playing country. But if you want powerful attack to replace a 20-piece band, you need to be louder. Have the capacity to be loud. BluesQuest.com: So you don’t use a wah pedal or anything? Beck: Yeah, I’ve got a Snarling Dog wah. That’s a radical pedal. I mean it’s one or two steps further than any wah pedal ever known. It’s got an active circuit, as opposed to just a battery-powered toggle pot. So it kicks in a lot more dB and a lot more sweep and a lot more depth variable in the wah-wah itself. You can preset it so it won’t take your head off, which is good. I’ve seen guys play it in a bar where it’s time to leave the building. As Eric Clapton once said, "With Jeff, it’s all in his hands". Along with Fender Stratocasters, Beck occasionally plays Fender Telecaster and Gibson Les Paul models as well. His amplifiers are primarily by Fender and a Marshall JCM2000 DSL 50s. In his earlier days with the Yardbirds, Beck also used a Fender Esquire guitar through Vox AC30s. 2009: Jeff Beck Congrats to VM user and living legend Jeff Beck on his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over the weekend! JB isnt using those DSL 50w anymore..it looks like he's gone back to older 50w heads. Is he using early metalfaced 1987....or plexi JTM 50...or JTM 45 ?????? Just answered my own Q....he's back to JTM 45's! Check this out...amp talk with his tech: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wg-9WrMxf8[/ame] Present: Jeff uses Channing amps these days! Channing CL45 (Jeff Beck’s amp) 45-watt, 2 EL34/6L6*, fixed bias, all tube amplifier. KILLER AMPS! Jeff Beck with Channing Amps: Channing CL45 (Jeff Beck’s amp) $2950 SRP 45-watt, 2 EL34/6L6*, fixed bias, all tube amplifier Features: 2 pre-amp channels (normal, bright), tube rectifier**, Mercury Magnetics transformers, custom Unified Turret Board™ construction, 2-pan chassis design for maximum pre-amp shielding, top quality cabinetry and appointments, optional international voltage select power entry module (North America, UK, Europe). *Bias can be adjusted for KT66, KT77, 5881, EL34, 6CA7(Jeff uses EL34’s)**Solid state rectifier available as an option
Great Rundown Marty! What its all really about, is a good basic tone, and a great mind and set of hands dont hurt at all either.. People spend gad's of time and money, trying to clone or knock off certian players tone by trying to choose the exact same setup and gear. When in accuality, 95% of there tone comes from there hands and talent.. Later last year I was checking out Robin Trowers later album ( CD ) "What Lies Beneath" ,it comes with a little booklet that discribes his feelings on each peticular day he was working on individual songs, and the size amp's he used on them, Very Interesting.. But for the most part, in the studio, he used very small but managable amps, of the 15-18 & 22 watt varity.. Just great basic tones, with some standard effects (for him) to add color to his own tone.. On stage, he goes back to the standard amp 1&2 thing.. Killer Cleans on one amp with a bit of Hi-Gain grind ,for texture on the other.. What can interesting, is watching two completly different but talented artist, use the same exact rig, and settings, but yet come out sounding very different. It can be like night and day..
Good stuff...great discussion...and great info. I agree. Gear is important and can help shape your sound, but it still comes down to your ability to play. I heard an interview with Ted Nugent once, where he talked about getting the chance to play through EVH's live rig. He said he was all psyched about getting Eddie's sound, but when he started playing, he just sounded like himself. He was let down. I don't know, I think Ted is pretty solid and has a cool sound of his own. I'm a big fan of coming up with my own sound instead of ripping off someone elses. That's what makes guitar players cool. We all have something of our own that makes us unique.
Having just purchased a new JTM 45 reissue, I am more concerned with what area JB and his tech might have identified as weak in the stock amp (like the Sovtek 5881/6L6WGC's or Marshall factory preamp tubes.... did he change them?) and just wonder what he swapped out if anything....
I've never heard of a celebrity guitarist using stock tubes. They have hoards of tubes and the money to buy them. If he is using 5881's, they damn sure aren't Sovtek's, probably Sylvania's or Tung-Sol (real NOS Tung-Sol). Preamp tubes are probably one's that he has settled on over the years. Mullard, Amperex or Telefunken. If you notice one of my prior posts, it looks as if he has switched amps again.
**Yes, and this is why I have a big problem with that 'amp modeling paradigm'..I sincerely think the greatest asset of any artistic pursuit is that of originality..this is where true greatness lies..
