Billy Gibbons Lead Style

Hi Mike,

I'm having the hardest time getting the tone out of my amp that you have when playing the Billy Gibbons lead style. Can you please tell me what effects and settings you're using?

Thanks,

Bill

Hi Bill - For all my GuitarTricks tones I use guitar modelling plugins on the computer.

[br]This particular lead tone was achieved with a Marshall Plexi amp cranked up and a Tube Screamer overdrive placed in front for more gain and saturation. Any overdrive or distortion pedal in front of the amp should get you in the ballpark. I would crank up the Gain setting to around 75%, Tone to about 40 or 45%, and then the Level control to around 50 or 60%.

If you use a distortion or overdrive that has a Mid control - I would cut those to about 30%.

Let me know what gear you are using and maybe I can give a few more suggestions. Hope this helps!

Mike

Thanks Mike! Really appreciate the response.

I'm going through the computer as well. I'm using Ampitube4. I've been using either a Fender 65 Twin Reverb or a Fender 59 Baseman. Both with a Tube Screamer in front of them. I adjusted my settings to your suggestions and it has helped. Ampitube doesn't have the Marshall Pelxi amp but it does have a few of the others. Such as the JCM800, JCM900, 59 JTM100 and a few others.

Your base strings really have a great tone. Not muddy at all. Of course, I know a lot of it is coming from your fingers. :)

Thanks again!

Bill

Do you have the Marshall pack for Amplitube? If so, try the tube screamer in front of the red one --- or actually, they have a JMP-1 model in there as well - Gibbons had used that for many years. If you have the JMP, try it without the tube screamer, because you can get alot of thick gain out of it.

The Plexi isn't a model per se, it's sort of a nickname for earlier Marshall amps (late 60s, early 70s). Most Marshalls have the same character with varying degrees of preamp gain, so try any Marshall and mess around with the preamp gain, with or without the tube screamer in front to see what you can get.

Happy Tone Chasing!

Mike

Hi Mike - That did it! Amplitube has the Brit Valve Pre which is based on the JMP-1. That's the sound and I'm not using the Tube Screamer either.

Thanks for your help! You're the best.

Now if I can just get my fingers to do what you're doing I'll be all set. :)

Bill

Ha! Great stuff - have fun!

Mike