Category: DiMarzio

2 Minutes To Powerslave Tone

2 Minutes To Powerslave Tone

Okay, not really two minutes, but I’m diggin’ “2 Minutes To Midnight” these days, so…. What gear did Iron Maiden’s Dave Murray and Adrian Smith use on Powerslave? Hold on – I guess the first question is, Is their tone woody? IMO no, but it’s the distinctive what I’d call “saturated” metal tone these guys [...]

December 8, 2011 | 2 Comments More
Gilmour’s The Wall Gear!

Gilmour’s The Wall Gear!

There’s this issue of the old, defunct but often awesome Guitar Shop mag I have that runs down Dave Gilmour’s live gear from every period of Pink Floyd. Crazy! Actually too much stuff to put in here, but I had to get something in so here we are. The thing that kick-started this post is [...]

November 8, 2011 | 0 Comments More
Calling Dr. Love: Wood!

Calling Dr. Love: Wood!

Even if you’re not a KISS fan or hate KISS or Gene Simmons or whatever, give this tune another listen – the original studio version, not the redo. Make it a loud listen. Why: > This whole album (Rock and Roll Over) has woody guitars all over it – because it was produced by Eddie [...]

August 19, 2011 | 8 Comments More
More on Ed’s Shark: Pickups, Color

More on Ed’s Shark: Pickups, Color

Seems from photos that EVH did not change the stock Destroyer pickups until sometime after he chainsawed the guitar. Since Ed constantly messed with just about everything, this is very odd. So what does it tell us? He liked the stock Super 70 pickups. Why? Probably because they were (or sounded like) a higher-output pickup. [...]

July 1, 2011 | 2 Comments More
Jeff Carlisi’s .38 Special Gear Deets

Jeff Carlisi’s .38 Special Gear Deets

Even though Ronnie Van Zant wrote and sung the line “Handguns are made for killin’, ain’t no good for nothin’ else,” his younger bro Donnie started a band that ended up being named after a handgun. And that band (.38 Special) produced some great stuff tunes in the ’80s, not all of which were the [...]

April 26, 2011 | 3 Comments More
More on the DiMarzio Super Distortion

More on the DiMarzio Super Distortion

(Part 2 of 2) From Tuesday’s post you see that Al Di Meola and Ace Frehley were big-time DiMarzio Super Distortion (DSD) users. Who else was in that club? Here’s a partial list, in no particular order: Tom Scholz (still uses) Paul Stanley (used Dual Sound, a coil-tapped DSD) Edward Van Halen (early, modified – [...]

February 24, 2011 | 1 Comment More
The Super Distortion: A Classic Rock Classic

The Super Distortion: A Classic Rock Classic

(Part 1) DiMarzio’s Super Distortion (DSD) pickup doesn’t get a lot of love these days. But it should because it contributed to a lot of classic rock tones, and still can – if you use it right. The DSD was intro’d in 1972, and was the first aftermarket replacement pickup. Its primary attribute was higher [...]

February 22, 2011 | 3 Comments More
3 Early Gary Moore Phases and Gear

3 Early Gary Moore Phases and Gear

Wow. A man dying so young and out of the blue (no apparent sickness or substance abuse) is a body blow in the guitar community. RIP Gary! Had to do a tribute of sorts. Thought for a while about what to do, here’s the result. Hope you enjoy. (Diehard Moore fans, please contribute any gear [...]

February 9, 2011 | 4 Comments More
Did Semi-Hollows Give Paul Gilbert Wood?

Did Semi-Hollows Give Paul Gilbert Wood?

A couple years ago, Paul Gilbert was favoring semi-hollow guitars. You could attribute that to him being an at-times weird dude, but turns out that’s not (entirely) why he made the change to those guitars, albeit since reversed. So why did he like semi-hollows? In a word, tone. That’s what Paul said in a Guitar [...]

January 7, 2011 | 5 Comments More
Rick Nielsen, Austin City Limits, Fuchs Amps

Rick Nielsen, Austin City Limits, Fuchs Amps

Wow! Anyone here in the U.S. catch the recent airing (re-airing?) of Cheap Trick live on Austin City Limits? Couple quick observations after watching: > Cheap Trick is a ROCK BAND. Lots of big guitar tone, great classic rock/Beatles-esque tunes, good singing – a real freakin’ band! Great to see and hear they’re still doing [...]

January 5, 2011 | 2 Comments More
Early Maiden: Murray, Smith Gear

Early Maiden: Murray, Smith Gear

What are those boxes taped to the amps? Why the F is it so tough to get definitive info on what Dave Murray and Adrian Smith used back in the early days or Iron Maiden? I have a Guitar World Guitar Legends mag dedicated to Maiden, and there isn’t a single piece of early gear [...]

December 14, 2010 | 4 Comments More
Tipton’s ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” Gear

Tipton’s ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” Gear

Cool riff, cool tune, cool lead and a WET tone. That’s what I hear and have always heard in the Judas Priest tune “Another Thing Comin’,” off 1982′s Screaming for Vengeance. While I of course know it’s a two-guitar band, I always think of the chords/riff and Glenn Tipton’s solo on this tune, hence the [...]

August 12, 2010 | 3 Comments More
Vivian Campbell’s Dio-Era Gear Details

Vivian Campbell’s Dio-Era Gear Details

Long Live Dio! \m/ \m/ As a tribute to the recent passing of Ronnie James Dio (RIP RJD), I thought it would be good to take a look back at the gear a young and fiery Vivian Campbell used on the classic early ’80s Dio albums Holy Diver and The Last in Line. Tone-wise not [...]

May 19, 2010 | 1 Comment More
Carlos Cavazo Details His Ratt Gear

Carlos Cavazo Details His Ratt Gear

Part 2: Gibson V > Tube Screamer > Soldano, Blackstar Part 1 of this WoodyTone interview with former Quiet Riot and current Ratt guitarist Carlos Cavazo was about Carlos joining the band and writing the new album. Here in part 2 it’s all about the gear details – interesting because Carlos’ Ratt tone is quite [...]

April 30, 2010 | 2 Comments More
Jake E. Lee’s Badlands Tone: Woody or Not?

Jake E. Lee’s Badlands Tone: Woody or Not?

As a kid in high school in the ’80s (early ’80s!), Jake E. Lee was on my list of favorite guitarists – another one of the seemingly endless supply of amazing, cool-looking axemen coming out of LA. I wondered how Ozzy found these guys: Were they lined up on street corners? Hanging out under palm [...]

February 5, 2010 | 2 Comments More
Dave Hlubek’s ‘Flirtin’ With Disaster’ Tone

Dave Hlubek’s ‘Flirtin’ With Disaster’ Tone

And Why Hatchet’s First Album Sounded Like Skynyrd I still love Molly Hatchet’s tune “Flirtin’ With Disaster”…and I know I’m not alone! A great song, fast tempo, some great guitar-playing, multiple leads – separated by the southern lead singer whistle which means “c’mon and play something” – harmony leads, it’s all there. Tone of the [...]

September 16, 2009 | 1 Comment More
Yngwie Can Play

Yngwie Can Play

Of course he can! But apparently there’s some doubt out there, as if all the stuff Yngwie Malmsteen does is “flash” or whatever. I’ve heard him get made fun of in some guitar and metalhead circles, and I have to wonder why. Yeah, he has been conceited over the years, but that seems to have [...]

February 10, 2009 | 1 Comment More