Funky Melon Man - Funk-Jazz with a Mini Rec

[KiwiJoe]

As part of my continuing quest to shatter stereotypes and show the world that the Mini Rec is an incredibly versatile amp capable of so much more than hi-gain or metal tones, I thought I'd throw in my take on Herbie Hancock's classic funk-jazz tune, "Watermelon Man" (plus a bonus cheesy 80s pop music quote!).

This one was a lot of fun!
http://soundcloud.com/kiwijoe-1/funky-melon-man1

Gear used:

• Epi Dot 335 (both pups, more on the bridge than the neck)
• Mesa Mini Rectifier with a touch of gain
• Fromel Shape parametric EQ (for some mid boost and a more Boogie Mark I-ish "quack")
• Boss DD-7 set for analog delay and that's about it.
• The Mini 1x12 cab was close mic'd with a Rode M1 and sent through a Focusrite iTrack Solo interface to my PC.

Amp settings (all numbers are "o'clock"):

• Gain: 10
• Treble: 1
• Mids: 2
• Bass: noon
• Presence: 9-10
• Master: 7-ish (basically just past where sound becomes audible; true "bedroom" level)

 

[GuitarBear]

Nice! I haven't played a Mini Rec yet but I'm not surprised it can do this. I really enjoyed the tone you achieved. Did it take long to dial in?

 

[KiwiJoe]

Nice! I haven't played a Mini Rec yet but I'm not surprised it can do this. I really enjoyed the tone you achieved. Did it take long to dial in?

Thanks, mate. It didn't really take long to dial *this* tone in. You wouldn't believe how quiet the amp was set for this recording. Basically, "vintage" setting with the master vol just to the point where it actually goes from silence to "something" and the gain at about 10 o'clock. Presence at about the same, treble about 1 o'clock, bass at noon, and mids about 2 o'clock.

I always got a sound I "liked" from the first time I tried it in the shop, but playing live is a different animal. It took a while to discover that my favorite tone turned out to be just leaving the amp on "clean" and diming the gain and master, using guitar volume to control the gain. I get the same sound as the recording, but the guitar volume would maybe only around halfway.