Jon Schaffer - Iced Earth Tone w/ Dual Rectifier.

[Metallica1327]

I’m asking to see if someone could help me out in trying to achieve the Jon Schaffer guitar tone. I understand he has his amps custom made by a guy in Germany but I’ll work with that I’ve got.

I’m using an Epiphone Explorer with EMG 81 & 85 pickup set and Ernie Ball Power Slinky 11s (Not sure what gauge sting he uses) and a 1.0 mm pick. I recently had to raise my bridge due to the low E string catching the neck making a humming sound. I'm not sure if I also need to adjust the pickup to be closer or further away from the strings.

For the amp I’m using a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier with a Boss Gt-3 pedal. (Not sure if he uses a pedal either other than to switch between clean and distortion)

Here is the tone I'm trying for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYZzncX-mIQ (53 seconds in)

I screwed around with the Gt-3 and am using the "Tight Low" EQ with a Metal Overdrive / Distortion. Then that is going into my clean channel on the Dual Rectifier with the Following settings:

Presence - 3 o'clock
Master - 10 o'clock
Gain - 11 o'clock
Bass - 11 o'clock
Mid - 7 o'clock
Treb - 1 o'clock

Output Master - 9 o'clock

When I turn it up I do get that sharp *** power chord tone on everything but the Low D# string. How would you recommend adjusting my amp settings to get rid of some of that extra beef without cranking up the volume more. Or if you recomment dumping the pedal... what are some settings I could use just using the head? Thanks in advance for any information!

 

[trem]

I'm not a Recto guy myself, but the tone you're looking for doesn't sound like what the Dual Rectifier alone can't achieve. I suggest you get rid of the multi effect, and read up the manual to get acquainted with channel 2 and 3. Most probably you'll need some kind of boost pedal to tighten up the low end. Tubescreamer and its derivatives seem to be really popular among the users here.

 

[frets70]

Had a lucky chance to sit in Jon's studio before the release of the Glorious Burden. He live not too far from me.

Jon has about four or five Heads in a custom rack (or at that time ) for tracking.

Soldano SLO 100
Rivera KnuckleHead (not Ktre)
Third amp I don't remember
I believe the 4th was a JCM 900
And the fifth head Up on top was a custom built LARRY from germany.

I think we were plugged into a Marshall 4x12 with high wattage speakers the cab was in an iso booth (so the amp was gassed)

He (and Matt Barlow) are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet who are successful in the biz.

 

[Metallica1327]

Had a lucky chance to sit in Jon's studio before the release of the Glorious Burden. He live not too far from me.

Jon has about four or five Heads in a custom rack (or at that time ) for tracking.

Soldano SLO 100
Rivera KnuckleHead (not Ktre)
Third amp I don't remember
I believe the 4th was a JCM 900
And the fifth head Up on top was a custom built LARRY from germany.

I think we were plugged into a Marshall 4x12 with high wattage speakers the cab was in an iso booth (so the amp was gassed)

He (and Matt Barlow) are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet who are successful in the biz.

Yeah, I messed around with the amp setting last night with the pedal and got a sound I'll settle with as my "Iced Earth Setting". Today I'll take off the pedal and try to see what I can get on the red channel.

I'm actually going to see Iced Earth in October in NYC and was lucky enough to get VIP tickets for the meet and greet, CAN'T WAIT to meet Jon and Matt! Thanks for the assistance guys.

 

[EleventhHour2139]

Had a lucky chance to sit in Jon's studio before the release of the Glorious Burden. He live not too far from me.

Jon has about four or five Heads in a custom rack (or at that time ) for tracking.

Soldano SLO 100
Rivera KnuckleHead (not Ktre)
Third amp I don't remember
I believe the 4th was a JCM 900
And the fifth head Up on top was a custom built LARRY from germany.

I think we were plugged into a Marshall 4x12 with high wattage speakers the cab was in an iso booth (so the amp was gassed)

He (and Matt Barlow) are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet who are successful in the biz.

Cool to see other Iced Earth fans, thought I was the only one lol! I too am after Jon's tone, though I'm using a Mark III. it seems to me that a recto (from what I've heard) would be a little too loose to do Jon's technique justice. Man what I wouldn't do to be able to go to his studio, heaven on earth 8)

 

[MetalMatt]

...It seems to me that a recto (from what I've heard) would be a little too loose to do Jon's technique justice...

I will have to agree with that, but with an EQ pedal in the loop and a boost upfront you could get close. To me this is standard recto practice for tight metals guitars

Anybody here fans of Iced Earth's new material? I very happy that Barlow is back!!!

 

[EleventhHour2139]

I very happy that Barlow is back!!!

Me too! Ripper did a good job, but to me Barlow's voice was just too well suited to IE to be replaced. Now I just have to pray they come to Florida.

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[dual rec]

maybe its just me, but at that 55ish second part where it gets heavy, i hear alot or the masterof puppets quality sound. imo, i think it sounds alot like that. you may not but thats just me :wink:

 

[orionz06]

I will comment that Jons sound is close to my grail of tone... not exact, but damned close... i would look into his pickups, the icebuckers, there is a link on the iced earth site...

 

[Silverwulf]

Holy thread resurrection!

The Glorious Burden was tracked with an Uberschall. That Alive in Athens album is actually the only IE album to feature EMG pickups, so if you like that tone, you have the right pickups for it. You can get that tone with a Recto, you're just going to need a boost and an EQ. A Mark would definitely be more ideal, and I agree with the poster above...his tone does have that old MOP vibe.

 

[73h Nils]

Jon Schaffer's right wrist is freakin' ridiculous. Certainly one of the best, if not the best, rhythm guitar players :twisted:

 

[kirk19]

those larry amps go for 5000 euro new, must be a special amp....

 

[joe web]

i live in the same town as larry, and we met a few years ago. to me, he´s a strange kind of person.
his amps are cool, but for 5K Euros i would buy two mesas.
i know some of his customers as well and a few are very happy with his amps and there are guys who weren´t happy, got back to him to fix the sound issues, and still weren´t happy....after a few upgrades on the amp, one of the guys called peter diezel, took his amp to him and he fix everything.
on the other hand, no larry dino sounds like an other larry dino.
i heard the british purist prototyp, which is an awesome sound amp. but for sure, if i would order one, it will sound different form the other.

 

[Silverwulf]

i live in the same town as larry, and we met a few years ago. to me, he´s a strange kind of person.
his amps are cool, but for 5K Euros i would buy two mesas.
i know some of his customers as well and a few are very happy with his amps and there are guys who weren´t happy, got back to him to fix the sound issues, and still weren´t happy....after a few upgrades on the amp, one of the guys called peter diezel, took his amp to him and he fix everything.
on the other hand, no larry dino sounds like an other larry dino.
i heard the british purist prototyp, which is an awesome sound amp. but for sure, if i would order one, it will sound different form the other.

Yeah, I don't think one of them is worth THAT much to me. Interesting thing, though. Peter (Diezel) and Larry Grohman are actually friends. Back when they got their start modding Marshalls, they both exchanged ideas and gave input into each others amps, so it's very likely that the early Diezel's were developed with some input from Larry (and vice versa).

 

[joe web]

Yeah, I don't think one of them is worth THAT much to me. Interesting thing, though. Peter (Diezel) and Larry Grohman are actually friends. Back when they got their start modding Marshalls, they both exchanged ideas and gave input into each others amps, so it's very likely that the early Diezel's were developed with some input from Larry (and vice versa).

but nowadays, they aren´t really friends anymore. i think larry is a bit annoyed that peter did it and he still builts his amps at home. just my thoughts. i don´t want to affront larry or peter at all.

 

[guitarmaster]

:!:

 

[Larry_Amplification]

Sorry guys for pushing up this old topic once again, but just in this minute I stumbled over it and think, that there has to be something corrected, to avoid some bad rumors about me and my reputation!

i live in the same town as larry, and we met a few years ago. to me, he´s a strange kind of person.

You saw me for just a few hours years ago and believe me, you don't know **** about me! That what you know about me is hearsay of some annoyed people, who once thought, that they'd get everything from me for just 100 EUR.
Or maybe you're still offended, because I've been honestly, as you've asked me, how I like the sound of your amp from that time? And I've answered, that your amp from that time (a DSL) in my ears is sounding like sheet metal compared to the iron-ish sound of the Marshall 2204 of the other guy at that meeting?

his amps are cool, but for 5K Euros i would buy two mesas.

Thanks for the flowers! And 5K EUR is relative! You get, what you pay for - and there are people, who pay with pleasure and even are waiting 16 months, to get a Larry amp at all.

i know some of his customers as well and a few are very happy with his amps and there are guys who weren´t happy, got back to him to fix the sound issues, and still weren´t happy....after a few upgrades on the amp, one of the guys called peter diezel, took his amp to him and he fix everything.

You know exactly two guys with a DINO, the one is J.G. - the other one is R.G.

And R.G. ist the one, who still doesn't know, what he wants at all and even isn't able, to dial in his sounds! There was a situation, as he's been whining to J.G. on the telephone, that his DINO doesn't sound right - so J.G. drove to him, played his amp, dialed a bit back and forth - and suddenly R.G. was totally happy again with his DINO

Then later there's been another time, as he's been looking for 'some other sounds' and was calling me sometimes 10 times a week, asking, what we could tweak. So we had tweaking sessions in my house, where he always left very happy - but called me again after 1-2 weeks "I think, I like it different!" or "let's make it like before again!" aso. So sessions of 2-3 hours again and again...

... until that session, where he refused to pay for the past 3 hours of fine tweaking with the argument, that we now have tweaked it back step by step to the point, like the amp already has been some time before :shock:

He took the amp and went off with the face of a 4 y.o. child, who just has broken his lovely toy.

To call me again 3 months later, asking for some tweaks :mrgreen: You can imagine, what I told him by phone :lol:

So he tried his luck by Peter Diezel, what's anyway just 20 miles from his home. And maybe Peter was happy, to get the chance for a look inside a DINO? He agreed! But also to Peter he went again and again - and the last I've heard is, that Peter has refused meanwhile, because he already doesn't have nerves anymore for this guy 8)

on the other hand, no larry dino sounds like an other larry dino.

You know the sound of just two DINOs - and these two DINOS really are sounding very close to each other! But not at exactly the same pot's positions, because there are always tolerances in the pot's tapers, so it happens, that you i.e. have to dial the Treble of one amp to 5 and the Treble of the other to 6, to get the same results :wink:

And within a 30 minutes comparasion you really can't judge about possible sound differences!

i heard the british purist prototyp, which is an awesome sound amp. but for sure, if i would order one, it will sound different form the other.

The current British Purist amps are sounding for miles better than my first prototype, what you've heard once meanwhile 5 years ago :|

Have a nice day, guys!

Larry