Stryper tone

[paulyc]

Hi guys, new to the forum. I'm a HUGE fan of the Stryper guitar tones on Soldiers Under Command and To Hell With The Devil. I do not have the coin to spend on a real Mark IIC+ or ++, but I own a Mark III blue stripe and a Furman PQ3 which nails those tones... BUT I'd like more versatility than the old Mark III gives, and I'm thinking about either a Mark V or a JP2C. How much does it affect the amp's tones not being Simul Class ? My blue stripe is, and also has the EQ and reverb. I should probably mention that I have a 295 Simul Class power amp for running W/D/W, the center cab is a Mesa 4x12 half back with EVs in it and the wet cabs are Rectifier 4x12s with Mesa branded V30s (for now, may replace speakers at some point with Mesa 90s). Any tips or thoughts would be appreciated ! Thanks !

 

[SamuelJ86]

Those tones are awesome!! I love Stryper. You have good taste 8). My JP2C does those tones a lot better than my V. I haven't played enough simul class amps to have a good opinion on what it's going to do to your tone. The simul class in the V is a bit different than the older boogies. My JP2C is kinda smoother sounding than my V. The V can definitely become harsh when you start to crank it. The JP2C has a velvety smooth top end when playing leads. It's very pleasing to the ears. :mrgreen:

To my ears, on the soldiers album, it sounds like a tube screamer might be being used. Do you know if that's the case? The shred mode on the JP2C is going to help with that extra bite and hair on those notes.

Man that's some great tone they got! Im definitely going to be listening to some Stryper tomorrow.

 

[paulyc]

Hey thanks for the reply ! To the best of my knowledge, Stryper (and a ton of other LA Sunset Strip bands) used the Furman PQ3 EQ/preamp into the front of their amps. The PQ3 is a preamp too, not just an EQ, and can provide 26db of gain, as well as a sharp boost (or cut) in any of 3 bands. The LA method is to set a narrow bandwidth boost at 800HZ -1K and crank the level up until the LED on the front of the PQ3 is blinking wildly. Cut the midrange on the Boogie graphic. This will produce a TON of hiss, to the point of needing some kind of noise reduction after the PQ3 (but before the amp), but the sound is glorious. This is also how Brad Gillis got his monster sound (boosting different frequencies) with his Boogies in Night Ranger and Ozzy (Speak of the Devil).

This was also done the same way with Marshalls for Ratt's Out of the Cellar, Dokken Tooth & Nail, Doug Aldrich, and the band Icon with Musicman amps. Incidentally, Stryper's first record The Yellow & Black Attack was Master Volume Marshalls with old blue MXR 10 band EQ and a distortion pedal of some sort juicing the gain into the front end.

So, to my knowledge, no TS type pedals were used.

 

[tommyhawk13]

Paulyc hit the nail on the head. There is an interview with Oz Fox somewhere on the internet where he discusses this, and that his Mark IIC+ may have actually been a Mark III prototype.

 

[paulyc]

Yes,I saw that on the 'net. It was on Oz's old web site, but it was pulled before his new site went up. Great article, there is a thread about it on RT...

 

[glguitarman]

I love old Stryper too. I saw them at a small venue on the Yellow and Black Attack tour in Denver. Great tones. I saw them again in 1987 at Red Rocks with TNT and Loudness. What a show. That same year I had a Mark III. I can't recall what color stripe it was, but I believe it was red. It was non-simul, and no graphic. I sold it in the early 90s. Years later I bought an emmaculate red stripe simul with graphic eq, a few days later I got a non-simul IIC+, and a nasty MK IVA. I had to sell the two nice ones off and I still have the IV. I really miss the music of those days...

 

[paulyc]

You and me both !!! How did you find the various versions of Mark IIIs and the Mark IV different ? I played a Mark IV once and didn't care for it, but I was using a kid's crappy Fender Jazzmaster with the soapbar pickups so it sounded anemic with that. I want to be able to get at least a great clean sound and the Stryper heavy dirty sound, having a 3rd heavy rhythm with less gain than the heavy solo sound would be a great bonus.

 

[JOEY B.]

I also saw the Stryper/Loudness/TNT show back in the day. :evil:

IMO, keep the Mark III, and rock it out. Just sayin'

 

[paulyc]

Oh the Mark III isn't going anywhere, was just looking to get input on which of the newer amps might cover more ground tonally, Mark IV, Mark V, or JP2C...the MIDI on the JP2C would be a thing of beauty for a complex rig.

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Oh the Mark III isn't going anywhere, was just looking to get input on which of the newer amps might cover more ground tonally, Mark IV, Mark V, or JP2C...the MIDI on the JP2C would be a thing of beauty for a complex rig.

I think the JP2C or of course the elusive IIC+ would be more in the III ballpark than the MkIV.

Here's an idea: The rackmount Quad Preamp has the basic MkIII circuitry, but with totally separate EQ knobs for the channels (2 rack spaces). Pair one of those with a Stereo 295 power amp or one of the newer Simul-Class 2:90s, and I have no doubt you could nail it. This is the best authentic MkIII solution other than running two MkIIIs at once, which wouldn't be very practical.

On the subject of Stryper, they've never received their due, but they hugely talented. It's amazing to me that they sound as good as ever (better really) on their latest album, even the vocals! For Michael to still be able to wail high notes at 50+ is inspiring. I'm guessing his much cleaner than average lifestyle for a rocker has helped preserve his voice. He's like the opposite of Axl Rose in that regard. :lol:

 

[paulyc]

So after almost a year of looking, playing and listening to what's out there in Boogie land, I pulled the trigger on a friend's JP2C (he's downsizing his rig). It has the tone and all the features I needed in a complete package. Thanks to all those that replied and offered advice !