thoughts on Jeffrey Foucault tone
 

I'm trying to figure out how to get closer to this kind of tone.... tremolo, nice delay, and heavy but smooth overdrive. I'm working with an old tele and a Gibson ga-5. Your thoughts please.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gFVTbtp7S9M

I think a lot of that tone is coming more from the amp than the guitar. Obviously it's a Danelectro neck pickup, but the tone is much much thicker than one expects from a Dano.

The fat amp tone is the type I associate with a Tweed Bassman cranked just beyond the point of breakup. I can't see what amp he's got there but in front of the drums it looks like some type of 4X10 Fender-type amp, similar to an old Bassman. Maybe it's a Deville?

Anyway, a big iron old Fender tube amp cranked up until it snarls is the basic tool for that type of tone.

thanks for your insights. I bet you're on the right track. I'm trying to approximate with pedals but it's, of course, elusive. The more I play around with my boss tremolo and od-3, the more I like it though.

As a hard rock user of Danalectro (original) pickups, I can attest that they are much warmer and thicker than their reputation would suggest. My Dannie-loaded Strat is warmer than my vintage Tele (really!).

Here's another good example:



Not jangly at all!

The OD-3 is a good pedal (I keep one on my board) but tends to be brighter and cleaner than the tone you are seeking. I step on the OD-3 whenever I want a bright, jangly classic rock tone -- as on a Tom Petty or Who song.

On the same board I keep a DigiTech Bad Monkey and it's my go-to pedal for grit. The BM has low and high tone knobs and a little fatter gain, so you can dial in a gritty blues-rock tone a lot easier.

At the end of the day, though, pedals can't substitute for real burning tubes. Tubes, especially the 6L6s in an old Fender, get a bit "messy" when they break up -- and when they push a set of 10-inch speakers the smaller cones contribute to the grit. The more uniform sawtooth wave an analog OD pedal produces tends to sound gentler and more compressed.

The downside of a tube amp (the larger ones) is unlike a smaller amp with pedals, you can't really crank up the magic at home without the neighbors calling the cops. I have a couple of Fender amps, an old tube Super Reverb that's a big powerful beast, and a little Super Champ that has digital modelling and lower power for home practice. At home, the SC at low volume sounds way better than the SR -- but at a gig when the volume is higher, the SR squashes the Champ like a bug.

thanks much for the input... as luck would have it, my local Okinawa second-hand store happened to have a Danelectro Pro Reissue on hand and one thing led to another..... it's now mine! for less than $150! And this is the ticket to that tone I was after.... something about these guitars! Great gritty sustain and the way it responds to my pedals: tremolo, Blues-driver, and delay are getting me right where I was hoping to be!

[URL=http://s267.photobucket.com/user/robertroyem/media/image_zpswgynboqm.jpeg.html]

thanks again!

Congratulations! But a warning: Dannies are addictive!

That Lipstick pickup is my favorite single coil! It's personality is never covered up by distortion or effect. It's warm and clear (see the Zep post above). I think the jangly reputation they have is due more to the Masonite and 2X4 construction of Danelectros. I had one with an overwound Firebird pickup and the pickup sounded "hollow" (but great).

Crank that thing up and enjoy! Regards, Bill.

thanks Bill for getting me to look at the Danelectros....really looking forward to going live with this sound!

One warning...they're addictive! ;) They make KILLER slide guitars.

Warmest regards!

Danelectro's are awesome! I think he's getting this tone out of Gibson Skylark with tremolo and maybe reverb, but I've also seen him use a pedal for something..... here's a great video showing Jeffrey backing up Caitlin Canty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxucC6-JDU0

Had that same model! Mistake of my life selling it!

Another user of Dannies was Syd Barrett (Great nasty twang and eerie slide!). Seen here around 5:00:



Jimmy again doing some tasty slide:




:up:

What's the nut width like on your Danelectro?

I saw Jeffrey recently at Nicolet College in Rhinelander, Wi. He had a bass player with him, his drummer, Caitlan Canti and I think it was Bo Ramsey backing up on electric guitar. It was just a wonderful blend of folk, rock and blues. The sound and tones were spectacular.

Back to the original question on tone...

At 1:52, it changes, is he kicking on a Fuzz? I new to effects and trying to learn, but that is my guess. It also appears that there is a small single speaker Fender combo amp elevated behind him (1:30 mark). Other videos indicate this is a small room with an audience, perhaps a cranked Champ? But the controls on his amp are mounted on the top/back of the amp, not the front panel - and it is not mic'ed, so I dont know how it recorded so well. I hear a tremolo for sure, and can even see a blinking light from a tap tempo control tucked off to drummer's right side. There is a lot of processing of his signal. The more videos you watch of that session, the more equipment you can see (even an effects rack).

I'm thinking that object in front of the drum is actually the kick drum itself... not a guitar speaker/bassman cab.

not sure if there's a lot of processing of that tone... He plays with a mic'ed vintage Gibson skylark 5 watt amp very similar to the fender champ and it has tremolo built-in.... it may have reverb too as some of those old amps did, but I don't know. I once heard him mention a vintage tape delay of some sort and maybe that is what he's kicking in there where you mention, but it could be something else. thanks for your thoughts! drummer Billy Conway fits his whole drum kit in a suitcase and I think that's the kick drum in front of him in the video. the new album, salt as wolves, is some of the finest music I've heard in a long time.