Kings X....this guy's rig sounds HUGE!!

[jimmyohio75]

6Qv4p4mLKR4 :dude

[localmotion411]

Love me some Ty Tabor. His tone manages to sound thick and gainy and yet clean at the same time. Killer.

[ford]

ah... the musicians band..... love King's X.... and love that is my favorite heavy album of all time....

[antojado]

Despite his playing ability, the guitarist obviously did not consult TGP regarding his attire.

[harpinon]

Agreed. Ty has is going on. Always has.
In my book "Gretchen" was a masterpiece. Epic album in time.

[ford]

I just watched this twice in a row.... and I have to say... I just feel better....

that is the power of great music.....!!!!:bow

[telecopter]

LOve those guys. Gretchen...Nebraska IS a masterpiece, I agree.

[Rayneman]

Despite his playing ability, the guitarist obviously did not consult TGP regarding his attire.

LOL.

I believe that when this was taped, they had just come off of playing an evening, headlining spot at Woodstock, there are lots of videos of that. Ty buzzed off all his hair, and those shorts are funny.

There were some tours where Ty seemed to be wearing PJs on stage, LOL.

IMO, they could dress up as clowns and they'd be my favorite band of all time.

Sigh, gone are the days of his big rectifier tone, but Ty Tabor makes any gear sound like him.

[MRCHILL4]

I just watched this twice in a row.... and I have to say... I just feel better....

that is the power of great music.....!!!!:bow

me too !

[Endr_rpm]

Don't forget Dug's contribution to that sound. He typically ran his bass bi-amped with the highs going through all manner of guitar amps and other gear. And played 8 and 12 string basses most of the time.


Dug Pinnick is my hero :)

[LHanson]

Don't forget Dug's contribution to that sound. He typically ran his bass bi-amped with the highs going through all manner of guitar amps and other gear. And played 8 and 12 string basses most of the time.


Dug Pinnick is my hero :)

...And a really nice guy. I had a short conversation with him back in the '90s, without even knowing who he was. Afterward, somebody came up to me and asked me what it was like to talk to a rockstar. Whole lot like talking to a random stranger, but a friendly, engaged one.

[lcjc800]

:bow:band:dude

[madstrat]

co'mon, spell it right...it's ...dUg

[Go Cat Go!!]

Simply sublime!

[Scott Peterson]

Undeniable groove, drive, melody, harmony and power. They should be as big as U2. Honestly.

[bilbal]

Sick band for certain. Ty just rocks and is a Hell of a nice guy, I'm told. My buddy has hung out with them a number of times.

[The Kid]

Good guys too. I had dinner with them a few years back.

[Matt L]

One of my favorites of all-time right there. That tone is great with the Zion guitar and Rectos, but his "Gretchen" tone (Strat Elite, Lab Series amp,etc) is legendary.

[xjojox]

Yeah, Ty used to buy up Lab Series amps in pawnshops because they were hard to find and he always wanted backups. He just made them sing. He's using an Axe Fx now... Gotta wonder if it would ever occur to Cliff to drop a lab series sim in there for Ty...

[Jesus freak]

Oh the 90's! We miss you!

[mattmccloskey]

yeah these guys are the real deal. I saw them about 8 times from 90 to 96 or so.

They always sounded so strong as a live band. No need for auto-tune, sequences, extra players, or lots of effects to sound good live- they just played really tight, really accurate, sang in tune, and with massive energy and conviction. All 3 sing well and get great tone on their respective instruments.

They also have this ability to leave holes and rests in all the right places, making things that much bigger sounding. Great use of dynamics and space.

Real passionate music with no compromise.

[guitarist58]

Don't forget Dug's contribution to that sound. He typically ran his bass bi-amped with the highs going through all manner of guitar amps and other gear. And played 8 and 12 string basses most of the time.


Dug Pinnick is my hero :)

Yeah, that 12-string Hamer is killer sounding in his hands!


Great post, OP! :phones

_

[BallisticGuitars]

That tone is great with the Zion guitar and Rectos,

Don't forget the Joe Barden pickups.

For anyone that thinks a Mesa Dual Rectifier can only do scooped mids, they need only listen to the Dogman album and they shall be set free.

[Peppy]

They also have this ability to leave holes and rests in all the right places, making things that much bigger sounding. Great use of dynamics and space.



That is the key to King's X.

[Mr.Hanky]

The greatest band no one has ever heard of.

I did have the pleasure of opening for them at The Stone Pony a few years ago. Truly an awesome band, with an amazingly loyal fan base.

[zekmoe]

Loved these guys, but I'm partial to trios anyway.

[brentrocks]

Dogman is a great album...i have that in my collection!

That bass is friggin SWEET!!!

[11top]

I remember when I first got Gretchen and I had Out of the Silent Planet blaring from my stereo. My wife came in the room and said, "Are those guys singing out of tune on purpose?" LOL! She obviously didn't get it.

One of my favorite recordings from a fabulous band. :bow

My only complaint is that it seems they always have a couple of really great tunes per album, but the rest are just OK.

[MKB]

Seriously love me some King's X. Faith Hope Love is my favorite album, and I still think for whatever reason that the end solo in It's Love is the best recorded solo I've ever heard.

All three of them are monsters, Jerry is a very underrated drummer. He doesn't seem to play a single hit that isn't meticulously placed. He's got the precision of a jazz drummer with the musical sensibility of Keith Moon, in that he accents the vocals.

[JWDubois]

Undeniable groove, drive, melody, harmony and power. They should be as big as U2. Honestly.

I love Kings X, I think they are a little too demanding for the mainstream.

I was at Guitar Center a while back, and noticed one of the workers had "Faith, Hope, Love" tattooed on his arm. I said "Another Kings X fan, eh?" He answered, "Who?"

JWW

[uglybassplayer]

Here's a great video where Ty talks about drop-d tuning. About 1:20 into it he does a breakdown of Dogman. Even in this "lesson" video, his sound is HUGE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB3vmigcqkE

[uglybassplayer]

Undeniable groove, drive, melody, harmony and power. They should be as big as U2. Honestly.

Who? ;)

[excane]

One of the best live bands EVER. It's a crime they never achieved the fame or recognition they deserve.

They have their harcore fans (myself included) but have always managed to stay under the radar. Doug was one of my main influences for playing bass.

[freedom's door]

They should be as big as U2. Honestly.

I've also felt this way for a long time.

Dug has my favorite bass tone, and the man is also my favorite singer.
The Live Love In London DVD is a must-have if you're a fan.

[66Park]

Undeniable groove, drive, melody, harmony and power. They should be as big as U2. Honestly.
Yes. Woefully under appreciated by the public. They deserve to be huge, yet they struggle for decades to keep it going.

[laughingsam]

thanks for this thread! i threw dogman on spotify and have lovin it! for smoe reason i stopped buying new albums/paying attention after gretchen...

[saxophonist56]

cool that all those interviews are online. so now it's drop C.

how come there's so many good bands from the south? see kings X every chance i get.

this is pretty interesting.....

Arsa3o5KTG0&feature=related

[11top]

Who? ;)

+1. :agree Maybe we need a most overrated band thread. :bonk

[jimmyohio75]

Here's a great video where Ty talks about drop-d tuning. About 1:20 into it he does a breakdown of Dogman. Even in this "lesson" video, his sound is HUGE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB3vmigcqkE
Damn, those P-90's sound great!!:omg

[alguit]

One of the great rock bands, period.

Absolutely criminal that they are not major stars, set for life-they've earned it.

And Dug is perhaps the most charismatic frontman I've ever seen live!

[Bill McDowell]

Undeniable groove, drive, melody, harmony and power. They should be as big as U2. Honestly.

completely agree on all counts - love KX

[DWB1960]

this is pretty interesting.....

Arsa3o5KTG0&feature=related

They mess around like that during encores all the time. I took my nephew to see them in Boston many years back and they played Closer to Home by Grand Funk and were pulling all of the fans up front on stage to sing the "I'm getting closer to my home." fade out - my nephew included.

[saxophonist56]

They mess around like that during encores all the time. I took my nephew to see them in Boston many years back and they played Closer to Home by Grand Funk and were pulling all of the fans up front on stage to sing the "I'm getting closer to my home." fade out - my nephew included.


that guitar tone is huge even when he's messing around. he's into fractal audio. i thinking i should be as well@!

i still don't know how he got a lab L5 to sound good. there was a used one recently and i could get anything out of it.

[DWB1960]

i still don't know how he got a lab L5 to sound good.

Replace the stock speakers. I gigged with an L5 for years. The adjustable parametric EQ is great for sculpting a cool tone. Wish more amps had that feature.

[Kentano2000]

Replace the stock speakers. I gigged with an L5 for years. The adjustable parametric EQ is great for sculpting a cool tone. Wish more amps had that feature.

He also used a Fender Strat Elite which had some cool electronics including a unique preamp circuit.

[jpftribe]

Ty is a writing machine. He has recorded a ton of stuff outside of KingsX. If you don't have Rock Garden, you are missing one of the best rock guitar albums ever done.

Don't get me wrong, I luv KingsX, but if you look at the amount of material he has released with them, Platypus, Jelly Jam and all his solo stuff, the guy just never stops writing. There's nuggets of brilliance scattered all throughout his catalogue and a lot of in your face rock.

[66Park]

If you don't have Rock Garden, you are missing one of the best rock guitar albums ever done.
A fabulous album, as are his other solo efforts.

[pickaguitar]

backwards caps, shorts, t-shirts....what?

That's not very TGP ;)

[jokerjkny]

Don't forget Dug's contribution to that sound. He typically ran his bass bi-amped with the highs going through all manner of guitar amps and other gear. And played 8 and 12 string basses most of the time.


Dug Pinnick is my hero :)

+ a bajillion

love dug's TONE!!

[MrTAteMyBalls]

Nice! Hard to think they never blew up around that time period. They were primed for it.

[Gasp100]

I hate King's X threads... it saddens me to think they are not more popular and more profitable and so many people have not had the chance to hear or see them on record or live.
Our little secret I guess...
I hear "It's Love" played on K-Rock right when it was first released when I lived in NJ (back when rock music was still sort of popular). Once... ONE TIME they got major airplay - it's disheartening to say the least.

[NAC25]

Great band. I saw them live in some crummy venue called The Unicorn in Houston which was a converted grocery store if I recall correctly. Talk about a band with die-hard followers, about 95% of the crowd was singing along with every song word-for-word.
Got a chance to meet several members at the Houston guitar show way back in the day too. Such a travesty they never achieved the success they deserve.

[TheRockDoc]

:dude

:dude:dude:dude

[Jesus freak]

backwards caps, shorts, t-shirts....what?

That's not very TGP ;)

They forgot thier Hawiian shirt and khakis.:hide2

[uglybassplayer]

I hate King's X threads... it saddens me to think they are not more popular and more profitable and so many people have not had the chance to hear or see them on record or live.
Our little secret I guess...
I hear "It's Love" played on K-Rock right when it was first released when I lived in NJ (back when rock music was still sort of popular). Once... ONE TIME they got major airplay - it's disheartening to say the least.

My first exposure to Kings-X was through WSOU Seton Hall college radio back in the mid 80's. "Far, Far Away" seemed to be in regular rotation.

[Mangy71]

Ty is a writing machine. He has recorded a ton of stuff outside of KingsX. If you don't have Rock Garden, you are missing one of the best rock guitar albums ever done.

Don't get me wrong, I luv KingsX, but if you look at the amount of material he has released with them, Platypus, Jelly Jam and all his solo stuff, the guy just never stops writing. There's nuggets of brilliance scattered all throughout his catalogue and a lot of in your face rock.

I have been a huge King's X fan since 1990. I own all of their CDs and most of their solo/side project CDs.

Sometimes I wonder if King's X has suffered because Ty & Dug spend so much time on side/solo projects. The last few King's X albums haven't been as good as the older stuff. Maybe they should save their best songs for the King's X release instead of releasing so many side projects?

I buy all the solo stuff, so I get to hear everything they write, but I have been a little disappointed lately with the actual King's X stuff.

That being said - they are still my favorite band of all time, and I am glad that they are still putting out music after all these years!!

[TheRockDoc]

My first exposure to Kings-X was through WSOU Seton Hall college radio back in the mid 80's. "Far, Far Away" seemed to be in regular rotation.

WSOU- greatest rock station in the country... even stuff I HaTeD I would listen to just because it was SOU and they were breaking meaningful ground for SO many artists!

[rolltide]

I love Kings X, I think they are a little too demanding for the mainstream.

I was at Guitar Center a while back, and noticed one of the workers had "Faith, Hope, Love" tattooed on his arm. I said "Another Kings X fan, eh?" He answered, "Who?"

JWW

The phrase "Faith, Hope, Love" is from the Bible. "Out of the Silent Planet" is a C.S. Lewis book. They referenced C.S. Lewis in some earlier lyrics as well.

Great band and stellar musicians. There are plenty of great bands that never "made it." Big Star being one and Kings X being another.

[markszabo]

<mod edit>

I had my brother-in-law-to-be recite the verse at my wedding. No one knew I was thinking of King's X except me and a few musician friends who chuckled along with me. :)

Oh, and regarding Ty's early "Gretchen Tone": It boiled down to 4 items: The Strat Elite, the Lab Series L5, an Alesis Midiverb II set to program 62 (Chorus B), and a pair of Roland SDE-1000 digital delays, one set to short delay and one to long (for solos). I personally use a Line6 DL4 for the delay, but the rig sounds identical to his early tones.

Another big part of the tone is Ty's playing - he picks down by the bridge a LOT, as opposed to over the center pickup. I've noticed this several times seeing them live. The other thing is that he uses his volume knob to set up the tones - his rhythm sound is the volume at 75-80%; clean around 40%; solo wide open. As far as I know, he ran the TBX and MBX controls on the Elite wide open.

If you're really going to nerd out on Ty's tone, maybe you should by his old guitar. (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5336713463&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F1983-Fender-Strat-Elite-Rare-Silver-Stratoburst-Owned-Ty-Tabor-Kings-X-%2F290623275834%3Fpt%3DGuitar%26hash%3Ditem43aa7f4 33a) :)

[big mike]

Folks leave the bible quotes and discussion out of the topic please.

I know what their music is based around, but let's keep to the rules.

Thanks,.

[Lublin]

I saw Kings X perform at the Ampeg booth at this past NAMM show. Doug's bass tone almost made my colon explode. HUGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

[thornie]

Goldilox and Summerland are two of my favorite songs ever written. I DJ at a small hipster-y bar from time to time, and I always play those two songs.

[Rayneman]

I have been a huge King's X fan since 1990. I own all of their CDs and most of their solo/side project CDs.

Sometimes I wonder if King's X has suffered because Ty & Dug spend so much time on side/solo projects. The last few King's X albums haven't been as good as the older stuff. Maybe they should save their best songs for the King's X release instead of releasing so many side projects?

I buy all the solo stuff, so I get to hear everything they write, but I have been a little disappointed lately with the actual King's X stuff.

That being said - they are still my favorite band of all time, and I am glad that they are still putting out music after all these years!!

Damn. I bet if one would search my username on most any board for a KX thread, I have posted something nearly identical to this. I have the same feelings on the dilution of recent King's X efforts in lieu of stuff like Rock Garden, Something's Coming, Strum Sum Up, the upcoming JJ3, etc...

I love most of the side projects, and I get it that they need to work, really. But yeah, recent releases have been chock full of all mid-tempo tunes, often with "shouting" choruses (i.e. they all shout the same lyrics rather than smack down with three part harmony). I mean, "Rocket Ship," really? Of course there are good tunes on each newer album, but IMO its been since "...Mr. Bulbous" since we've gotten some super cool KX groove with real wailing from Mr. Tabor. Ogre Tones was ok, but since I heard nearly all my favorite tunes on that CD well in advance to its release I don't always feel like its a "real" effort.

Ah well, we are highly critical of those which we really care about and in truth, I'll buy anything they ever put out and be happy they are still doing it.