Warren Haynes' tone at bedroom(ish) volume?

[haslar]

I love the tone Warren Haynes gets when he plays his Les Paul plugged in his SLO.

I'm wondering: how could I get a similar tone to that, but at lower volume (home use)?I am perfectly aware that the great SLO tone comes from sheer volume, but I'm pretty convinced it is possible to come rather close to that tone at low volume, with the right equipement

I currently own a '75 Marshall 4x12" (darkback G12Ms) and a Rivera M60.
Pedals are:
- Xotic RC Booster
- FDII

I'm thinking about getting a Soldano Avenger or Hot Rod 50, but don't know whether they'd work well at low volumes.

I also tried a Soldano Supercharger GTO, and it worked fine - although it seems somehow amp-dependant.

A JTM45 RI or a Germino Club 40 head, maybe, set on clean, with a GTO pedal?

Any suggestion is welcome.




Oh & I forgot: one mandatory thing is the ability to clean up really well when I back off the volume on the guitar.
I've read that the Avenger was not really good at that, for instance.

[cnardone]

While obviously not a SLO, the Atomic or Astro 16 both have all the soldano vibe you would expect. At 20 watts you can get very good tones at house approved (not baby sleeping next room over) volumes. Does it nail WH? No. Does it do a pretty good imitation? I think so. It is at least worth demoing one if you can find one. THey are pretty in-expensive used too.

cmn

[Randy]

I've found the master volume on the SLO to be excellent. Like most amps it gets better with volume, but even at conversation levels the SLO sounds great. I personally think the whole 'SLO tone comes from sheer volume' legends to be myth. Get one with the depth mod and you'll be fine at bedroom volumes.

[G'OlPeachPhan]

Hayne's uses a Boss Metal Zone to EQ his tone... That's a big part of his sound. I think that could be a really inexpensive, and very impactful way to get you there, especially at bedroom volumes... It's actually THE gear that he uses, and it's a pretty versatile pedal that goes far beyond metal. Really quite good for bedroom tones. If you're hung up on it being a "metal" pedal, then a good alternative might be the Boss GE-7 graphic EQ, and specifically the "Sniper modded" (www.tone-jam.com) GE-7 which is a ton quieter than a stock one. Using a pedal to EQ your tone really helps you to compensate for the way that speakers behave differently at low volumes when you're not pushing them, and also for the way your ears hear things differently at different volumes (Fletcher-Munson).

The right pickups also REALLY help to get you there. I don't know what Haynes actually uses, but the WCR (Jim Wagner) "Goodwoods" set do the Haynes tones PERFECTLY... I was never closer to Haynes tone than when I dropped those pickups in my PRS. That wasn't really the tone I was going for, but it definitely lives in those pickups if you want it.

I think unless you're using an actual SLO and cranking it, there are quite a few different directions you can go with chosing an amp that will probably work... A JTM 45 or Germino 40 are NOT the amps I'd chose for bedroomish volumes... In fact, even a cranked Champ is way above what I'd consider bedroomish volumes. Unless you're starting to get the amp where the tubes are cooking a bit, it's not going to be as big of a part of the equation as the pedals/axe/pickups you use... There's always attenuators, but I never liked the way they sound when you're attenuating all the way down to bedroomish volumes, and your needlessly roasting your tubes then. I think the pedals are a much better option than attenuators, unless you're just talking about taking off a few db's.

[Azon]

You've got to be kidding?? A Boss Metal Zone? Warren does NOT use one of those. The only Boss pedal he uses is an Octave, and he's using that less and less these days.

Warren's tone is not just a SLO. Depending on what band he's with, he will use a SLO, a Plexi Marshall, and a Diaz CD-100. He often uses two amps, but never at the same time. He will switch between them. Honestly though, if there is one guy I know who's tone is in his hands, it's Warren. He's got one hell of a handshake!

Az

[bobotwt]

Actually he has used a metal zone. I don't know that he still does or how much it is part of his rig, but he has used one at times.

[Azon]

Well from what I know of Warren, and from what Farmer (his tech) tells me, is that there is no Metal Zone in his rig. It would have had to of been at least 10 years ago that he used that if at all.

Az

[bobotwt]

Well, that could be. Its been about that long since I read that.

[haslar]

Thanks everybody for the replies.

anyone tried to get the WH sound with a GTO pedal ?

[Azon]

Basically any thick overdrive, and a Les Paul will get you close. No Tube Screamers please.

Az

[G'OlPeachPhan]

Azon,

Actually, you're wrong. Warren may not currently use a Metal Zone, but he certainly has used one in the past.

Like I said, he used it as an EQ/tone shaper, NOT as a gain pedal. It actually works quite well in this application, ESPECIALLY at bedroom volumes.

If you haven't tried it yourself, you really should before you knock it.

Thanks.

[G'OlPeachPhan]

Originally posted by Azon
Basically any thick overdrive, and a Les Paul will get you close. No Tube Screamers please.

Az

This I agree with you on... And the right pickups (such as the Goodwoods) play a large role in the tone... The Goodwoods have a very THICK tone.

I'd say a Les Paul with good pickups, a thick overdrive and an EQ pedal would be your best bet at bedroom volumes... Something outside of the standard Tubescreamer is necessary as those would be a little too nasal and there's not nearly enough "wool" on the notes, but there's really some pretty good midrange going on in Warren's tones both past and present, so you don't want a flat mid pedal either.

Actually, the MI Audio Blue Boy was a great pedal for dialing in a great wooly Warren Haynes tone.

[Azon]

Originally posted by G'OlPeachPhan
Azon,

Actually, you're wrong. Warren may not currently use a Metal Zone, but he certainly has used one in the past.

Like I said, he used it as an EQ/tone shaper, NOT as a gain pedal. It actually works quite well in this application, ESPECIALLY at bedroom volumes.

If you haven't tried it yourself, you really should before you knock it.

Thanks.

Yes I've tried it, so I can knock it. Like I said before, it would have had to of been at least ten years ago.

Az

[Azon]

Originally posted by G'OlPeachPhan
This I agree with you on... And the right pickups (such as the Goodwoods) play a large role in the tone... The Goodwoods have a very THICK tone.

I'd say a Les Paul with good pickups, a thick overdrive and an EQ pedal would be your best bet at bedroom volumes... Something outside of the standard Tubescreamer is necessary as those would be a little too nasal and there's not nearly enough "wool" on the notes, but there's really some pretty good midrange going on in Warren's tones both past and present, so you don't want a flat mid pedal either.

Actually, the MI Audio Blue Boy was a great pedal for dialing in a great wooly Warren Haynes tone.

Well the right pick-ups would be new Gibsons. How do I know that? I was there with my friend (a Gibson rep) when he hand delievered the pickups to Warren. They were Burstbuckers.

Yes Warren has some good midrange, but it's not honky.

Az

[haslar]

I've got WCR Darkburst pups, I don't know about Goodwoods but these sound pretty good to me !


I think I should also try plugging a Les Paul in a Zendrive, or a MI Audio Blue Boy or MI Tube Zone, and see what it's like.