Do they still make the same Pignose amp Zappa used?

[quadrogong]

and can I assume the old ones are different?
or not so much?

I remember he used it on TV, Mike Douglas show or something, he walked out with it, set up, and played..well killed it.
anyone know much about the ones he used?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSPdg4yPwAg

tone is crazy!
..

 

[wildschwein]

As far as I know Zappa used the 7-100s that they still make today. He usually miked them up in the studio with very high-end vocal mikes. An interesting hi-fi/lo-fi team-up for sure but it seemed to work for him. He talks a bit about it in a Guitar Player interview from the mid to late 70s. Whether Pignose still use all the same components in the amps that they did in the 70s and whether the new ones sound as good is another story. I had one in the 90s that sounded amazing for what it was, very warm cleans and a nice musical distortion when cranked.

 

[teemuk]

They still make the 7-100.

But it has been revised several times: Original design had germanium transistors and negative power supply polarity. This was later revised to silicon transistors and then to silicon transistors and positive power supply. Revisions were also made in biasing arrangements and cabinet design (e.g. the first cabinet design didn't have metal corner protections).

But overall the 7-100 is stil quite close to original design, though.

 

[AndreasG]

and can I assume the old ones are different?
or not so much?

I remember he used it on TV, Mike Douglas show or something, he walked out with it, set up, and played..well killed it.
anyone know much about the ones he used?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSPdg4yPwAg

tone is crazy!
..

Great tone! My Pignose sounds similar...and I always feel that with the volume on the Pignose full up and the volume on the guitar turned way down you get the fattes clean tone ever.
Wasn't there also rumour that Layla was recorded with Pigs instead of Champs, mainly because running off batteries they were dead quiet?

 

[Marcfordsfuzz513]

Yes got one for xmas, its AWESOME.

sounds best with P90s for a dirty blues sound and with single coils.

 

[es137p]

I think Franks guitars are hot rodded as well.

 

[wildschwein]

I think Franks guitars are hot rodded as well.

Oh yeah. He tweaked a lot of his guitars especially in the 70s. He used coil taps, phase reversal and probably series/parallel wirings as well. He also dabbled with onboard preamps. On one of his Strats he had a Barcus Berry Dot installed (which is traditionally used on acoustics) and he would mix that sound with the regular pickups.

 

[MKB]

Oh yeah. He tweaked a lot of his guitars especially in the 70s. He used coil taps, phase reversal and probably series/parallel wirings as well. He also dabbled with onboard preamps. On one of his Strats he had a Barcus Berry Dot installed (which is traditionally used on acoustics) and he would mix that sound with the regular pickups.

There is a video on youtube where Dweezil sets up that same rig (copy SG into Pignose) and does a bit of playing. IIRC he used one of his SG's with P90's into the Pignose, then plugged in Frank's copy SG and turned its preamp on. BIG difference. From that video, IMHO the majority of that tone was in the guitar Frank used.

 

[stormymondays]

I remember he used it on TV, Mike Douglas show or something, he walked out with it, set up, and played..well killed it.
anyone know much about the ones he used?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSPdg4yPwAg

That video is KILLER!

 

[teemuk]

Wasn't there also rumour that Layla was recorded with Pigs instead of Champs...

The version that I've heard is that both amps were used in the session.

 

[quadrogong]

His main SG was a custom job made by a fan,
And he did use various modification, odd EQ's and most famously, he plugged in a wah at a set point and left it alone for that lo-fi midrange trademark tone, he'd move the wah firwRd to accentuate certain passages
But just leave it on, set at a mid point for most of the soloing

This video doesn't seem to have the wah on, too much low end, u an just tell.
I was just curious, I see that pig at the back of the stage area and just have to smile.. Everyone was going bigger and bigger w Marshall stuff coming in to fashion, and here he is on national tv with a huge, pro orchestra
Using that little pig!
I love it!

 

[billyguitar]

Supposedly Terry Cath with Chicago used one and so did Paul McCartney on the Cherries solo album.

 

[OHSOFUZZY]

I had a somewhat modern one for a while, it sounded very similar to that.
Ended up giving it to a guy that needed a practice amp.

I think they'd be very handy for recording and adding depth to tone.

You can close it, and mic it up from the front.
You can open it up, and mic up the front.
You can open it up, and mic from the back.

Just a cool little amp all around.

Thanks for the vid......super interesting.

 

[RJLII]

I have one from about 1990. It's basically a POS. You have to turn the guitar down almost all the way to keep from pummeling the preamp into oblivion. It makes a few cool transistor radio type tones. Seems to me it's more of a novelty gadget than anything.

 

[teemuk]

Supposedly Terry Cath with Chicago used one ...

Well the band did have a lot on stake with those.

Chicago's producer Jimmy Guercio was actually one of the main investors in financially backing up founding of Pignose Industries. Chicago's guitarist Terry Kath promoted the amps at NAMM and the wife of Chicago's singer (who also happened to be the band's accountant) bought the company the same year those Pignose amps made their major breakthrough at NAMM show.

 

[Zeon45]

Didn't Ralph Macchio use one in Crossroads?

 

[quadrogong]

Didn't Ralph Macchio use one in Crossroads?

not sure, I missed Rig Rundown Ralph Machio.. excuse my sarcasm, couldn't resist

Seriously,though.. I thought that Lo-Fi transister radio thing might be cool at times..
keep the little Pig on one side of my A/B box and switch to it at times for a really raw, gritty tone?..

 

[JDW3]

I read FZ's Pig was modded for 18V.

 

[wildschwein]

I never did it with mine but a buddy used to run his at something like 12 volts - he reckoned it had more grunt. I was never keen to try it with mine though as I wasn't sure the components would take it. They're basically a fuzz circuit with a speaker but can get some really nice sounds that kill a lot of other small practice amps - the little cab gives them a woody sound you just can't get from those little plastic toy belt-clip amps produced by the likes of Fender or Marshall. Getting a friend to open and close the cabinet as you play gets some good wah sounds. Running through the preamp out into a huge stack is also cool. From memory it was featured in "Crossroads" when the two characters hit the road Ralph uses it to play as they walk along.

 

[billyguitar]

I mentioned earlier that I think McCartney used one on Maybe I'm Amazed, It sure sounds like a Pignose and an Esquire.