Who's got some of those killer clean/semi-dirty funk tones?

How's about a BF or SF Fender Twin? It's what the vast majority of those classic funk tones were recorded with. Those cats used whatever was in the studio in those days and it was usually a Twin... and not so much Strats as Gibsons. Lots of LPs and 335s.

I'll also editorialize a little here and add that if you think that the RHCPs are playing funk, you need to dig a little deeper. <g>

Loudboy

 

There's a bunch of guys who do that playing Riveras. I personally dig the Jake model the best. But there is a lot to be said for the R-55/12 or R-100/212 when we are thinking about funk and cleans.

Another great amp for that sort of thing is Bogner Metropolis. Didn't Randy Jacobs do clips for Bogner on this one? They could have called this amp the "Blues-o-tron" except there's other stuff you can do for it.

If you get more dirty Southern in your blues, then Demeter TGA-3 is another staple recommendation.

Another amp that around here has been tearing it up in the blues and funk arena is the Blues Pearl Verbrasonic. I have little idea how you might get one. But it is a happy thing to get.

Yet another really fun amp for that is Louis Electric's tweed twin style things.

 

If it's funky, then it's funk, no? It's not like he said "funky like William Hung".

 

Not a bad choice that. I know a guy that lives on that amp and he is all about '60s funk.

 

How about an orange? Lots of funk bands from the 60's and 70's used these.

 

You want an early Marshall...something that's sorta JTM45 style.

I love my Siegmund Midnight Blues for this exact sound.

As for the RHCP not being funk comment....Everytime I hear that, I wonder if the person has ever heard RHCP's stuff with Jack Irons on drums...particularly w/ George Clinton as producer...You're telling me that's not funk? I guess P-funk isn't funk either....funk purist perhaps.

 

I've heard some very cool dirty funk from a Silvertone 1483.

 

Mother's Milk definitely sounds like funk to me. Modern funk, yes.
Obviously it doesn't sound like 60s funk like the James Brown posse, or 70s funk like Chic, or 80s funk like Prince.
To each decade its own sound.

 

The era thing is clutch, at this point, funk is a broad enough term that pretty much anything goes.

In terms of tones, I lean more old school, so it's a Deluxe Reverb through a 2x12 or 4X10, with the 2X12 being more british voiced. On it's own, this will give you the classic cleans with cut, through fat cleans, up to normal fender break up with less speaker break up. You know the sound. I like the way this set up works when there are more musicians around (like keys, horns, etc)

In my wilder days, I swore by Oranges and a Marshall Jubilee. Those were sick lead tones, and worked great for filling frequency space with small group stuff (guitar/bass/drums/vocals).

Other good choices for clean to break up
- Tweed Twin or Bassman
- Hiwatt (less break up here)
- Germino (Masonette for more breakup, other models for less)

 

CAA/Suhr OD 100
Killer funk tones.
Spanky cleans, and if you want a drop of dirt or more....
Just huge and 3D sounding....
No compressor needed.
Steve

 

Many choices to get funk tone... but personally
you don't have to exact like old records...
Because those guys (old records) they are funky before
they touch their guitars!

I prefer single coil, Strat, because it has tight , clear tone.
You could use ES335... I have 67' 335. Middle position
or rear.

For amps. I like stock Fender Black Face. I own many
BF amps. 2 12 Pro Reverbs. That's my favorite.
2 12 got clear , cut throught the mix... I like that.

If you really want to clean, bright tone.
Eminence Screaming Eagle. Great funk speakers.

Playing funk, you have to be reallly funky!
Take some dance lessons too.

PS, many thinks I use compressor for my funk rhythm.
No compressor even at studio.

Check this
http://www.tomofujita.com/jpn/cd.html

Go to my solo performance dvd.
SRV Strat direct into my BF Pro Reverb except
Wah groove. Eminence's the Tonker.

Mostly I use my Fuchs 50 & Bob Burt cab for
my gigs, recording. Great set up for funk, blues
jazz setting. Go to Eminence website, you can
hear more clips.

Tomo

 

Best funk tones I've ever gotten were from using a Tele into a Rivera Suprema with the clean channel set up for 'ninja' boost, offering that extra bit of edge. Also recorded with a Fender SFVR which sounded very spanky when cranked, and I regularly get a perfectly natural clean-yet-magically-dirty funk tone running the same Tele thru my Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr.--but when I think of my favorite funk tones on record I generally think of Fender amps and their variants; the Riveras would fall into that category.

 

Hiwatt 50 (early Biacrown era has more gain)

I love mine with either a Strat or a Tele.

FAT, TIGHT, and FULL bottom-end .
Spanky Top-end midrange can be set _wherever_ you want.

Perfect amount of dirt(for me) can be dialed in the preamp.

Underated amps for this application(Funk).

 

Yep old Chili Peppers is my favorite FUNK... Definitely don't need to dig deeper.. I have Parliament, Sly , E W F , Bootsy , and on and on , and the CP's will always do it for me! For that tone you just need clean Marshalls or Twins.. Easy as can be. Tonally if you want that, why waste the money on a 2500.00 amp? Buy a 500.00 jmp /twin , or jcm800 and use the rest to enjoy life.. Anyway, I realize you want a boutique amp as that's what you prefer to own , but tonally along those lines , old Fenders or Marshalls or PV's are perfect.. I've played lots of that stuff in bands!
Eric

 

I totally agree.

RHCP is funk influenced, but very far from the real deal to me.

For authentic funk it would be very hard to beat many of the Silver face or Blacface Fender amps with a Strat or Tele. For modern rock\metal\disco\fusion type funk, almost anything with a clean would work.

 

I love the narrow definitions of what is and what isn't music! Have you heard or do you own

Freaky Styley
Uplift Mofo Party Plan
RHCP
Mother's Milk, etc

They have some of the best and most outrageous pure funk you'll ever hear. Just because they were punk doesn't mean that they can't play funk! I know Mark G (loudboy) liked Classic Rock ,etc and much more conservative music, and lord knows you have very narrow definitions of music Tag, but the old CP's is some of the best funk... INcubus before they got famous did absolutely phenomenal funk too but nowhere near as pure as the CP's... I grew up in Augusta GA a mile away from James Brown and grew up listening to Kool and the Gang, Bootsy ,George C etc and they're great but this is as good and better (TO ME)

ERIC

 

Hi Derek,

Sorry. I wrote too much standard stuff.
I am clean guy with wrong answer. Ignore
my comments.

Semi-dirty sound. Did you try Bad Cat amps?
or Roccaforte amps... Leon got great clips
somewhere. Those break ups early.

with Red Fang 30 watts.

Hope somebody will post divided by 13 amp.
Anybody?


PS, I just went guitar center in Hollywood.
Fender SF Princeton cost more than $1000...
Even SF is more money... Glad that I bought many
BF fenders.


Tomo