The amazing thing about all your videos is that you sound like you even with the 'Eric Johnson' style cascading pentatonic licks. That's really the best thing. Nobody is going to be anybody else so be the best 'you' you can be.
I was going to comment THIS precisely. JNC sounds like himself even with an amazingly accurate EJ tone and playing those types of licks. Probably weird to say this, but I think that John might be a little smoother and more R&B-sounding than Eric.
So true. When I listen close, I hear the EJ tone, but it's not exact. It still sounds great. It's more of a EJ inspired tone. I have found EJ's lead tone to be very similar to early Steve Morse. I recall in the 70's, Morse also used a fuzzface. Again, not quite the same, but you see where the inspiration came from.
@@enickma The runs and tone are similar but John has his own feel. Much like when Carl Verheyen plays those kind of runs. Don't forget that most likely those lines came from listening to John McLaughlin back in his 'Mahavishnu Orchestra' days.
I am always amazed at how people get great tone out of a Strat bridge pickup because I never could. I always assumed that the best STrat tones I was hearing on record and live were always always on the neck pickup because the ice pick was untameable. Now I see it takes A LOT of tinkering and patience that I never had but that smooth mello-cello thing that EJ and Gilmour get is attainable. But I am 35 years past my tinkering days and I settled into ES-335 goodness long ago and that's just where I live.
Having also experimented with the Tube Driver, I think it also has a lot to do with his touch and attack of the string. He seems to really pick lightly so the note doesn't ping in a bright way; it blooms. As soon as you start to get aggressive with the guitar is stops sounding like Eric. It is really a lot about how you approach it! Great video!
@@user-rs6eh3ke6k Sorry man, that's just me bugging JNC because Positive Grid is less mentioned here than Voldemort in Harry Potter. Actually, never mentioned lol Hope JNC doesn't block me
To preface, I'm not commenting as any authority, so please don't take anything that way. I love the search for tones, and especially the tones of people I admire. It's certainly a great jumping off point for learning what you like and don't like. Eric's lead tone has always been a little darker than I think people imagine. I think he's also said it before, and others have reiterated similar concepts, but the louder and more high gain the sound, the more he rolls off the high end. That's why you see the eq on the Tube driver almost off (or off). I also think the missing ingredient(s) are Eric himself, and we have to accept that there's always some added studio adjustments within the mix. So we're often chasing a recorded tone, that might be different from what was in the room at the time. Lastly, great playing. Love the Tube Driver dive. I've messed about with variants, but never with the real thing. And as you said, there are many paths to similar tones, and it doesn't have to be the exact gear. It's fun to do that, but you can also get in the ballpark with a variety of gear, and you might just find your own sound while you do it.
Check out Andy Wood’s “Decoding the Eric Johnson Tone. Woodshed Ep. 105” you have almost all the ingredients but you might get even further stacking the tube driver with a zen drive.
Pots were changed mainly cause the old ones were starting to fail. Bare knuckle only cause they do a 280kohm and i wanted values at the top end of what you could normally get with the standard tolerances on the normal 250k pots. The 500k prs volume pot was a bit of an experiment, but also i learned after that Eric used a 500k pot on Virginia to counter the slightly darker hs2 bridge pickup and i was basically doing the same thing to make sure the P90 i put in the bridge didn't get too dark. I like the taper on prs pots so that's why i picked it. The stainless steel frets are mainly cause they were getting quite worn and i just wanted the replacements to stay the same as long as possible
Actually, that is what Dimarzio recommends for their HS2, 3 and 4, they explicitly say it is better to use these pickups with 500k pots, instead of 250k.
I bought a Tube Driver from Brent Butler a few years ago and he asked me if I'd like it with the Eric Johnson "mod" or not. I asked him what it was, and he told me it was an extra control that was fitted on the back panel of the Tube Driver that added a bit more gain, which EEric seemingly had asked him for. I ordered it, and he told me Eric uses it in "around the three o clock" position. The Tube Driver didn't cost any more to have the extra "E.J. gain stage" fitted, so I got it with it fitted and it's certainly more E.J. sounding when you use it. If you just leave it at zero the Tube Driver sound is the same as if the extra control wasn't there.
Yes, you go down the rabbit hole and try to emulate all of your heroes and finally you get it, sound wise and playing wise. I did it for decades and you always find out that it just don't exactly fits you. So is it worthless? No! You develop your ear, plus playing technique, pick out what suits you, and all melts into your style of playing and out comes your personal touch. It is an experience which can not be bought or easily achieved. I recommend it to any player, listen and learn. It takes a lifetime and it's worth it. And of course it is fun. Then comes the time, you let go and just play. I really like your channel John and its never the topic. I loooovvveee the way you play. You've already arrived. Cheers and many thanks.
Amazing tone/playing man! Never could afford a Tube Driver but one pedal I really liked was the Dover Drive. Felt like it does a good job of Eric drive tone in a box.
There are really two separate matters with Eric Johnson, when it comes to tone. There is what he does, up to and including the amp, then there is how it is recorded (mic -> tape/daw -> mixdown/busses -> mastering). He is pretty open about his guitar gear/rig. That's the solid foundation of his sound(s), but what he does in post is very important to the tones we hear on the LP's. In his interview w/ Rick Beato, he talks a little bit about what he does to blackface Fenders in terms of eq in post, but doesn't go through his process in great detail. To my ear, he uses a bit of plate reverb in post, which mixed with his lead tone, creates this impression of beautiful singing sustain. Obviously, he does a lot more than that - but that's one aspect that I've heard through the years... Great work JNC. You are rapidly becoming my favorite channel!
Exactly. I've been thinking about this for years. There's MUCH more going on in the studio than the "Fender/Dumble or 50-watt Marshall or Two Rock/Plexi + pedals thing" and very little has been publicly disclosed. He did say that he used a Panasonic Ramsa for all the lead tones on AvM but if you pay attention EJ has created at least a dozen distinct studio tones over the years that somehow all sound like him.
Great video John! This tone is the definition of a "driven" tone. Not distorted, just gainy and driven. Essentially, the Tube Driver is acting like a preamp, and it sounds fine. It would be useful if you explained the entire chain, including amp, delay/reverb, everything.
For the price of a TD pedal, which runs the tube at very low V, you could get a high V pedal from various companies and have a much more dynamically sensitive sound with greater versatility in some cases. The TD is really a one-trick-pony.
I think the feel of EJ is the key more than anything. I saw him last week in Lewiston NY, and he was playing a very stripped down rig with his SG. Still sounded like him. He even plugged into an old Silvertone amp in case. Still sounded like EJ.
4:31 about what you said there. I've done that with a Marshall BB2 pedal into a Fender DeVille 4x10 amp, where I crancekd the clean Chanel, drive the gain of the pedal and just reduced the amount of volume of the pedal. Really smooth cream tone with non of that wooliness that usually happens when you I sert a distorsion pedal.
Really, really nice sound, and spectacular playing. The quest for the holy grail tone is impossible because there is no such thing. Think of tone as a color of sound …. then you’ll immediately understand why there isn’t a best tone, just as there is no best color. The portrait of music is painted with many colors.
I've been chasing EJ for a long time and I've gotten close without the specific gear. I think around 7:42 you hit this short run that was spot on and it was so good!
The Butler TD in my experience doesn't play well with anything that isn't at least a 50 watt tube amp. You should check out the Buffalo FX TD-X. Sounds just like a Tube Driver but gets along with modelers and solid state MUCH better.
I had one years ago, sometime in 1990-1991 or so. I don't know what happened to it. I don't remember selling it, but I may have given it away. I wish I had kept it - I didn't know how to make it sound good, but I might know better now.
The 5 knob Tube Driver gives you more control over the tone. He also uses a Dimarzio HS-2 in the bridge position. He replaced the echoplex with a Catalinbread Belle Epoch on his board. Your playing sounds great, EJ tone or not.
So your mention of the Fender instead of the Marshall base tone reminded me of Eric’s What’s on your pedalboard? showcase Sweetwater did a while back. Eric shows his clinic board setup which had a Zendrive, Dover Driver and Keeley DDR for his gain/drive going into a Belle Epoch and TC SCF hooked up to a Fender Twin. It was his same tone exactly that he’s always had with the echoplex going into the tube driver hooked up to the Plexi. Very shocked to see that it can be achieved with a non-Marshall amp as your base tone.
I agree with you @johncordy. you have a great tone here and I have chased the EJ and Duane allman tone for years but I agree now I have to think does this work for me and my playing style.
Awesome tone there!! That being said, 2 of the most important pieces of the puzzle are things that nobody can get - his heart and his hands. But man, it's fun to try lol.
I’m a big Gilmour fan and I’ve tried several TD and my go to TD now is the original version from 1986-1987. Bigger enclosures but really great. The new one are little bit harsh and not as smooth as the old one. On great option and very pricey is the Past FX TD-y (like Buffalo FX TD-X) and it’s very close to those old TD. But for me, the greatest OD pedal that I have is from Kingsley, the Harlot v3 is a beast. And for Dumble clean sound, the Maiden D is beautiful. You have to try those gem, they are truly the best thing on the market today for me. And for TD, try it with a compressor before!
@@Rael0505 I’ve spent a lot of money with lost value to find the best OD pedal and yes, they are crazy expensive but better than the most other brands and have a true value and keep it for decades.
In my experience, the best way to develop your own tone, is to experiment with replicating the tones you like. Eventually, as you figure out how different gear and settings shape your sound, you can use that to create your own sound.
Jon, you’re a nice guy and a great player, but for Gods sake, 15-20 years and $40,000 of dikin around with 200 different pieces of gear before you tried the real Tubedriver? I mean, it’s not like EJ kept it a secret hidden behind his amps. All you’re missing is a Belle Epoch Deluxe and a non-true bypass wha. The wha is more of a filter for Eric, as he doesn’t really step on the wha pedal very often. It’s also an impedance puzzle. The wha is a piece of that puzzle. Out of the wha into the BED. Yes: run the delay BEFORE the TD. You have to set the record level and output level just right, but when you do, the delays won’t fall into each other creating a big mess. It’s a very fine line: the output level has to be EXACTLY right. If you get it right, the delays will duck out of the way and just bloom out after a phrase is over. Also, you gotta get that amp overdriven. No clean amp sound will work. You need to get a lot of gain out of the amp, and then give it more with the TD. Add some reverb somewhere (post is best) and you’re there. You need that Echoplex preamp. The BED has it. A regular Belle Epoch will work, too. It adds that “compression/playability/gain” thing you were talking about at the end that you feel you are missing. You can take my word for it, or you can spend another 20 years and $40,000 and still wonder: “how does he get that sound?”
Yeah he had Marshall cranked, but used the Tube Driver or any overdrive for that matter, as a volume control/lower. Some guys use their Klons that way through a blasting Plexi.
Funny what you say about chasing someone’s tone then finding it doesn’t work for you. I chased the tube screamer strat sound a long time but ultimately it doesn’t work for me because I don’t have a heavy right hand like all my favourite players
Interesting stuff, couldn’t comment on the Eric stuff, to me you still sound very much like Cordy. I did find a thing with my first ever tube overdrive that it really opened up my perception to the guitar’s wiring and pickups. I think there is really something there with some tube overdrives, a sort of modulation when you mess with the dynamics that I hadn’t really felt with modelling. I still have and enjoy that little 50$ made in china thingy but it’s not often I use it, chugs power those things, what else can you tell us about your feelings with the tube driver ?
What’s interesting to me is you seem to chase his lead tone, but not his other tones. Anyways… I do totally get it… for me I chased SRV… who chased Albert King… so then I chased Albert’s tone too, lol…Btw, saw Eric J live… great show!
Hey John, James Santiago does some of the nicest demonstrations of getting Eric's tone in different ways. And then there is Eric himself getting it with random (?) pedals from Rick Beato's studio... I assume you've seen James' demonstrations at what time or another? There are a lot of great reasons to walk in someone else's "shoes." Beyond that, learning the underlying principles to not be tied to particular gear is even more desirable, and that's where I think Santiago's videos bear repeated viewing. Be curious to see you experiment with the combinations he shows in whatever way your collection affords. Cheers, D
p.s. You already get Eric's tones on a regular basis. I'm just thinking that it's the roles of the individual pieces and whether or not they succeed or do it better than an original piece of equipment. Cheers again. And not another bomb.
A Fuzz face helps. I've used a FF with the guitar volume backed off as a quick and easy EJ-ish clean. It gets that sparkly top end, then turn the volume back up to get the fuzz into a Marshall amp, pedal, modeler, etc. I think it got close here, but the P-90 in the bridge kept it from getting it even closer. It doesn't have the same attack as a single coil with the tone control backed off, so you have to compensate by adding it back in either at the amp or the pedal board. It just isn't the same🤷. The good news for people trying to nail it is that odds are they are playing single coils. I've been using Klones to under-drive for years, athough for me it was more to reign in volume than to get a tone. They tend to have more headroom than the other ODs that it might be normally pushing, and it stays together better at the end than they would. I can set it so that anything going into it would sound like it started clipping, with no change in volume at all. Granted Ive found other options in the last several years, but I'll still do it if I'm playing out with a stripped down rig.
I posted 2 Eric Johnson presets on the Fractal forum and damn near all of them use the Tube Driver 4-Knob. Even through my coil-tapped JS, it’s very close. I never used one but it’s now on most of my regular presets.
My favourite is his second appearance on ACL, in his marching band jacket and swoopy hair. There is a pick attack in that tone that has a sharpness/quick transient to it that is missing from most seekers...which is also missing in Eric's current tone! His playing too in that show - there is a precision that is almost surreal.....is he running more compression? Or just the stars aligning that gig and left/right hand sync was just MORE? Regardless of anyone's favourite preferences - great playing and great tone in this video - majestic!
@@tonystartup3817 Oh man - that first solo, neck pickup, switching from his fuzz/crunch tone to his lead tone with the feedback going......those are the moments on stage you live for and the reason you do it!
You're missing a huge component. Eric also relies on VOLUME and the gain of his amps. At stage volume, you're getting power amp saturation. He just kisses the front end of his amps with his drives
A little bit off topic here, but have you ever checked out the Kingsley Tube pedals? I feel like you might like them. Just awesome! Minstrel, Harlot and Page are my fav
i chased Yngwies early tone for YEARS, and kept ending up at a spot that isn't dead on, kind of a blend pf Yngwie and EVH, but i found worked much better for my playing. Do what works for you; your fingers and sense of timing likely isnt and will never be that of your heroes, so dont ignore yourself on that tone journey.
Brilliant work on the tone. Since you are "underdriving" the amp, I would think that would make the amp play less of a role than if it were being pushed. So I wonder if you could duplicate this tone with the driver into a modeler. I'd love to see you dig into that. -Tom
I've messed around with underdrive and found it unappealing when unnecessary. If you have to do it, it's a great solution but I think it just feels and reacts oddly. But I'm using Tube Works versions, a Real Tube now and a Blue Tube until recently. They're designed by the same buy, B.K. Butler, and are almost the same circuit, just have a mids control and smaller chassis.
When you’re 12 feet away from him, then walk about 25 feet away facing him in a fairly small venue like the picture dome In holmfirth. It actually did sound a violin,l was lucky enough to be let in to listen to his sound check, it was the first leg of his UK tour, lots of people try to get his tone none have successfully achieved it, try inventing your own
Have you ever tried a Suhr Badger 30? /its my favorite Marshall style amp and the built in wattage control is better than any other attenuator. Might be a shout since you like Suhr amps
He has, but I don't think it made it to many videos. Slightly different really to the tube driver as it's really trying to emulate his alternative lead sound of a fuzz face through his dumble amp. There are some similarities in the sound but they're not quite the same
Cool video, but you’re leaving out the fact that the Tube Driver is only one of the 3 amp setups EJ uses. When you have a triple amp setup, you can go all ADD with your sounds.
Sovjet tubes old stock new stock... The SU didn't want to be jammed and tubes were a way of keeping communication going, hence the Sovjet NOS tube bargain finds.
Not interested in mimicking anyone wholesale. I want bits and pieces of many artists. I have a friend that would always compare ne to The Edge, and while I intentionally have a similar style, I borrow some from Lukather, Gilmour, BB King...least I try 😂. Beyond that I think it's good to find your own spin on that mix of influences as well.
Eric is one of my two favourite guitarists, and he has incredible tones, but I never wanted to have the same tone as him. The idea of slavishly following someone else's style/ sound/ tone etc is something I could never understand. I mean, I get that people can use someone else as a marker for something to use as a way of improving what they do, but shouldn't we be trying to be the best " ourself" that we can be, rather than coveting your neighbour's recorded sound. I've not seen Eric live, but when I see live clips on RUclips of his, his lead tone is much to dull for me. I know that he doesn't like the highs in a plexi Marshall's breakup, but to my ear he goes overboard in a search for warmth and smoothness in his tone. Maybe he gets used to the ever darkening sound of the fading filter caps on old Marshalls ( I had one that I didn't nitice how dark it was until I played a newer head.) One Ah Via Musicom, his sound on "Cliffs of dover" was ( probably 335 humbucker) but too dark and dull. If you're worried by the loudness of an old plexi, why not use an attenuated output straight to record.
The amazing thing about all your videos is that you sound like you even with the 'Eric Johnson' style cascading pentatonic licks. That's really the best thing. Nobody is going to be anybody else so be the best 'you' you can be.
I was going to comment THIS precisely. JNC sounds like himself even with an amazingly accurate EJ tone and playing those types of licks. Probably weird to say this, but I think that John might be a little smoother and more R&B-sounding than Eric.
@@TheMusicalSchizo I totally agree. Eric is a brilliant player but John is the next generation. Each successive generation builds on what came before.
So true. When I listen close, I hear the EJ tone, but it's not exact. It still sounds great. It's more of a EJ inspired tone.
I have found EJ's lead tone to be very similar to early Steve Morse. I recall in the 70's, Morse also used a fuzzface. Again, not quite the same, but you see where the inspiration came from.
Sounded like EJ to me. Those runs and TONE are unmistakable
@@enickma The runs and tone are similar but John has his own feel. Much like when Carl Verheyen plays those kind of runs. Don't forget that most likely those lines came from listening to John McLaughlin back in his 'Mahavishnu Orchestra' days.
I am always amazed at how people get great tone out of a Strat bridge pickup because I never could. I always assumed that the best STrat tones I was hearing on record and live were always always on the neck pickup because the ice pick was untameable. Now I see it takes A LOT of tinkering and patience that I never had but that smooth mello-cello thing that EJ and Gilmour get is attainable. But I am 35 years past my tinkering days and I settled into ES-335 goodness long ago and that's just where I live.
Having also experimented with the Tube Driver, I think it also has a lot to do with his touch and attack of the string. He seems to really pick lightly so the note doesn't ping in a bright way; it blooms.
As soon as you start to get aggressive with the guitar is stops sounding like Eric. It is really a lot about how you approach it! Great video!
This is the best guitar tone of all your videos
Genuinely genuinely Genuinely one of the most beautiful tones you’ve showcased here. Btw, loved the PG Spark 2 vs Katana video.
can you link the PG Spark 2 vs Katana video? I searched for it but am unable to find it.
@@user-rs6eh3ke6k Sorry man, that's just me bugging JNC because Positive Grid is less mentioned here than Voldemort in Harry Potter. Actually, never mentioned lol Hope JNC doesn't block me
Pretty dang spot on mate!!! Unbelievable...my biggest problem has always been his attack, quite soft, almost swelling out and you got it
To preface, I'm not commenting as any authority, so please don't take anything that way. I love the search for tones, and especially the tones of people I admire. It's certainly a great jumping off point for learning what you like and don't like. Eric's lead tone has always been a little darker than I think people imagine. I think he's also said it before, and others have reiterated similar concepts, but the louder and more high gain the sound, the more he rolls off the high end. That's why you see the eq on the Tube driver almost off (or off). I also think the missing ingredient(s) are Eric himself, and we have to accept that there's always some added studio adjustments within the mix. So we're often chasing a recorded tone, that might be different from what was in the room at the time. Lastly, great playing. Love the Tube Driver dive. I've messed about with variants, but never with the real thing. And as you said, there are many paths to similar tones, and it doesn't have to be the exact gear. It's fun to do that, but you can also get in the ballpark with a variety of gear, and you might just find your own sound while you do it.
Spot on EJ tone!
Check out Andy Wood’s “Decoding the Eric Johnson Tone. Woodshed Ep. 105” you have almost all the ingredients but you might get even further stacking the tube driver with a zen drive.
Pots were changed mainly cause the old ones were starting to fail. Bare knuckle only cause they do a 280kohm and i wanted values at the top end of what you could normally get with the standard tolerances on the normal 250k pots. The 500k prs volume pot was a bit of an experiment, but also i learned after that Eric used a 500k pot on Virginia to counter the slightly darker hs2 bridge pickup and i was basically doing the same thing to make sure the P90 i put in the bridge didn't get too dark. I like the taper on prs pots so that's why i picked it.
The stainless steel frets are mainly cause they were getting quite worn and i just wanted the replacements to stay the same as long as possible
Actually, that is what Dimarzio recommends for their HS2, 3 and 4, they explicitly say it is better to use these pickups with 500k pots, instead of 250k.
I bought a Tube Driver from Brent Butler a few years ago and he asked me if I'd like it with the Eric Johnson "mod" or not. I asked him what it was, and he told me it was an extra control that was fitted on the back panel of the Tube Driver that added a bit more gain, which EEric seemingly had asked him for. I ordered it, and he told me Eric uses it in "around the three o clock" position. The Tube Driver didn't cost any more to have the extra "E.J. gain stage" fitted, so I got it with it fitted and it's certainly more E.J. sounding when you use it. If you just leave it at zero the Tube Driver sound is the same as if the extra control wasn't there.
Yes, you go down the rabbit hole and try to emulate all of your heroes and finally you get it, sound wise and playing wise. I did it for decades and you always find out that it just don't exactly fits you. So is it worthless? No! You develop your ear, plus playing technique, pick out what suits you, and all melts into your style of playing and out comes your personal touch. It is an experience which can not be bought or easily achieved. I recommend it to any player, listen and learn. It takes a lifetime and it's worth it. And of course it is fun. Then comes the time, you let go and just play. I really like your channel John and its never the topic. I loooovvveee the way you play. You've already arrived. Cheers and many thanks.
Exactly what I was waiting for man. Great video! Appreciate the content JC
Beautiful sound/tone... love the EJ sound, and you do it justice here.
Amazing tone/playing man! Never could afford a Tube Driver but one pedal I really liked was the Dover Drive. Felt like it does a good job of Eric drive tone in a box.
Yep, you’ve really nailed it, well done 👍
There are really two separate matters with Eric Johnson, when it comes to tone. There is what he does, up to and including the amp, then there is how it is recorded (mic -> tape/daw -> mixdown/busses -> mastering). He is pretty open about his guitar gear/rig. That's the solid foundation of his sound(s), but what he does in post is very important to the tones we hear on the LP's. In his interview w/ Rick Beato, he talks a little bit about what he does to blackface Fenders in terms of eq in post, but doesn't go through his process in great detail. To my ear, he uses a bit of plate reverb in post, which mixed with his lead tone, creates this impression of beautiful singing sustain. Obviously, he does a lot more than that - but that's one aspect that I've heard through the years...
Great work JNC. You are rapidly becoming my favorite channel!
Exactly. I've been thinking about this for years. There's MUCH more going on in the studio than the "Fender/Dumble or 50-watt Marshall or Two Rock/Plexi + pedals thing" and very little has been publicly disclosed. He did say that he used a Panasonic Ramsa for all the lead tones on AvM but if you pay attention EJ has created at least a dozen distinct studio tones over the years that somehow all sound like him.
Wow that nice. I saw Eric twice last year. I close my eys and hear him.
My tube driver came with a mesa 12ax7 , it sounded too fuzzy , so i got an early 60s Brimar , and it was a lot smoother
Have always loved EJ’s tone - sounds absolutely amazing here. Love it.
Great video John! This tone is the definition of a "driven" tone. Not distorted, just gainy and driven. Essentially, the Tube Driver is acting like a preamp, and it sounds fine. It would be useful if you explained the entire chain, including amp, delay/reverb, everything.
Crazy thing for me is that I bought an original tube driver when I was a teen for 35.00 at a pawn shop. Now that same pedal is 400.00 !
For the price of a TD pedal, which runs the tube at very low V, you could get a high V pedal from various companies and have a much more dynamically sensitive sound with greater versatility in some cases. The TD is really a one-trick-pony.
I think the feel of EJ is the key more than anything. I saw him last week in Lewiston NY, and he was playing a very stripped down rig with his SG. Still sounded like him. He even plugged into an old Silvertone amp in case. Still sounded like EJ.
4:31 about what you said there.
I've done that with a Marshall BB2 pedal into a Fender DeVille 4x10 amp, where I crancekd the clean Chanel, drive the gain of the pedal and just reduced the amount of volume of the pedal. Really smooth cream tone with non of that wooliness that usually happens when you I sert a distorsion pedal.
Really, really nice sound, and spectacular playing. The quest for the holy grail tone is impossible because there is no such thing. Think of tone as a color of sound …. then you’ll immediately understand why there isn’t a best tone, just as there is no best color. The portrait of music is painted with many colors.
Sounds amazing 💯😎 Great video
I've been chasing EJ for a long time and I've gotten close without the specific gear. I think around 7:42 you hit this short run that was spot on and it was so good!
The Butler TD in my experience doesn't play well with anything that isn't at least a 50 watt tube amp. You should check out the Buffalo FX TD-X. Sounds just like a Tube Driver but gets along with modelers and solid state MUCH better.
Strangely enough John currently has a past FX TD-y in his hands - a buffalo TD-x clone. Whether it will make it in to a video though is unknown
The Manhattan-inspired improvisation was nice. Love that tune. Tone is EJ all the way.
One of my favorite guitar tones ever.
ive owned a tube driver for multiple decades.. mine has tube bias knob on back..loving your interest in this piece of gear
I had one years ago, sometime in 1990-1991 or so. I don't know what happened to it. I don't remember selling it, but I may have given it away. I wish I had kept it - I didn't know how to make it sound good, but I might know better now.
The 5 knob Tube Driver gives you more control over the tone. He also uses a Dimarzio HS-2 in the bridge position. He replaced the echoplex with a Catalinbread Belle Epoch on his board. Your playing sounds great, EJ tone or not.
There's been a few delays over the years. Boss dd2, deluxe memory man etc
Wow what a cool sound! so close to EJ! Beautiful!!!
So your mention of the Fender instead of the Marshall base tone reminded me of Eric’s What’s on your pedalboard? showcase Sweetwater did a while back. Eric shows his clinic board setup which had a Zendrive, Dover Driver and Keeley DDR for his gain/drive going into a Belle Epoch and TC SCF hooked up to a Fender Twin. It was his same tone exactly that he’s always had with the echoplex going into the tube driver hooked up to the Plexi. Very shocked to see that it can be achieved with a non-Marshall amp as your base tone.
Beautiful playing and tones!
I agree with you @johncordy. you have a great tone here and I have chased the EJ and Duane allman tone for years but I agree now I have to think does this work for me and my playing style.
Awesome tone there!! That being said, 2 of the most important pieces of the puzzle are things that nobody can get - his heart and his hands. But man, it's fun to try lol.
Very nice video, man.
I’m a big Gilmour fan and I’ve tried several TD and my go to TD now is the original version from 1986-1987. Bigger enclosures but really great. The new one are little bit harsh and not as smooth as the old one. On great option and very pricey is the Past FX TD-y (like Buffalo FX TD-X) and it’s very close to those old TD. But for me, the greatest OD pedal that I have is from Kingsley, the Harlot v3 is a beast. And for Dumble clean sound, the Maiden D is beautiful. You have to try those gem, they are truly the best thing on the market today for me. And for TD, try it with a compressor before!
Those pedals are crazy expensive!
@@Rael0505 I’ve spent a lot of money with lost value to find the best OD pedal and yes, they are crazy expensive but better than the most other brands and have a true value and keep it for decades.
In my experience, the best way to develop your own tone, is to experiment with replicating the tones you like. Eventually, as you figure out how different gear and settings shape your sound, you can use that to create your own sound.
I remember you featuring this guitar before. It's clearly been played a lot since! I've got the thinline version and I really love it
Almost exactly 2 years ago. Time flies
Jon, you’re a nice guy and a great player, but for Gods sake, 15-20 years and $40,000 of dikin around with 200 different pieces of gear before you tried the real Tubedriver? I mean, it’s not like EJ kept it a secret hidden behind his amps.
All you’re missing is a Belle Epoch Deluxe and a non-true bypass wha. The wha is more of a filter for Eric, as he doesn’t really step on the wha pedal very often. It’s also an impedance puzzle. The wha is a piece of that puzzle.
Out of the wha into the BED. Yes: run the delay BEFORE the TD. You have to set the record level and output level just right, but when you do, the delays won’t fall into each other creating a big mess. It’s a very fine line: the output level has to be EXACTLY right. If you get it right, the delays will duck out of the way and just bloom out after a phrase is over.
Also, you gotta get that amp overdriven. No clean amp sound will work. You need to get a lot of gain out of the amp, and then give it more with the TD.
Add some reverb somewhere (post is best) and you’re there.
You need that Echoplex preamp. The BED has it. A regular Belle Epoch will work, too. It adds that “compression/playability/gain” thing you were talking about at the end that you feel you are missing.
You can take my word for it, or you can spend another 20 years and $40,000 and still wonder: “how does he get that sound?”
Yeah he had Marshall cranked, but used the Tube Driver or any overdrive for that matter, as a volume control/lower. Some guys use their Klons that way through a blasting Plexi.
Excellent playing!!
Awesome tone and playing
Loved the playing and sound.
Funny what you say about chasing someone’s tone then finding it doesn’t work for you. I chased the tube screamer strat sound a long time but ultimately it doesn’t work for me because I don’t have a heavy right hand like all my favourite players
Interesting stuff, couldn’t comment on the Eric stuff, to me you still sound very much like Cordy. I did find a thing with my first ever tube overdrive that it really opened up my perception to the guitar’s wiring and pickups. I think there is really something there with some tube overdrives, a sort of modulation when you mess with the dynamics that I hadn’t really felt with modelling. I still have and enjoy that little 50$ made in china thingy but it’s not often I use it, chugs power those things, what else can you tell us about your feelings with the tube driver ?
What’s interesting to me is you seem to chase his lead tone, but not his other tones. Anyways… I do totally get it… for me I chased SRV… who chased Albert King… so then I chased Albert’s tone too, lol…Btw, saw Eric J live… great show!
I have the 5 knob version into a 1959 half stack. It gets you there, bias about 70-75%. That's it John. Close enough for me.
Hey John, James Santiago does some of the nicest demonstrations of getting Eric's tone in different ways. And then there is Eric himself getting it with random (?) pedals from Rick Beato's studio... I assume you've seen James' demonstrations at what time or another? There are a lot of great reasons to walk in someone else's "shoes." Beyond that, learning the underlying principles to not be tied to particular gear is even more desirable, and that's where I think Santiago's videos bear repeated viewing. Be curious to see you experiment with the combinations he shows in whatever way your collection affords. Cheers, D
p.s. You already get Eric's tones on a regular basis. I'm just thinking that it's the roles of the individual pieces and whether or not they succeed or do it better than an original piece of equipment. Cheers again. And not another bomb.
I have an old Chandler tube driver and I know where the gain sweet spot is on it but never thought about using it to underdrive, thank you!
A Fuzz face helps. I've used a FF with the guitar volume backed off as a quick and easy EJ-ish clean. It gets that sparkly top end, then turn the volume back up to get the fuzz into a Marshall amp, pedal, modeler, etc. I think it got close here, but the P-90 in the bridge kept it from getting it even closer. It doesn't have the same attack as a single coil with the tone control backed off, so you have to compensate by adding it back in either at the amp or the pedal board. It just isn't the same🤷. The good news for people trying to nail it is that odds are they are playing single coils.
I've been using Klones to under-drive for years, athough for me it was more to reign in volume than to get a tone. They tend to have more headroom than the other ODs that it might be normally pushing, and it stays together better at the end than they would. I can set it so that anything going into it would sound like it started clipping, with no change in volume at all. Granted Ive found other options in the last several years, but I'll still do it if I'm playing out with a stripped down rig.
Wow it does have that beautiful EJ sing as I like to call it. Especially up the neck on the high notes. Just butter!
This tone with your fingers is a winner. Although your prior tone and fingers were also great. The next rabbit hole will be one modeller to get there.
The tube driver with eq all the way off IS the Ej tone
The missing magic is the sheer volume that he plays at. Also, having a brighter back end but rolling off the treble on the guitar.
Sounds like the real deal to me! (Caveat: I have broken my ears by playing too loud for too long) Seriously, sounds awesome!
Really nice tone! Very refined. Very Pro.
I posted 2 Eric Johnson presets on the Fractal forum and damn near all of them use the Tube Driver 4-Knob. Even through my coil-tapped JS, it’s very close. I never used one but it’s now on most of my regular presets.
Yea that's it. Sounds perfect
My favourite is his second appearance on ACL, in his marching band jacket and swoopy hair. There is a pick attack in that tone that has a sharpness/quick transient to it that is missing from most seekers...which is also missing in Eric's current tone! His playing too in that show - there is a precision that is almost surreal.....is he running more compression? Or just the stars aligning that gig and left/right hand sync was just MORE?
Regardless of anyone's favourite preferences - great playing and great tone in this video - majestic!
Oh yeah.... Trail of tears, magical
@@tonystartup3817 Oh man - that first solo, neck pickup, switching from his fuzz/crunch tone to his lead tone with the feedback going......those are the moments on stage you live for and the reason you do it!
@@dsarlis yeah that's definitely my favourite part of the whole performance. One of my all time favourite EJ moments
You should also check out the Jetter Gain Stage Blue. Almost instant EJ tones through any decent clean amp.
Very like all eric johnson topic
And waiting for eric johnson chord again
I think you really got there too. Its a beautiful tone for instrumentals but I think in the context of a band with vocals it would be lost.
Total Venus Isle tones... the epitome of EJ 's sound. Nice.
Saw Eric last weekend for some songs he actually used a Fender Tone Master Pro, he also was playing his prototype strat with the built-in overdrive 🤟
Sounds fantastic..
You got to up vote a video that has snippets of "Manhattan" soloing. Good job mate.
You're missing a huge component. Eric also relies on VOLUME and the gain of his amps. At stage volume, you're getting power amp saturation. He just kisses the front end of his amps with his drives
Awesome. I can load the Amalgam capture of the Tube Driver pedal onto a Tonex One...and voila.
A little bit off topic here, but have you ever checked out the Kingsley Tube pedals? I feel like you might like them. Just awesome! Minstrel, Harlot and Page are my fav
He did one on a boost pedal I think years ago.
i chased Yngwies early tone for YEARS, and kept ending up at a spot that isn't dead on, kind of a blend pf Yngwie and EVH, but i found worked much better for my playing.
Do what works for you; your fingers and sense of timing likely isnt and will never be that of your heroes, so dont ignore yourself on that tone journey.
Brilliant work on the tone. Since you are "underdriving" the amp, I would think that would make the amp play less of a role than if it were being pushed. So I wonder if you could duplicate this tone with the driver into a modeler. I'd love to see you dig into that. -Tom
I've messed around with underdrive and found it unappealing when unnecessary. If you have to do it, it's a great solution but I think it just feels and reacts oddly. But I'm using Tube Works versions, a Real Tube now and a Blue Tube until recently. They're designed by the same buy, B.K. Butler, and are almost the same circuit, just have a mids control and smaller chassis.
I love that HEADFIRST amp.
When you’re 12 feet away from him, then walk about 25 feet away facing him in a fairly small venue like the picture dome In holmfirth. It actually did sound a violin,l was lucky enough to be let in to listen to his sound check, it was the first leg of his UK tour, lots of people try to get his tone none have successfully achieved it, try inventing your own
Nice sound !
What reverb pedal are you using here ?
Best wishes
Congrats, personally enjoy your phrases and your tone
Have you ever tried a Suhr Badger 30? /its my favorite Marshall style amp and the built in wattage control is better than any other attenuator. Might be a shout since you like Suhr amps
Your tone sounds great here
0:58 Kind of amazing how "dark" it sounds on the bridge pickup - understood its a p90 now?
Mine’s coming in tmrw!
Nice looking strat that one.
Beautiful...
Most of Venus Isle was a 64 strat into that one Marshall I think got ruined, but I suspect the main difference is in the mics they used.
You sounded like EJ🔥🔥🔥 very interesting..
Got damn..... that sounds good.
I used to have one of these. Why did I sell it?!😭
@johnNathanCordy did you try the lovepedal Dover Drive ? Really good alternative to the tube driver.
He has, but I don't think it made it to many videos. Slightly different really to the tube driver as it's really trying to emulate his alternative lead sound of a fuzz face through his dumble amp. There are some similarities in the sound but they're not quite the same
Cool video, but you’re leaving out the fact that the Tube Driver is only one of the 3 amp setups EJ uses.
When you have a triple amp setup, you can go all ADD with your sounds.
Becoming more of a salesman, Jon!
@johnnathancordy check out DC11GTR’s Eric Johnson presets he recently posted on the Fractal Audio Forum. Pretty damn convincing EJ tones IMO. 👍🏻
Sovjet tubes old stock new stock...
The SU didn't want to be jammed and tubes were a way of keeping communication going, hence the Sovjet NOS tube bargain finds.
Also, what reverb are you using?
Not interested in mimicking anyone wholesale. I want bits and pieces of many artists. I have a friend that would always compare ne to The Edge, and while I intentionally have a similar style, I borrow some from Lukather, Gilmour, BB King...least I try 😂. Beyond that I think it's good to find your own spin on that mix of influences as well.
Eric is one of my two favourite guitarists, and he has incredible tones, but I never wanted to have the same tone as him. The idea of slavishly following someone else's style/ sound/ tone etc is something I could never understand. I mean, I get that people can use someone else as a marker for something to use as a way of improving what they do, but shouldn't we be trying to be the best " ourself" that we can be, rather than coveting your neighbour's recorded sound. I've not seen Eric live, but when I see live clips on RUclips of his, his lead tone is much to dull for me. I know that he doesn't like the highs in a plexi Marshall's breakup, but to my ear he goes overboard in a search for warmth and smoothness in his tone. Maybe he gets used to the ever darkening sound of the fading filter caps on old Marshalls ( I had one that I didn't nitice how dark it was until I played a newer head.) One Ah Via Musicom, his sound on "Cliffs of dover" was ( probably 335 humbucker) but too dark and dull. If you're worried by the loudness of an old plexi, why not use an attenuated output straight to record.
Somewhere on John's PC Is a folder titled "Flummoxed Thumbnails" and it has thousands of pics
Wow..👍