The whole peavey decade story is hillarious. Josh essentially showed everybody that you should not focus on gear but instead be creative with what you have available. The secret of his sound is that he doesn't follow any roads. He mentioned that also at the guitarings show with Kyle and John. But when he showed the peavey decade, his biggest fans went out and bought this amp. Totally ignoring the real message they spend hundreds of dollars for this thing. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the prices on reverb. But still, the peavey story inspired me to try more stuff. Things that might seem odd.
That Guitarings episode was really fun! It's sad that the weird gear pawn shops that let young Josh explore the sounds in his head are getting rarer these days. At least, in the digital realm, good plugins can let players apply the same ethos. Back when I taught music, I told students "just make sure you have an amp that can do passable cleans and enough overdrive for your needs [and most of the time they did], then buy a good EQ pedal and go crazy". Musicians like Josh have an ear for how voices, be it human or instrumental, can fit together in a ensemble. It's an incredible skill to develop.
Most gear snobs would be amazed to see what happens when You spend some time turning up the knobs on your amp, your guitars and pedals. I remember when I First used Boss Metal Zone. I went to the manual and follow the suggested settings to get some Very Nice tones. Fast forwoard to 2005, 2010, 2015, and the Metal Zone became rejected for being too buzzy. Then some RUclipsrs showed the same exoerience I had 22 years Ago, and now they're Cool again. Come on.... Least, I must say that a well adjusted metal Zone can get You a Lot of Homme's tones.
my main, 6, is a cheap amazon iyv tele with humbuckers. i put 300 into good hardware and invaders and took it to the lutheir. it plays like 10k now lol. i usually play through a katana 50 also. its set up for drop c though. everything else is standard but extended range.
This. Sure it's fun trying to emulate another artists tones and is be a useful tool for figuring out your own sound but you're really only going to find something interesting and unique by trying out unorthodox combinations and thinking outside the box.
@@skakid0 Exactly! I've had way more fun trying to emulate a tone with what I have (and can afford) and in doing so have found so many other awesome little intricacies that I wouldn't have found otherwise.
Ive always learned other peoples songs. But never tried to get other peoples tone, I just get my tone, and make the covers work with that. I have zero interest in trying to sound like anyone else. Especially josh. I love queens, but jist like pantera. Its poop tone
So far, from my experience at least, the trick to getting the super heavy rumbling tones you hear on the Kyuss albums or on Songs for the Deaf is to play with a good bass player. Guitar by itself can really only get you so far.
Especially by the time Scott Reeder got on board. I'm impressed to this day by the way Chris Goss and Joe Barresi recorded and mixed Josh and Scott to sound in perfect harmony on Sky Valley. The guitar and bass seem to be one massive instrument at times.
Bought a Peavy Decade for 17$ from a yard sale and it’s been in my storage unit I had no idea people wanted these 😭 I might have missed my window to sell it
Fun fact: The OD preamp section of the Tube Works RT-2100 is almost identical to the Tube Works 901 Real Tube overdrive pedal. If you want to cop Homme’s Kyuss-era tone without the time and expense of tracking down an RT-2100, you can get really close by using a Real Tube pedal (which are easily found on Reverb for around $150-200) either straight into the front of your amp or as a preamp into its effects loop or your DI of choice.
Note to non-US buyers: The Tube Works 901 Real Tube pedal runs on 110v. However there is a 220v version sold under the name Kampo Tube Pedal 901 in europe. This might save you some money on a step-down transformer.
Interesting note on the Peavey Decade. I think a lot of people are looking for a "silver bullet" to nail "the perfect tone". If they hear someone like Josh say they use a product, or if a popular RUclipsr covers a product, they tend to flock to it thinking "this is the one" when it might not necessarily be for them. I always like trying different things and seeing how they work, whether it's pawn shop/garage sale/FB Marketplace finds or browsing Reverb by lowest price. Pretty much any piece of gear can work in the right context, so it's cool to see what some of the more unheralded pieces of gear can do if you give them an honest chance.
The Decade was my very first guitar amp. Bought it second-hand and cheap as chips in 1985 when I was 13. I stopped using it when I bought a Marshall a couple of years later. It now serves as a door stopper in my shed. It's all it's good for, really, and why people now suddenly would pay silly money for one, just because Josh Homme mentions one half jokingly in some TV show, is downright unfathomable.
What I find is hilarious is that after he said he used the Decade, and everyone went out buying them up, someone came out with a pedal version of the Peavey Decade that costs over $300 and suckers were buying that right up as well, when you could just go out and buy a comparable Peavey practice amp for $100 or less 😂
Well, the pedal is pretty dang nice if you ask me. You can run in directly into a cab, and then you have a very decent and unique sounding amp. When used as a drive pedal, it's also very cool. Almost fuzzy when pushed. You can get it to sound like a Decade, but it's also a different thing if you want it to be. Not cheap, but again, can be used as an amp.
so the drop C thing was from a "sound like qotsa by breaking the bank" episode, and they tuned to drop C only because the guitar wouldnt work in C standard without a new setup
Gotta say THANK YOU! NOTHING infuriates me like selling a pedal for $300 that emulates a $30 practice amp, lookin at you, Acorn... People HONESTLY didn't get that Homme was TROLLING people with the Peavey Decade bit...
I LOVE that pedal. Even more than the Decade. It's a unique overdrive, and you can get some great fuzz like sounds from it. And you can also use it as an amp. You can plug it directly to a cab, and whilst not having a lot of headroom, it sounds great. Worth every penny if you ask me.
It's interesting the lengths musicians will go to protect their sounds. I always thought the Peavey Decade thing was to throw people off. Great channel, Subbed!
I hadn't heard these myths except the Peavy Decade thing. And it's no surprise. If you want a lo-fi tone, go with a lo-fi amp. It could just as easily been a Fender Blue's Jr. or any small practice amp with an 8" speaker. I have played around with some lo-fi tones and I found the Fender Frontman 10 that you get with the packs works well too
Josh is a prankster. So when he pulled out that tiny Peavey Decade I knew he was joking. Plus, you can tell was he was higher than Giraffe's balls. But so many people took it seriously
All this guitar tone nerdery crap is fun and all… but the “higher than a giraffe’s balls” crack is the keeper for me from all this. That one’s going in my lexicon for later use… So thank you.
lol I hope you’re right! I have one of those that some guy gave me for free. Actually pretty cool drive sound, and it has a real spring reverb for some reason.
@@zachary963 definitely true. They even took 2 of them on tour. It's well documented. I have to imagine that it was blended in with a Marshall Valvestate or something else to fill it all out. Regarding the reverb, real springs were cheaper than digital back then. I have 1x8 Fender Bullet Reverb from the same time with a spring reverb.
Josh tore up Wembley just a few short days ago. Man I hope TCV records and tours another album or maybe a 15 year SFTD tour like the Queens had for their first album.
There was a magazine article from the TCV era displayed on the old Dunlop site. I wish I had saved it back in the day. IIRC, Josh's tech and Alain Johannes were talking about their preference for amp drive and using pedals as gain stages, supporting the amp instead of being the main source of overdrive (as shown on the SD-1 video). After all, an overdrive, fuzz or boost pedal can never replace a good preamp, except if that pedal is made like a true preamp but it's still an uncommon sight in the industry (think Kingsley, Tubesteader or Correct Sound Custom). (BTW, if anyone can recommend a good Model T tube preamp pedal since Correct Sound Custom seem out of the market currently...) It's a very old school approach, come to think of it, but it's eye opening when put into practice for a lot of holy grail guitar tones.
What people don’t get about recording is that sometimes you just need to get a certain frequency hit in a certain way for a tone. That peavey decade was probably one of multiple amps all blended together on the final track you hear.
I know you're not a bass guy but I'd love to see you doing a video on the QOTSA bass tones because theres barely any videos on it despite QOTSA providing amazing bass tones throughout the years. I think that would make for a good video since supposedly there is a secret bass used on a lot if recordings (I suspect it's a Yamaha SA70)
Here's a Josh Homme tone fact that most people don't know: he actually played his guitar with his feet, using his toes as picks, during the Songs for the Deaf sessions. Look it up.
Hello, I'm a Brazilian fan. The question of Josh using a fuzz, what would you say about PDF-1? Could you bring a video of the PDF timbre combinations with the AMPEG or VOX.
I think the Peavey Decade was 100% used pretty much through the first 3 albums, but mixed in and not as a main amp. It just adds a certain lo-fi wirey sound that is quite distinct.
In regards to Homme’s set up. He has used all kinds of amps. The thing that seems to stay the same for recording is how he has things setup. Lots of mics around the amp and a couple around the room. Some compression and eq. Getting the tone from mixing the mics and C standard tuning and a guitar that can handle the drop.
Excellent to highlight the oft overlooked Peavy and Ampeg. I still have my 100 watt Ampeg tube head for guitar with an Ampeg 4x12 cab loaded with Celestions and I love it. I had a small Ampeg practice amp growing up and the Catinbread SFT pedal is a copy of that amp's overdrive because the Stoner Doom crowd started using different stuff to sound different. They are known for bass of course but I highly recommend trying their guitar stuff. They have a great tone for lower turnings like my Orange dark terror does. Most in hard rock and metal knows Orange and Laney due to Sabbath but few pay attention to Ampeg.
The Decade is similar to the RAGE by Peavey which I own and I always noticed that certain dissonance and diming the amp on lead parts matched up with SFTD album. I hear it in God is in the Radio like you said and on the dissonant fills of Song for the Dead, and possibly some parts of the lead on Millionaire.
Interesting video. I'm glad you're getting back to content after being sick for a month (yes I know this is an older vid). Really not sure on Josh ever using a Big Muff though, even on his monstrous 2017/18 pedalboard. I don't hear any Muff sounds there. But who knows!
Dude! Great videos, love Josh playing and tone too, problem is, in my country its impossible to find these type of gear really. I know its not your field but can you reccomend some VST that can get me in the ballpark of the VT-40's sound? Thanks!
As far as the Decade it was used mainly as a bass amp in the studio and only as a color blended not the main sound. Eric Valentine showed its use but then that part was either edited out or reshot because Josh didn't want it out at the time. The first video he made gave away a lot of secrets on SFTD but the one you can watch on RUclips is different now.
I wouldn't spend silly money on a Decade (especially when you can still pick up the better models in that line up (additional control, bigger/better speakers etc and the same preamp) for "yard sale" money) but those old Peavey amps do have great sounds in them if you're willing to sit and dial them in. Rancho De La Luna has basically every model from that series (including the decade) in their studio stash too. I picked up a Backstage Plus (decade with a 12 inch driver, reverb and "saturation" control) and it's killer. I'm using it as the "wet" in a wet/dry stereo rig just now, it's a nice contrast to my gain-y Marshalls, holds together well getting hit with some pretty extreme delay/verb n mod.
I recently gave my Peavey Audition (not the 'desirable' one, but a slightly later model) to a coworker in an ongoing attempt to gain space at home. Of all the tiny amps I had this is the one I'd regret setting free if I allowed myself to. Throw a mic in front of it and 'sky's the limit'. If you like it then it sounds good, you don't need permission.
Cool video Eirik. Yeah, it’s just crazy how a horrible sounding amp (Peavey Decade) that you almost couldn’t give away was suddenly going for thousands of dollars because Josh, almost jokingly, said it was his secret weapon. In all honesty, it was probably used on a couple tracks on SFTD, along with dozens of other crappy low-fi sounding solid state amps along with high end vintage amps and recorded with super expensive mics, and mixed together to create the amazing tone on that album. There is even a pedal put out by acorn amps that replicates the shitty tone of the decade for only a few hundred dollars! As you mentioned, Josh has almost certainly not used it on other albums, and has never played through that amp live… because it’s just not part of his sound. STOP THE INSANITY, PEOPLE!
My main amp for recording is a Fender Mustang 2 modelling a Hiwatt with an Jensen P12Q Cabinet made of reclaimed wood. People should spend more time playing .
About the tuning... Josh himself told in an interview (MAYBE on FF Sonic Highways...) that in the Kyuss era they used to tune VERY low at gigs - and just by ear, so it might have been even A, or lower...
You could have a tcv and qotsa how to sound like with cheap, affordable equip. Like tips of eq, neck vs bridge, maybe how to get some similar sounds with common effects stack up such as a rat+overdrive, with eq on top.
Yeah, not much myth around it, really. It was used on SFTD, most likely together with an EQ pedal. I think it had the stock transistor in it initially, but it broke down during recording. When they replaced the broken transistor, it didn't sound the same. So they had to contact Zvex to sort it out.
You could make a similar video / series of videos about the Steve Albini guitar sound, either the Shellac or the Big Black period. Same thing, many rumors on forums, comments, some antique obscure gear that might be essential or just him having fun with weird stuff, and an awesome guitar sound that no one seems to manage to recreate - I bet you could, but I don't know if it's your jam !
Im not an expert in sound and effects But im pretty aware you can achieve what you need with different pedals and what's not There is no only one way to achieve that sound Now with digital stuff is more easy even more if is a hybrid tube/solid amp or pedal multi fx processor We have a lot of options no need to worry about one
I saw Queens in a very small club on the Rated R tour. It was poorly attended so I could see his board. He had the vintage Superfuzz and used 2 V4Bs with Bass cabs. He had the cabs sorta facing each other in a V with a microphone placed in between the cabs. No guitar amp at all. He also used one GP the whole set in the neck position. I was paying close attention. I remember an interview around the time of EV where he stated he's only used the neck position on every album he's made. So take that for what it's worth. He also had the SD-1 and the Boss EQ at the club show so maybe that compensated for the bass heavy rig. Of course he had other pedals too but those are the ones I feel are relevant. These small Rated R shows happened in between Ozzfest dates so maybe he was using less at the clubs than the shows.
Actually the VT-22 was Josh's main amp for the studio and he still uses it live. It's just been recovered in Bronco Red. One thing to remember about the Ampeg bass amps is The Rolling Stones actually used SVTs plugged straight in for their 1969 tour. They were the only amps loud enough for the bigger places they were playing. They continued to use Ampegs,( probably V4s) on bass cabs until after 1978 when they added Boogies to the sound.
It's not necessary a red herring, quite likely not being used in the way people tend to think things are recorded. Looking at the amps & mics set up for SFTD, there's going to be a lot of blending of all that and channel strips on the consoles in any good studio will be very powerful and will be used. There's little point up something to not use it at all as that's a channel that can used for something else. Small speakers are popular in studios because of the frequency response and how it sits in the mix or for being to increase the upper end of the frequency response of the guitar by blending them with bigger speakers, the latter is most likely how its used by Josh Homme.
If anything, the now-famous Peavey Decade clip shows that Josh is using cheap solid state amps as a "special ingredient". Eric Valentine's No One Knows analysis that is still floating online is a gold mine into that thought process.
The decade has a great tone for bass. Bleded with a DI signal of coarse. Use the drive channel and stick a ribbon mic in front of it. There's your bass character sound.
I still wonder what's the secret behind the tone on Welcome to the Sky Valey, since it's pretty different than other Kyuss and QotSA albums. Definitely sounds very muff-like.
Matt explained in the Sounds Like he was tuned to Drop C because the Jazzmaster from the shop was strung up with 9s so anything past D was spaghetti junction territory
@@LivingroomGearDemos thanks man! I think I tried those once and sounded amazing but I felt like they wore my frets a bit more than usual.. I’ll give them a second try
Can you tell, what exactly should I do to get such tones in amp simps? What kind of things should I do in the first place? Or maybe you can give an advice to go through some links resources etc. where I can find such info? Thanks
I fought the feeling that digital amps can give me the gain tones I want. Solely, cause I’m a bit of a tube elitist. But, it just sounds amazing and not just for black metal. 🤣
You should do a Jack White tone myths because people still believe he used a Silvertone 1484 when for the life of me, I cannot find any pictures or videos of him using one and it’s always been the 1485 due to it having more headroom since Jack White plays really loud and at his volumes, the 1484 overdrives a lot sooner but won’t get any louder once being pushed into overdrive.
Yeah, but it's not like it's a huge myth since those two amps are fairly similar. I even did a video myself about buying the "Jack White amp" when I in fact bought a Silvertone 1483 🙈
If he hadn’t been so secretive about his precious gear, people wouldn’t spread false information. I don’t know why he thought pics of his rig wouldn’t get posted.
lol the Peavey decade are still $500 on Reverb years later. I think it’s hilarious how people focus so much on gear and are ready to believe anyone. It’s like modern day snake oil, like, buy this amp that everyone thought was terrible, that’s what made me famous. Good guitar players will always find a way to make the gear they have sound good no matter how much it’s worth. The funny thing is that Peavey have several different models that uses the exact same internal components as the Decade and sound exactly the same and they are almost free on Reverb.
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14 million baby! Who's with me on the ride?
I been here for years now but 14 mil may be a stretch my friend.
Woo doggie yessiree yeehaw!
🤝
Loved this channel for years. LRGD rules!
oh yeahhhhhh!!!!!!
The whole peavey decade story is hillarious. Josh essentially showed everybody that you should not focus on gear but instead be creative with what you have available. The secret of his sound is that he doesn't follow any roads. He mentioned that also at the guitarings show with Kyle and John. But when he showed the peavey decade, his biggest fans went out and bought this amp. Totally ignoring the real message they spend hundreds of dollars for this thing. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the prices on reverb.
But still, the peavey story inspired me to try more stuff. Things that might seem odd.
That Guitarings episode was really fun! It's sad that the weird gear pawn shops that let young Josh explore the sounds in his head are getting rarer these days. At least, in the digital realm, good plugins can let players apply the same ethos.
Back when I taught music, I told students "just make sure you have an amp that can do passable cleans and enough overdrive for your needs [and most of the time they did], then buy a good EQ pedal and go crazy". Musicians like Josh have an ear for how voices, be it human or instrumental, can fit together in a ensemble. It's an incredible skill to develop.
Well said
Most gear snobs would be amazed to see what happens when You spend some time turning up the knobs on your amp, your guitars and pedals.
I remember when I First used Boss Metal Zone. I went to the manual and follow the suggested settings to get some Very Nice tones. Fast forwoard to 2005, 2010, 2015, and the Metal Zone became rejected for being too buzzy.
Then some RUclipsrs showed the same exoerience I had 22 years Ago, and now they're Cool again. Come on....
Least, I must say that a well adjusted metal Zone can get You a Lot of Homme's tones.
my main, 6, is a cheap amazon iyv tele with humbuckers. i put 300 into good hardware and invaders and took it to the lutheir. it plays like 10k now lol. i usually play through a katana 50 also. its set up for drop c though. everything else is standard but extended range.
Stop searching and plug into what you have and make it sound good
Maybe I'm just crazy but I wish more people would experiment and come up with their own gear combos to emulate tone.
This. Sure it's fun trying to emulate another artists tones and is be a useful tool for figuring out your own sound but you're really only going to find something interesting and unique by trying out unorthodox combinations and thinking outside the box.
@@skakid0 Exactly! I've had way more fun trying to emulate a tone with what I have (and can afford) and in doing so have found so many other awesome little intricacies that I wouldn't have found otherwise.
Ive always learned other peoples songs. But never tried to get other peoples tone, I just get my tone, and make the covers work with that. I have zero interest in trying to sound like anyone else. Especially josh. I love queens, but jist like pantera. Its poop tone
Josh got his sound from being contrarian and different, people should take inspiration from that and go for something others don't use!
@@Zergei I chase tone, and it drove me into debt lol
So far, from my experience at least, the trick to getting the super heavy rumbling tones you hear on the Kyuss albums or on Songs for the Deaf is to play with a good bass player. Guitar by itself can really only get you so far.
This^ As a bass player the majority of my tone is the way I play, it’s all in the attack. Les Claypool is a good example.
Exactly! Great bass tone with good attack and even with overdrive can do so much.
Especially by the time Scott Reeder got on board. I'm impressed to this day by the way Chris Goss and Joe Barresi recorded and mixed Josh and Scott to sound in perfect harmony on Sky Valley. The guitar and bass seem to be one massive instrument at times.
Check out Immortal Lee County Killers...
Bought a Peavy Decade for 17$ from a yard sale and it’s been in my storage unit I had no idea people wanted these 😭 I might have missed my window to sell it
Fun fact: The OD preamp section of the Tube Works RT-2100 is almost identical to the Tube Works 901 Real Tube overdrive pedal. If you want to cop Homme’s Kyuss-era tone without the time and expense of tracking down an RT-2100, you can get really close by using a Real Tube pedal (which are easily found on Reverb for around $150-200) either straight into the front of your amp or as a preamp into its effects loop or your DI of choice.
Note to non-US buyers: The Tube Works 901 Real Tube pedal runs on 110v. However there is a 220v version sold under the name Kampo Tube Pedal 901 in europe. This might save you some money on a step-down transformer.
Wow, you guys are real angels
Awesome tip, thanks!
Interesting note on the Peavey Decade. I think a lot of people are looking for a "silver bullet" to nail "the perfect tone". If they hear someone like Josh say they use a product, or if a popular RUclipsr covers a product, they tend to flock to it thinking "this is the one" when it might not necessarily be for them. I always like trying different things and seeing how they work, whether it's pawn shop/garage sale/FB Marketplace finds or browsing Reverb by lowest price. Pretty much any piece of gear can work in the right context, so it's cool to see what some of the more unheralded pieces of gear can do if you give them an honest chance.
The Decade was my very first guitar amp. Bought it second-hand and cheap as chips in 1985 when I was 13. I stopped using it when I bought a Marshall a couple of years later. It now serves as a door stopper in my shed. It's all it's good for, really, and why people now suddenly would pay silly money for one, just because Josh Homme mentions one half jokingly in some TV show, is downright unfathomable.
Peavey has made some surprisingly good gear over the years...the Decade never struck me as one of those.
@@jasondorsey7110 the triple x is a great peavey amp
I'll give you 500 dollars for it
@@AllofJudea Bloody Nora, man! You could have a Fender amp for that! Why?!
What I find is hilarious is that after he said he used the Decade, and everyone went out buying them up, someone came out with a pedal version of the Peavey Decade that costs over $300 and suckers were buying that right up as well, when you could just go out and buy a comparable Peavey practice amp for $100 or less 😂
Well, the pedal is pretty dang nice if you ask me. You can run in directly into a cab, and then you have a very decent and unique sounding amp. When used as a drive pedal, it's also very cool. Almost fuzzy when pushed. You can get it to sound like a Decade, but it's also a different thing if you want it to be. Not cheap, but again, can be used as an amp.
I have the Peavey Audition 20 that looks and sounds pretty much identical that I got for $60 haha
so the drop C thing was from a "sound like qotsa by breaking the bank" episode, and they tuned to drop C only because the guitar wouldnt work in C standard without a new setup
Thanks for the amazing QOTSA video’s and for sharing you’re love for it.
Gotta say THANK YOU! NOTHING infuriates me like selling a pedal for $300 that emulates a $30 practice amp, lookin at you, Acorn... People HONESTLY didn't get that Homme was TROLLING people with the Peavey Decade bit...
🤣 Great comment!
I LOVE that pedal. Even more than the Decade. It's a unique overdrive, and you can get some great fuzz like sounds from it. And you can also use it as an amp. You can plug it directly to a cab, and whilst not having a lot of headroom, it sounds great. Worth every penny if you ask me.
@@LivingroomGearDemosHow does it sound through a bass cab over its speaker out? Any chance you show us in a YT short please? :)
The pedal is actually waaay better than the amp.
It's interesting the lengths musicians will go to protect their sounds. I always thought the Peavey Decade thing was to throw people off. Great channel, Subbed!
I hadn't heard these myths except the Peavy Decade thing. And it's no surprise. If you want a lo-fi tone, go with a lo-fi amp. It could just as easily been a Fender Blue's Jr. or any small practice amp with an 8" speaker. I have played around with some lo-fi tones and I found the Fender Frontman 10 that you get with the packs works well too
Blues Junior is anything but lo-fi. That motherfucker gets loud.
I love your QOTSA / Josh Homme videos - you got such a deep knowledge about all that stuff!
Josh is a prankster. So when he pulled out that tiny Peavey Decade I knew he was joking. Plus, you can tell was he was higher than Giraffe's balls. But so many people took it seriously
I still think it's an amp that he enjoys, and have used on recordings. But not for his main sound
@@LivingroomGearDemos exactly
All this guitar tone nerdery crap is fun and all… but the “higher than a giraffe’s balls” crack is the keeper for me from all this. That one’s going in my lexicon for later use… So thank you.
Similarly Billy Corgan used a Crate GT15R to get the distortion sounds for Everlasting Gaze.
lol I hope you’re right! I have one of those that some guy gave me for free. Actually pretty cool drive sound, and it has a real spring reverb for some reason.
@@zachary963 definitely true. They even took 2 of them on tour. It's well documented. I have to imagine that it was blended in with a Marshall Valvestate or something else to fill it all out. Regarding the reverb, real springs were cheaper than digital back then. I have 1x8 Fender Bullet Reverb from the same time with a spring reverb.
I have a Decade - bought for $10 at Goodwill last year. Awesome amp.
Thanks for your nice videos as always! Good to sum up the myths that constantly appears in the comments section 😉
Early QotSA stuff was certainly rhythm on bridge, neck on solos - I saw it first hand many times. Ovation GP days.
Josh tore up Wembley just a few short days ago. Man I hope TCV records and tours another album or maybe a 15 year SFTD tour like the Queens had for their first album.
There was a magazine article from the TCV era displayed on the old Dunlop site. I wish I had saved it back in the day. IIRC, Josh's tech and Alain Johannes were talking about their preference for amp drive and using pedals as gain stages, supporting the amp instead of being the main source of overdrive (as shown on the SD-1 video). After all, an overdrive, fuzz or boost pedal can never replace a good preamp, except if that pedal is made like a true preamp but it's still an uncommon sight in the industry (think Kingsley, Tubesteader or Correct Sound Custom).
(BTW, if anyone can recommend a good Model T tube preamp pedal since Correct Sound Custom seem out of the market currently...)
It's a very old school approach, come to think of it, but it's eye opening when put into practice for a lot of holy grail guitar tones.
I remember that article! Great read
Check out the EAE model feT preamp pedal! It's one of the best I've seen.
I think the Mile End MTHRFKR=Raptor looks great
What people don’t get about recording is that sometimes you just need to get a certain frequency hit in a certain way for a tone. That peavey decade was probably one of multiple amps all blended together on the final track you hear.
You're common sense and honesty are refreshing!
My new favorite channel! Great info and excellent presentation!
Thanks Tom!
I know you're not a bass guy but I'd love to see you doing a video on the QOTSA bass tones because theres barely any videos on it despite QOTSA providing amazing bass tones throughout the years.
I think that would make for a good video since supposedly there is a secret bass used on a lot if recordings (I suspect it's a Yamaha SA70)
Here's a Josh Homme tone fact that most people don't know: he actually played his guitar with his feet, using his toes as picks, during the Songs for the Deaf sessions. Look it up.
Looks like I'll have to make a follow-up video. You are wrong, he played with his dong
@@LivingroomGearDemos oh yea duh. My bad. I always get feet and dongs mixed up. They look so similar, you know what I mean?
I do
Interesting how this has become a Queens of the Stone age lore channel
Great video. You are the definitive Homme tone master here in RUclips. Cheers.
Hello, I'm a Brazilian fan. The question of Josh using a fuzz, what would you say about PDF-1?
Could you bring a video of the PDF timbre combinations with the AMPEG or VOX.
I think the Peavey Decade was 100% used pretty much through the first 3 albums, but mixed in and not as a main amp. It just adds a certain lo-fi wirey sound that is quite distinct.
A very very very good (if not the best) example for use of the Ultimate Octave live is in the solo of Song for the Dead in the Itunes festival.
I like these types of videos. It's fun trying to figure out someone else's tone.
In regards to Homme’s set up. He has used all kinds of amps. The thing that seems to stay the same for recording is how he has things setup. Lots of mics around the amp and a couple around the room. Some compression and eq. Getting the tone from mixing the mics and C standard tuning and a guitar that can handle the drop.
Keep up the quality content mate
Excellent to highlight the oft overlooked Peavy and Ampeg. I still have my 100 watt Ampeg tube head for guitar with an Ampeg 4x12 cab loaded with Celestions and I love it. I had a small Ampeg practice amp growing up and the Catinbread SFT pedal is a copy of that amp's overdrive because the Stoner Doom crowd started using different stuff to sound different.
They are known for bass of course but I highly recommend trying their guitar stuff. They have a great tone for lower turnings like my Orange dark terror does.
Most in hard rock and metal knows Orange and Laney due to Sabbath but few pay attention to Ampeg.
The Decade is similar to the RAGE by Peavey which I own and I always noticed that certain dissonance and diming the amp on lead parts matched up with SFTD album. I hear it in God is in the Radio like you said and on the dissonant fills of Song for the Dead, and possibly some parts of the lead on Millionaire.
Interesting video. I'm glad you're getting back to content after being sick for a month (yes I know this is an older vid). Really not sure on Josh ever using a Big Muff though, even on his monstrous 2017/18 pedalboard. I don't hear any Muff sounds there. But who knows!
I heard they used bass heads in the early Kyuss days because all their party/rehearsal jams in the desert. Nothing could get loud enough out there.
I appreciate the insights into how our favorite artists think, thanks for clearing up confusing issues that end up as just noise on the internet.
Dude! Great videos, love Josh playing and tone too, problem is, in my country its impossible to find these type of gear really. I know its not your field but can you reccomend some VST that can get me in the ballpark of the VT-40's sound? Thanks!
As far as the Decade it was used mainly as a bass amp in the studio and only as a color blended not the main sound. Eric Valentine showed its use but then that part was either edited out or reshot because Josh didn't want it out at the time. The first video he made gave away a lot of secrets on SFTD but the one you can watch on RUclips is different now.
dig your vids, bro! keep on rockin'.
Thanks!!
I know he didn't use alot of fuzz in the early days, but I own the ultimate octave and it's crazy how close it gets without the octave side engaged.
I wouldn't spend silly money on a Decade (especially when you can still pick up the better models in that line up (additional control, bigger/better speakers etc and the same preamp) for "yard sale" money) but those old Peavey amps do have great sounds in them if you're willing to sit and dial them in. Rancho De La Luna has basically every model from that series (including the decade) in their studio stash too. I picked up a Backstage Plus (decade with a 12 inch driver, reverb and "saturation" control) and it's killer. I'm using it as the "wet" in a wet/dry stereo rig just now, it's a nice contrast to my gain-y Marshalls, holds together well getting hit with some pretty extreme delay/verb n mod.
Super vidéo, une fois de plus. 14 millions subs, let's go!!!
Interesting ideas. 14mil baby!!! Let’s Go Livingroom, let’s go!
That Peavey Decade toy blew up on Reverb because of the hype around this
You'd be amazed what little practice transistor amps can do when put through a big boy cab
I recently gave my Peavey Audition (not the 'desirable' one, but a slightly later model) to a coworker in an ongoing attempt to gain space at home. Of all the tiny amps I had this is the one I'd regret setting free if I allowed myself to. Throw a mic in front of it and 'sky's the limit'. If you like it then it sounds good, you don't need permission.
i love this channel.
Cool video Eirik. Yeah, it’s just crazy how a horrible sounding amp (Peavey Decade) that you almost couldn’t give away was suddenly going for thousands of dollars because Josh, almost jokingly, said it was his secret weapon. In all honesty, it was probably used on a couple tracks on SFTD, along with dozens of other crappy low-fi sounding solid state amps along with high end vintage amps and recorded with super expensive mics, and mixed together to create the amazing tone on that album. There is even a pedal put out by acorn amps that replicates the shitty tone of the decade for only a few hundred dollars! As you mentioned, Josh has almost certainly not used it on other albums, and has never played through that amp live… because it’s just not part of his sound. STOP THE INSANITY, PEOPLE!
My main amp for recording is a Fender Mustang 2 modelling a Hiwatt with an Jensen P12Q Cabinet made of reclaimed wood. People should spend more time playing .
About the tuning... Josh himself told in an interview (MAYBE on FF Sonic Highways...) that in the Kyuss era they used to tune VERY low at gigs - and just by ear, so it might have been even A, or lower...
Love the channel brother
Thanks man!
You could have a tcv and qotsa how to sound like with cheap, affordable equip. Like tips of eq, neck vs bridge, maybe how to get some similar sounds with common effects stack up such as a rat+overdrive, with eq on top.
And what about the Zvex Super Hard On pedal? I think that this pedal was used on the recordings too. Also, with a different mosfet transistor on it.
I've owned one for years (diy build). It's a clean boost that slightly accentuates the top end. Can't imagine it doing all that much for Josh's tone.
Yeah, not much myth around it, really. It was used on SFTD, most likely together with an EQ pedal. I think it had the stock transistor in it initially, but it broke down during recording. When they replaced the broken transistor, it didn't sound the same. So they had to contact Zvex to sort it out.
The price raise on the pv decade was hilarious to watch 😅
You could make a similar video / series of videos about the Steve Albini guitar sound, either the Shellac or the Big Black period. Same thing, many rumors on forums, comments, some antique obscure gear that might be essential or just him having fun with weird stuff, and an awesome guitar sound that no one seems to manage to recreate - I bet you could, but I don't know if it's your jam !
Im not an expert in sound and effects
But im pretty aware you can achieve what you need with different pedals and what's not
There is no only one way to achieve that sound
Now with digital stuff is more easy even more if is a hybrid tube/solid amp or pedal multi fx processor
We have a lot of options no need to worry about one
I saw Queens in a very small club on the Rated R tour. It was poorly attended so I could see his board. He had the vintage Superfuzz and used 2 V4Bs with Bass cabs. He had the cabs sorta facing each other in a V with a microphone placed in between the cabs. No guitar amp at all. He also used one GP the whole set in the neck position. I was paying close attention. I remember an interview around the time of EV where he stated he's only used the neck position on every album he's made. So take that for what it's worth. He also had the SD-1 and the Boss EQ at the club show so maybe that compensated for the bass heavy rig. Of course he had other pedals too but those are the ones I feel are relevant. These small Rated R shows happened in between Ozzfest dates so maybe he was using less at the clubs than the shows.
Actually the VT-22 was Josh's main amp for the studio and he still uses it live. It's just been recovered in Bronco Red. One thing to remember about the Ampeg bass amps is The Rolling Stones actually used SVTs plugged straight in for their 1969 tour. They were the only amps loud enough for the bigger places they were playing. They continued to use Ampegs,( probably V4s) on bass cabs until after 1978 when they added Boogies to the sound.
All the small Peaveys from the early 80's are the same preamp design. Check out Audition 20, it even has the same speaker and better fearures. 😉
I heard 2 of the new songs sans vocals and it rips! Definitely more of a throwback to the first record.
ARE THERE NEW SONGS OUT?!
@@LivingroomGearDemos not yet, last I heard from Jon they’re waiting for Josh to finish vocals. I just heard the rough mixes.
Love your work
Hey man why won't you help us figure out that scratchy guitar tone in How To Handle A Rope. Your covers are amazing!
As soon as I heard the tone coming out of that Peavey amp, I knew it was a red herring of some type.
A good troll, tho’.
yup
It's not necessary a red herring, quite likely not being used in the way people tend to think things are recorded. Looking at the amps & mics set up for SFTD, there's going to be a lot of blending of all that and channel strips on the consoles in any good studio will be very powerful and will be used. There's little point up something to not use it at all as that's a channel that can used for something else.
Small speakers are popular in studios because of the frequency response and how it sits in the mix or for being to increase the upper end of the frequency response of the guitar by blending them with bigger speakers, the latter is most likely how its used by Josh Homme.
If anything, the now-famous Peavey Decade clip shows that Josh is using cheap solid state amps as a "special ingredient". Eric Valentine's No One Knows analysis that is still floating online is a gold mine into that thought process.
The decade has a great tone for bass. Bleded with a DI signal of coarse. Use the drive channel and stick a ribbon mic in front of it. There's your bass character sound.
yes, I've demonstrated that in a different video
Thanks for all you do
I dono. I've got nowt but a 20RT and it's still fun as hell to play along to QOTSA with only a little pedal interference.
What about the Stone Deaf FX PDF circuit? Did he use an early version/prototype of that pedal?
I still wonder what's the secret behind the tone on Welcome to the Sky Valey, since it's pretty different than other Kyuss and QotSA albums. Definitely sounds very muff-like.
He didn't discover this amp until Songs for the Deaf, so can't be
mix is different, higher gain, more bass, more reverb. maybe double tracked.
Any hybrid amp with 12ax7s in the preamp will sound fuzzy that’s why a bk tube driver pedal sounds so damn good
Great stuff as always 🍻 cheers man, decade giveaway at 14 mil? 😂
Haha you bet! I’ll give away 14 Decades at 14 mil
What about a video on the Peavey Rage 158? It’s small, cheap and must have a lot of similarities to the Decade?🧐
Thank you, Eirik. Seriously.
C standard, baby! But occasionally, they even play standard. At least with a few songs on Like Clockwork.
Yup, I mention it in the video ;)
Good stuff man
I've heard he powered that amp with a potato the low potato wattage is the true secret to his sound
Definitely doesn’t sound like a Big Muff in Kyuss. He cleans up with his volume knob which you can’t do with the Big Muff.
lol Best of luck with the 14 million!
thank you
I think people most likely mean C standard when they say drop C.
Matt explained in the Sounds Like he was tuned to Drop C because the Jazzmaster from the shop was strung up with 9s so anything past D was spaghetti junction territory
I saw one with Rabea playing. He didn't explain why, from what I remember, but it might have been the same explanation.
@@LivingroomGearDemos The one I was referencing was By Busting the Bank as opposed to Without Busting the Bank so that could be it
Off topic but what strings do you use? I love your guitar tones!
Ernie Ball 12-56 for C standard. Ernie Ball Paradigm 11's for the rest
@@LivingroomGearDemos thanks man! I think I tried those once and sounded amazing but I felt like they wore my frets a bit more than usual.. I’ll give them a second try
Can you tell, what exactly should I do to get such tones in amp simps? What kind of things should I do in the first place? Or maybe you can give an advice to go through some links resources etc. where I can find such info? Thanks
Lol amp simps
@@Ottophil what so funny
@@Ottophil simPs =)
You got the bridge and neck pickups backward. neck = darker, bridge = brighter.
Righteous intel 👌
in Kyuss he used only the neck pickup, hes said so himself several times.
I said he did in Kyuss. Bridge in Queens
please try the "new" qotsa tone in a box pedal
nice vid!
thank ye!
I fought the feeling that digital amps can give me the gain tones I want. Solely, cause I’m a bit of a tube elitist. But, it just sounds amazing and not just for black metal. 🤣
You should do a Jack White tone myths because people still believe he used a Silvertone 1484 when for the life of me, I cannot find any pictures or videos of him using one and it’s always been the 1485 due to it having more headroom since Jack White plays really loud and at his volumes, the 1484 overdrives a lot sooner but won’t get any louder once being pushed into overdrive.
Yeah, but it's not like it's a huge myth since those two amps are fairly similar. I even did a video myself about buying the "Jack White amp" when I in fact bought a Silvertone 1483 🙈
he uses it v visibly at the start of it might get loud
Something ... lol ... cool video as always!
Thanks for watching!
did Josh ever use the Stone Deaf FX PDF-1?
Yes, and he has also used the Maestro MPF-1 that the PDF-1 is based on.
@@LivingroomGearDemos good to know. It was always alluded to, but I wasn't totally sure. Have you covered this in another video and I've forgotten? 😅
I did use a PDF-1 in my second how to sound like Qotsa!
I don’t think he’ll ever outright give the complete picture of f any of his craft….but maybe tease w a piece of it….and that is a really good thing….
like your sense of humor )
Good video
Thanks robert!
yeah man
Its funny that the fender frontman 10G works
I'd bet! The frontmans are terrible amps. Also in a good way.
Let’s gooooo
If he hadn’t been so secretive about his precious gear, people wouldn’t spread false information. I don’t know why he thought pics of his rig wouldn’t get posted.
lol the Peavey decade are still $500 on Reverb years later. I think it’s hilarious how people focus so much on gear and are ready to believe anyone. It’s like modern day snake oil, like, buy this amp that everyone thought was terrible, that’s what made me famous. Good guitar players will always find a way to make the gear they have sound good no matter how much it’s worth. The funny thing is that Peavey have several different models that uses the exact same internal components as the Decade and sound exactly the same and they are almost free on Reverb.