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How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:12 pm
by ibrook52277
Hi all,
I've been getting really into Bob's playing these past few months and am looking for how to get that sound from 73-74. Funny enough, my neighbor gifted us his old JC77 which does nail that later 70s Bob tone. I've been playing through a Mexi Strat with single coils that I purchased when I was looking to play mainly Jerry parts. Currently, I'm looking at picking up an Epiphone 335. I'm already well underway on learning all the different inversions. What amp was Bob using in 73-74? Any other tips? Thanks in advance.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:23 pm
by Dozin
In 73 Bobby played into two rebuilt Twins, one of which powers a pair of Alembic B-12 cabinets, each having two D-120 JBL's in it. He drives his extension speakers with McIntosh 2300 amps.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Fri Dec 07, 2018 10:33 am
by strumminsix
I found a great tone in that era from a Vibroverb amp. I think that 15" speaker was nicely voiced for what Bobby accomplished tonally and how he sat in the mix.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Fri Dec 07, 2018 8:39 pm
by lovetoboogie
Image




Weir didn't use Twin Reverbs in 1973 or 1974...he used a component based system centered around a Furman Parametric EQ which served as his preamp...

With some variation his rig was as follows...

Furman Parametric Equalizer/Preamp
Orban Sound Reverb
Eventide PS101 Phase
McIntosh 2300
4 Alembic B12's loaded with JBL's

Last known gigs for him with Twin Reverbs are at end of 72'...

In this pic from June of 73' you can see his stage rig:

Image

Here's a good close up of his rig from March of 73'... Dig the vintage strobe tuner on top!

Image

For 1974 it is virtually the same setup but its moved into a taller rack mount. In the summer of 74' a Trident 9066 and an Alembic F2B as well as the Furman are in his rack. Not sure of the signal path for that one.

By 1975 he is back on regular pedestrian amps...Music Man's and Mesa Boogies...

The Trident and Furman Parametric EQ preamps come back into his late 70's early 80's rig. As well as the IVP, etc... He certainly discovered that active EQ and ran with it. Kind of a key to his tone from 73'- on...IMHO

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:11 pm
by Dozin
I got from an article
Image

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:27 pm
by lovetoboogie
Dozin wrote: Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:11 pm I got from an article
Image
Yeah...I always see that Twin and 2x12" as well...Weir's rig is in that tall rack right behind them to the left of the drum riser...

That amp and cab are monitor fills for Kreutzmann to hear either Garcia or Weir or Godxhaux...it's sits right behind his head!

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Tue Dec 25, 2018 4:25 pm
by 8-6-71 for me
ibrook52277 wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 12:12 pm how to get that sound from 73-74.
Bobby was playing Jerry's (?) SG throughout 1973. There are more pictures from 1973 of him w the SG than w/ the 335 fwiw.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:26 pm
by zambiland
Perhaps the biggest thing is getting a guitar with humbuckers with a shorter scale. A Strat won't do the SG or ES335/345, etc., tones.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Sat Jan 12, 2019 11:15 am
by WeirGrateful
Humbucker pickups 335, SG or the like into a California type amp ,Fender Twin ,Masa boogie MK or SoB, Roland JC (clean clean clean). You do not have to recreate the exact rig Bobby was using to get his tone.
Check out the Weir Grateful channel on youtube.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Wed Mar 27, 2019 7:12 pm
by grateful dave
Thank you everyone for your input. I play in an early era gd tribute band enjoying ‘68-74 (among others) and play the Bob part. I just purchased a 65 reissue fender twin 2 x 12 85 W with Jensen speakers. Our lead guitar player nearly insisted I get a super reverb, but I like the clean, clean, clean. .. and who’s paying for it anyway, LOL. Any advice with this amps settings (I.e. volume) for his tone with those controls is greatly appreciated. I will dial it in with my ears eventually, just asking for a head start. Thanks!

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Tue Sep 27, 2022 5:35 pm
by Slewfoot2000
Resurrecting an old thread as this topic is something I've been thinking about recently, specifically the difference in sound between Bobby in 72 vs 73/74.

Bobby's tone in 72 seems to be pretty classic in sound for a brighter Gibson ES-335 with humbuckers. I am guessing his settings on it are with the bridge and neck tone knobs pretty close to 10 to get more of that brightness. Sometimes the tone is almost metallic in a way.

He then moved to the Gibson SG for whatever reason. This must have played a role in the tone softening, but at the same time it is still a Gibson with humbuckers from a close enough era.

It seems like Bobby moving away from the Fender Twin pre-amps to the Furman combined with the the Orban Sound Reverb played the biggest role of all in the difference in sound between 72 and then 73/74. If you click on the YouTube link below you can clearly hear the style of reverb this unit provides which is certainly akin to Bobby's more soft, natural, decay he used back in those two years. I'm guessing Bobby also lowered the volume and tone on the bridge pickup to allow for the warmer neck pickup tones to come through more.

I've been playing around with guitars recently and one thing I noticed for us home users is the following: an ES-335 will pretty much get you there for the 72 sound. But an easy way to get closer to the 73/74 tone is to get a true hollowbody like an Epiphone Casino or Gibson ES-330 (which are the same guitar). Yes, these use single coil P-90's, but the airy quality of the full hollowbody guitars help provide that space combined with the warmer jazzier tone.

Anyway, just wanted to share some recent thoughts / observations.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RI6La1t1ts[/youtube]

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:33 pm
by Cozmik Cowboy
Slewfoot2000 wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 5:35 pm <snip> I am guessing his settings on it are with the bridge and neck tone knobs pretty close to 10 to get more of that brightness. <snip>

<snip> I'm guessing Bobby also lowered the volume and tone on the bridge pickup to allow for the warmer neck pickup tones to come through more. <snip>
Based on my readings/listenings, Bobby was noted for not using his neck pick-ups; in fact his later Ibanez customs had none. They put 3 Strat-type p/ups in the space where an actual Strat would have the middle & bridge.

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Wed Sep 28, 2022 5:31 am
by mkaufman
Cozmik Cowboy wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 8:33 pm
Slewfoot2000 wrote: Tue Sep 27, 2022 5:35 pm <snip> I am guessing his settings on it are with the bridge and neck tone knobs pretty close to 10 to get more of that brightness. <snip>

<snip> I'm guessing Bobby also lowered the volume and tone on the bridge pickup to allow for the warmer neck pickup tones to come through more. <snip>
Based on my readings/listenings, Bobby was noted for not using his neck pick-ups; in fact his later Ibanez customs had none. They put 3 Strat-type p/ups in the space where an actual Strat would have the middle & bridge.
No single coils in '73-'74.

ace

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:32 am
by Slewfoot2000
Yes, correct that Bobby only used humbuckers in the early - mid 70’s. In fact, don’t think he ever used single coils until he had the coil taps in his custom Ibanez a few years later. I could be wrong though.

@cozmik cowboy - that is my general understanding as well that Bobby liked the bridge pickup. But his tone in 73 / 74 does not sound very bridgey to my ears. Possible he just turned the tone knob way down to darken it while utilizing the bridge pickup.

But regardless of what he normally did throughout the decades, those two years of 73 / 74 stand out as a much more unique tone than his other years. The soft, spacious, Jazzy sound must have come from somewhere different. Exactly how we may never know. Gotta do what works best for each of us!

Re: How to get that 73-74 Bob sound?

PostPosted:Fri Dec 23, 2022 4:27 pm
by ibrook52277
I’m back to add that I think I’ve figured it out for all you aspiring Bobbys out there. Not quite 73-74 but I’ve fallen absolutely in love with 72 (the Europe 72 shows specifically - plus a lot of good stuff in the fall) and I’ve been really trying to figure out how to get Bob’s sound:

I picked up a Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master this morning. It’s a solid state amp that is focused solely on emulating the twin reverb and wow does it do a good job. The best thing is the built-in attenuator, which lets you reduce the power and push the amp into breakup territory in a household setting - which is exactly what you need for Bobby’s sound then. I’ve been playing directly into the amp with my Epiphone 339 for the past bunch of hours - through the vibrato channel, set to 1W with volume at 9, Treble at 8.5, mids at 9.5, bass at 5, and reverb at 3.5 and I feel like this absolutely nails the Bobby sound from those shows. Will try to put together a video or at least sound clips this weekend