Help me get this sound out of my head and into my amp.

[jalbertochavez]

I didn't know whether to start this discussion in the body wood or pickup categories so I'll just try it here. When I was 'bout 15 I started learning guitar and took lessons at a vintage guitar shop close to my house. In my first few lessons I'd use a Strat my teacher just pulled off the shelf. My lessons there didn't last long, maybe 3 months and I've been self taught ever since. However, I remember the Strat I used had this incredible sparkle to it. At that age I didn't know much about anything, much less tone, but I knew that guitar's sound sparkled and sounded like glass. I know it was a vintage guitar shop, but that guitar may or may not have been vintage. I doubt Fender put out Strats painted purple with faint glitter between the 50s-late 70s. I think some kid into hair metal in the 80s must've got a Strat and put his own paint job on it. I remember the amp we played lessons through was a Fender amp (I also remember that it was a tube amp), but I can't remember what model.  But I've still got that sound in my mind.

I've been thinking of how to build a Strat with that sound. So far I'm thinkin' of a Maple CBS neck, a solid Maple body, and Rio Grande Vintage Tallboys in every position. I know the vast percentage of Strats have Alder bodies (I even already have a Warmoth Strat with an Alder body), but I think Alder is going to be too warm to get the sound I'm after. Maple is supposedly the brightest wood which is why I'm thinkin' of that. I'm not totally committed to Maple though....I'm afraid it might be too bright and I don't want to sound too thin so I'm thinkin' of Swamp Ash as another option for the body. As for the amp, I probably won't go lookin' for a Fender amp. I got a Marshall Vintage Modern 2466 head and a 1960BV cab and I'm pretty happy with them.

So....anybody got any ideas? Advice?  :confused4:

 

[MKFAN]

Tube amp is crucial for the fullness of the sound... as for that bell like shimmer of vintage start sounds, try sampling the sound of texas specials or fralin vintage hots...
i personally tend to think that the right pickup going through almost any reasonable tube amp will give you that shimmer... a little reverb won't hurt either  ccasion14:

 

[-CB-]

If you want that sound - maple neck, alder body, and the 62 pickup set.

 

[tfarny]

Before spending money on the guitar, I'd take whatever you're now playing (as long at its got single coils) down to a shop, plug into a fender twin reverb or a princeton, and see if that does it.  Sounds like you're after an amp more than a guitar.

 

[jackthehack]

All the maple body will do is add weight to the guitar, won't effect sound. Go alder or ash body, maple neck either one-piece or with rosewood fretboard (you don't mention which...). You could narrow down the age of the Strat you speak of a little, did it have a CBS style headstock on it, too? That was used from real late '65 till '79/'80.

If it sounded that "sweet" most likely it was a late '60s if it had the CBS headstock; most all the '70s Strats were junk, which is why they still go for around $2k or less on average. If it had a "normal" sized peghead and your story is from the late '70s, it could have been late '50s/early '60s. In the early '70s some friends and I would haunt pawn shops in Dallas and some of our best "finds" were late '50s/early '60s Strats and many had been spray painted badly with who knows what, metalflake paints seemed popular, so who knows on that finish; to the best of my knowledge Fender never did anything purple metallic, unless you're colorblind and it was really Lake Placid Blue.

The RG Vintage Tallboys are great pickups, but they are "hotter"/have more "balls" than standard Fender pickups of that era. Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s or '69 grey bottoms would be closer to the guitar of which you speak, and should be wired to a std. Strat wing with 3 250K pots and a .049/,050 tone cap.

Probably a REAL major portion of the sound you remember is that Fender tube amp, especially if it was vintage, and that would be a big part in getting that same sound, you remember anything else about it? You can always use an effect and get the Fender to sound like a Marshall, but the converse isn't really true...

 

[Tonar8352]

+1 on CB's call!
+20 on Fender amp's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a vintage Fender amp freak because they have the sound!!!!!!!!!!  Go to http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/ and do your home work.  I suggest you look at evey amp and think of the music that was being recorded during the era that style of amp was made.  You can almost follow the sound of recorded music by watching the years the amps were being changed.  I only use Tweed and Blackface circuit amps but I'd snag a Blond in a heartbeat and certain Brownies are nice too.   Early Silverface amps can be changed over to Blackface schematics and you will spend much less.

The "Purple Sparkle" color might be Burgundy Mist which is a beautiful color that was used on vintage Fender Guitars.  

 

[jalbertochavez]

Thank you everyone. For the time being I'm going to go with the recurring advice and check out some Fender amps and see if it was the amp that really did the trick.

:rock-on:

 

[jackthehack]

Don't know where you're going to go or plug into, but I recently was shopping for a stomp box and checked out the "'65 re-issue" Twin Reverb at Guitar Center and was shocked by what a piece of shit it was. I started playing in 1970 and what we had available from pawn shops/resells at the time were 60's blackface Super/Twin/Princeton/etc., which is probably what you remember playing in your story.

CB can chime in with the technical details of how the circuits changed, but unless you want to shell out the cash for a vintage/custom unit, you'd come a bit closer by picking up a Blues Deluxe from eBay/craigslist, eBaying the stock tubes and speaker and replacing with GrooveTubes blue label 6L6s and a Celestion Classic Vintage 30. Not all the way there but pretty damn close, closer than shelling out twice the cash for a Super/Twin reissue...

 

[llama]

I was desperate to get that sound too! I replaced the pickups on my 89 US Strat with a set of Fender Custom Shop Hot 50s. Then I started looking for an amp. I was on a limited budget and I tried to a few Fenders and ended up with a blues deluxe. It did not really do the trick so I sold it and went on a quest and spent some more time in music shops and talking to people. One guy recommended a Peavey Classic 50. I already own a Peavey solid state amp and it was great for super transistor distortion but did not sound like a valve amp. Bit I ended up buying a Classic 50 4 x 10 combo. This has the sound that I was looking for. It has a master volume so you can still get a good tone at home use levels.

I have also now got an Orange Tiny Terror and a 4 x 12 cab. This is really mad - it has just one tone called very loud !!! It's rated at 14 watts but sound more like 140 watts through the big cabinet.

 

[CD]

This probably isn't helpful, but the best sound I've ever got out of an amp came out of an old Fender Twin Reverb. It was just amazing and that's not even the tone I go for.

 

[jalbertochavez]

Don't know where you're going to go or plug into, but I recently was shopping for a stomp box and checked out the "'65 re-issue" Twin Reverb at Guitar Center and was shocked by what a piece of shite it was. I started playing in 1970 and what we had available from pawn shops/resells at the time were 60's blackface Super/Twin/Princeton/etc., which is probably what you remember playing in your story.

CB can chime in with the technical details of how the circuits changed, but unless you want to shell out the cash for a vintage/custom unit, you'd come a bit closer by picking up a Blues Deluxe from eBay/craigslist, eBaying the stock tubes and speaker and replacing with GrooveTubes blue label 6L6s and a Celestion Classic Vintage 30. Not all the way there but pretty damn close, closer than shelling out twice the cash for a Super/Twin reissue...

Yo JacktheHack, I know! I tried both of Boss' 65 and Bassman pedals and was more disappointed than I knew I'd be. I guess I'll just never understand the appeal of modeling effects.  :confused4:

Oh yeah, and here's a question open to anyone else still reading this thread; Does anyone know some good vintage guitar shops in Houston, Texas?  Fuller's Vintage Guitar is where I took lessons at for that short time & I still live right down the street from them so I'm going to hit them up first. Aside from them the only other credible vintage place I know around here is Rockin' Robin Guitar & Music. Any help?

 

[jalbertochavez]

This probably isn't helpful, but the best sound I've ever got out of an amp came out of an old Fender Twin Reverb. It was just amazing and that's not even the tone I go for.

It's always helpful. If I can find an old Twin Reverb I'll give it a try.