Advice on creating a Kee Marcello-esque lead tone?

H

hollautz

New Member
I've had my Axe 2 for a couple of months now and I used to have a lead tone that I was quite happy with but after updating to 6.0 that patch sounded very different. Despite some heavy tweaking, I am not back to where I was before with that particular patch. I'm looking for a lead tone that is similar to the one that Kee Marcello had on "Out of this world". It's a thick but shiny, almost synth-like tone with lots of sustain (Check out the solo in "More Than Meets The Eye"). I mainly play an Ibanez S1540 with a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck position (middle SC is stock), The Axe goes into a pair of Yamaha HS-50M monitors.
Any advice on dialling in a tone like that would be highly appreciated...
 
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Hi hollautz! For many years I am a big fan of the band "Europe" and especially of Kee Marcello's playing and his unique sound. As far as I know he used to play Kitty Hawk amps. There is a eduactional video on YouTube where he also performs some solos from Europe's outstanding "Out of this world" album:

Kee Marcello - REH Instructional Video [1992] - YouTube

Hope it helps. It is a pity that both sound and video quality is bad. The guitar he is using seems to be a heavily modified Gibson SG with a floyd-rose-like tremolo, locking nuts and a single-coil PUP in the neck. The gear he is using is from Kitty Hawk.

I have been trying to get a similar sound for a long, long time but I never come even close to it.
 
tomstu said:
Hi hollautz! For many years I am a big fan of the band "Europe" and especially of Kee Marcello's playing and his unique sound. As far as I know he used to play Kitty Hawk amps. There is a eduactional video on YouTube where he also performs some solos from Europe's outstanding "Out of this world" album:

Kee Marcello - REH Instructional Video [1992] - YouTube

Hope it helps. It is a pity that both sound and video quality is bad. The guitar he is using seems to be a heavily modified Gibson SG with a floyd-rose-like tremolo, locking nuts and a single-coil PUP in the neck. The gear he is using is from Kitty Hawk.

I have been trying to get a similar sound for a long, long time but I never come even close to it.
Click to expand...

Hi tomstu! Thx for posting. I've had that REH instructional video for a long time and yes, he seems to be using Kitty Hawk gear, at least this is what you see in the video. Still, there might be "more than meets the eye" ;-) Also, the video is from the post-"Prisoners"-era. I read somewhere that Kee used a heavily modded Marshall head for the recordings of "Out of this world" Back then, he also had BBE Sonic Maximizer, if I remember correctly.

Well, in the meantime I think I have made at least a little progress in my quest for a lead tone that sounds close to his and I have found the "Big Hair" amp to be the most promising candidate (now THAT sounds about right! :)) I have the amp's gain pretty low, around 10 o'clock and hit it with a Full OD pedal. Power amp is also pretty low, not beyond 12 o'clock. As for EQing there is not much treble involved, instead, I try to get the "shinyness" out of the presence control. Medium bass, a lowcut around 80hz and quite some mids is where I am now. Still, the tone lacks this unique "synth"-like quality. By the way, John Sykes hat a similar lead tone on "1987". Also, Dan Huff's tone comes to mind. THE QUEST GOES ON... :)
 
Kee used a Folkesson-modded Marshall head (Folkesson did change all of the interior of the head and replaced it with his own cirquit boards) and of course L'arrivee guitars. Amazing player; kills on just about any style - not only 80's rock. Great fusion/jazz player as well.
 
matchless said:
Kee used a Folkesson-modded Marshall head (Folkesson did change all of the interior of the head and replaced it with his own cirquit boards) and of course L'arrivee guitars. Amazing player; kills on just about any style - not only 80's rock. Great fusion/jazz player as well.
Click to expand...

Matchless is correct...Marcello used a Tommy Folkesson modded Marshall. These are somewhat rare in the states as Folkesson is in Sweden I think.
A way you could get a tone match for this would be to go to Rig-Talk - Home and do a search for Folkesson Marshall.....a user there has videos of one...they could be used for a tone match. I thought of doing it myself. The folkesson mod has a very sustainly liquid gain with a real dynamic scream to it. I like Marcello's tone a lot....could have a tad less reverb but it is still awesome.
 
hollautz said:
Hi tomstu! Thx for posting. I've had that REH instructional video for a long time and yes, he seems to be using Kitty Hawk gear, at least this is what you see in the video. Still, there might be "more than meets the eye" ;-) Also, the video is from the post-"Prisoners"-era. I read somewhere that Kee used a heavily modded Marshall head for the recordings of "Out of this world" Back then, he also had BBE Sonic Maximizer, if I remember correctly.

Well, in the meantime I think I have made at least a little progress in my quest for a lead tone that sounds close to his and I have found the "Big Hair" amp to be the most promising candidate (now THAT sounds about right! :)) I have the amp's gain pretty low, around 10 o'clock and hit it with a Full OD pedal. Power amp is also pretty low, not beyond 12 o'clock. As for EQing there is not much treble involved, instead, I try to get the "shinyness" out of the presence control. Medium bass, a lowcut around 80hz and quite some mids is where I am now. Still, the tone lacks this unique "synth"-like quality. By the way, John Sykes hat a similar lead tone on "1987". Also, Dan Huff's tone comes to mind. THE QUEST GOES ON... :)
Click to expand...

Yes, John Skyes sound on 1987 is great, too. I agree on lower gain and less treble. Before the Axe Fx I used my 61 Reissue SG Neck PUP with rolled back volume to 6 and Tone to 6 with a Marshall Half-Stack and some Delay and Reverb (TC G-Major) with good results. Now I should give it a try with the Axe Fx.
 
I still have no advice since I really can't put into words the different aspects of a certain tone. However I do have this:

A very small clip:



...and a patch. ENJOY! :D
 
Hi all, I have not I have the AXE-FX, in fact, just to find out a few days ago, and of course, until you have the money to buy spend six months.
I love Kee Marcello, is a machine.
I've got a very very very similar sound with software that costs 100 euro (JamVOX) The secreo was put chorus. Sure, Kee Marcello placed no kind of chorus to get that sound, but you also have to think that that sound was created in a studio with a professional engineer, and a very good equipment. Do not believe that apparatus 2000 euros, going to get a perfectly sound identical to Kee. We can bring a lot, but identical, do not think is possible. Now I say that putting lead chorus in sound, the sound will change much.
When you want a sample, leave me your email, and will write something to send to you.

Equipment used by KEE MARCELLO
All that equipment of Kee, is this:

- Larrivee RS4 guitars, with Seymour Duncan 59 in neck and Seymour Duncan JB in bridge
- Marshall Plexi, modified by the Swedish Tommy Folkesson. The only changes that were made, went up the Middle and gain. No more changes than that. Still, over the sound of Out Of This World, 90% of the sound comes from the amp, the remaining 10% are effects (delay, reverb, etc.)
- Cab Marshall 4x12 celestion 30 vintage
- Rocktron Hush 2c Noise gate
- Roland Dimension D Chorus
- 1176 compressor
- Pultec EQP-1A EQ
- Reverb
- Delay
- BBE sonic Maximizer

When I can buy the AXE-FX II, will try to get as close as possible to that sound, it is only sound I want and the only thing that interests me.
For that you already have an Axe-FX II, I will propose the following:
Why do not you do TONE MATCHING to get that sound?
Since all the songs on the album out of this world, are + - the same sound and the same tone, I think it could be done easily.
I think what I have to do to get that sound is to TONE MATCHING with the rhythm of the song Open Your Heart, in which there is a piece that only play guitar, without drums or bass, or other instruments.
After copying the sound (which is the basic sound) just put the neck pickup, add delay, chorus and you need to get that sound. And I think having the sound basis of the rhythm guitar, will be easier to create a preset from 0.
Do you agree?

My mail is:
j.norum@yahoo.es
 
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