Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover (Live at Austin City Limits '84) Lead Preset

One of my long-running obsessions with the Axe-Fx has been trying to approximate Eric Johnson's lead tone. Eric's lead sound has changed pretty drastically over the years, but my favorite versions have always been the two Austin City Limits performances from the '80s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyntQ-WZUI8

This is my attempt at the 1984 version, which I tone matched with my EJ signature strat. I built the preset as closely to Eric's setup / sound as I could, using the BK Butler, echoplex IR, Marshall 1959 100 jump, the 4x12 G12M25 cab (which I then replaced with the TM), tape delay and some plate reverb. If you're looking for something closer to Eric's more muted sound, just replace the TM block with the 25 watt Celestion 4x12 cab I mentioned, and then dial back your tone knob if needed.

https://soundcloud.com/instrumental...c-johnson-cliffs-of-dover-live-at-acl-84-lead

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover - by InstruMentalCase

You'll need jsantiago's echoplex IR: Axe-Change - Download Other - Echoplex TAPE - by jsantiago
 
One of my long-running obsessions with the Axe-Fx has been trying to approximate Eric Johnson's lead tone. Eric's lead sound has changed pretty drastically over the years, but my favorite versions have always been the two Austin City Limits performances from the '80s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyntQ-WZUI8

This is my attempt at the 1984 version, which I tone matched with my EJ signature strat. I built the preset as closely to Eric's setup / sound as I could, using the BK Butler, echoplex IR, Marshall 1959 100 jump, the 4x12 G12M25 cab (which I then replaced with the TM), tape delay and some plate reverb. If you're looking for something closer to Eric's more muted sound, just replace the TM block with the 25 watt Celestion 4x12 cab I mentioned, and then dial back your tone knob if needed.

https://soundcloud.com/instrumental...c-johnson-cliffs-of-dover-live-at-acl-84-lead

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover - by InstruMentalCase

You'll need jsantiago's echoplex IR: Axe-Change - Download Other - Echoplex TAPE - by jsantiago


Here is a cleaner version with no blown speaker.
I was at the city limits recording something was not right with the sound and it was a blown speaker.

You can hear it spiking out..

You might consider re shooting your TM too this show
of special note the entire show is up and you should indeed watch it
and check the sound he gets there out...

Stepping out
SRV
Cliffs of Dover..

ah well Here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_CwY_oZEnU

Sink your ears into that mix...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smwQafhNU6E
 
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When this show was recorded we all knew it was going to be something because they had pro camera and recording board setup there
and the mix was phenomenal thats because the guys at U of H were also avid tone freaks and audio freaks and they came to take care of business and did.
I was friends with someone that knew them and that entire show was no accident matter of fact they used the Drum track for Srv on the record Im told as it was
a one take deal and Tommy nailed it out of the park. Eric was on tour with BB King and this was Ejs bands set...
Some of the finest tone ever recorded live in my opinion and again no accident.. BTW management for Ej at this time was adamant about busting anyone recording live and confiscating their gear.
In this case however it was filmed for Tv and a fluke... At the time id been asking to record and was always told no not a good idea..

In fact Yes it was good idea and thankfully we have 16 min of pure bliss and examples of several million dollar sounds mixed really well..
The right word got too the right ears in this case and indeed thats the only reason this show was done right.
At this time I lived with a Hendrix collector and he had every board tape of Hendrix known to exist in Usa and Europe
The guy was an audio file he lived recording and collecting rare recordings and he worked at Sony in Houston and so
he knew the best techs working in Houston at the time as they spent all their cash at Sony store buying tape and gear..

The UofH team that shot this video and captured the great mix were the ones who had 4000 hours of Stevie Ray on video and tape.
some people during the time knew better then to take no for an answer..
The Srv was pro shot and pro recorded on the finest gear you could get your hands on during the time..
any major touring act Prince for instance was recorded and filmed and booted.
Every major touring act was recorded and booted including the Stones..

These guys were pros and they took no prisoners they sent someone in a wheel chair to the Stones show
and the security let them in first so the guy went out about 20 rows back floor set mics either side of the floor
wheeled back center and set his chair up center floor and recorded the entire show on VHS PRO
he had all the gear under his legs in he wheel chair and blanket was over that no one bothered him because well they thought
he already had it rough enough...
He was one of the more notorious bootleggers... Cant for the life of me remember his name.
ROFL

To capture Srv they camped out at U of H campus and hid mics in the trees and ran cables down the trees into a van parked there a day well in advance.
Basically a mobile recording van with mixer and all inside..

They set levels at sound check of course as they slept there and were on the ball..
4000 hours of Srv on video alone..

The guy was caught at Prince on the floor filming because he had a full length coat on
and it was still hot outside when they checked his coat he had full size STEREO VHS machines in it
cameras mics ect BUSTED...

So the wheel chair idea was born..
:)
 
So the wheel chair idea was born..
:)
Haha, that's classic. I wish I could have been at that EJ show, but I was only 4 years old at the time. I'm from Houston, so I grew up seeing concerts at Cynthia Woods. That was where I saw Satriani, Rush, and Santana for the first time. Pretty incredible venue.

My favorite Cliffs tone is actually from the ACL show from '88 I think, but it's much harder to get a good tone match off of. Too much audience noise and cymbal vibrations I guess. I use the CD released live recordings for my TM's, because they tend to sound the cleanest and most up-front in the mix (compared to the same shows on YouTube). I'll give it a shot with this YouTube video, but it sounds like there's some background hiss, so it might not turn out as punchy / in the room as I'm aiming for.
 
I just recently picked up a brand new EJ strat. Would love to try this but I have an MK2 and this is for the XL! :( Any way I can get a break down of the settings?? Would greatly appreciate it! ;)
 
I just recently picked up a brand new EJ strat. Would love to try this but I have an MK2 and this is for the XL! :( Any way I can get a break down of the settings?? Would greatly appreciate it! ;)

You can build this up I am on mk2 no worries its all there buddy..
look at his signal path and his efx you might find delay does not sound great before the amp
you might find it does sound good there or you might find ep3 pre is great before amp and like
the tape delay at end of path....

Just might sound better too you that way..

You could use Twin or Vibroverb for clean amp Ods clean honestly for Rhythm and leads and try the rukus pedal for both dirty barking rhythm and for your lead sound setting up different amounts of gain on that rukus it will clean up with volume knob at guitar just takes some tweaking...

I think the rukus destroys the tube driver I own an original tube driver same as cliffs of dover pedal
I had Erics original Cliffs tube driver for a week in trade once and I peeked to see whats up
the insides were whats up and not all tube drivers are the same...

That said along comes the Rukus and we are now very good friends..

Id dial up a marshall 50lead and a vibroverb and twin and ods 100 clean amp
try rukus on both marshall and ods 100
mono tape delay 3-6 or 4-8 repeats 420-525ms mess around till you find it


If you use modulation in your delay you can get feux chorus.
Ej used to use Mxr 1000ms and 1500ms delays both those have that feature to mix in some modulation
getting a chorus efx.

Ej uses memory man delay and echoplex and ep3 to be exact. so tape mono in axe fx.
Memory man Delay is a bit tougher to recreate in axe fx...

Mxr flanger is zero through on axe fx.... or to my ears thats what I use

I own the Mxr Flanger Eric used live I traded him #10287 super tremolo marshall for another super trem 300 #s off
and the flanger he used on High Landron's He used two of them in the studio for that sound but live
he used just one.

I AB'd directly too his original flanger and came up with my own inside the axe II.

Which is why I can assure you if you seek you will find...
I like the plate reverb in the axe II london plate you might mess with that and find some nice sounds you like.

I can say the fulltone od pedal does a great Ej lead sound The Rukus does as well and the tube driver is now 3rd on my list for the
lead Ej sound..

If you want dead on cliffs of dover then tube driver might float your ship...

Keep in mind this hinges on which Tube driver Cliff specced out
the internal caps make the difference if they were short types then
thats not the same pedal as used on Cliffs of Dover...

If the caps were long and skinny in the one Cliff specced then thats the goose that laid that golden egg.
That said I still like the Rukus pedal better.

Its like the Suhr Riot or Angry Charlie pedal ....
 
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