EVH Cranked Plexi Tips

rrhoads17

Inspired
The plexi on the III sounds great, but it seems like there is something missing. When I crank everything on 10 and apply the variac at 75, it seems like it is missing that very trebly brash crashing tone that a plexi on 10 makes. I go back to the live Van Halen recordings from the first tour in 78, it had this very sharp brash tone that I can't seem to get from a modeler. Jacob Deraps' tone from his Germino on YouTube is another good example Is there any adjustments I can make sound like that? Even the TopJimi Brown Sound profiles on the Kemper seem to be missing this. They sound more like his studio tone which had alot of EQ at the board.
 
What are you using to monitor your tone?

Is your monitoring environment treated, a dead room, or a live room?

These factors make a difference with how you are perceiving sound.

If your IR is not miked the same way Deraps's cab is miked in the same environment, it's going to sound different too.

Are you monitoring Deraps's tone through the same monitors in the same room that you are playing in?

Comparing the Axe-FX3 to VH 77 through 79 live recordings is always an odd thing as there is the miking, acoustic environment differences, and mastering differences in live recordings that you are dealing with versus the IR file that you are using.

Most bootlegs receive some sort of mastering EQ if they are audience recordings (not to mention you have room coloration and PA coloration in audience recordings that very off-axis from a cab versus the IR that you are using). If they are soundboard recordings, then you have the EQ at the board for the venue and the mic bleed from several onstage sources- a single mic IR is not going to give you the same kerrang.
 
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Not sure, but maybe we should use ‘room IR’ to replicate old recording sound?
I did tone match with many songs with solo guitar intro part (e.g. You really got me), and usually the sound includes many high frequency (above 10k hz) which normal IRs don’t produce a lot.
But if I add room mic in cab block as well as normal IRs (57, 421, etc), then I hear those high freq sounds.
Can this be applied into this case?
 
+1 for @Greg Ferguson reply. It may be the Echoplex IR you're missing as shown in the video the link goes to.
I doubt the missing IR or the PEQ blocks are the problem. The audible difference with them switched in or out is negligible. I added M@‘s PEQ blocks to the FM3 versions of Burgs’ patch and can’t hear a difference. The same was true for the IR, and Burgs wasn’t sure if it made a difference in the video.
 
I'm loving my EVH preset. But I'll be honest, the difference maker was the pickup in the Frankie replica. I've ran my other guitars through the same preset and can say hands down that's what did it FOR ME. It's a hot pick up like the JB...hotter I believe (14k-ish). I also run the tape delay in front of the amp for the VH1 & 2 tones. I thought it would be a tone sucker but it made the difference on the tracks that you really pick out the echoplex. I also use the EP IR that was posted in Burg's thread. That doesn't make a huge difference but it does add to the 'goal'.

@rrhoads17 Are you missing the 'sizzle'? If you're using a variac you may want to play with the bias. I forget if you bias it colder or hotter. Someone might be able to chime in on that. I got more sizzle using the variac but it felt too compressed through my set up. I'm also going for 'amp in the room' so I'm not panned with the reverb and I'm not playing in stereo. Although if I was determined enough I would change a few things that Burgs covers re: panning the plate verb, etc.. I thought his video sounded great and of course he can play which helps.
 
I remember years ago Cliff mentioning his solution to get the final touch on the EVH album tone - using the Preamp section in the Cab block.
 
Really if you want to sound like EVH learn to play like EVH.
Seriously
I know it sounds smart ass- but if you do it you will understand.
 
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