Help on the Mick Mars tone

[AtomicJeff]

I can tell you how I did this tone of ya want…

So, what are you waiting for?

 

[trixdropd]

So, what are you waiting for?

So… firstly, layers. Layers are the key ingredient imo. I started with my go to Metallica / pantera gain tone. One on left, one on right.

I ended up blending in some of the Phil Collen got preset adjusted to taste and dried up.

Mick has lots of parts going on in kickstart my heart. I have a main guitar, a support guitar, and support 2 guitar and the lead guitars

 

[Chiguete]

So… firstly, layers. Layers are the key ingredient imo. I started with my go to Metallica / pantera gain tone. One on left, one on right.

I ended up blending in some of the Phil Collen got preset adjusted to taste and dried up.

Mick has lots of parts going on in kickstart my heart. I have a main guitar, a support guitar, and support 2 guitar and the lead guitars

WOW thanks for taking the time to show us this, that's A LOT of work!

 

[Chiguete]

I would use this as a staring point:

Yes but they give clues that I don't know how to translate them and make changes to the amp block settings.

 

[Chiguete]

So I see mentioned in a couple of placed that Mick used the Eventide H3000 Harmonizer for octave dividing..... WTF is that?

 

[AtomicJeff]

So I see mentioned in a couple of placed that Mick used the Eventide H3000 Harmonizer for octave dividing..... WTF is that?

I don't know about the octave dividing but I'm pretty sure I hear the H3000's detuning feature (-9 cents on the left and right).

 

[jayjay347912]

I'm trying to get the Dr. Feelgood and Girl's Girl's Girls album tones and I've tried several aproches on how to do this but haven't found a good way to get that tone. One of the things that I can't quite replicate is that raw tone that he has that is not the normal Marshall sizzle. Watching the Pete Thorn video that he goes in depht of the mods that where done to this amp it's clear that it's not your normal Jose Mod that the Saturation switch provides. Also he has a very bright tones with a sharp low end and I can't get close to that tunning the guitar 1 step down like he does for the songs. Lastly it's been documented that he uses multiple amps to get his tone but I'm still not an expert on one amp at a time let alone two amps in order to combine them and get the right tone.

If anyone been down this rabit hol and has gotten good results please let me know.

JCM 800 mod+ SlO 100 blend, scoop the slo, mid out the JCm. Blend V30 cabs/greenbacks. Instant bright, chunky& percussive Mick tone. Thank me later. I run the preamp gain on the Slo pretty low, master on 6, and boost it with a grinder. Low cut the input a bit and add it back post preamp. For the JCm 800 mod, gain is around half, same low cuts, but with no boost & the sat. switch on. Helps to give 3-5 db input EQ mids on both amps with a semi wide Q. SCOOP one (I did the SLO post EQ) and a mid/upper mid boost to the Marshall. Key I.m.o

 

[Randalljax]

if I was going for those sounds you likely need 2 amp blocks , one JMP 2203 and one SLO blended would probably get you close with the guitars tunes to D

 

[jayjay347912]

if I was going for those sounds you likely need 2 amp blocks , one JMP 2203 and one SLO blended would probably get you close with the guitars tunes to D

This. Pretty much what I did, panned 2 cabs hard L/R, one in center. Has all the bite/kerrang/ chunk. As soon as you eq a bit, you'll know as soon as you play the DFG intro riff.

 

[Sixstring]

I also read that he used more than one amp at a time.

This would drive me bonkers.

I still don't understand the whole click thing but then again I'm no pro. I still wonder how they ever got through a show back in the day before this was a thing. At the end of the click, Last one...? oh wait primal 1 2 3... I'm surprised they didn't say "all in" at the beginning. Interesting tone though!

 

[rcm78]

I still don't understand the whole click thing but then again I'm no pro. I still wonder how they ever got through a show back in the day before this was a thing. At the end of the click, Last one...? oh wait primal 1 2 3... I'm surprised they didn't say "all in" at the beginning. Interesting tone though!

I saw Crue in Atlantic City last year with John 5. The amount of vocal tracks used was painfully obvious. No way they could get through a show without a click.

 

[GlennO]

I still don't understand the whole click thing but then again I'm no pro. I still wonder how they ever got through a show back in the day before this was a thing. At the end of the click, Last one...? oh wait primal 1 2 3... I'm surprised they didn't say "all in" at the beginning. Interesting tone though!

When you have highly choreographed lighting and pyro, everything needs to be synchronized precisely. This isn’t a Friday night bar gig .

 

[Chiguete]

JCM 800 mod+ SlO 100 blend, scoop the slo, mid out the JCm. Blend V30 cabs/greenbacks. Instant bright, chunky& percussive Mick tone. Thank me later. I run the preamp gain on the Slo pretty low, master on 6, and boost it with a grinder. Low cut the input a bit and add it back post preamp. For the JCm 800 mod, gain is around half, same low cuts, but with no boost & the sat. switch on. Helps to give 3-5 db input EQ mids on both amps with a semi wide Q. SCOOP one (I did the SLO post EQ) and a mid/upper mid boost to the Marshall. Key I.m.o

Damn I have a hard time with 1 amp and now to mix 2 blend them for a tone is out of my league lol.

 

[jayjay347912]

Damn I have a hard time with 1 amp and now to mix 2 blend them for a tone is out of my league lol.

Man so did I. I'm still barely intermediate. You will get there, just use your ears and first deal with the simpler base parameters. 90% of my tones don't even need pre/post eq, that's how good the Axe Fx is.

 

[DJD100]

I still don't understand the whole click thing but then again I'm no pro. I still wonder how they ever got through a show back in the day before this was a thing. At the end of the click, Last one...? oh wait primal 1 2 3... I'm surprised they didn't say "all in" at the beginning. Interesting tone though!

Besides keeping the band's tempo together (often in environments with bad acoustics and huge stages etc), the click also keeps the band sync'd to the production (videos, lights, pyro, teleprompters, cues and FX, plus backing tracks as needed).

Also note that clicks don't have to be steady, and they can change tempo, meter, accelerando and ritard as desired.

 

[Randalljax]

When you have highly choreographed lighting and pyro, everything needs to be synchronized precisely. This isn’t a Friday night bar gig .

When you have a drunk singer you have to make sure he has cues to stay away from the pyro pots

 

[Sixstring]

I have seen Motley Crew twice once right after Vince go back together with the rest of the guys somewhere in the in the early 90's at the Orange pavillion in San Bernardino, and later on when they were sharing the bill with the Scorpions in 99 at the then Blockbuster in Devore!

The difference in performance between those two shows was huge! The early 90's show they were pretty tight! vince actually was singing all the words no pyro no spinning drum cage just straight up crew. The 99 show my buddy and I walked out after the 3rd song it was so bad. They had all of the flashing lights, the dancing titti systers but Vinces vocals were awful.

The most embarrassing this about that whole show was the fact that they took the stage after the Scorpions. They gave a masterful performance not only in musicianship but audio as well, made the hair stand up on the back of my neck it was so good! I don't know if they were using a click or IEM but it was epic!

 

[Goonie]

Sorry I'm late to the party....

My suggestions would be:

• 800 #34
• AFS 100 2
• 800 Mod
• Brit Silver (maybe?)

For cabs, a mix of V30/GB would sit nicely. I've been on a Pre-Rola M75 and M20 kick lately. Not sure how those would sit.
I personally run most of my IR's using a single 57 (100-6000 in the preamp tab). If Dyna-Cabs, I'd probably mix in a ribbon far away.

 

[rsvette12]

When you have a drunk singer you have to make sure he has cues to stay away from the pyro pots

Hes a singer I cant listen to 10 seconds of that mess - big fan of Motley Crue but what a mess

Fun story - back in the 80's went to see them when I was a drummer (35 years traded for guitar last 17 years) got into Providence Civic Center a bit early and Tommy Lee came out to check his drums

He looked at me saw Zildjian shirt gave me the middle finger - gave it back to him he gave me the thumbs up - I thinks hes a cool dude

 

[DJD100]

Mick, Marshall and Soldano.