DC11GTR
Inspired
For anyone that liked the EJ preset I posted last December, I bring to you... The Most Comprehensive Group of Eric Johnson Tones ever assembled... Probably...
I was still in the getting to know you phase of the Fractal universe when I made the last one, and though I think there is some good stuff there, these are quite a bit better, and a lot more usable in the real world. Plus there are 2 of 'em!! I didn't really intend on making these until I was trying to get a decent "All About You" tone and just couldn't get it done with a single drive. Once I dove head first into that idea, I started from scratch but when I realized that one preset wasn't gonna be enough, I put pen-to-paper to figure out how to get the most out of the pair. At a certain point, I stopped going for perfect accuracy (which I was never going to get) and went more for what FEELS right. Or at least feels right for me. Most may not need that 2nd drive, but it adds just a little "something" that really hold it all together or nudges it just enough in one direction or another. There are quite a few Tube Drive 4-Knobs and Face Fuzzes. The preset could probably get by with less of the former, but the latter is kinda necessary. Drive 1 is the SOUND and the 2nd is the glue. I still tweak the gain levels on a regular basis, but mostly for the glue. And rarely more than 1 in either direction. It's the same with the amps, at least for preset 1. There are 3 Plexi 100W Jumped and a single Plexi 100W High in that preset. Preset 2 uses 4 different amps. Output 2 is just for my tuner, so you can junk that. Both of these push the FM3 pretty hard, but they were made on it and should have no problem being used on one. When/if I get an AxeFXIII, each tone can have their own dedicated drive pair and amp, but I think that the FM3 is doing just fine for this!
Below is a demo of the sounds. Pardon the mix and pardon the names (of Preset 2 especially, hahaha).
Here's a rundown of the presets and scenes. P = Preset, S = Scene.
PRESET 1 = Full EJ Lead Rig
P1/S1 = Desert Rose solo 1. Plexi 100W High, T808, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S2 = Desert Rose solo 2. Same as above but Drive 1 is a Face Fuzz
P1/S3 = Venus Isle Main. Plexi 100W Jumped. Tube Drive 4-knob, Face Fuzz.
P1/S4 = Venus Isle Octava. Same as above but Drive 2 is an Octave Distortion.
*A note about these... There are probably 5 different tones in this solo, and I'm pretty sure that the Octava part is actually a Prescription Electronics Experience Hendrix pedal. Or a Fulltone Ultimate Octave. I say that because the section after the first octave part comes in has a similar sound but without such a prominent octave effect while still being on the neck pickup. I might be wrong about all of that. Either way, these 2 get the job done.
P1/S5 = All About Yous Ones. Plexi 100W Jumped. T808, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S6 = All About Yous Twos. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
*A note about these... If you pick with the side/back of the pick, you get that "whooshy, swipey" texture that kind of makes this solo what it is. I can't play some of the Iines that fast unless I use the pick tip. It's all neck pickup for the solo 1 and all bridge for solo 2.
P1/S7 = Lonely In The Night. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S8 = Camel's Night Out. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
*No example. I actually forgot about this scene... Oops.
PRESET 1 = Full EJ Clean/Live Rig
*A note for what follows... Scenes 1-6 are based on the Austin City Limits or Total Electric Guitar. The demos in the video, especially when it's a section of Total Electric Guitar, are switched frequently but they're labeled. Also, full disclosure... I've never heard the original TEG Outro. Only YouTube covers that I stumbled upon when looking for the TEG Intro. Button 9 on my Voes MX-9 engages/disengages the HOLD on the delay using "External 4"
The last 2 are from Manhattan and though the clean is pretty freaking accurate, I don't know about the lead... I like it, but I don't think it's a Two Stone on the record, but I used it for a couple of other tones in this and figured I'd get another out of it by using it for that lead. I use this preset quite often for just regular playing, not just EJ shit.
P2/S1 = Ambient Clean
P2/S2 = UnAmbient Clean
P2/S3 = Ambient Live Lead
P2/S4 = Main Live Lead
P2/S5 = Fuzzy 2Balls
P2/S6 = Valvey 2Balls
P2/S7 = 212 v 718 v 310 v 785 Clean
P2/S8 = 212 v 718 v 310 v 785 Lead
As for the cab block, it's the same aside from Preset 1 using Ultra-res and Preset 2 using Standard. Here's a pic:
So... There you have it. If you ever get a phone call screaming "HELP! Eric Johnson is stuck at the airport. Do you have a goofy ass Marching Band jacket and blond poofy hair?" You can respond with "No, but I can use these to fake it until he shows up."
I was still in the getting to know you phase of the Fractal universe when I made the last one, and though I think there is some good stuff there, these are quite a bit better, and a lot more usable in the real world. Plus there are 2 of 'em!! I didn't really intend on making these until I was trying to get a decent "All About You" tone and just couldn't get it done with a single drive. Once I dove head first into that idea, I started from scratch but when I realized that one preset wasn't gonna be enough, I put pen-to-paper to figure out how to get the most out of the pair. At a certain point, I stopped going for perfect accuracy (which I was never going to get) and went more for what FEELS right. Or at least feels right for me. Most may not need that 2nd drive, but it adds just a little "something" that really hold it all together or nudges it just enough in one direction or another. There are quite a few Tube Drive 4-Knobs and Face Fuzzes. The preset could probably get by with less of the former, but the latter is kinda necessary. Drive 1 is the SOUND and the 2nd is the glue. I still tweak the gain levels on a regular basis, but mostly for the glue. And rarely more than 1 in either direction. It's the same with the amps, at least for preset 1. There are 3 Plexi 100W Jumped and a single Plexi 100W High in that preset. Preset 2 uses 4 different amps. Output 2 is just for my tuner, so you can junk that. Both of these push the FM3 pretty hard, but they were made on it and should have no problem being used on one. When/if I get an AxeFXIII, each tone can have their own dedicated drive pair and amp, but I think that the FM3 is doing just fine for this!
Below is a demo of the sounds. Pardon the mix and pardon the names (of Preset 2 especially, hahaha).
Here's a rundown of the presets and scenes. P = Preset, S = Scene.
PRESET 1 = Full EJ Lead Rig
P1/S1 = Desert Rose solo 1. Plexi 100W High, T808, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S2 = Desert Rose solo 2. Same as above but Drive 1 is a Face Fuzz
P1/S3 = Venus Isle Main. Plexi 100W Jumped. Tube Drive 4-knob, Face Fuzz.
P1/S4 = Venus Isle Octava. Same as above but Drive 2 is an Octave Distortion.
*A note about these... There are probably 5 different tones in this solo, and I'm pretty sure that the Octava part is actually a Prescription Electronics Experience Hendrix pedal. Or a Fulltone Ultimate Octave. I say that because the section after the first octave part comes in has a similar sound but without such a prominent octave effect while still being on the neck pickup. I might be wrong about all of that. Either way, these 2 get the job done.
P1/S5 = All About Yous Ones. Plexi 100W Jumped. T808, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S6 = All About Yous Twos. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
*A note about these... If you pick with the side/back of the pick, you get that "whooshy, swipey" texture that kind of makes this solo what it is. I can't play some of the Iines that fast unless I use the pick tip. It's all neck pickup for the solo 1 and all bridge for solo 2.
P1/S7 = Lonely In The Night. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
P1/S8 = Camel's Night Out. Plexi 100W Jumped. Face Fuzz, Tube Drive 4-knob
*No example. I actually forgot about this scene... Oops.
PRESET 1 = Full EJ Clean/Live Rig
*A note for what follows... Scenes 1-6 are based on the Austin City Limits or Total Electric Guitar. The demos in the video, especially when it's a section of Total Electric Guitar, are switched frequently but they're labeled. Also, full disclosure... I've never heard the original TEG Outro. Only YouTube covers that I stumbled upon when looking for the TEG Intro. Button 9 on my Voes MX-9 engages/disengages the HOLD on the delay using "External 4"
The last 2 are from Manhattan and though the clean is pretty freaking accurate, I don't know about the lead... I like it, but I don't think it's a Two Stone on the record, but I used it for a couple of other tones in this and figured I'd get another out of it by using it for that lead. I use this preset quite often for just regular playing, not just EJ shit.
P2/S1 = Ambient Clean
P2/S2 = UnAmbient Clean
P2/S3 = Ambient Live Lead
P2/S4 = Main Live Lead
P2/S5 = Fuzzy 2Balls
P2/S6 = Valvey 2Balls
P2/S7 = 212 v 718 v 310 v 785 Clean
P2/S8 = 212 v 718 v 310 v 785 Lead
As for the cab block, it's the same aside from Preset 1 using Ultra-res and Preset 2 using Standard. Here's a pic:
So... There you have it. If you ever get a phone call screaming "HELP! Eric Johnson is stuck at the airport. Do you have a goofy ass Marching Band jacket and blond poofy hair?" You can respond with "No, but I can use these to fake it until he shows up."
Great playing/tones. Venus Isle is by far my favorite EJ album overall.
