70's Era Prog Rock Effects

[bwanasonic]

Been taking a stroll down memory lane with the *Prog* bands of my youth, and am particularly interested in any effects info about the 72-75 era of effects of Steve Hackett, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp, Todd Rundgren, etc. So far I have the Steve Hackett "Supa Tonebender", and Steve Howe "Marshall Supa-Fuzz" and Big Muff.  

I pretty much stopped listening to this stuff by the late 70s, but strangely enough have come back to it via more recent influences like The Shins, Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices. Also seeing Buffalo '66, with it's awesome use of "Heart Of Sunrise".


Kerry M

PS. Bonus Points for any info about Glam FX from this era also ( T. Rex, Sparks, Mick Ronson, etc.)

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
    Mark Bolan used   the Colorsound Overdrive a lot!
Brian.

[zenpeace69]

I saw a video the other day of Yes' Save the Whale from the album Tormato.  I am not sure who was playing guitar during that era, but the solo surely had a Green Ringer ring mod happening on it.

[Ben N]

It was Steve Howe.

[Paul Marossy]

Robert Fripp used a looped tape delay, that is how he got the sounds that are referred to as "Frippertronics". (If you didn't know that already...)

[rogerinIowa]

this may not fit the bill, but I will post anyway: I just built a pedal using a wah replacement board from GGG. It is a stand alone wah circuit with no treadle...just built in to a hammond 1590bb, 1 switch, and a knob to adjust the sweep. I had built it to aproximate some of the tones that michael schenker got when he was in UFO (he reportedly used to play thru a %^&*ed wah wah pedal, sometimes 2 wah wah pedals).

My buddy is a huge 70's prog-rock fan and when he played this new pedal he demanded one for himself. He now uses it to cop the weirdo tones produced by King Crimson, old Genesis, etc. I know it is not a new concept ( Dunlop makes a pedal like this, but it sounds like a dunlop wah=crappy)  but it is a very usable effect....i guess it would be a variable resonance filter?

rogeriniowa

[bwanasonic]

My buddy is a huge 70's prog-rock fan and when he played this new pedal he demanded one for himself. He now uses it to cop the weirdo tones produced by King Crimson, old Genesis, etc.

I was notorious for never turning my wah off circa the mid 70's. I used it in this notched position a lot. And yes, it is those *weirdo* tones I am interested in I have my own way of getting some of them, but I am particulary interested in what gain effects were in use.

Kerry M

[Michael P.]

Fripp used the Electric Mistress alot, as well as BMP, Guild Foxy Lady. . . . and the Burns Buzzaround, which I've never been able to find ANYTHING out about. Any takers  on that one? Ammscray, maybe :?:

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello-
    Nope, Ammscray isn't aware of it......I asked him a couple of months ago.....neither one of us could find anything on it.
 Brian.

[Paul Marossy]

"Fripp used the Electric Mistress alot, as well as BMP, Guild Foxy Lady. . . . and the Burns Buzzaround"

That's interesting stuff. I have wondered from time to time about what he used for distortion tones...

[JonC]

While we're on the subject of obscure 70's era fuzzes, what does anybody know about the WEM Project 5 Fuzz?  It was used by Eno on 'Here Come the Warm Jets' .  Anybody have a schem? Any notion of topology etc?

[BillyJ]

Adrien Belew = Foxx tone Machine.

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
    Awright, that tears it..........we gotta find the Wem Project 5 and the Burns Buzzaround!!    Anything on those first two or three Eno albums MUST be revealed!!
Brian.

[Michael P.]

I just tried searching for something on the WEM Project 5, and found this Project 4 guitar. Jeesh! :shock:

http://www.musictoyz.com/articles/chopgtr.php

[Stuart]

The Burns Buzzaround is a clone of the 3-knob Tone Bender, with AC128s.

[StephenGiles]

I think you will also find that a great number of British guitarists in that era used a cheap mic preamp to boost the guitar level into the amp which eliminated the need for any distortion boxes. I was doing this from 1967 onwards.
Stephen

[brian wenz]

Hello Stuart--
   Thanks for that info!  Have you seen [or do you have..] a schematic for the Buzzaround??   Are you referring to the Colorsound 3-knob that has the diode in the circuit??
Thanks again--
Brian.

[Michael P.]

That's great Stuart. From where do you get this info?

[Stuart]

There was a Buzzaround on Ebay.  From the internal pics, it was clear it's the 3-knob circuit, but I couldn't see all the parts values (caps mainly).

[Steben]

The Burns Buzzaround is a clone of the 3-knob Tone Bender, with AC128s....

... which are in fact the same as OC71's...