Yardbirds - Best circuit

[video_dude]

Anyone know if the Yarbirds used a Tone Bender Mark II to get
the feedback sound lead solo in " Over Under Sideway down"?

[R.G.]

Oh, you betcha!

I was there at the recording studio when they laid down the tracks, and they let me open up all their equipment and trace out the circuits so I could verify that the stuff, plus modifications, was documented for historical reasons.

I can categorically say that in fact the lead sound -was- done with a Tone Bender Mark II, s/n 3122, and that it had been overheated at one time, as most of the resistors were drifted up in value by a few percent. One of the jacks was a little dirty. They had to record the lead a few times, and the one on the record is the third in the series.

I can prove I saw this... I scratched the inside cover of the effect while no one was looking, and if I ever see the box again, I can tell it was the one I looked at.

So what if it was 40 years ago - I remember it perfectly, like it was yesterday.

Hmmm... yesterday... all my troubles... no, wait, that's something different.

The real trick used on "over under" was that the guitar cord was actually an 18 gauge two conductor lamp cord. The first cord had an intermittent, so they cut off the power cord of the studio manager's desk lamp and soldered it in for the session.

And the studio smelled like stale beer.

[video_dude]

Really ?

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
    It looks like R.G. knows what kind of acid they were taking, too!
Tonebender MK I........I promise!   [You could get pretty close with the MK II circuit but not quite enough "snarl".
Brian.

[video_dude]

Thanks, Brian. It this the model with the attack and volume knobs ?

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
  Yes, attack and volume.  Check over at Fuzz Central for the Vox Tonebender .   I've found that these are much more useable then the Fuzz Face circuit.......not nearly as mushy.
Brian.

[brian wenz]

Hello Again--
   Some of the original units had a 2K instead of a 1K between the collectors...........more gain if you want it!  
Brian.

[petemoore]

DAFT RG...
 You didn't check the Gain of the transistors before and after the session?
 I built one anyway, and it sounds just like the recording, through the amp I made out of an answering machine.

[Lonestarjohnny]

Hey Guy's, I can Vouch for RG, I was workin in that same Studio, I think it was Studio C, I just got a job there as Janitor and was leanin on my Broom when RG said hey Bud You gotta Knife, so i actually lent him the knife that i'm still packin today to scratch the case with !
and what's really funny is today at the Flea Market I bought a Tonebender for 5 buck's, did'nt work, pretty beat lookin, but when I opened it up, Low and Behold, there inside scratched out to where it was easy to read, it said " Have No Fear, R.G. Was Here "
Now just to show you what a nice guy i am, I'll sell ya the knife and the pedal for a small Fee   :wink:
Johnny

[Ge_Whiz]

It's April already?

Hey, RG - what brand of beer?

:lol:

[R.G.]

Hey, RG - what brand of beer?

Strongbow...

:lol:

[Marcos - Munky]

Cool!!!

[Hungeryhippie]

R.G sorry man strongbow isn't beer

[RDV]

I was there too, even though I was only threeee years old. I actually played that solo as Becky was a bit out of sorts that day.



RDV

[Lonestarjohnny]

That was you Ricky, I think know the reason I did'nt reconize you, you were clean shaven that day,  :wink:
Johnny

[Lonestarjohnny]

That was you Ricky, I think I know the reason I did'nt reconize you, you were clean shaven that day,  :wink:
Johnny

[Fret Wire]

No! It was me and Ritchie Blackmore playing on that cut. We were subbing for Beck, who was doing a session with RDV, who was subbing for Jimmy Page, who was supposed to sub for Dave Davies on "You Really Got Me". Beck got sick, RDV played the solo (not with the HMP), and to this day, Dave Davies is still super pissed about the whole thing!

Boy, I picked a fine time to quit doing blotter. :shock:

[Lonestarjohnny]

I know i gotta start checking to see what my wife is puttin in the coffee pot ?  :lol:
Johnny

[gez]

R.G sorry man strongbow isn't beer

Strongbow, wow!  One mention of the name and it took me back to teenage parties where everyone chipped in for 'party cans' of Double Diamond and this fizzy sweet puke they call 'Strongbow' (cue a Norman bowman firing arrows into the surface of a bar).

No, it's not beer...not bloody cider either!! (if that's what they were drinking it's no wonder RG's memory is....er, 'hazy')  

[Nasse]

There is a Hurriganes Beer contest at www.laitilan.com or something, you can win a Fender Strat there

From some beer site:

"This beer is named after the most popular rock band of 70s in Finland. Two band members died to intensive use of alcohol ...
Pale yellow with small white head, which is mostly diminishing. Sour and fruity grass aroma. Very fruity mouthfeel with grassy hops. Oily decent bitter aftertaste. Very close to Kukko Pils, maybe just some water added "

I think Albert used Tonebender sometimes in the studio, especially in studio and on early recordings. But he did not drink beer, I quess his favorite drink was "Lonkero" (Gin Long Drink) or Koskenkorva Vodka (Kossu), or that another popular brand with red cap.

Dunno about Zeppelin stuff, I was not in the studio, but quess much of the sound was added afterwards at the studio, and you just can´t find good quality ADT´s (automatic double tracking) nowadays. Any good tonebender and you are close.

Few Hurriganes tricks was that huge amount of Dolby button, lots of studios do it still here. And mostly there is more distortion in rhytm track, and less in the solo (novices believe it is opposite)

EDITED Of course good quality recording consoles have Dolby slider, not just button. And was that zeps that used that trick, when they sped (or slowed?) up the tape, detuned the guitar and tempo up or down and what amount and when mixing the tracks it was speeded up to normal pitch?