What fuzz (if any) was used on The Rolling Stones "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"

[vanessa]

At the very beginning the song starts with a killer lick by Keith (Mick Taylor?). Is this a fuzz face run into a big amp (Ampeg VT-22, VT-40)? It sounds big with a lot of air.

[WGTP]

Having use a VT-22 with altec's, I don't think there is anything beteen the output jack of the guitar and the input jack of the amp, but a chord.   

[ocelot]

I actually think it was Keith that did the intro and Mick Taylor did the solo. Around that time Keith was using Fender Telecaster Deluxes (humbuckers) Mick was using Les Pauls. There isnt much info on Keith what he uses but I think he just plays fender amps especially twins

[8mileshigh]

Yeah, it was the neck pickup of a Tele Deluxe.  Keith mentioned that he liked using small amps in the studio because they sounded bigger on tape.  I doubt this was a Twin, they don't breakup at all    Probably not a popular amp on Fuzz part of this forum.  BTW, this song has great tone, both Keith and especially Mick on that solo.  Anybody now anything about his signal chain ?

Chris

[vanessa]

I actually think it was Keith that did the intro and Mick Taylor did the solo. Around that time Keith was using Fender Telecaster Deluxes (humbuckers) Mick was using Les Pauls. There isnt much info on Keith what he uses but I think he just plays fender amps especially twins

I have seen shots of that basement over at Keith's house (France) during the recordings of Exile on Main Street. I saw a lot of Ampeg stuff and an old tiny amp. Looks like a Valco or Magnatone made for Woolworths or somebody. He's spoke of using this type of amp on a lot of stuff. I don't think it's anything he cares about. He does not even know who makes them. He's used all different small amps in the studio, just taking what's on hand to lay down tracks. This would have been around the same period. A couple tracks that were recorded during the Sticky Fingers sessions made it over to the Exile DLP. I would guess the amp used on Knocking was a VT-22 or 40 cranked if it's not a Fuzz Face into a VT at a lower volume. I know a smaller amp can get some big tones but the recording has a lot of air and the fact that they go into that jam (I've read it was just him and Mick Taylor with a couple of other people just messing around before the rest of the band showed up, Keith claims they did it in one take...) seems like they were cranked out having some fun with the jam. I don't think a little amp would have kept up with that jam. I think he used those for slide stuff and "back-woods" stuff.

[WGTP]

The Ampegs of the day had both boost and cut tone circuitry and a lot of the Stones stuff of that time had the distinct mid-boost sound that a Fender Twin could not produce.  There was a mid-select switch for 300Hz, 800Hz and 3000Hz.  The guitars in "Brown Sugar" definitely have that mid-boost pop thing going on.  I don't hear fender twins on "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile".   They also had an 3-way input sensitivity switch for jacking up the pre-amp. 

[vanessa]

The Ampegs of the day had both boost and cut tone circuitry and a lot of the Stones stuff of that time had the distinct mid-boost sound that a Fender Twin could not produce.  There was a mid-select switch for 300Hz, 800Hz and 3000Hz.  The guitars in "Brown Sugar" definitely have that mid-boost pop thing going on.  I don't hear fender twins on "Sticky Fingers" or "Exile".   They also had an 3-way input sensitivity switch for jacking up the pre-amp. 

Wow that's cool. I have a friend that has an old Ampeg VT-40, what do you think the settings are to get that "Brown Suger" tone?

[LyleCaldwell]

Jim Dickinson told me the Stones stuff cut at Muscle Shoals, including Brown Sugar, was a cranked Twin.  He said the engineers had never dealt with anything that loud before.  He didn't say whether it was a tweed, blonde, or blackface Twin.

[WGTP]

To me, the 800Hz boosted pretty good, gets there. I still can't see it being a twin, at least I couldn't get one to sound that way.  I have no proof, but my own experience with a VT-22 and all the pic's of the Stones with Ampegs.  I even had an Ampeg catalog full of pic's with the Stones. 

[vanessa]

I agree. I've seen other shots of them in the studio (I did not bring it up as I do not know at what studio, the house in France is confirmed) around that period with a host of Ampeg gear.



Here's one with a Ampeg VT-22

[vanessa]

Maybe the setting for "country lead and steel guitar sound" gets you that "Brown Suger" and "Honky Tonk Women" tone?

[WGTP]

Wow, I haven't seen that chart in a long time.  Looks like the Marshal just has everything maxed.  It looks like the TWIN setting cuts the mid's at 300Hz, which matches the tonestack response on the Duncan site.  The boosted 800Hz sound is more like what I think the Stones used, (sure fattens up a Tele), but they may have set it different every time.  There was also a Hi boost and cut switch.  The 2-12 100w VT-22 was stupid loud, I can't imagine standing in front of a 300w SVT with 16-10" speakers.  I have since read that the power tubes in the VT-22 and VT-40 could be replaced with KT-88's/6550's for even more power.   :icon_cool

[LyleCaldwell]

I agree. I've seen other shots of them in the studio (I did not bring it up as I do not know at what studio, the house in France is confirmed) around that period with a host of Ampeg gear.



Here's one with a Ampeg VT-22

Yeah, they were definitely using a lot of Ampegs in that period.  But Dickinson was there for Sticky Fingers.

[B Tremblay]

According to Nico Zentgraf's research, Olympic Studios in London was the recording site for CYHMK (16th June - 27th July, 1970).

http://www.nzentgraf.de/books/tcw/works1.htm

[LyleCaldwell]

Actually, come to think of it, he was talking about Honky Tonk Women at Muscle Shoals.  I don't know where Brown Sugar was cut.  Those tracks kinda blend together for me.

[B Tremblay]

I don't know where Brown Sugar was cut.

The first recorded version of Brown Sugar was at Muscle Shoals.

[AL]

My main amp right now is a '72 Quad Reverb that I just blackfaced. If you don't know - this amp IS a twin reverb in a 4 x 12" combo package. It has a little more "ooomph" than a twin due to the speakers but it still sounds like a twin - and I can't get that sound without some help. I can actually get closer with a cranked blackface bassman than with a twin.

But Ampegs are different stories. I am really convinced that early Ampegs may be one of the best kept vintage amp secrets. I know people say that about just about every off the wall amp they get their hands on but I've got a late 60's SB-12 (7868 tubes) and a '66 Gemini I (7591 tubes) and these little guys SCREAM. Straight out of the box - no fancy mods, no pedals, just a chord - the SB-12 is the best amp I've every played. It's beautiful. And the Gemini is fantastic as well - you just don't need pedals. I can pretty much nail that vintage, lite break-up sound. They feel great, break-up just the right amount, retain they're clarity and make me smile. I have a very hard time keeping my SB-12 from my other guitar player.

The Quad Reverb is a wonderful sounding amp - but you've gotta work it - hard. Not so with the Ampegs. My vote, for what it's worth, goes to Ampeg.

AL

[vanessa]

The Gemini I is a fantastic amp. Very well made with fantastic tone. All of these pre 80's amps from what I have seen are over built, over engineered and yield fantastic tones. I believe it may be the ugly factor that has kept these a secret all these years. Maybe just lack of knowledge. They're going up in price these days but well worth the price.