Getting that old country twang

[debutvm]

I have recently been getting into old country (50's) and would like to get some of the sounds they produce. I have a nice strat that would be good for this. My amp is  carvin legacy which has a great clean channel with plenty of headroom. What effects can I use to get that nice smooth twang? Im willing to either build or buy doesnt matter.

[Meanderthal]

 Compressor, Dynacomp. Fender Twin(well, that ain't a pedal, but it's a very important ingredient). Budweiser(heh). Lots of practice.

Oh, and a Tele...

[idlechatterbox]

Lots of different paths to the same destination. But some suggestions:
1. flanger
2. compressor

If you have access to one of those Korg Pandoras, they have a surprisingly good country setting, and it's even called "Twang" 

A telecaster doesn't hurt, but it's not essential either. Also, as I'm sure others will add, a lot of it is in the technique, not the hardware. EJ does a really cool song called "Tribute to Jerry Reed" that he plays covers of Hendrix and ZZTop (convincingly) on. There's a cool video of Buckethead on uTube, where he goes from serious metal shredding to a bunch of country pickin' in a matter of seconds, no equip change, no pedal change, etc.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Others will probably have more to say. Good luck! 

[vikki]

Telecaster, compressor and something like a sparkle drive, valve amp...........here's an interesting link...
http://www.sizzlingguitarlicks.com/freevideo.html
Vikki(uk)

[John Lyons]

For the old country stuff a lot of it has to do with the amp and speakers (other than the player). Tweed deluxe, champ, will get you there.
Try the Supro or Proffesor tweed at ROG and the dyna comp for inexpensive and attainable country sounds short of the real thing.
The sound of a small amp played loud is hard to replicate. Not an overdriven preamp but an overdriven poweramp...sweetness.

The strat should get close for some stuff but some of that great sound was the unique pickups of the gretch and various other lesser known name guitars.

[blanik]

they didn't have much stompboxes in the 50's, the twang sound your refering to is probably low wattage tube amp with a tele plugged straight into it... the compression is natural on those cranked 5 Watt amps... 
but for your rig a compressor and the middle (alone) or bridge pickup would do it i think...

R.

[rockgardenlove]

And of course, that lovely tube rectifier sag creates a compression effect too.   

[blanik]

And of course, that lovely tube rectifier sag creates a compression effect too.   

this is what i meant in non-technical terms... 

lol

[liakos]

The sound of a small amp played loud is hard to replicate. Not an overdriven preamp but an overdriven poweramp...sweetness.

hey are there any emulation stompboxes that can "touch" that kind of sound???

[Processaurus]

Dynacomp or Ross is the ticket.  I bet they started using it for country because you can play chords and single notes and keep a good volume with both.  Then they started turning up the compression further and further. 

Some slap back will put you over the top, too.  Rebote Delay would be perfect, nothing fancy neccessary.  I have a hard time getting the twang with my humbucker guitar, single coils seem like the ticket for that kind of attack where you really hear the pick (though humbucker hollowbodies can get the twang, mysterious).  Good high action is helpful too, that seems to affect the sound of the strings attack.    There is something missing from my mutant country, though, I'd love to someday stumble onto that classic, Johnny Cash level of twang, that's all barbwire and Marlboros.

*edit* You can actually send in for one of those Marlboro compressors if you smoke 12,000 packs

[vikki]

So which compressor would you guys pick between the Dynacomp and Ross? Barber Tone Press looks pretty good with a blend control.
Vikki(uk)

[MartyMart]

So which compressor would you guys pick between the Dynacomp and Ross? Barber Tone Press looks pretty good with a blend control.
Vikki(uk)

I've built both and there's really nothing between them 
For Country "Pickin" I may side with the good "ole Orange Squeezer !
Still love my "Flatline" for an all rounder though .... simple too

MM

[markm]

Alrighty.
I think I'll chime in on this one now as I feel as though I am one of the few "twangers" here on the board!
Keep in mind this is what I do for my playing and it doesn't mean it's right or wrong or that it'll work for everybody but, having played Country Guitar for 25+ years, I kinda got a handle on some stuff.
Some of this will make some of you go    but, here goes.

The most important thing I have found for Country twang is a light set of guitar strings. (hear me out here!)
These days most everybody is into the "bigger is better" philosophy and for country twang, the opposite is true. The hardest thing to do is get any spank out of a guitar with anything bigger than 10's on it.
Personally, I use .08-.38 lite gauge strings on my Tele with a Med-Low action.
The low action will help quite a bit with spank as alot of twang comes from the way the strings are attacked. I use a hybrid pick and fingers technique, sometimes referred to as "the claw" by some players that involves using a flatpick between the thumb and first finger and the other three remaining fingers to pluck and yank strings with. The low action provides an increased ability to yank the strings up with the picking fingers and letting them slap against the frets which provides much of the spank alot of you are speaking of. High action won't do this well.
Light strings are going to sound very rubbery and twangy no matter what you do with them.
No, they aren't loud and powerful but, that's what the Volume on the amp is for.
Light strings with a fairly straight neck won't buzz if it's set up properly. I know many are "afraid" of the thought of light gauge guitar strings but, they are used quite a bit in Nashville.....not by all and some would say I'm full of CowPie but, it is true.
Brad Paisley uses 10's......James Burton used .08's as well as Alvin Lee.

I play through a BF Fender Twin Reverb turned up to about 7 or so and roll the volume down on the Tele.
The Tele volume control will certainly tailor your tone ALOT more than many know.
I also roll of the Tone control a bit because I set the amp up on the bright side of things with some of the middle scooped out.
USE the controls....they will shape tone quite a bit fellas. Many times people I have played music with have been surprised at how I use the controls on the guitar. If you set your amp Loud and Bright and tune it with the guitar Vol and Tone, IMO you're better off.

For effects, I mainly still use a DynaComp clone that has run-of-the-mill everyday components in it that sounds better than anything I've made with metal film stuff.
My OD is usually an OD250 clone and the FatBoostered + I also use an O/S from time to time as well as the MosfetBoost and SparkleBoost.
My Delay is an AD3208 -or- the Rebote 2.5.

This is about all I can come up with for now......
I'm NOT and "authority" on Country music or Country Tele Pickin' etc. this is what works for me and has for quite awhile.
ATTACK and string manipulation are VERY crucial to the overall aspect of playing country that sounds "authentic". Maybe this is not a direct answer to the question about '50s country but for more modern twang, I think my suggestions will get you there.

BTW; if you ever back-up a Female country singer....make sure you have a good Capo....lots of FLAT keys! 

[wampcat1]

Alrighty.
I think I'll chime in on this one now as I feel as though I am one of the few "twangers" here on the board!
Keep in mind this is what I do for my playing and it doesn't mean it's right or wrong or that it'll work for everybody but, having played Country Guitar for 25+ years, I kinda got a handle on some stuff.
Some of this will make some of you go    but, here goes.

The most important thing I have found for Country twang is a light set of guitar strings. (hear me out here!)
These days most everybody is into the "bigger is better" philosophy and for country twang, the opposite is true. The hardest thing to do is get any spank out of a guitar with anything bigger than 10's on it.
Personally, I use .08-.38 lite gauge strings on my Tele with a Med-Low action.
The low action will help quite a bit with spank as alot of twang comes from the way the strings are attacked. I use a hybrid pick and fingers technique, sometimes referred to as "the claw" by some players that involves using a flatpick between the thumb and first finger and the other three remaining fingers to pluck and yank strings with. The low action provides an increased ability to yank the strings up with the picking fingers and letting them slap against the frets which provides much of the spank alot of you are speaking of. High action won't do this well.
Light strings are going to sound very rubbery and twangy no matter what you do with them.
No, they aren't loud and powerful but, that's what the Volume on the amp is for.
Light strings with a fairly straight neck won't buzz if it's set up properly. I know many are "afraid" of the thought of light gauge guitar strings but, they are used quite a bit in Nashville.....not by all and some would say I'm full of CowPie but, it is true.
Brad Paisley uses 10's......James Burton used .08's as well as Alvin Lee.

I play through a BF Fender Twin Reverb turned up to about 7 or so and roll the volume down on the Tele.
The Tele volume control will certainly tailor your tone ALOT more than many know.
I also roll of the Tone control a bit because I set the amp up on the bright side of things with some of the middle scooped out.
USE the controls....they will shape tone quite a bit fellas. Many times people I have played music with have been surprised at how I use the controls on the guitar. If you set your amp Loud and Bright and tune it with the guitar Vol and Tone, IMO you're better off.

For effects, I mainly still use a DynaComp clone that has run-of-the-mill everyday components in it that sounds better than anything I've made with metal film stuff.
My OD is usually an OD250 clone and the FatBoostered + I also use an O/S from time to time as well as the MosfetBoost and SparkleBoost.
My Delay is an AD3208 -or- the Rebote 2.5.

This is about all I can come up with for now......
I'm NOT and "authority" on Country music or Country Tele Pickin' etc. this is what works for me and has for quite awhile.
ATTACK and string manipulation are VERY crucial to the overall aspect of playing country that sounds "authentic". Maybe this is not a direct answer to the question about '50s country but for more modern twang, I think my suggestions will get you there.

BTW; if you ever back-up a Female country singer....make sure you have a good Capo....lots of FLAT keys! 

hey mark, I didn't know you were a twanger!
send me a pm, I've got a special gift for ya.


bw

[markm]

***EDIT***
Before the Classic Rock guys get upset my post was supposed to name ALBERT Lee, not ALVIN......

hey mark, I didn't know you were a twanger!
send me a pm, I've got a special gift for ya.


bw

You're not gonna try and sell me something are you??
 

[Pushtone]

I would have to agree on the Fender Twin being 90% of the tone forumla.

The twin is the one amp that can not be made to sound better by adding pedals in front of it.
If anything pedals make the Twin sound worse in my experience.

[snoof]

or try a Fender Pro Reverb, half the power so you can turn it up a bit and get some output grind out of it at a lower vol...

[blanik]

I would have to agree on the Fender Twin being 90% of the tone forumla.

The twin is the one amp that can not be made to sound better by adding pedals in front of it.
If anything pedals make the Twin sound worse in my experience.

except maybe some kind of drivin' booster (for the Silverface at least) to give the guitar a little more "responsiveness", but i agree with you... i think the real secret to tone is the amp (and speakers!)

and i'm not a country player (although i might be the coutryest "alternative" guitarist in montreal,  ) but what markm said about getting the "twang sound" makes much sense...

R.

[wampcat1]

***EDIT***
Before the Classic Rock guys get upset my post was supposed to name ALBERT Lee, not ALVIN......

hey mark, I didn't know you were a twanger!
send me a pm, I've got a special gift for ya.


bw

You're not gonna try and sell me something are you??
 

nope, I figured you might be a brent mason fan so I was going to give you something...

[Dragonfly]

Hi Brian...hope all is well...


On to the TWANG...easy recipe...tele...small strings...dynacomp...echo/delay (for slapback).... fender (or similar ) tube amp....

for the later Haggard stuff you'll want to add a phaser, like the small stone or similar...

TWANG IS GOOD.

AC