How can I get vintage "Budgie" guitar tone

[igor12]

Huge bottom end. I'll try yo post a clip.

[Paul Marossy]

What is a "budgie" tone? Does that make your guitar sound like a parakeet? 

[anchovie]

Budgie, a heavy rock band from Wales.

I think they were pretty much a "cranked Marshall" kind of band, so I'd suggest the Thor from runoffgroove with the 'bottom' switch on and the 'bright' switch off.

[Paul Marossy]

Budgie, a heavy rock band from Wales.

I think they were pretty much a "cranked Marshall" kind of band, so I'd suggest the Thor from runoffgroove with the 'bottom' switch on and the 'bright' switch off.

Oh, I see. Never heard of them before now. 

[John Lyons]

One reference point to Budgie is the Metallica cover of "Crash course in Brain Surgery"
off the Garage Days Re-revisited album.

John

[Projectile]

This should be mandatory viewing for any 70's hard rock fan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg

[Valoosj]

Never heard of budgie in my life, but damn they are cool! Wish I was born a decade or 2 sooner ...

[newfish]

That's a great vid.  Thanks for posting it.

I've only ever heard the Metallica version - and this is better!

Tone-wise, to my ears it *could* be a BSIAB and some decent EQing...

[petemoore]

  Where into what...
  "Plug in...uh...."Here"?
  It doesn't have to have a brand name on it, wouldn't hurt though...
  Looks like it was all simple and HQ, from the SG to the Plex-eee..[actually hard to tell what exact amp was used].
  And I remember the days when just over 400$ could literally buy 75% of a rig like that [everything except the speakers].
  That's that huge 'hard rock blues'...Budgie sound...not hard to get sorta close but takes some serious gear, ''big tube build up'' sound.
  The coils in the cabinets, the coils in the guitar, the coils in the amp, a good example where everything that matters, smatters in the right way.

[solderman]

Budgie, a heavy rock band from Wales.

I think they were pretty much a "cranked Marshall" kind of band, so I'd suggest the Thor from runoffgroove with the 'bottom' switch on and the 'bright' switch off.

Budgie
Haven't heard that name since TV was B&W 
Do they actually still exist ??. I think I have a vinyl in my basement some where. I Have to look for it.

//Solderman 

[anti-idiot]

One reference point to Budgie is the Metallica cover of "Crash course in Brain Surgery"
off the Garage Days Re-revisited album.
John

Or Breadfan.

+1 about the Thor (maybe a plexizer, jcm800 or something marshall-y)

[igor12]

THOR it is.  Now that I see the clip, I think alot has to do with the SG.  I can hear that Tony Iommi, Angus "tingle" in the strings. BTW, Anybody use a thor with an older marshall?  I currently have a non master 50Watt with a power brake and it sounds incredible.  I use a boss overdrive for solos and it still sounds great but you do lose some bottom end (which is a common complaint). One more marhsall secret- A screaming tree plugged into the bass channel sounds killer! Vintage Judas Prest!

[Paul Marossy]

This should be mandatory viewing for any 70's hard rock fan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg

Wow, I'm suprised that I never ran across Budgie before. I like all those old 70s progressive rock bands, but I never heard of them before...

[anti-idiot]

This should be mandatory viewing for any 70's hard rock fan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg

Wow, I'm suprised that I never ran across Budgie before. I like all those old 70s progressive rock bands, but I never heard of them before...

listen to "Parents". the dude sings like a girl.

[Mick Bailey]

Never heard of Budgie? Seen 'em 14 times from the 70's up until a couple of years ago. I guess some bands don't travel too far from these miserable shores of the UK.....

[David]

What is a "budgie" tone? Does that make your guitar sound like a parakeet? 

Yeah, you need to use a Herdim pick to really get that...  chirp...

Sorry.   

[nighthawk]

For a real authentic tone I think you'll need a Mesa Budgie amp.

[Paul Marossy]

Never heard of Budgie? Seen 'em 14 times from the 70's up until a couple of years ago. I guess some bands don't travel too far from these miserable shores of the UK.....

I don't know if they ever got any exposure in the U.S.A...

That one video linked above sounds a bit like Led Zeppelin to me, at least his vocals remind me a little bit of Robert Plant. Instrumentally, they remind me a little of Camel.

[Thomeeque]

listen to "Parents". the dude sings like a girl.

Oh, it ain't a girl? OK, Burke Shelley!

Btw. "In recent years, notably on Budgie's 2006 album, You're All Living In Cuckooland, his voice has become much deeper."

[Solidhex]

Yo

  Budgie YES!!!! Very overlooked heavy as hell 70's rock. As you can see in this live video Tony Bourge has a Colorsound Wah Fuzz Swell pedal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dee9njVdnR4&feature=related  . Although his tone is not super distorted in this track I think its not a stretch to say he could have been using the fuzz function of his fuzz wah in a lot of Budgie songs. His tone on songs like Bread Fan and Crash Course In Brain Surgery suggest a pretty buzzy aggressive tone. More than just a cranked Marshall. I would try breadboarding the fuzz circuit found here: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/humperdinck/223/cwfuzz.gif
Basically its a Colorsound single knob fuzz. I think it sounds very similar to his tone.

--Brad