Getting that glassy sound

[Talon5051]

Would Peter Green's tone fall under the glassy sound definition?  Not sure how to get it but I would like to know.

[jacobyjd]

Okay, now that we've solved that can anyone tell me how to get haunting mids?

You need to use a hollowbody--or a semi-hollow at least--so the midrange ghosts can take up residence.

[The French connection]

Okay, now that we've solved that can anyone tell me how to get haunting mids?

You need to use a hollowbody--or a semi-hollow at least--so the midrange ghosts can take up residence.

But whatever you do...Don't cross the streams!

Dr. Spengler

[markeebee]

Okay, now that we've solved that can anyone tell me how to get haunting mids?

I've found out how to get some lustrous bottom-end:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ParkersDailyBugle/news/?a=8823

[BAARON]

And what about chewy tone?  I'd love me some of that "chewy mid-range" I'm always hearing about.

[petemoore]

  Just happed on a Fender Bassman 20, Rivera had a hand in building [IIunderstandC], the combo is champ size.
 It didn't really get super-glassy until I put in some 5881 Tung Sol premium tubes [and extracted the EH 6v6's].
 A big part of the 'glass-tone' is the Jensen 10'' MI Speaker, too bad it's a 1/2 baked one, intermittent, sounds great otherwise...needs replaced [dang, and super soundin' speaker].
 Just turn the bass to about 3, treble to like 8 and mids to 5 or so...glass-city !
 The guitar, the pickup, the cable, the pre-amp [Blackface Preamp suggested], the output tubes, the output transformer, the speaker...and a buncha other little things, the caps are orange in there.
 I'm sure it can be [sorta] replicated, I built a BF preamp into a recorder/rip/build, old HiFi transformers are cool !
  I get the idea there's something about the old Fender BF stuff that just sparkles, regardless of how 'hifi' or non-premium the components seem to be, whatever, they tend to get premium glass-tone that way.
  As you know Blackface has history of having become 'something else', the times I've heard/seen the difference between these and the early CBS and CBS Fenders, it became immediately obvious that there are differences between Fender amps that look about the same or completely different, the tone either jumps out of the glass or it doesn't [and probably never will].

[jacobyjd]

And what about chewy tone?  I'd love me some of that "chewy mid-range" I'm always hearing about.

Easy. Just fix your equipment with chewing gum. 

[petemoore]

   Pick with your teeth.
  Page and the ''chewey tone'' quests...?
  About the same thing except with at least boost added, probably a certain Fuzz, guitar volume @<10...
  At least some distortion was always part of my chewey-tone discussions.
  Neither glassy or chewey always just jumps out of amps. Only certain amps seem to do all that, and only under certain conditions which is kind of rare.
  Chewey-tone was all about 'the luck dial'...finding settings on every one of the various things in a chain, each one being kind of 'lucky' [or chosen by an experienced intillect], and set just right. The right # and type of speakers for the cabinet and room, settings and fuzzboxes that got lucky [by the time you sort through fuzzboxes without luck, a nasty aftertaste tends to creep in], with exactly what they are, and exactly how they're set.
  Suffice it to say it takes some screwin' around with, and doesn't always just pop and jump, it may insist on piercing HF's and/or over-grinding, possibly feeding back, occasionally exactly the right slight tweek of a knob or 4 makes it lucky again...anything else changes and count your luck again.
  When everything is in phase [including the moon], the speaker cone just wants to resonate-that-certain-way, at exactly the point of volume and frequency you'd like it to. Other times, like the other day, you find that the one coil that has the most reliable glass-tone, has just been discoverd as 1/2 baked.

[ayayay!]

Okay but seriously folks...

I built the Lovepedal Eternity clone and the tone control on that one is called "glass."  Now really, if I ever heard a pretty accurate representation of "glass," it would be that one.  Reminds me of, well, glass.  Can't explain it, and it's a ridiculously easy (almost stupidly wonderful ar-ar) control. 

[frank_p]

This is souning glassy ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToFoHHXdBoM&feature=related
Fender silverface ?

[zombiwoof]

Okay, now that we've solved that can anyone tell me how to get haunting mids?

Ask those Ghost Hunters from TV, they could probably help you with that!

Al

[1878]

This conversation took place between a mate of mine (a sound engineer) and some bloke I was doing a session for...

Bloke: I want the guitar to sound like custard.
Mate: Ambrosia or Birds ??
Bloke: Erm... Erm... Probably Ambrosia.
Mate: F**k off.

He did thankfully. Aah... Those were the days

[edvard]

If you've got a tube amplifier with two channels so it needs a master volume, just turn the gain all the way down, turn the master all the way up, then adjust volume back up with the gain knob.

There's glass in them thar hills...

[petemoore]

  Good thing the speaker is made from fiber 'n stuff, a true glassy sound could be very sharp on the edges.
  @@Rate start with a speaker, all sounds as air-wave pressures are produced by this electro-mechanical wonder, if it has ''trouble with'' or ''resonates nicely'' at HF's of course is the question, see what Fender used...starting with something along those lines. [Blueback Jensen Special Design...musical instrument or ''Concert'' speaker as suggested 'style' to go for, many options here].
  Then next in the chain [after the speaker cable/connections] would be the transformer, for best glass replication don't skimp.
  Then the output tube[s. This is where the power supply comes into play, don't skimp here either, the PT and filter caps especially.
  Almost there...Blackface Preamp is a nice choice for ''Glassy''.
  Since glass always has a thickness dimension, some reverb is recommended.
  Other effects such as boost [small amount of chorus or...something that puts 'shimmer' in the high frequencies] can be used in moderation.
  Then the Single Coil pickups, their electronic output is based on a more precise string reading than humbuckers, like a sharper pencil.
  Hardwood, and metal string anchors...like a Maple neck Telecaster with Telecaster bridge.
  I enjoy looking through very  old glass that looks solid but is showing it's liquid properties.
  An old 'Field Coil' Speaker [and related amplifier] offers 'no blurring', a different [quite desirable yet rare]  kind of very old glass look and sound, not recommended for jamming or shows.
  Point being that 'glassy' may be produced or end at the speaker, pickup, and everything inbetween, starting at one end of the chain and scrutinizing every link is necessary IME>

[bipedal]

The comments in this thread and that section of the Tina Turner clip somehow made my brain pull up its (long dormant) memory file for one Mr. Robert Cray.

Video for "Smoking Gun".  Check out lead that begins around 1:25 in.  How's that for "Glassy"?

[George Giblet]

Video for "Smoking Gun".

One of my all time favorites.

Another one from the same album, unfortunately the flv compression artifacts screw up the tone,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QC6bwxUJzI&feature=related

[ParlorCitySound]

This is about as close as I can find on the interweb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSM3FL7zUdw

I think reverb has a bit to do with it as well.

[Nasse]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BcwXvwYtIs&feature=related

Bo Winberg (The Spotnicks) has smooth treble

[liquids]

My experience is that glassy is usually described in single coil fenders, usually through blackface-type amps with the bright switch on, to describe a certain quality of the high end EQ curve--it's usually a positive way people describe a bright tone, as opposed to harsh, ice-picky, shrill, etc.

It's hard to make sense of where 'glassy' came in, except that when glass breaks, the frequencies are usually pretty high and yet not ear-piercing.  I'd love to study and compare the frequency similarities, subjective or not...

Anyhow, to get slightly more technical if that is even possible with audio semantics, my perspective is more than just a nice treble quality, is that this word often describes the  blackface type fender amp with their lows down, and the already scooped mids down even further, letting the 'highs' stand out....that mid scoop is key - not just any scoop, but the the deep and wide blackface tone stack scoop, usually centered around a fairly low frequency (300hz), which cuts as far as to dip even the 1k range significantly...and highlights certain high frequency range, 3k-6k, which is even further accented by a 120pf/47pf value cap across the volume control to preserve those frequencies even more...

That's just my opinion.  I'm not a big fan of 'glassy,' but hopefully that helps.  

[mnordbye]

I always think of "glassy" as a tube-like sound (tubes are made of glass mostly, for those who's never experienced the real thing!  ).

I've also heard the term in relation to studio "tricks", mainly used when adding a slight chorus to the sound of a guitar. But as mentioned, these adjectives are highly subjective!