What is 'vintage tone'?

Its all in the fingers, or is it?

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Darth Sabbathi
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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by Darth Sabbathi »

So... Hendrix, Page, Townshend, Bolan, Ronson and anyone else who put something between their guitar and amp don't qualify as vintage tone? Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Kossoff fan, but I don't think vintage tone is that specific.

I like vintage gear because I find the idea of old technology appealing. By 1975 the electric guitar had evolved into something that sounded pretty amazing. Doesn't need much improvement and there are plenty of new and creative ways to use that sound. They got the violin right about 500 years ago and haven't needed to fuck with it much since.

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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by Molly »

Darth Sabbathi wrote:... I don't think vintage tone is that specific.
No, but the way the term is used you'd think it was.

I wonder what the Frying Pan sounded like. Maybe that was vintage tone.

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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by Darth Sabbathi »

I get your point. And my comments didn't really address your OP. I didn't read the article, but that kind of 'quest for vintage tone' shit sounds like stuff to keep the blues lawyer economy going. To me, vintage tone is the sound of gear from the 50s, 60s and early 70s (whether that be recordings of it at the time, or that gear played now) or stuff that sounds similar.

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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by griff »

I think a big part of the vintage sound is the production. Everything through huge analog desks onto tape. That and Pages Supro amp on Led Zep 1 :)

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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by philly »

griff7628 wrote:I think a big part of the vintage sound is the production. Everything through huge analog desks onto tape. That and Pages Supro amp on Led Zep 1 :)
Absolutely bang on.
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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by Mini Forklift »

Darth Sabbathi wrote:So... Hendrix, Page, Townshend, Bolan, Ronson and anyone else who put something between their guitar and amp don't qualify as vintage tone? Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Kossoff fan, but I don't think vintage tone is that specific.

I like vintage gear because I find the idea of old technology appealing. By 1975 the electric guitar had evolved into something that sounded pretty amazing. Doesn't need much improvement and there are plenty of new and creative ways to use that sound. They got the violin right about 500 years ago and haven't needed to fuck with it much since.
Agree with you, I was merely trying to be simplistic in my answering. Hendrix (wah, fuzz), May (Dallas RangeMaster), Trower (Univbe) - perfect examples of what I'd still consider to be vintage tone. How the recordings were captured back then I'm sure has something to do with it too, that whole tape/non-digital approach would have added to the overall sound and feel.

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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by willow13 »

Mini Forklift Ⓥ wrote:'Vintage tone' to me is guitar straight to amp.

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awesome so my tone is vintage when I run straight into my EVH....YES finally I might be accepted :rofl: :rofl:
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Re: What is 'vintage tone'?

Post by Single coil »

Molly wrote:What is ‘vintage tone’?
Grandad talking.
werdna wrote:Well at least I can still make toast in the bath without anyone telling me it's unsafe.

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