For those of you going to such lengths to sound like Blackmore, there is one more component after the modded Major and the Aiwa and the scalloped Stratocaster. Have a listen to MIJ. Listen close to the solos on Highway Star, Child in Time and Space Truckin’. We all know Blackmore played very staccato. And while he was quite fluid about it, there’s a sound in there that makes his lightning fast playing sound almost liquid. That sound: the pick. Tortoise shell. You can’t get it anymore because the creatures are rightly protected. But you can get that sound! Mother of Pearl picks, available on the web. Try ‘em. You’ll be glad you did.
What a great video! Thank you. In my experience I love running Max's AIWA replica through my SV20 with mic and output level around 11pm, the tone pot around 1/3pm and level on full, I feel like it gives me the right amount of fullness but still keeps the sound clear, which I couldn't achieve with both level and filter on full. In fact, at least to my ears, the key of Blackmore's 1974-1978 AIWA sound is clearness, when he plays big chords or riffs like Burn, Might Just Take your Life, Man on the silver mountain ecc... you can hear every single string, even switching on the neck's pickup. A great example of this are Rainbow 1977 live recordings. Bass frequencies are clear, not muffled, with lot of twang, the mids are sweet and the high ones are always cutting on both pickups. There are also a lot of other factors in his sounds such as mics, speakers, different guitars, different post production mix and the most important one: volume. The loudest you play the better you sound!
Interesting settings. I almost always run Max’s AIWA after my modded Boss SD-1 when I’m playing Blackmore stuff, using the AIWA preamp to goose my SV20 even more. I feel like the AIWA pedal doesn’t give me enough fullness on its own, but perhaps I need to experiment a little more with the dials to use it as a standalone pedal
Yes, clarity is the key. Balckmore actually used. A lot of "cowboy" chords in songs and they sound perfect because of the exact right amount of overdrive. Hard to nail , because lot of it is sheer volume from the full stack.
I agree that max's pedal and the SV20 is not always that fat, but with my custom major again made by Max is. As far as I understand majors were fuller, fatter than super leads, so there has to be something in the amps circuit.
@@DogwithtwoBones definitely has to be, I believe that they are very different circuits. The SV20/SLP is a very aggressive sounding amplifier that could sound “bright” to some people’s ears. I use the SD1 to tighten it up a bit and EQ the sound a bit. Stacking the AIWA pedal gives me more drive without sounding too muddy or raspy, almost like a clean boost but with the AIWA preamp characteristics. No attenuator, but I am playing the SV20H largely on 5w mode in my home studio through a 2x12 with the settings on the AIWA around 9:00 (tone/filter maxed)
@@thetanman2233 if understand correctly people used to use boss pedals to tighten up marshalls so makes sense. I am one of those people who thinks the sv20 is a little too bright :D
The thickness is also the volume in my opinion; at that time Blackmore was playing at crazy volume levels and then if you push Marshalls very hard they become mudded with low frequencies (the reason of treble booster). In any case Blackmore is a genius and, as you say, his hands are part of the magic sound!
I totally agree, volume has to be a big part of his sound. One of the main takeaways for me making this video was that even though many charachteristics of the sounds I managed to get close to, ultimately I fell short because of the space of the recording. Blackmore’s sound is not juts big but open, while mine due to recording with an IR is not.
@@DogwithtwoBones I wouldn't make too much trouble you're already terribly close to his soun and then the good part is playing his songs and having fun!
Great video Adam! Thanks so much for the nice comments. I can confirm you that the TP1012 has indeed a different preamp circuit than the TP1011. The only other AIWA tape machine that shared the same preamp circuit with the TP1011 was the TP1006
I am sure there are differences indeed but in the end I think it sounds pretty alright. I forgot to mention that I like to use it to double track. Just recorded an original song with one track on your pedal, the other on the Aiwa. Mixing them together gives a really big but cutting sound.
@@DogwithtwoBones The TP1012 sounds alright on its own but to my ears is has a different sound character than Blackmore's. EDIT: I deleted the link I posted on second thought :D
@@mgalbu yes it is not the quite same drive texture as Blackmore but on the other hand it does have a full sound and vintage character to it which has a mojo.
I had one - its not close to the *11. I left it at Dawk’s place didnt bother taking it home w me. RB’s backup was a…..Realistic. Dawk and I tried several reel to reels and the best was a direct drive Pioneer and the preamp on that was great. Sound on sound too
Nice score! Something to consider.... In my discussions with Dawk before he passed away, RB was pushing low output pickups thru over 50 ft of cable and the 1011 preamp was acting as a line driver/impedance 'corrector'. Maybe give a line driver box at the output of the 1012 a try, something like an MXR/CAE MC401, as the line driver level and impedance characteristics were definitely part of the formula. 👍
@@DogwithtwoBones Yeah! Will do so when it´s arrived and I had time to try it. What signal chain did you have? Guitar, AIWA, Amp? Or Guitar, Amp, and the AIWA put in effects loop?
@@DogwithtwoBones Ok, so just like a "regular" treble booster. Looking forward to see/hear how mine will sound. Also probably will try out the tape echo function :-)
Are you running the Aiwa into an amp or is the sound direct from the internal speaker on the machine? I've just got a Ferrograph from the late 50's. I'm trying to figure out if i'm able to run it in a treble booster type fashion...
@@nickven156 i plugged the guitar into the input of the tape deck and the output of it went into the amp. The tricky part can be that the tape machine’s output is not necessarily jack based. I had to ask my dad to create a cable that was the 6 din or something to jack so it can be plugged in thr amp.
Adam - Please take listen to the 4th chord of the Purple track intro on your track right here on this video, and then listen to the way you play your guitar on the 4th chord on your demo. To me, it sounds like that 4th set sounds like Ritchie may be hitting a lower 3rd string, to make a total of a 3 string chord (as in the "D" on the A string) instead of just two strings, making it 3 strings and a noticeable more, "beefy" sound. Now I'm not sure if what I offered is what he is actually doing, but please tell me if you are hearing what I'm hearing, that is important to me. It is most prominent on the last time he plays it on the riff. Please tell me what you think of this afterwards. I did buy the GuitarSlinger Effects - RB1011 SILVER EDITION MKII Booster, "Burn Factor", made by Alex Beyrodt, about a year ago but I haven't gotten around to use it that much. By the way, the way I play Burn, I always knew it just didn't sound quite right on the intro (and probably the rest of the time he does it), it wasn't until I watched your listened to your video that it became clear to me after all these years. I love the way you have pursued his style and sound and always seem to give an unbiased opinion. Thanks for everything you share. Like the great DC says on the Made in Europe version intro, "Rock-n-Roll" . Cheers, Mike
First of all sorry for the slow response. Do you mean the C chord fragment by the 4th given that Burn is in G? And than for all the nice things you wrote!
@@rainbowatnight4333 i believe it is very very close to the original circuit and it is a key part of the equation but it is an equation with the amp, speakers and volume.
@@DogwithtwoBones Yes, I know it´s told to be. And yes, of course everything has impact on the final sound. And, regarding the Spice Box I guess it varies depending on the full imperdance of the circuit (as a "normal" treble bleed does. By this I also changed from full to tapped coil on the neck pick up (F500-T), as I have read the RB/Dawk also ended up with that.
Blackmore's burn riff sound is out of this world. Max is a genius. Excellent video Adam.
Agree on both counts!
For those of you going to such lengths to sound like Blackmore, there is one more component after the modded Major and the Aiwa and the scalloped Stratocaster. Have a listen to MIJ. Listen close to the solos on Highway Star, Child in Time and Space Truckin’. We all know Blackmore played very staccato. And while he was quite fluid about it, there’s a sound in there that makes his lightning fast playing sound almost liquid. That sound: the pick. Tortoise shell. You can’t get it anymore because the creatures are rightly protected. But you can get that sound! Mother of Pearl picks, available on the web. Try ‘em. You’ll be glad you did.
What a great video! Thank you. In my experience I love running Max's AIWA replica through my SV20 with mic and output level around 11pm, the tone pot around 1/3pm and level on full, I feel like it gives me the right amount of fullness but still keeps the sound clear, which I couldn't achieve with both level and filter on full. In fact, at least to my ears, the key of Blackmore's 1974-1978 AIWA sound is clearness, when he plays big chords or riffs like Burn, Might Just Take your Life, Man on the silver mountain ecc... you can hear every single string, even switching on the neck's pickup. A great example of this are Rainbow 1977 live recordings. Bass frequencies are clear, not muffled, with lot of twang, the mids are sweet and the high ones are always cutting on both pickups. There are also a lot of other factors in his sounds such as mics, speakers, different guitars, different post production mix and the most important one: volume. The loudest you play the better you sound!
Interesting settings. I almost always run Max’s AIWA after my modded Boss SD-1 when I’m playing Blackmore stuff, using the AIWA preamp to goose my SV20 even more. I feel like the AIWA pedal doesn’t give me enough fullness on its own, but perhaps I need to experiment a little more with the dials to use it as a standalone pedal
Yes, clarity is the key. Balckmore actually used. A lot of "cowboy" chords in songs and they sound perfect because of the exact right amount of overdrive. Hard to nail , because lot of it is sheer volume from the full stack.
I agree that max's pedal and the SV20 is not always that fat, but with my custom major again made by Max is. As far as I understand majors were fuller, fatter than super leads, so there has to be something in the amps circuit.
@@DogwithtwoBones definitely has to be, I believe that they are very different circuits. The SV20/SLP is a very aggressive sounding amplifier that could sound “bright” to some people’s ears. I use the SD1 to tighten it up a bit and EQ the sound a bit. Stacking the AIWA pedal gives me more drive without sounding too muddy or raspy, almost like a clean boost but with the AIWA preamp characteristics. No attenuator, but I am playing the SV20H largely on 5w mode in my home studio through a 2x12 with the settings on the AIWA around 9:00 (tone/filter maxed)
@@thetanman2233 if understand correctly people used to use boss pedals to tighten up marshalls so makes sense. I am one of those people who thinks the sv20 is a little too bright :D
That is the closest Ritchie Blackmore mk3 tone i’ve ever heard! Super awesome!
Wow, thanks so much!
The thickness is also the volume in my opinion; at that time Blackmore was playing at crazy volume levels and then if you push Marshalls very hard they become mudded with low frequencies (the reason of treble booster). In any case Blackmore is a genius and, as you say, his hands are part of the magic sound!
I totally agree, volume has to be a big part of his sound. One of the main takeaways for me making this video was that even though many charachteristics of the sounds I managed to get close to, ultimately I fell short because of the space of the recording. Blackmore’s sound is not juts big but open, while mine due to recording with an IR is not.
@@DogwithtwoBones I wouldn't make too much trouble you're already terribly close to his soun and then the good part is playing his songs and having fun!
Great video Adam! Thanks so much for the nice comments. I can confirm you that the TP1012 has indeed a different preamp circuit than the TP1011. The only other AIWA tape machine that shared the same preamp circuit with the TP1011 was the TP1006
I am sure there are differences indeed but in the end I think it sounds pretty alright. I forgot to mention that I like to use it to double track. Just recorded an original song with one track on your pedal, the other on the Aiwa. Mixing them together gives a really big but cutting sound.
@@DogwithtwoBones The TP1012 sounds alright on its own but to my ears is has a different sound character than Blackmore's. EDIT: I deleted the link I posted on second thought :D
@@mgalbu yes it is not the quite same drive texture as Blackmore but on the other hand it does have a full sound and vintage character to it which has a mojo.
You have achieved peak Blackmore
Haha, thanks a lot :)
Very close, Adam. Sounds fantastic.
Many thanks!
I had one - its not close to the *11. I left it at Dawk’s place didnt bother taking it home w me. RB’s backup was a…..Realistic. Dawk and I tried several reel to reels and the best was a direct drive Pioneer and the preamp on that was great. Sound on sound too
Nice score!
Something to consider....
In my discussions with Dawk before he passed away, RB was pushing low output pickups thru over 50 ft of cable and the 1011 preamp was acting as a line driver/impedance 'corrector'. Maybe give a line driver box at the output of the 1012 a try, something like an MXR/CAE MC401, as the line driver level and impedance characteristics were definitely part of the formula. 👍
That's an interesting point indeed, thanks for sharing!
. Hi Whats the brand of your pickups? Thanks
Just bought a TP-1001 yesterday :)
Nice! Let me know how does it sound when you played around with it.
@@DogwithtwoBones
Yeah! Will do so when it´s arrived and I had time to try it.
What signal chain did you have?
Guitar, AIWA, Amp?
Or Guitar, Amp, and the AIWA put in effects loop?
@@vectragt2310 the first version, guitar - aiwa - amp because I want to push the front end of the amp
@@DogwithtwoBones
Ok, so just like a "regular" treble booster.
Looking forward to see/hear how mine will sound. Also probably will try out the tape echo function :-)
@@vectragt2310 looking forward to hearing your experience with it!
Are you running the Aiwa into an amp or is the sound direct from the internal speaker on the machine?
I've just got a Ferrograph from the late 50's. I'm trying to figure out if i'm able to run it in a treble booster type fashion...
I run it in a couple of different amps in this video. Just take the output of the aiwa (not the headphones) and plug it into the amps input.
i liked your tape player.
Thanks glad to hear!
can you tell me how you hooked the tape deck to your amp? i have a tape deck, but i have no clue how to do this
@@nickven156 i plugged the guitar into the input of the tape deck and the output of it went into the amp. The tricky part can be that the tape machine’s output is not necessarily jack based. I had to ask my dad to create a cable that was the 6 din or something to jack so it can be plugged in thr amp.
@@DogwithtwoBones thanks for the quick reply! Have to take a look at this then. Yours tape deck sound amazing. Ritchie would be proud
@@nickven156 thanks, I hope so :)
Great video as always! What settings on the Marshall SV20 please? Thank you!
Thanks! Prsence 0, bass 4, middel 0, treble 5, and I use the volumes both between 4-5.
How do you plug into the tape machine? Is it all done via the mic inputs?
Yes this one only has 2 mic inputs, I am using the left side, sounds better than the right.
Adam - Please take listen to the 4th chord of the Purple track intro on your track right here on this video, and then listen to the way you play your guitar on the 4th chord on your demo. To me, it sounds like that 4th set sounds like Ritchie may be hitting a lower 3rd string, to make a total of a 3 string chord (as in the "D" on the A string) instead of just two strings, making it 3 strings and a noticeable more, "beefy" sound. Now I'm not sure if what I offered is what he is actually doing, but please tell me if you are hearing what I'm hearing, that is important to me. It is most prominent on the last time he plays it on the riff. Please tell me what you think of this afterwards.
I did buy the GuitarSlinger Effects - RB1011 SILVER EDITION MKII Booster, "Burn Factor", made by Alex Beyrodt, about a year ago but I haven't gotten around to use it that much. By the way, the way I play Burn, I always knew it just didn't sound quite right on the intro (and probably the rest of the time he does it), it wasn't until I watched your listened to your video that it became clear to me after all these years. I love the way you have pursued his style and sound and always seem to give an unbiased opinion. Thanks for everything you share. Like the great DC says on the Made in Europe version
intro, "Rock-n-Roll" . Cheers, Mike
First of all sorry for the slow response. Do you mean the C chord fragment by the 4th given that Burn is in G?
And than for all the nice things you wrote!
Ritchies is tube preamp, yours s.s.....no?
Also, what about that booming echo he got out of it (mistreated)
I dont think his tape machine was tube driven. The echo he got by a function called sound on sound. Unfortunately this model does not have that.
For me aiwa tape sound best. It has very rich, wooly tone like a humbucker guitar .
It does beef up the sound which is definitely why Blackmore used it.
Youre voice is like whisper . Calmy. You dont wanna wake up your flat mates ? Only by a pushed to a limits amp is a right way xd
I dont have flat mates, I have kids and I can record videos when they are not home or sleeping :D But I don't think I have whispered.
Nice, but... I think the most "complicated" sound to replicate is his volume roll-off fat, bold clean tone
I have another video about that topic regarding the BSM spaice box which is the replica of Dawk's MTC. That has to be the key.
@@DogwithtwoBones I know. I have just mounted the Spice Box in my «RB» Strat my self, but… well…
@@rainbowatnight4333 i believe it is very very close to the original circuit and it is a key part of the equation but it is an equation with the amp, speakers and volume.
@@DogwithtwoBones Yes, I know it´s told to be. And yes, of course everything has impact on the final sound. And, regarding the Spice Box I guess it varies depending on the full imperdance of the circuit (as a "normal" treble bleed does. By this I also changed from full to tapped coil on the neck pick up (F500-T), as I have read the RB/Dawk also ended up with that.
the original was too squawky. for me.