What kind of gear did the Sonics use?

[Jamie]

And any other good band for that matter. I know good bands are usually less about gear and more about songs, but I'm fascinated by this stuff. So give me all the details. Strings, picks, cords. pickups, mics. It's all fascinating.

I'm such a pitiful nerd that I've actually written info when I come across it. Such as:

Link Wray on "Rumble" - '53 Les Paul > Premier 71 30 watt amp

Dave Davies on "You Really Got Me" - Harmony Meteor > Elpico 1x10 amp > Vox AC30

[Matt Ayers]

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

[Dr. Alga]

He used the same as on the last shows they did, I think is an Epiphone Riviera

[Jamie]

Thanks for the tip!I did some googling and it looks like he did use a Riviera although one person said he got it after "The Witch". I would still like to know what kind of amps they used. I believe I've heard silvertone before, but i can't remember where I saw that.

[Rockin Rod Strychnine]

Matt Ayers said:

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

I don't know....I think Larry Parypa one upped them with Cinderella and He's Waiting but then they probably would have never been written that way if it wasn't for the Kinks. But then again...the Witch and Psycho actually came out before the Kinks records were released here in the states.

I was going to be a doof and answer "stuff you can't buy anymore".

[Erik 4-A]

Amazingly Larry has been using the same guitar (an Epiphone Riviera) on all the Sonics gigs and recording since the beginning. He has used many different amps over the year (and many unknown pedals too) to achieve that sound. He has a very specific sound he has developed with his playing style. I was fortunate enough to peek at it on the Halloween show they did here in Seattle in 2008 from the Front Row!

For the Kinks "You Really Got Me" sound, that is a green Elpico 20 watt tube amp with the speakers slashed (which they refer to as the "Fart Box") I don't suggest you do this to your (if you have one) as Elpico tube amps are worth a bundle these days, but you can do it with a cheapo amp and the effect is similar.

There is a non-destructive way to distort your speakers without slashing them with a razor blade. You can un-mount the the speaker from the cabinet then stretch a plastic garbage bag over the front of the speaker snugly, remount the speaker and then cut the stretched plastic from the garbage bag over the speaker (which will then distort and flap instead of the speaker) This is called a "Buzz Speaker" and does much the same effect. It also saves you from having to expensively re-cone your speakers on your guitar amp too.

Take that for what it is worth!

Yep Rod, it is "Stuff you can't buy anymore" BUT with a little Knowlege and Thought, you can still make the same sounds.

Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Matt Ayers said:

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

I don't know....I think Larry Parypa one upped them with Cinderella and He's Waiting but then they probably would have never been written that way if it wasn't for the Kinks. But then again...the Witch and Psycho actually came out before the Kinks records were released here in the states.

I was going to be a doof and answer "stuff you can't buy anymore".

[Jamie]

Thank you Erik! Very interesting and informative as always. Regarding that Elpico amp, I've heard lots of different quotes on the wattage. I've seen everywhere from 8 to 20. I've heard it may have been an AC55 like this one.

If I had lots of money I would pick up a cheap low watt el84 based amp just to see how close I could get. Of course then I would need an AC30 and a Harmony Meteor.

[Erik 4-A]

There is mention of Davies brothers Green "Fart Box" Elpico in several books about them. I have been looking for Photographic Proof for years (of them using it on stage) with no such luck.

The Sonics have lots of "live" photos from the 60s you can reference. I have been fortunate enough to know folks on the inside for years (their soundman and several fellow musicians) The real way to learn things is to Ask Questions of musicians who were experimenting at the time (and even now) and to experiment yourself. Many great innovations in music (including sustained feedback, distortion, fuzztone, wah-wah, etc...) were figured out by folks trying to innovates new sounds with limited technical options. In this day of specialized pedals and digital boxes (i.e. PODs) and multi-effect units, some of that has been lost. Knowing your playing ability and technology helps a bunch.

Perspective is also good. Don't try to re-invent the past, but draw from it to come up with something novel and new. Don't get me wrong either, I love the sound of that music and the simplicity of the gear used, but without the musical ability and innovation, it is all a bunch of noise.

I'll cite Jeff Daking of the Psychedelic/Pop group the Blues Magoos. He runs one of the premier new technology companies in the Recording Industry. He holds several patents on electronic components used in many of the pieces of gear folks like me use. My pal Mike Soldano is another musician who builds custom amps for famous people (very good ones too!) He is an excellent guitarist and plays with several NW bands when he has the time to do so.

Take the time to do your Homework and look at the History involved. One the the best books I have read on this is Andy Babiuk's (from the Chesterfield Kings) "Beatles Gear" book. Borrow it from your local library (or someone you know who has it) Also "Temples of Sound" is also another great reference book on how certain things were recorded at various Historic studios too. There are tons of reference material out there on the web too. Seek and ye shall find!

Jamie said:

Thank you Erik! Very interesting and informative as always. Regarding that Elpico amp, I've heard lots of different quotes on the wattage. I've seen everywhere from 8 to 20. I've heard it may have been an AC55 like this one.
If I had lots of money I would pick up a cheap low watt el84 based amp just to see how close I could get. Of course then I would need an AC30 and a Harmony Meteor.

[Tobias Perry]

I'm with Rod on this one. "He's Waiting" has a certain Je ne sais quoi. However, there is also Link Wray to consider...




Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Matt Ayers said:

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

I don't know....I think Larry Parypa one upped them with Cinderella and He's Waiting but then they probably would have never been written that way if it wasn't for the Kinks. But then again...the Witch and Psycho actually came out before the Kinks records were released here in the states.

I was going to be a doof and answer "stuff you can't buy anymore".

[Jamie]

Here's a picture that has what looks like a Fender Bandmaster. But if you scroll through you'll see that amp in several pics, so maybe it belonged to the venue?

[joe]

i heard the sonics used magnatone amps.

[Jamie]

Here's an interesting quote from this website:
"Parypa's Lonnie Mack-after-40-cups-of-coffee sound came from playing his Jazzmaster (with the low E string turned down to D) through the keyboardist's Magnatone amp."

and from the official myspace:

"Roslie nails the take on the second try, once he gets his vintage Magnatone amp to work correctly. “That’s the secret to our sound,” Roslie jokes."

Looks like this is the answer then! Thanks Joe.

[Erik 4-A]

I was at the Halloween Reunion show in Seattle in 2008! I had a friend give me a Front Row Center Seat. I was so close I got to see Larry Parypa's hands on the fretboard of his guitar! That night he was using a Fender amp, but the sound was still like the record.

As I said before, they used different gear at different times. On the cover of "For Fanz Only!" they are using Vox Amps. Once they started playing larger venues they had to get amps that would do the job better. They used small amps in the studio. I have interviewed Kearney Barton several times about how and where he recorded the Sonics and other PacNW bands. It depends on the date that certain tracks were done too. Kearney Barton's studio was "Audio Recording Inc." and is still in operation today with almost all the same mic and console. Kearney used a different console and was in different location in 1964 when "The Witch" and "Psycho" as well as other tracks from "Here Are the Sonics" LP were recorded. He moved to 5th Ave (under the Monorail which is now the Chillhuly Glass Studio) in 1965. I know the date of this because I know the person who built his (still current) console Glenn D. White. There was an imperfection on some of the metal scribework on part of that console because it was on the engraving machine when the 1965 Seattle Quake hit. Kearney pointed this out to me as well. If you want to read more about that stuff go here;

http://www.vagrantrecords.com/other/news/vgNews4.html

It is another article I wrote about Glenn D. White for Tape Op Magazine and talks about Glenn's Career, but there are some cool photos I have posted there too.

Lastly, nobody but the Sonics really knows how they got their sound in the studio and even they don't know why their fans still like them. They are just Happy that they all are still appreciated by a new generation of fans. They don't want to re-create the 60s in there shows, they just want to play good Music.

Jamie said:

Here's an interesting quote from this website:
"Parypa's Lonnie Mack-after-40-cups-of-coffee sound came from playing his Jazzmaster (with the low E string turned down to D) through the keyboardist's Magnatone amp." and from the official myspace:

"Roslie nails the take on the second try, once he gets his vintage Magnatone amp to work correctly. “That’s the secret to our sound,” Roslie jokes."

Looks like this is the answer then! Thanks Joe.