Best amp for PJ tone

pjpjpaul

hi,

just wondering what amp/amps I should get for the PJ tone, i know both mike and stone use a wide variety of amps so just seeing what you guys think i should ask for for xmas! thanks

mccreadyisgod

The "classic" or "vintage" Pearl Jam guitar tone (think Ten and Versus) is predominantly Marshall amps, with Stone playing humbucker-equipped Les Pauls and Mike playing mostly his vintage Strat. A Marshall JCM 800, JCM 900, JTM 45/Bluesbreaker, etc. would all give you the ability to get that older PJ tone.

There are a lot of Marshall-ish amps out there these days, like Dr. Z, Bad Cat, Bogner, etc. There are the old Sovtek Mig and Sovtek Midget amps, which were Russian-made copies of old Marshalls. Honestly, though, I'd probably just recommend getting a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Hot Rod Deville, and then getting a couple or three pedals to get a Marshall-type tone. An Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer was used on a lot of Pearl Jam stuff, as was Stone's SD-9 Sonic Distortion. A Marshall Guvnor or ProCo Rat can both get really good Marshall distortion sounds. There are a ton of other pedals out there that do a "Marshall-in-a-box" thing, so those are just some starting points.

Over the years, Stone and Mike have used Fender, Peavey, Savage, Vox, Top Hat, Mesa Boogie, and custom amps made for them by amp tech Sal Trentino (among others; people will undoubtedly add to this list). Ed used mostly Hiwatt amps for many years, but has recently been playing Fender Tweed Deluxe and Tweed Twin amps.

ScrapeMySky

Yeah. That pretty much covers it.
And just because it's a little passion of mine: I know Mke used an Orange in Maui 98. I'v looked, but couldn't find any evidence of him using it anywhere else. So, it could've been a rented amp or something. (Which is a shame, really, couse I love these amps.)Does anyone know anything more about that?

pjpjpaul

guitargeek website says mike had an orange cab in his setup for a while in 98

All Those Yesterdays

mccreadyisgod wrote:

The "classic" or "vintage" Pearl Jam guitar tone (think Ten and Versus) is predominantly Marshall amps, with Stone playing humbucker-equipped Les Pauls and Mike playing mostly his vintage Strat. A Marshall JCM 800, JCM 900, JTM 45/Bluesbreaker, etc. would all give you the ability to get that older PJ tone.

There are a lot of Marshall-ish amps out there these days, like Dr. Z, Bad Cat, Bogner, etc. There are the old Sovtek Mig and Sovtek Midget amps, which were Russian-made copies of old Marshalls. Honestly, though, I'd probably just recommend getting a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Hot Rod Deville, and then getting a couple or three pedals to get a Marshall-type tone. An Ibanez TS-9 Tubescreamer was used on a lot of Pearl Jam stuff, as was Stone's SD-9 Sonic Distortion. A Marshall Guvnor or ProCo Rat can both get really good Marshall distortion sounds. There are a ton of other pedals out there that do a "Marshall-in-a-box" thing, so those are just some starting points.

Over the years, Stone and Mike have used Fender, Peavey, Savage, Vox, Top Hat, Mesa Boogie, and custom amps made for them by amp tech Sal Trentino (among others; people will undoubtedly add to this list). Ed used mostly Hiwatt amps for many years, but has recently been playing Fender Tweed Deluxe and Tweed Twin amps.

Ahhh! destroy all JCM 900's

ScrapeMySky

pjpjpaul wrote:

guitargeek website says mike had an orange cab in his setup for a while in 98

Yeah. I knew that. That was there for quite a while. But as far as the amp goes I'm still not sure if it popped up anywhere else.

HA30208

If you want Mike's current tone you can drop about $2500.00 on a Savage Audio Blitz 50. I agree with the post above though, that a cheaper way would be the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe.

savman

And Stone seems to be using Vox's at the mo. AC-30 no doubt.

xtremehardy388

Hot Rod Deluxe and then get a Marshall Guv'nor (GV2) overdrive pedal. It's basically like adding a Marshall JCM800 to your amps. You can get that classic Pearl Jam distortion/overdrive. Think Alive/Porch tone. My Fender Roc-Pro 700 gives me the exact same cleans as Mike gets on Black/Yellow Ledbetter. It's hella cheaper than the Hot Rod Deluxe but it's an ebay find and it's not going to give you same overdrive as the Hot Rod Deluxe will. The tube screamer is great if you get a tube amp. Otherwise, it won't sound too much like PJ. Instead of the Sonic Distortion, a moded Super Overdrive by BOSS (pretty easy to do) gives you the same sound for less $$. The DeVille doesn't have a really good drive channel, compared to the Hot Rod Deluxe, in my opinion. None the less, no matter what you do, I'd get the Marshall GV2

Geert

I have the Vox Valvetronix VT30. ( http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/ )
And I'm still looking the real PJ-sound! :roll:
Can someone help me with the set up (not only to select the right Amp Model, but also to find the right settings)?
Thx

reaching hands

i think its probably best to try and find an amp with as little settings on as possible.

I have a Laney VC-30 212 tube (ac30 clone) and it has a gorgeous tone and some major kick. It has 2 channels, spring reverb, then when it comes to eq- just bass, middle and treble..(all set to 12 o'clock)..infront of that for drive i use a maxon od9 (original ts9) and for some distorted sound i switch on the drive channel at the same time but keep the levels low and it boosts very clean. I always think my amp/set up sounds like No Code or Riot Act.

The laney is 'class a' so the tone you get is so responsive and warm. I found this amp for next to nothing and bought it on a whim and the only other amp i'd go for in its range is a hot rod....i love my laney vc30!!..oh i'd have a lionheart anyday if someone wants to give one away!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67_PBrQIeQw this is decent demo doesn't show off the dirt that can be gained though

lehtinel

Yup, Im with reaching hands on this one: A simple amp with a good tone to go, tube based.

Im using the Blackheart BH5-112 which is a single tubed 12" combo with a 3w/5w switch for a mellover vs. harder sound.

With a good OD / Boost pedal added, even this is enough to nail most tones. Then, depending on the other sounds you need, tremolos, delays etc. are needed.

I use this with a cheap Digitech Bad Monkiey OD pedal, and it's great. Gives a smooth breakup for things like Love Boat Captain or Immortality or then rawer sounds in the 5w mode for the early stuff.

Pappas

i can pretty much replicate mikes exact early PJ tone with my setup, which is my strat plugged into a fender hot rod deluxe amp, gives a great clean tone that sounds much like mikes clean tones in studio ledbedder, black, river of deceit, alone, garden, alive etc

for his distortion can't go past the marshall guvnor pedal, gives the alive/porch JCM800 sound nicely.
oh and to even further replicate his tone i also have a dunlop crybaby wahh and a dunlop rotovibe. both used extensively live by him in the early days, and also both pedals used in parts of many old studio songs from alive, state of love and trust, garden, black etc

so yeah for mikes tone, if you can afford it i highly recommend a hot rod deluxe and then some stomp boxes to cover the non clean tones

gimmesometruth27

i've played most of the amps listed here. i gotta say you need nothing but and old jcm 800 and a few pedals.

for mike's current clean tone i use a 1994 matchless clubman and for the dirty i use a 1974 marshall jmp with either a sonic distortion or a box of rock pedal. i just a-b these amps. i just modulate my guitar volumes to get most of the light and heavy distortions. i also have some other pedals i use like a rotosphere but i use that sparingly. in my band, when we play pearl jam tunes i play stone's parts and i think i am very close to his old school tone.

Pappas

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

i've played most of the amps listed here. i gotta say you need nothing but and old jcm 800 and a few pedals.

for mike's current clean tone i use a 1994 matchless clubman and for the dirty i use a 1974 marshall jmp with either a sonic distortion or a box of rock pedal. i just a-b these amps. i just modulate my guitar volumes to get most of the light and heavy distortions. i also have some other pedals i use like a rotosphere but i use that sparingly. in my band, when we play pearl jam tunes i play stone's parts and i think i am very close to his old school tone.

hey dude do you use a volume pedal to pan between clean and your dirty amps like mike/stone used to back in the day? ive always wanted a setup like that. in the future i aim to buy a jcm800 and keep my fender for cleans and use a volume pedal to pan to marshall for dirty!

gimmesometruth27

Pappas wrote:

gimmesometruth27 wrote:

i've played most of the amps listed here. i gotta say you need nothing but and old jcm 800 and a few pedals.

for mike's current clean tone i use a 1994 matchless clubman and for the dirty i use a 1974 marshall jmp with either a sonic distortion or a box of rock pedal. i just a-b these amps. i just modulate my guitar volumes to get most of the light and heavy distortions. i also have some other pedals i use like a rotosphere but i use that sparingly. in my band, when we play pearl jam tunes i play stone's parts and i think i am very close to his old school tone.

hey dude do you use a volume pedal to pan between clean and your dirty amps like mike/stone used to back in the day? ive always wanted a setup like that. in the future i aim to buy a jcm800 and keep my fender for cleans and use a volume pedal to pan to marshall for dirty!

nah i use an a-b pedal and just use my guitar knobs to clean or dirty the signal. i always wanted to get a volume pedal and set it up like you say but space is limited on my pedal board and those volume pedals are pretty big. one of these days i will do it, as it would probably be easier than trying to play and turn guitar knobs at the same time. i got the a-b pedal from the other guitarist in my band that has a bad cat and the a-b pedal is necessary for that amp to get it to break up. he stopped using the bad cat in favor of his old jcm 800 and he gave me the pedal so i can a-b my heads.

Geert

Geert wrote:

I have the Vox Valvetronix VT30. ( http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/ )
And I'm still looking the real PJ-sound! :roll:
Can someone help me with the set up (not only to select the right Amp Model, but also to find the right settings)?
Thx

No one who can help an absolute beginner?
For me, it's hard to find the similar sound.

savman

Hi Geert,
You probably need to elaborate a bit more on the guitars and pedals you are using (your set up), also whether you are rocking out in you bedroom, in a rehersal room, or in a live setting to enable us to help you a bit more. All of these factors affect your tone.
Cheers

xtremehardy388

Geert wrote:

Geert wrote:

I have the Vox Valvetronix VT30. ( http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/ )
And I'm still looking the real PJ-sound! :roll:
Can someone help me with the set up (not only to select the right Amp Model, but also to find the right settings)?
Thx

No one who can help an absolute beginner?
For me, it's hard to find the similar sound.

Which PJ era are you looking for, who do you want to sound like, what gear do you already have? I can tell you that Stone is using a vox, right now. From when I used a vox, I could not find any sound that was close to PJ

Geert

xtremehardy388 wrote:

Geert wrote:

Geert wrote:

I have the Vox Valvetronix VT30. ( http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/ )
And I'm still looking the real PJ-sound! :roll:
Can someone help me with the set up (not only to select the right Amp Model, but also to find the right settings)?
Thx

No one who can help an absolute beginner?
For me, it's hard to find the similar sound.

Which PJ era are you looking for, who do you want to sound like, what gear do you already have? I can tell you that Stone is using a vox, right now. From when I used a vox, I could not find any sound that was close to PJ

I just have the Vox Valvetronix VT30 en a MIM Fender Telecaster. No pedals. But the amp has many presets and effects. Till now I just played acoustic, so the electric way is new for me.
I'm just interested in rhytm guitar, like Stone or like Eddie when he plays some intro's. For example like the intro of Porch during Austin City Limits or just straight ahead like RITFW.
And which era? Don't know exactly, but I like the current sound.

Pappas

xtremehardy388 wrote:

Geert wrote:

Geert wrote:

I have the Vox Valvetronix VT30. ( http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/ )
And I'm still looking the real PJ-sound! :roll:
Can someone help me with the set up (not only to select the right Amp Model, but also to find the right settings)?
Thx

No one who can help an absolute beginner?
For me, it's hard to find the similar sound.

Which PJ era are you looking for, who do you want to sound like, what gear do you already have? I can tell you that Stone is using a vox, right now. From when I used a vox, I could not find any sound that was close to PJ

stone also seems to be using his old jcm-800 yes?

i swear i saw it in the shows i saw, as well as recognized its tone during some songs (mainly alive)

gimmesometruth27

Pappas wrote:

stone also seems to be using his old jcm-800 yes?

i swear i saw it in the shows i saw, as well as recognized its tone during some songs (mainly alive)

yeah he is playing the 800, and jeff is playing the marshall lemmy signature head. mike is playing an old marshall as well, maybe a jmp or something? i love their old school tone, screw all of the boutique stuff they used the last few years. imo their guitar tone suffered greatly the last few albums and tours until they brought back the vintage amps on backspacer....while we are at it, ed bring back the damn hiwatt and batwings!!!!!

ScrapeMySky

Geert wrote:

I just have the Vox Valvetronix VT30 en a MIM Fender Telecaster. No pedals. But the amp has many presets and effects. Till now I just played acoustic, so the electric way is new for me.
I'm just interested in rhytm guitar, like Stone or like Eddie when he plays some intro's. For example like the intro of Porch during Austin City Limits or just straight ahead like RITFW.
And which era? Don't know exactly, but I like the current sound.

In that case the tele is a good way to start. Ed has been using Teles a lot over the years whith some variations, as has Stone until the most recent tours where he seems to rely mainly on Strats and Les Pauls.
As for amps, Ed has been using Fender tweed amps for quite a while now and, as has been stated stated before, Stone is currently using his old Marshall JCM 800 and a VOX AC30. As far as I know, your amp has amp models for all of these but I don't know how good they are.
And for the rythm stuff you wouldn't need any effects in most cases. Maybe an overdrive here and there.

canvas_adam

my sound is fairly close to the older PJ tones. i converted last year from marshall amps to the fender supseronic. it is hands down the greatest amp i have ever owned, i doubt i'll ever purchase another one. if you wanna hear it, here is a live video of my band doing Voodoo Child in Hollywood a couple weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MaZmqC_JBA

lol i never noticed, but the way we play it, it kind of sounds like Why Go heh.

if you wanna hear my tone on my actual album, (just came out in November, you can find it on iTunes... hey a little self promotion never hurts =P ) you can hear the whole record at

http://www.myspace.com/adamsmith145

and you can see the album video preview at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_x6CYsSUA

if you go to the youtube video, you can follow it to all my other live videos. like i said, i think the tone is fairly early PJish.

pjpjpaul

i just ordered a fender hot rod deluxe tonight! i got a great deal on it (600) brand new from musicians friend...
I am thinking about upgrading the speaker to a celestion vintage 30 in a month or so... does anyone know what a good upgrade for pickups would be on a mexi strat to get a nice PJ tone? i have a few lace sensors in right now that have been in it for like 8 years and i think it just needs a different tone now... thanks!

Pappas

canvas_adam wrote:

my sound is fairly close to the older PJ tones. i converted last year from marshall amps to the fender supseronic. it is hands down the greatest amp i have ever owned, i doubt i'll ever purchase another one. if you wanna hear it, here is a live video of my band doing Voodoo Child in Hollywood a couple weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MaZmqC_JBA

lol i never noticed, but the way we play it, it kind of sounds like Why Go heh.

if you wanna hear my tone on my actual album, (just came out in November, you can find it on iTunes... hey a little self promotion never hurts =P ) you can hear the whole record at

http://www.myspace.com/adamsmith145

and you can see the album video preview at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_x6CYsSUA

if you go to the youtube video, you can follow it to all my other live videos. like i said, i think the tone is fairly early PJish.

nice cover dude. has anyone told you you sound like mccready when you sing lol

canvas_adam

Pappas wrote:

canvas_adam wrote:

my sound is fairly close to the older PJ tones. i converted last year from marshall amps to the fender supseronic. it is hands down the greatest amp i have ever owned, i doubt i'll ever purchase another one. if you wanna hear it, here is a live video of my band doing Voodoo Child in Hollywood a couple weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MaZmqC_JBA

lol i never noticed, but the way we play it, it kind of sounds like Why Go heh.

if you wanna hear my tone on my actual album, (just came out in November, you can find it on iTunes... hey a little self promotion never hurts =P ) you can hear the whole record at

http://www.myspace.com/adamsmith145

and you can see the album video preview at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz_x6CYsSUA

if you go to the youtube video, you can follow it to all my other live videos. like i said, i think the tone is fairly early PJish.

nice cover dude. has anyone told you you sound like mccready when you sing lol

lol thanks! (i think lol)

i have to admit... never on the vocals have i ever had a mccready comparison, that is def a new one! one that i get allllll the time though is mark knopfler (which hey... not gonna complain about that!). even at 28 i'm a huuuuge dire straits fan! but even though i have been told that at a bunch at different shows, i don't really hear it myself.

but going back to the guitar tone... we don't play a lot of covers, just 2 or 3 at most per show, which is usually around 90 minutes.. but i need to upload one of our live Do The Evolutions or In My Trees. i think that would illustrate better the PJ tone that you can get with the fender supersonic (hey, the amp is even aptly named!). i love that thing

gimmesometruth27

pjpjpaul wrote:

i just ordered a fender hot rod deluxe tonight! i got a great deal on it (600) brand new from musicians friend...
I am thinking about upgrading the speaker to a celestion vintage 30 in a month or so... does anyone know what a good upgrade for pickups would be on a mexi strat to get a nice PJ tone? i have a few lace sensors in right now that have been in it for like 8 years and i think it just needs a different tone now... thanks!

i would look into some lollars for the strat.

i love vintage 30s. all of my cabs have vintage 30s. i love the nice midrangey voice they have, not too bright. my other guitarist swears by greenbacks, but IMO they break up too easily so its all a matter of opinion.

hope you enjoy the amp, but break it in before you go and start changing speakers and stuff.

GuitarEnthusiast

xtremehardy388 wrote:

Hot Rod Deluxe and then get a Marshall Guv'nor (GV2) overdrive pedal. It's basically like adding a Marshall JCM800 to your amps. You can get that classic Pearl Jam distortion/overdrive. Think Alive/Porch tone. My Fender Roc-Pro 700 gives me the exact same cleans as Mike gets on Black/Yellow Ledbetter. It's hella cheaper than the Hot Rod Deluxe but it's an ebay find and it's not going to give you same overdrive as the Hot Rod Deluxe will. The tube screamer is great if you get a tube amp. Otherwise, it won't sound too much like PJ. Instead of the Sonic Distortion, a moded Super Overdrive by BOSS (pretty easy to do) gives you the same sound for less $$. The DeVille doesn't have a really good drive channel, compared to the Hot Rod Deluxe, in my opinion. None the less, no matter what you do, I'd get the Marshall GV2

Hi xtremehardy388 ~ I have a Hot Rod Deluxe and just purchased the Marshall Guv'nor. Out of curiousity, would you share your favorite settings for both the amp and the Guv'nor to get that early PJ tone for Alive, Porch, etc.? I've been messing around with it a bit, but want to try dialing in recommended settings from others with a similar setup. I play an Epi Les Paul Custom (with Burstbucker's).

pjpjpaul

I too would also love to know some of the specific settings on the marshall gv2 pedal and the fender hot rod deluxe to get the pj tones mentioned before... thanks!

Hub.

Hi!

Here’s my problem (I know what you’re gonna say: “gotta buy a new Amp and a new guitar”, but the thing is, I can't afford that, for the moment :( ): I play with a Frontman 212R Amp and an Epiphone (Les Paul signature) guitar.

With my band, we’re going to cover two PJ songs (Alive and Breath And A Scream), which means early PJ songs.

I know that miracles don’t exist and that, with such an equipment, I’ll never get the same sound.

But does someone know how to adjust this amp to get (in some way) closer to that sound. Something Early Pearl Jam-like?

Thanks a lot, guys. :wave: