The Complete Pearl Jam Sound

DiRtyFranK38

so i think i finally have everything i need to get a nice pj-like sound. whether it be stone, mike or ed, i think i have it covered. but i want to ask you all, is there any single pedal that stands out in your mind that i do not have, that is crucial in encompassing the pj sound?

i have:

boss ds-1
boss dual overdrive
boss dd-6 delay
boss tr-2 tremolo
ibanez ts-9 turbo
ibanez sterteo chorus
digitech grunge
digitech whammy
digitech synth wah/filter
mxr phase 90
mxr dyna comp
dunlop crybaby wah
dunlop rotovibe
dod eq

so obviously some of these arent necassary for pj sound, but hey i dont want to always sound like them. but back to what i was saying, is there anything that reaaaaally stands out that you think i should have to be able to have the ability to create a general sound alot like pearl jam? i mean, i covered just about everything, but i want to hear thoughts. i have a fender hot rod deluxe amp, and i have a fender nashville tele, a michael kelly patriot hot rod [les paul type sound] and an ibanez exotic wood acoustic.

lucylespian

Honestly, you could chuck away nearly all that, just play a decent guitar through a decent amp, and easily sound like PJ.
But hey, if you enjoy playing with it, and it's fun, why not, beats smoking crack, and the money is still there if you want to sell up.
PJ stuff is much more about the feel than the effects. So far I've seen them 4 times, and they hardly ever use the same guitar for the same songs.
I've seen Stone play Daughter on about 6-7 different guitars if I count the videos.

exhausted

DiRtyFranK38 wrote:

so i think i finally have everything i need to get a nice pj-like sound. whether it be stone, mike or ed, i think i have it covered. but i want to ask you all, is there any single pedal that stands out in your mind that i do not have, that is crucial in encompassing the pj sound?

you've got a 6L6 amp and the two main flavours of electric guitar (as far as pickups go). stay in the clean channel of that hot rod, turn it up and go. you're already set. keep the gain down and the volume up on the OD/distortion pedals when they're on. let them boost the amp into overdrive more than creating their own distortion. that's my biggest advice.

Guitarhero27

see, I've tried to find the sound as well, with all the pedals and whatnot, but found over the years and maturity of a player, there's not much that's needed for the PJ sound.

What i've got running now I find to be as good if not better than PJ's tone (aside from Mike's strat sound....can't beat a great vintage axe)

I'm also the current "Stone" in the PJ Tribute, No Code.

The clarity is there, the depth, the warmth, etc...
This is what I'm running.

Main Guitars:
Fender Lone Star Strat (HSS configuration, 1997, not the Mex reissue)
Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Gibson of course gives it that full punch needed for a lot of the Ten/Vs songs, while the HSS strat I use primarily for Vitalogy and onward (save for you know the heavier songs, but also for Dissident/Glorified G from VS)

I run these guitars through: (This is my pedalboard for my original band, so some effects are not needed and I'll note that)

ZVex Fuzz Probe (not needed)
Boss TU-2 (classic tuner pedal)
Wilson Rippah Q Wah (More versatile than a crybaby, more options, true bypass)
Keeley TS9DX
MXR Phase 90
Dunlop Univibe (w/expression pedal)
Ibanez Delay

and as far as the amp goes....I usually use a Bogner Shiva 1x12 (w/Reverb). It's an EL34 amp, and just drives amazingly. The clean's are fender style, while the distortion is clearer and warmer than marshall distortions.

Sometimes I'll even use my Marshall TSL100 head through a 1960 cab or run them dually.

The Keeley TS9DX is great when I need that extra boost from the amp. (The bogner and marshall both have 2 distortion channels). I will also almost always throw it on when using the wah so I can cut through the mix.

The other pedals when used appropriately only accent the songs when needed.

I find that to be the best sounding combination of guitars/pedals/amps for that PJ tone while also being able to create my own sound.

Enjoy

-Seth

xtremehardy388

Flender
Octave(great on why go and jeremy or just ton the tone of the guitar down and use it like a bass)
Volume pedal(for swells i.e. release, black, immortality)
some kind of flanger(essential for Stone)