Weird-ass steel rigs

Bob Metzger · Post by **Bob Metzger** » 8 Jul 2000 12:50 pm

What the strangest steel guitar amps setup that you've had or played thru that sounded good. (anyone seen the John Cippolina amp (Quicksilver Messenger Service) at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland?)
I had a Phase Linear 400 connected to two cabs, each with a JBL 12" D-120 and a horn but could never (back then) find the right preamp. I played that for a short while but I hated carrying all that gear but it did have it's sound!

Bob

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Jul 2000 7:32 am

I remember standing right in front of John's rig MANY MANY times at The Fillmore in SF. Strangest rig I ever did see. Sure sounded good though.

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Carter D10 8p/10k
Richard Sinkler BS, www.sinkler.com

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 9 Jul 2000 9:26 am

Whoa - I didn't know he played steel! Can you all recommend a best album or song(s) to check out.

Side story about Quicksilver that sticks in my mind to this day. I saw them in a free outdoor concert on a FINE Spring day in 1972 back east, and there was this guy near where we were sitting who danced and stared wide-eyed into the sun for over 2 hours! No lie! I think a little too much orange barrel...

I have to think that things couldn't have turned out too well for that guy.

Steve

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Jul 2000 11:23 am

Orange Barrel? Was that a Sun Kist product?

Lee, from South Texas

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Jul 2000 12:51 pm

No he didn't play steel, but I bet that there was some steel in his rig somewhere.

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Carter D10 8p/10k
Richard Sinkler BS, www.sinkler.com

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 9 Jul 2000 6:01 pm

Hey Bob,
First amp I ever played steel through was a 1972 Marshall 50W half stack. It was all I had and boy did it stink for steel, no verb, nothing but mids.
BT

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bterry.home.netcom.com

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 9 Jul 2000 6:03 pm

'Course to me, one of the more amazing things about John C.'s sound was that he could make an SG sound that good! He's one of the very few I've ever heard make one of those guitars really sing rather than sounding kinda 'clipped' and flat. Not that others haven't done it, mind you. But John seemingly could ALWAYS do it where few others seem to have been able to.

Great band, btw, that too few folks seem to recall anymore. Or, almost worse, they never heard the first album or saw 'em live and have only the dismal later albums to go by.

Bob Metzger · Post by **Bob Metzger** » 10 Jul 2000 1:08 am

John Cippolina, to my knowledge, didn't play PSG but he had a really different rig! How about you?

Bob

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 10 Jul 2000 6:40 am

Er, SG = Gibson SG solid body electric, not Steel Guitar...

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 10 Jul 2000 8:45 am

I've played through some warped rigs, but the most complicated I have used was the following:

My Franklin into a Lexicon MPX-G2 processor. In the effects loop of the processor, the signal went to one of my THD tube heads. From the speaker out of the THD I went to a THD Hot Plate, then to a small cabinet with a single 12" Celestion. The line out from the THD went back into the Lexicon to a stereo power amp, one of which powered a THD cabinet with 1X12" and 2X10" speakers, and a THD cabinet with a JBL E-130 (15"). The idea was that all the reverb and time based effects (delay-chorus) went to the THD cabinets, and the cabinet powered by the little 10 watt THD tube amp was completely dry. I controlled the amound of dry signal with the THD hotplate (this reduces the amount of signal to the speaker).

It sounded really good, having that totally dry signal as a part of the mix makes the sound really crisp. But it was way too complicated to bring around, unless you have a cartage company.

Bob Markison · Post by **Bob Markison** » 10 Jul 2000 9:03 pm

Carter 12 string universal to a Kaoss pad (Korg real time effects controller) to a Roland KC 300 keyboard mixing amp; for a recent party thrown by rock climbers who wanted fairly abstract sound backgrounds for their multi-slide projector show of climbing images. Other inputs to the KC 300 included a theremin, a Yamaha WX7 wind midi controller and a Yamaha QY70 ("pocket") sequencer for"grooves". Very fun and very portable rig. We opened the gig with a dobro/harmonica duo, then went abstract, then "came back home" to close with the duo. A gig is a gig. Always fun. - Bob

Joel Glassman · Post by **Joel Glassman** » 11 Jul 2000 1:19 pm

John Cippolina amp set-up: http://www.johncipollina.com/rock.html

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 11 Jul 2000 4:17 pm

I remember seeing Quicksilver and realizing that there was no way to get that sound on a record. It was just awesome!

Bob Metzger · Post by **Bob Metzger** » 12 Jul 2000 10:31 am

That is one weird-ass amp! How cool (Where's my roadie!)

Bob

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 12 Jul 2000 10:57 am

I stood about 25 feet from that amp at a concert at Winterland in SF in the late 60s, and it had a high end that would sheer the top of your head off. He had a unique sound, that's for sure.

I used to hear a lot of players at that time who sounded pretty good through SGs. Carlos Santana comes to mind (he always played SGs whenever I saw him live at that time).

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www.tyacktunes.com

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 12 Jul 2000 11:41 am

I think Winterland relieved a number of us of our full range of hearing at a fairly early age... Between Quicksilver, Johnny Winter (through two or more SVTs)and Blue Cheer, there were some truly ear-altering experiences regardless of whether or not there were other types of mind altering experiences taking place at the same time.

I think Santana might have used SGs right up til he started using PRS guitars though I'm not at all certain about that. Of the few who could always make those guitars really sing, he's obviously on the list. Certainly Clapton's SG use is also on that list as was some of Buddy Guy's.

Anyone know if Duane Allman ever used SGs or did he stick with Les Pauls right from the start of using Gibsons?

'Course in the spirit of the original thread topic, it IS pretty tough to find rigs more odd than Cippolina's.

Bob Metzger · Post by **Bob Metzger** » 12 Jul 2000 4:18 pm

I was thinking of doing a miniature of John Cippolina's rig for a door bell.

Bob