@@matthewlagrange3000 I have a bugera v22 and the only thing that fails the tone a bit is it it’s a pretty low gain and bright amp but when you’re actually playing it doesn’t make a huge difference and overall sounds really good
Similiar, this first overdrive I gravitated towards was a Zakk Wylde, went all around the vintage and boutique pedal world, and now I've come back to it. It's an MXR SD-1, no wonder it sounded so good to me.
In the States, older 60's & 70's Ampegs can still be found for a lot less than Fender or boutique equivalents.Originally designed for Jazz, they have a very flexible and full eq that is literally second to none,- the first time I heard a restored smaller combo next to a Fender Twin, - I was blown away by how rich and full the sound was.Traynor, made in Canada, are another solid all tube option, - well designed and made, a little more Hiwatt/ early Marshall vibe. Look for the lower output combos and heads; they rapidly become beasts , as they do have big heavy, transformers, bulky cabs, and heavy speaker magnets with steel frames.Don't be scared off by the old technology, - very much built to last, unlike modern equivalents.
I own a modded Traynor and it is absolutely incredible. A hand-wired tube amp from the 70s for that price is insane value. They're super easy to modify if that's your thing, but this also means it's difficult to find a vintage Traynor amp that is not stock. Either or, I highly recommend buying one if you're on a budget and want great tube tone.
@@IantaylorCanuck Down in NY they're fairly common, though more known and expensive than they were in the 90's. But then, older Fender off sets used to be cheap as well , back then.
This pedal is incredible, but as much as I think the pedal is helping its definitely most coming from the amp.. the amp is the secret weapon here (and ofc the equalizer). Awesome video though, I'll always give a big like to Josh Homme tone vids :)
After watching the video of Eric Valentine talking about the making of SFTD and sounding about as close as you can possible get to the actual sound on the album with just an Ampeg tube amp from the 70s (literally any will do, head or combo, both will work, although Josh used V4B heads alongside a preamp on tour), cranked mids via both a graphic and parametric EQ, it’s abundantly clear that the elusive Homme tone is just that, combined with a ‘transparent’ overdrive (apparently the ZVex Super Hard On was used prominently on SFTD) or an SD-1, the latter of which was left over from his Kyuss days and using it for heavy psychedelic solos
This makes sense, even back in the Kyuss days Homme mostly relied on his amps for distortion sounds. Treble boosters also weren’t terribly common in the ‘90s, if you wanted a Rangemaster sound your only real options were to find a vintage unit, build a clone yourself (not that you could find schematics online back then) or improvise with whatever pedals you had available.
The schematics were available in Dan Erlwines book "electronic projects for musicians" but you'd have to figure out how to read them and solder etc on your own. The good old days
I play in a QOTSA tribute band, and one reason I won’t get a VT-22 or VT-40 is that they are soooooo loud! The SD-1 thing sounds pretty spot on for that early era stuff. Great job as always, Eirik!
They are. And VERY heavy. The guy I’m loaning it from uses an attenuator with it. That solves the loudness issue. As for the weight, I guess we’ll just have to work out
I've got a VT-40. It makes my Fender Dual Showman and AC-15 seem like children's toys for volume. I've measured it at 130db-C @ 1 meter... and that wasn't turned all the way up.
One thing that helped make the QOTSA sound was a massive mid range boost. Eric Valentine has a video where he breaks down the exact tones for SFTD. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
jesus this setup sounds so damn gooooood dude. You started playing You Would Know and I was like holy shit. From one QOTSA fanboy to another, stellar job and great playing as always!
Dude! This is very very close. It totally nails the vibe either way. I've always sang the praises as the SD-1, but I never tried using it like a treble booster like this.
Nailed those early live tones around Rated R and SFTD. Maybe a little too much gain but still close enough. On the self-titled album he was still using his tubeworks/mosvalve amps from the kyuss days and Peavey Standards. Live he used a Sunn Model T from '98-'99. He really did not start using the Ampegs till around '99-'00. The important thing is the mid section he lives in on those amps. It's not really a distortion tone but rather how the mid-range is set along with a lot of volume. Any distortion really comes from his pedals. The Boss SD-1 he uses, like as mentioned, for the extra sizzle ala Iommi and Gibbons.
Nope. Nobody should ever just do something just because. I had a SD1 and hated it. It depends so much upon your guitar, amp, approach and what you're trying to accomplish.
Very good. Especially his early tones. It’s a little trebly for the SFTD era. Overall it could use MORE mids, actually. Really push the mids and you’re there. I don’t think it’s too much gain. Great job though! It’s 90% of the way there.
@@TheMasonator777 could be, if you watch the video with Valentine explaining how they tracked SFTD guitars, he shows you how they boosted the mids at every stage. Even using a boss GE-7 into the amp. All boosting mids. Then he uses the console EQ to get the mud out.
@@vminator This is accurate. I have the PDF-2, PDF-1x, Catalinbread SFT, and nothing gets me the QotSA tone better than my Ge-7 hyper-mid-boosted /bass+treble rolled off into the front end of a crunch channel.
Boss SD-1’s are $50 all day long and they’re great. Every guitarist should have one. Also, there has been absolutely zero significant changes to the circuit over their 40 years of existence so feel free to just grab a new one. They’re literally the same circuit as any vintage units, so don’t let any forum folks tell you that you need a made in Japan/black label/etc. to really have a “good one.”
It's the only pedal I bought back twice: first time because I was too stupid to realize how cool the pedal is as it is, second time because somebody stole it. Then one day I discovered this picture (link below), and I was blown away by the superior design in the tone stack: it's clearly designed to have three tone "standard" settings, and everything in between. www.researchgate.net/figure/Boss-R-SD-1-distortion-pedals-frequency-response-for-3-Tone-positions-left-12_fig19_263013830
@@al271987 The graphic shows which frequencies the pedal boosts when you set the tone knob to three different positions. Level knob is set to 12.00 o'clock and Drive knob at zero. The lowest curve shows a 500 Hz boost (tone knob fully counter-clockwise), the middle curve shows a 1 KHz boost (tone in the middle position) and the tallest curve shows a boost at 1.5 KHz. This last setting it's the closest to a treble booster pedal you can get with this pedal. It is usually said that this last setting is too harsh, but I disagree. When they engineered the pedal many amps were "darker sounding" compared to the newest ones, in-fact that time was common to use treble boosters to get a good overdrive sound from these amps. So basically it's more of a matter of how an amp sounds: the Ampeg V-series amps when set with a boost on 300Hz position (they have a rocker switch that sets which freq you wanna boost or cut: 300 Hz, 1 Khz or 3 Khz) are probably the darkest sounding amps ever. So you basically need to make things crunchier in the high-mids to get a good overdrive tone. This is the time when a treble booster kinda pedal is needed. If you pay close attention to Josh Homme tone in qotsa, despite the pedal used as main pedal, it' s always a treble boosterish kinda thing. it could be the SD-1 until SFTD (warmer sounding), or the later Maestro/Stone deaf parametric eq thing (brighter sounding). In the end it's the same thing with different flavour. I think it's always the guitar/amp combo that dictate how a pedal has to be set, not the opposite.
@@jeffroalson1915 that’s cool. Two of the same pedals from any era will sound different just due to component tolerances. If you got a great sounding old one that’s cool. The circuit itself isn’t any different now vs. then, though, and that’s all the point I was trying to make. You may find another MIJ one that would sound exactly the same as your newer one. The DS-1 has changed a bit due to some components becoming obsolete, so the black label ones actually do have a bit of a different sound compared to the current ones, but the SD-1 circuit has not been changed in its 40 years of existence. The newest SMT versions are still using equivalent components, its just surface mount versions of the same components.
I started collecting overdrives and fuzz pedals. I have 8 different pedals that do some kind of dirt. I come back to the Boss SD1 eventually….every time.
Secret looks so simple so I could not believe it. We all should learn play better 🥸 Your performance, sir, is great and I always thought that sound is in hands, not gear. But boss pedal sound definitely don’t hurt to say the least 👍 It was a pleasure to watch and listen
this is great. i’d love to hear this split between the Ampeg and a vintage Peavey Musician 400 (which I know QOTSA has used for a long time). Especially during the recording of Songs for The Deaf, I know for a fact that they used several vintage solid state amps in tandem with the Ampeg. They have a grind all to their own, and I love them for it.
@@eirikstor dont overpay for them. same with any Sunn gear. it’s price is based on its cool factor, unfortunately. I got my Peavey Musician for $60 at a pawn shop
Honestly, I think this goes to show that it's this particular style of amp that's the key to the tone. The SD1 and Boss EQ could easily be a Tube Screamer and MXR EQ with none of us that wise to it, I reckon. At this point, the only real difference between the Album Tones and This tone is probably trading in the 22 for the 40, with the 10" speakers, and adding a Pog for certain parts.
Literally just took the advice from the video and I’m nearly there with the sound I’m using other pedals and a different amp but the sound is pretty close
I've never heard a more accurate early Josh Homme tone and it's so stupid simple that it makes me angry, but also happy because now I can do it too haha
Erik one of the the things that oddly helped me to play some of these songs was watching thruston Moore play his music and watching his right hand. Give that a try. Love your Chanel btw hope I can buy you a beer some time big dog.
That band you tipped off, The Wit, they're surprisingly good! I like their sound. I got a Boss SD-1 for 25 euro's off of a website so i feel lucky to have so many tones at my disposal at such a low cost ;)
the songs from the first albums you nailed completely!!!! But the ones from songs for the deaf have a different vibe thats where the Zvex super hard on comes in
4 👎 on this video? What kind of a degenerate would give this a thumbs down? Excellent tone recreation of one of the best bands ever. Great guitar playing too.
Holy crap dude. You nailed it... again. We can't miss the fact that you've mastered the riffs, so there's that. It's sounds good tho. This is what I like about Josh's tone. The thicc vintage gain, the sound of an amp about to explode. Also if you're on a budget. You can use a Boss Katana, on the Crunch channel, with the built-in mid boost drive and with the parametric EQ. I've also using an Epiphone Sheraton. I think this is a budget freindly rig and can sound similar. Also a tip. Use your TONE controls. You can get very close if you roll off the tone control on your neck or bridge pickup on certain songs and sections. Ps.: Maybe Boss will send you a Katana Artist too. I would be certainly curious what you can do with it.
I think all the tone is in the guitar/amp/eq. My guess is you would get the same result with pretty much any tube screamer-esque pedal with those settings. It's very much how metal guys use tube screamers as a boost too. Could be very interesting to try the same setup but with different drives set the same way as the sd-1. There's a challenge for you :-)
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! The same settings (full vol and tone, no/very little drive) on a Tubescreamer through a Fender amp will get pretty close to a SRV sound. It's worth experimenting with extreme settings it seems! ✨
Encouraging to see you're able to get tones like this with good ol' Boss pedals. To be fair, I don't know how much that amp costs and I'm guessing it's doing most of the heavy lifting. It's the kind of sound you hope is cheap because it sounds a bit cheap (in the best way), but sometimes that still takes expensive gear to achieve. Definitely made me want to get an SD-1. It's easy to get carried away (at least for me it is), ignore brands like Boss and only check out premium brand pedals to get the sound you want, when you can get there with a few Boss pedals.
Not shown: the small crane used to move the VT-22. Source: I own one that had JBL cast frame E series speakers in it. It's the Mjolnir of combo amps. Also you can probably get really close to these same tones with just the amp, presuming you're willing to play at like 110dB in the room lol. Crank it, and mess with that active midrange control.
I misread the SD-1 as “DS-1” and just realized it after buying a DS-1🤦♂️ However… I’ve gotten the closest I’ve ever gotten to the QOTSA tone by doing the same as you would with an SD-1, just not diming the tone. I’ve found that it’s best for SFTD tones.
I have a GVT Ampeg, all tube i picked it up mostly because i wanted something different, sounds pretty good i changed the speaker with a weber silver bell alnico, sounds ace, i can get this tones with the gain channel
@@eirikstor haven't tried a VT myself but when I did my research people seemed to agree that both had similarities in tone, while the gvt can go pretty heavy with the gain/boost channel
@@eirikstor I have a GVT-15 combo. It doesn't have the rocker switches for mids, highs, etc. like on the old VT amps. I solved that by using a DOD boneshaker distortion/OD pedal that has a parametric EQ section and then using a DOD 250 like an SD-1 in that I boosted the frequencies. Using that with my SG loaded with Dimarzio Super Distortions, i'm 80% there as far as that very early QOTSA studio and live tones.
@@eirikstor The "Midrange" knob is centered more toward 800hz on the GVT with only a 5dB boost available i believe vs using the 300hz option on the rocker of the VT-22 for +/- 20dB. Otherwise pretty close!
If the Amp is too loud you can put a Volume pedal in the fx loop. That way the volume pedal acts as an atenuator, and the volume is bearable. Great tone though sounds just like the record.
The VT-22 doesn't have an FX loop, the amp came out in 1969, so no that's won't work. You need a Hot Plate, or Power Brake, or some sort of actual attenuator...and even when you do if you attenuate too much volume it will cause the sound to distort a lil bit, but it's better than nothing.
You nailed it, although I think the Boss pedal is the least important thing here... I own an old Ampeg V4B and what's really crucial is that mid switch (300/1000/3000Hz). Which position did you use? Also, Homme used a ZVEX Super Hard-On into one of these amps on Songs for the Deaf. He's also known to have used a Maestro Parametric Filter (now more or less copied by Stone Deaf FX in the PDF-1 pedal).
I use a Germanium Treble Booster on my V-40 master volume, and wow does it sound great as a leave it on pedal. I even stack it with another MXR Micro Amp for Chorus parts…I just need to get an EQ. I’ve seen some use the old TS808/ 0 gain and adjust tone to taste…it works ok. But a Rangemaster clone works great, the Boss is probably cheaper for most though. Also making sure that ultra high toggle switch is on, 300hz and the Boss EQ 400hz…optionally you can use the Stone Deaf PDX…but it’s just really a sub to boost any of those frequencies you want, and a boost. Not as exciting as you’d think honestly. With the VT-40 at least a Treble Booster, Boss EQ, maybe a second clean boost is about it. Then add whatever you want. I like to keep it dead simple since it’s already providing the distortion pretty much. I have mine paired with a SKY KinG amp to do my own thing. Works very well!
Boss SD-1 at Sweetwater (affiliate link): imp.i114863.net/x1Q63
Boss SD-1 at Thomann (affiliate link): bit.ly/BossSD-1
...and where to buy the ampeg😂
Reverb! There’s at least one there now
Wasn’t expecting a lot but you’re on it
@@MonsieurSafari The ampeg is te secret!!!!
what is the eq settings
This channel nails the Josh Homme tone the way Gilmourish nails David Gilmour's tone. Really educational and interesting!
Both fellas living in Oslo. Coincidence? I think not
Such a nice city, visited three years ago on the way to nordkapp
David Gilmour used a big muff
@@holdenbrowning7200 Yeah, we know lol
@@holdenbrowning7200 lmao
Makes me think of a quote from him that went something like "see what other people are doing, and don't do that."
Wow that is prettyyyyyyyyyyy damn close nicely done man!
Ayyyy it’s fluff!
I wonder how it would play with a bugera
@@matthewlagrange3000 I have a bugera v22 and the only thing that fails the tone a bit is it it’s a pretty low gain and bright amp but when you’re actually playing it doesn’t make a huge difference and overall sounds really good
I’ve got some QOTSA covers and lessons if you wanna check my content out 🤘🏻
@@dgguitars4091 Yeah you do! Some of the best on the web!
SD-1 is a blessing to us all. Started with one, went on a "boutique" journey and came back to it.
Similiar, this first overdrive I gravitated towards was a Zakk Wylde, went all around the vintage and boutique pedal world, and now I've come back to it. It's an MXR SD-1, no wonder it sounded so good to me.
Thanks for the good advice, my brothers. Just found out Chick died day before yesterday, feeling pretty dark.
I think Ive found the Best pedal in form of sd1... it can be a fuzz too if you know what ur doing....
big same.
- SD-1
- OD-1X
- OCD
- Plumes (yeah i said it)
when i brought it, the store run out of the standard one so i got the 40th anniversary version 🤌🏻
In the States, older 60's & 70's Ampegs can still be found for a lot less than Fender or boutique equivalents.Originally designed for Jazz, they have a very flexible and full eq that is literally second to none,- the first time I heard a restored smaller combo next to a Fender Twin, - I was blown away by how rich and full the sound was.Traynor, made in Canada, are another solid all tube option, - well designed and made, a little more Hiwatt/ early Marshall vibe.
Look for the lower output combos and heads; they rapidly become beasts , as they do have big heavy, transformers, bulky cabs, and heavy speaker magnets with steel frames.Don't be scared off by the old technology, - very much built to last, unlike modern equivalents.
I own a modded Traynor and it is absolutely incredible. A hand-wired tube amp from the 70s for that price is insane value. They're super easy to modify if that's your thing, but this also means it's difficult to find a vintage Traynor amp that is not stock. Either or, I highly recommend buying one if you're on a budget and want great tube tone.
I miss my Traynor so fuckin much man
@@IantaylorCanuck Down in NY they're fairly common, though more known and expensive than they were in the 90's. But then, older Fender off sets used to be cheap as well , back then.
the closest sound of QOTSA on youtube in modern ages !! i like it !!
I’ve got a lot of covers and get close to the tones as well if you wanna check em out 🤘🏻
@@dgguitars4091bout to go sub and check it out
I love how the amp started to roar before he even hit a note. that gave me instant goosebumps.
This pedal is incredible, but as much as I think the pedal is helping its definitely most coming from the amp.. the amp is the secret weapon here (and ofc the equalizer). Awesome video though, I'll always give a big like to Josh Homme tone vids :)
I think they used some weird peavey solid state amp for the Songs for the Deaf album (not exclusively, of course)...some crazy tones came from that
I've been trying to find a home for my recently service Ampeg V4 head. Maybe I need to target the QOTSA fans, lol.
The amp was set to the max to crunk the valve. A boost for help him with more gain. Not sure at all for this boss. Yes for the eq
Iirc, Josh mostly uses low wattage amps in the studio, but I could be wrong.
After watching the video of Eric Valentine talking about the making of SFTD and sounding about as close as you can possible get to the actual sound on the album with just an Ampeg tube amp from the 70s (literally any will do, head or combo, both will work, although Josh used V4B heads alongside a preamp on tour), cranked mids via both a graphic and parametric EQ, it’s abundantly clear that the elusive Homme tone is just that, combined with a ‘transparent’ overdrive (apparently the ZVex Super Hard On was used prominently on SFTD) or an SD-1, the latter of which was left over from his Kyuss days and using it for heavy psychedelic solos
This makes sense, even back in the Kyuss days Homme mostly relied on his amps for distortion sounds. Treble boosters also weren’t terribly common in the ‘90s, if you wanted a Rangemaster sound your only real options were to find a vintage unit, build a clone yourself (not that you could find schematics online back then) or improvise with whatever pedals you had available.
The schematics were available in Dan Erlwines book "electronic projects for musicians" but you'd have to figure out how to read them and solder etc on your own. The good old days
I play in a QOTSA tribute band, and one reason I won’t get a VT-22 or VT-40 is that they are soooooo loud! The SD-1 thing sounds pretty spot on for that early era stuff. Great job as always, Eirik!
They are. And VERY heavy. The guy I’m loaning it from uses an attenuator with it. That solves the loudness issue. As for the weight, I guess we’ll just have to work out
I've got a VT-40. It makes my Fender Dual Showman and AC-15 seem like children's toys for volume. I've measured it at 130db-C @ 1 meter... and that wasn't turned all the way up.
Cheers. You nail the Homme tone better than anyone I’ve heard. Love your vids.
I come close to the tones on my vids if you wanna check em out!
I come back once in a while to listen to you playing Josh‘s riffs. This is awesome!
One thing that helped make the QOTSA sound was a massive mid range boost. Eric Valentine has a video where he breaks down the exact tones for SFTD. Worth a watch if you haven't seen it.
jesus this setup sounds so damn gooooood dude. You started playing You Would Know and I was like holy shit. From one QOTSA fanboy to another, stellar job and great playing as always!
You consistently nail the Josh Homme tone. Makes me want to blast some Kyuss/Queens every time 😂 Awesome work 👏👏👏
Can't say how much I love hearing these attempts to re-create artists sounds.
I wish I could play like you. Josh has some of the best riffs and progressions ever. Heavy, groovy, intelligent
The Boss SD-1 and DS-1 are wonderfully versatile and can do many crazy tones together. I even have a secret HM-2-like tone I've found with them.
I'm geeking out over this xD Automatisk digger alle qotsa relaterte videoer du kommer med.
Dude! This is very very close. It totally nails the vibe either way. I've always sang the praises as the SD-1, but I never tried using it like a treble booster like this.
Nailed those early live tones around Rated R and SFTD. Maybe a little too much gain but still close enough. On the self-titled album he was still using his tubeworks/mosvalve amps from the kyuss days and Peavey Standards. Live he used a Sunn Model T from '98-'99. He really did not start using the Ampegs till around '99-'00. The important thing is the mid section he lives in on those amps. It's not really a distortion tone but rather how the mid-range is set along with a lot of volume. Any distortion really comes from his pedals. The Boss SD-1 he uses, like as mentioned, for the extra sizzle ala Iommi and Gibbons.
I'm impressed with your depth of riff knowledge, man!
Man I really miss my VT-22. Way too loud and heavy, but the sound was great when you got the chance to crank it. Great video!
man, this video is so SICK, congrats!
Thanks!
Sick, sick, sick
3:27 yeah man, me too...
;)
Hahahah
You nailed the tone man, great job. But those riffs... they are just delightful. Man, I love qotsa
Everybody should own & keep an SD-1.
Add a BD-2 to that
And a VT-22
Nope. Nobody should ever just do something just because. I had a SD1 and hated it. It depends so much upon your guitar, amp, approach and what you're trying to accomplish.
Very good. Especially his early tones. It’s a little trebly for the SFTD era. Overall it could use MORE mids, actually. Really push the mids and you’re there. I don’t think it’s too much gain. Great job though! It’s 90% of the way there.
Agreed, MORE MIDS!! that albums guitar tones were all boooosting mids!!
Miguel V. That could be in the mix. Sometimes boosting the mids in the mix gets the tone without the extra breakdown.
@@TheMasonator777 could be, if you watch the video with Valentine explaining how they tracked SFTD guitars, he shows you how they boosted the mids at every stage. Even using a boss GE-7 into the amp. All boosting mids. Then he uses the console EQ to get the mud out.
@@vminator This is accurate. I have the PDF-2, PDF-1x, Catalinbread SFT, and nothing gets me the QotSA tone better than my Ge-7 hyper-mid-boosted /bass+treble rolled off into the front end of a crunch channel.
@@CenterThePendulum which of the PDF pedals do you prefer?
Man I used to have one of those Eastwoods. It's the one guitar that I really regret selling. Just have to get myself another one one day soon!
Got like 8 seconds into the video and decided to pull up Reverb and look at SD-1s
I did the same but for the amp lol
"You can't upstroke yourself to greatness." Josh Homme
I think he said toughness
Tbh that's a lot easier at 2 digit bpms 😏
@@Knockedlooser yeah he did lol
With all due respect to Prof. Homme, upstrokes can be both great and tough.
is that a no-fap reference
This is top quality mate. You have a real ear and insight into the queens tone like I haven’t found from anyone else on youtube
Boss SD-1’s are $50 all day long and they’re great. Every guitarist should have one. Also, there has been absolutely zero significant changes to the circuit over their 40 years of existence so feel free to just grab a new one. They’re literally the same circuit as any vintage units, so don’t let any forum folks tell you that you need a made in Japan/black label/etc. to really have a “good one.”
It's the only pedal I bought back twice: first time because I was too stupid to realize how cool the pedal is as it is, second time because somebody stole it. Then one day I discovered this picture (link below), and I was blown away by the superior design in the tone stack: it's clearly designed to have three tone "standard" settings, and everything in between.
www.researchgate.net/figure/Boss-R-SD-1-distortion-pedals-frequency-response-for-3-Tone-positions-left-12_fig19_263013830
@@meexiko I wish I knew more about the graphic you provided. Can you please explain what’s going on in the graph?
@@al271987 The graphic shows which frequencies the pedal boosts when you set the tone knob to three different positions. Level knob is set to 12.00 o'clock and Drive knob at zero. The lowest curve shows a 500 Hz boost (tone knob fully counter-clockwise), the middle curve shows a 1 KHz boost (tone in the middle position) and the tallest curve shows a boost at 1.5 KHz. This last setting it's the closest to a treble booster pedal you can get with this pedal.
It is usually said that this last setting is too harsh, but I disagree. When they engineered the pedal many amps were "darker sounding" compared to the newest ones, in-fact that time was common to use treble boosters to get a good overdrive sound from these amps. So basically it's more of a matter of how an amp sounds: the Ampeg V-series amps when set with a boost on 300Hz position (they have a rocker switch that sets which freq you wanna boost or cut: 300 Hz, 1 Khz or 3 Khz) are probably the darkest sounding amps ever. So you basically need to make things crunchier in the high-mids to get a good overdrive tone.
This is the time when a treble booster kinda pedal is needed.
If you pay close attention to Josh Homme tone in qotsa, despite the pedal used as main pedal, it' s always a treble boosterish kinda thing. it could be the SD-1 until SFTD (warmer sounding), or the later Maestro/Stone deaf parametric eq thing (brighter sounding). In the end it's the same thing with different flavour.
I think it's always the guitar/amp combo that dictate how a pedal has to be set, not the opposite.
For whatever it’s worth, I have an old MIJ SD-1 as well as a newer model and the old MIJ really does sound quite a lot better.
@@jeffroalson1915 that’s cool. Two of the same pedals from any era will sound different just due to component tolerances. If you got a great sounding old one that’s cool. The circuit itself isn’t any different now vs. then, though, and that’s all the point I was trying to make. You may find another MIJ one that would sound exactly the same as your newer one. The DS-1 has changed a bit due to some components becoming obsolete, so the black label ones actually do have a bit of a different sound compared to the current ones, but the SD-1 circuit has not been changed in its 40 years of existence. The newest SMT versions are still using equivalent components, its just surface mount versions of the same components.
Just ONE pedal fx and a specific amp configuration to create a unique sound... only need to add a great musician like Josh. Great video! Thanks!
100% spot on early tones! Wish that amp wasn't so damn loud because it's the true secret of his tone.
Sounds bang on man, makes me want to tune a guitar down to C again.
Hey there, I know this is 3 years later, but buying a Digitech drop pedal was one of the best choices I made
@@Rik-theking pedal < tuning
Glorious sound. I double triple dare you to record an original track with it before you have to give it back.
Then I need to work fast!
this is sooooo good. like its so simple when you think about it, but it just nails the tone (of the old records at least)
The first chord on Headache just hits different......so good
Bam
I started collecting overdrives and fuzz pedals. I have 8 different pedals that do some kind of dirt. I come back to the Boss SD1 eventually….every time.
You've just given me an idea for a cool pedal to design. Great job man, you nailed that tone
Secret looks so simple so I could not believe it.
We all should learn play better 🥸
Your performance, sir, is great and I always thought that sound is in hands, not gear.
But boss pedal sound definitely don’t hurt to say the least 👍
It was a pleasure to watch and listen
Spot on! Such amazing riffs! I love how you focus on the sound and the magnificent riffs!
Great playing and very accurate sound. I will see them in a few weeks. So exited yet!
Well, with a tone break down this good from one of my favorite guitarists I just had to subscribe.
This is the sound I grew up with. Im jamming with these pedals and settings since a while and its fun! Thanks!
this is great. i’d love to hear this split between the Ampeg and a vintage Peavey Musician 400 (which I know QOTSA has used for a long time). Especially during the recording of Songs for The Deaf, I know for a fact that they used several vintage solid state amps in tandem with the Ampeg. They have a grind all to their own, and I love them for it.
Yeah. Been looking for a year for the Peavey Musician and Standard. Haven’t seen one for sale yet
@@eirikstor dont overpay for them. same with any Sunn gear. it’s price is based on its cool factor, unfortunately. I got my Peavey Musician for $60 at a pawn shop
@@nintendoor1 the secret is the Peavey Decade. Although they are now $500 cause josh let the cat out of the bag,
PLus boosting the mids on an EQ. You can even use the Behringer version. Josh is all about mids.
Good job man ! You got it better than others with several pedals.
I have to be honest I think this totally nails it. And so simple to achieve
super cool video! now i wanna listen to the whole qotsa discography
Damn, all those early songs from the first self-titled album...sounds spot-on!
Honestly, I think this goes to show that it's this particular style of amp that's the key to the tone. The SD1 and Boss EQ could easily be a Tube Screamer and MXR EQ with none of us that wise to it, I reckon. At this point, the only real difference between the Album Tones and This tone is probably trading in the 22 for the 40, with the 10" speakers, and adding a Pog for certain parts.
Literally just took the advice from the video and I’m nearly there with the sound I’m using other pedals and a different amp but the sound is pretty close
Nice job nailing that tone, the eq makes all the difference
You make the best QOTSA videos
thanks!!
I make a lot of QOTSA covers and have a few lessons if you wanna check my content out!
I have also chased this tone for ages. Great job!
I've never heard a more accurate early Josh Homme tone and it's so stupid simple that it makes me angry, but also happy because now I can do it too haha
Living Room Gear Demos is on a 5-year audition for QotSA. Hope it works out, he deserves it.
this is epic!!! Always wondered why and how he used the sd-1 nailed it man
Erik one of the the things that oddly helped me to play some of these songs was watching thruston Moore play his music and watching his right hand. Give that a try. Love your Chanel btw hope I can buy you a beer some time big dog.
That band you tipped off, The Wit, they're surprisingly good! I like their sound. I got a Boss SD-1 for 25 euro's off of a website so i feel lucky to have so many tones at my disposal at such a low cost ;)
the songs from the first albums you nailed completely!!!!
But the ones from songs for the deaf have a different vibe
thats where the Zvex super hard on comes in
I‘m so happy this channel exists
❤️
That tone is super sweet!
4 👎 on this video? What kind of a degenerate would give this a thumbs down? Excellent tone recreation of one of the best bands ever. Great guitar playing too.
AMAZING STUFF MAN!!!
Holy crap dude. You nailed it... again. We can't miss the fact that you've mastered the riffs, so there's that. It's sounds good tho. This is what I like about Josh's tone. The thicc vintage gain, the sound of an amp about to explode. Also if you're on a budget. You can use a Boss Katana, on the Crunch channel, with the built-in mid boost drive and with the parametric EQ. I've also using an Epiphone Sheraton. I think this is a budget freindly rig and can sound similar. Also a tip. Use your TONE controls. You can get very close if you roll off the tone control on your neck or bridge pickup on certain songs and sections.
Ps.: Maybe Boss will send you a Katana Artist too. I would be certainly curious what you can do with it.
I think all the tone is in the guitar/amp/eq. My guess is you would get the same result with pretty much any tube screamer-esque pedal with those settings. It's very much how metal guys use tube screamers as a boost too. Could be very interesting to try the same setup but with different drives set the same way as the sd-1. There's a challenge for you :-)
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing! The same settings (full vol and tone, no/very little drive) on a Tubescreamer through a Fender amp will get pretty close to a SRV sound. It's worth experimenting with extreme settings it seems! ✨
That sounds so god damn good !! Regular John got nailed
This is amazing thanks for giving us the trick about Josh’s sound
Sounds awesome and really close ! (and well played of course) NICE JOB
Encouraging to see you're able to get tones like this with good ol' Boss pedals. To be fair, I don't know how much that amp costs and I'm guessing it's doing most of the heavy lifting. It's the kind of sound you hope is cheap because it sounds a bit cheap (in the best way), but sometimes that still takes expensive gear to achieve. Definitely made me want to get an SD-1. It's easy to get carried away (at least for me it is), ignore brands like Boss and only check out premium brand pedals to get the sound you want, when you can get there with a few Boss pedals.
Those boutique bands weren't around when in those days
Jeez, nostalgia, love it! Not sure if the sd1 is half as important as the amp though
After trying a million things to get these sounds, I'd say the most important thing is to tune down to C standard.
@@eirikstor hah! thank you for torturing yourself, it was worth it
Not shown: the small crane used to move the VT-22. Source: I own one that had JBL cast frame E series speakers in it. It's the Mjolnir of combo amps. Also you can probably get really close to these same tones with just the amp, presuming you're willing to play at like 110dB in the room lol. Crank it, and mess with that active midrange control.
haha yeah, this one was extremely heavy! Much heavier than my VT-40
I did this in Amplitube 5
EQ pushing 400hz > SD1 > Ampeg V4B > Silvertone 2×12
Amazing
Where did you get the ampegv4?
@@mariafedineiro6889 In Amplitube.
@@ofir_likes_beer how did you set the Amp and the eq?
@@mariafedineiro6889 Amplitube SVX V4B
EQ PUSHING 400hz
Amp -
Gain 10 Bass 7 Treble 7 Mid 8 Vol 10
I misread the SD-1 as “DS-1” and just realized it after buying a DS-1🤦♂️
However… I’ve gotten the closest I’ve ever gotten to the QOTSA tone by doing the same as you would with an SD-1, just not diming the tone. I’ve found that it’s best for SFTD tones.
Ds 1 is a great pedal too, its awesome for grungey tones
That ribbon mic is key for handling those icepick freqs.
Spot on! nailed his tone. Very well done.
thanks Jim!
I have a GVT Ampeg, all tube i picked it up mostly because i wanted something different, sounds pretty good i changed the speaker with a weber silver bell alnico, sounds ace, i can get this tones with the gain channel
I've briefly tried the GVT. I'm looking to get one to try more. Do you know how identical it is to the VT series?
@@eirikstor haven't tried a VT myself but when I did my research people seemed to agree that both had similarities in tone, while the gvt can go pretty heavy with the gain/boost channel
@@eirikstor I have a GVT-15 combo. It doesn't have the rocker switches for mids, highs, etc. like on the old VT amps. I solved that by using a DOD boneshaker distortion/OD pedal that has a parametric EQ section and then using a DOD 250 like an SD-1 in that I boosted the frequencies. Using that with my SG loaded with Dimarzio Super Distortions, i'm 80% there as far as that very early QOTSA studio and live tones.
@@eirikstor The "Midrange" knob is centered more toward 800hz on the GVT with only a 5dB boost available i believe vs using the 300hz option on the rocker of the VT-22 for +/- 20dB. Otherwise pretty close!
Spot on performance/tone. That’s the spirit!
OMG YOU GOT ITTT!! That sounds amazing !!
If the Amp is too loud you can put a Volume pedal in the fx loop. That way the volume pedal acts as an atenuator, and the volume is bearable. Great tone though sounds just like the record.
Does that really work though? Won’t be pushing the power amp when doing that.
The VT-22 doesn't have an FX loop, the amp came out in 1969, so no that's won't work. You need a Hot Plate, or Power Brake, or some sort of actual attenuator...and even when you do if you attenuate too much volume it will cause the sound to distort a lil bit, but it's better than nothing.
It sounds so good! I mean almost identical. Awesome
Go nuts with that VT-22 while you've got it.
Dude this is the one pedal I have! I’m fairly new to guitar and only just got this pedal for Christmas!
This is spot on. Would love to hear more
Unbelievable tone
Really impressive man!!! Bravissimo!
You nailed it, although I think the Boss pedal is the least important thing here... I own an old Ampeg V4B and what's really crucial is that mid switch (300/1000/3000Hz). Which position did you use?
Also, Homme used a ZVEX Super Hard-On into one of these amps on Songs for the Deaf. He's also known to have used a Maestro Parametric Filter (now more or less copied by Stone Deaf FX in the PDF-1 pedal).
PDF1 and SFT shape my Queens tone. It's almost as if Stone Def and Catalinbread made these 2 pedals just for me
There's gonna be quotsa clones alover!! How creative 🎉
Great job man! Incredibly close. The rest, as always, is in the fingers.
I use a Germanium Treble Booster on my V-40 master volume, and wow does it sound great as a leave it on pedal. I even stack it with another MXR Micro Amp for Chorus parts…I just need to get an EQ. I’ve seen some use the old TS808/ 0 gain and adjust tone to taste…it works ok. But a Rangemaster clone works great, the Boss is probably cheaper for most though.
Also making sure that ultra high toggle switch is on, 300hz and the Boss EQ 400hz…optionally you can use the Stone Deaf PDX…but it’s just really a sub to boost any of those frequencies you want, and a boost. Not as exciting as you’d think honestly.
With the VT-40 at least a Treble Booster, Boss EQ, maybe a second clean boost is about it. Then add whatever you want. I like to keep it dead simple since it’s already providing the distortion pretty much.
I have mine paired with a SKY KinG amp to do my own thing. Works very well!
Wow the "In my head" tone part was pretty spot on!
I didn’t hear him play that song.
Can’t remember playing In My Head!
@@eirikstor My bad, I meant Go with the flow at 8:15))
Been using one since 1983. Still the best overdrive around.
Pedal or amp?
That was epic, man I wish I could play as good as you 😂
Pretty damn close brother -- that guitar helps a bunch too. Nice job.
Nailed that low-end tone, props
it’s the guitar amp and he used a matchless hot box for the treble and gain. also a zvex super hard on boost will absolutely get you there
Mind blown. Sounds so good!