Mesa + Marshall = Sykes!?!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- I plugged a Mesa EQ into a Marshall head, and accidentally stumbled upon a Sykes recipe.
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Hi, my name is Michael Nielsen. I'm a composer/producer. I write music for movie trailers, video game soundtracks, commercials, movies and tv shows. This channel is dedicated to guitar related gear and music production. My production and publishing company is called Ninja Tracks. My guitar sound design is available for Kemper, TwoNotes, THU Overloud, IK ToneX, and IR's.
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Thumbnail John Sykes photo credit: Tim Stevens
#Mesa #Marshall #Sykes
John Sykes is basically what cocaine would sound like if it played guitar.
Also, that lifeson tone at the end was THE BUSINESS!
"John Sykes is basically what cocaine would sound like if it played guitar"
Pull up that Brit 800 model with the CC boost and the Mark series EQ before the Power amp - Righteous stuff :)
:D I’m dyin!
I would of said ecstasy
So true...❄
I played in the support band (Australian band 'Mantissa') for Blue Murder on the 'Nothing But Trouble' tour in '94. Every night for two months. Yeah, can't deny he's the master. So fluid in his playing and singing, really was an amazing thing to experience, great guy's too. Just watching Tommy & Marco jamming on their own at soundcheck was mind blowing enough. The rig he used was two Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers. He was using stainless steel picks too, the normal size one's. The guitar tech gave me some as well as the big triangle one's which i still have and use as they'll never wear out. On top of that he let me use his spare black Les Paul for the tour. He had his main one plus a gold top that he got in Japan plus the one he let me use. Amazing! great memories, still love him. Great video, thanks.
Hello Chris,
I met you in Chicago backstage after your set. Enjoyed your band, hope your doing well.
Take care, Bob
Thank you!! Finally, I know where that damn pick came from!! lol I saw Blue Murder after their debut album came out at a tiny club called Cadillacs in Hickory, N.C. and John handed me one of those picks with a huge smile on his face. Over the years, I had such a large collection of picks from shows that I forgot where I got that damn metal pick!! it was indeed Mr. Sykes and it was no B.S. straight after they played the real (HIS) version of ‘Still of the Night’ !!! They completely wiped the floor with David Coverdale’s hired gun Whitesnake band’s ‘attempt’ at playing it, I’d seen that Whitesnake show only a few months earlier. Blue Murder completely dominated the Whitesnake songs John played that night. It was clear that song was his baby after watching him tear through that solo. Anyway, thanks for helping me be able to put a name on that pick and it also brought back a flood of forgotten memories for myself and a few friends who went to that Blue Murder show!!
@@richardcurtis1912 Wow! That's cool, always wondered if he'd damaged anyone throwing those things out to the audience. They're like ninja stars. Yeah, "Stilla" was epic every time and he plays live like he does on the record. Better i think. It's like it's too easy. So fluid in his delivery. All the squeals and pick slides, lightning runs etc. And he doesn't have his head up his arse about it when he does it. He used to really 'milk' the breakdown section before the solo depending on the gig, sometimes stretch it out and when those chords come in and the expensive lights came on it was awesome. Weird time for music though. The eighties rock thing had died out and grunge was even fading at that point. '94 it was. They don't make them like that anymore.
@@bobweyde5769 That was a long time ago. Thanks for making contact. No mobile phones back then so no selfies unfortunately. It was a pretty amazing experience. Not much music these days, pretty hard to do bands down here in Oz. Thanks, have a good one.
@@richardcurtis1912 Still of the night goes back to Coverdale's days in Deep purple though
I met John Sykes once in the early 80s when my band was playing at the Marquee Club in London, I have never seen anyone so drunk but still standing :)
I was front row in 84 when they opened for Quiet Riot and he blew me away!
@@Cantstandtherock
The man is a legend, never got to see him with Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott died before we got the chance, but I saw him play with Blue Murder around 1990ish, they were awesome
The greatest skill to come out of the 80s.....how to shred while blackout drunk.
@@watchtheskies he was in his prime then he should of never dropped off with his music, he could of kept playing with carmine and tony and they could of been great records like their first. Sykes is thee greatest guitarist I’ve ever heard those riffs and the vocals and the solos melt my face when I hear them. The whole blue murder album is amazing top
To bottom.
I reckon Dave Murray could give him a run for his money. I bumped into him at Brown's (the nightclub not the strip club) in London in the early 90s. He was so drunk, I couldn't understand a word he said. He kept swaying and I was all set to shout timber, but give him credit, he somehow managed to stay vertical :)
Lookit. I’m a simple man. I see Nielsen and Sykes and I click.
I think Sykes had one of the greatest tones of the 80's... and in rock and roll. When No Rest for the Wicked came out, we were excited to hear Zakk Wylde, but it sounded an awful lot like John Sykes.
That Bad Boys Live album is a masterpiece. I wish there was a DVD of the whole concert.
Blue Murder...what a band.
The Lifeson bit at the end was the icing on the cake for this old Rush fan.
THE WORLD WEIGHS ON MY SHOULDERS BUT WHAT AM I TO DO
@@dgmwitz YOU SOMETIMES DRIVE ME CRAZY
Ditto!
“Love Ain’t No Stranger” has one of my favourite solos of all time. Gas in my tank.
Straight from the horse's mouth, Bob Rock - I went over and I just did what I did. I split John’s sound with a delay and a little modulation, which I had been doing and I split his sound. I think it was a Mark IV Mesa Boogie head and the EV Celestion cabs. What I did is he had his sound through one and then I split it with a DDL and made the other cab using that as a slave with a slight modulation. I just put up flat mics in the balance and miked it and he went, “Oh, my god. That’s it.”
John Sykes is one of the most underrated players. He is such a phenom, and those pick harmonics he pulls always at just the right time........wow! He is also one of the reasons I play.
Sykes is the reason I bought a Les Paul, but that sound is so lush and thick, I likes it!
When people say a 100w amp is loud. No shit 🤣. This is one of the best tones I've heard from a TH-cam guitarist.
John Sykes is amazing. I play black les Paul's cause of him. The new song he released is awesome.
I think the best Sykes solo in a ballad was when he played with Thin Lizzy, post Lynott era, when he did the LIVE album with them a played “Still In Love With You”. Maaaan, that really showed me how melodic he is. When a solo puts goosebumps on my arms, I know it’s a masterpiece. I love Sykes’ playing, he’s in my top 5 guitarists of all time.
Damn that 800 sounds GLORIOUS.
5:47 - Hah! Caught that White Lion riff! (from 'Wait') Vito Bratta was an intense guitarist as well! He was another one who made his lunacy look easy. 4 finger tapping at the speed of light. Good god!!
Wait is such a fantastic song!
This is just totally old school cool - a guitar nerd mucking around & accidentally learning stuff! Like we all used to do.
Thanks for thew inspiration - im getting my JCM800 plugged in to jam
I heard a rumor that Bob Rock was in the same studio doing another project when whitesnake and Sykes recorded the 87 album. They weren't happy with the guitar tone and they grabbed Bob and the dialed in the now legendary tone.
John's solo on Thin Lizzy's song Thunder and Lightning is phenomenal. Gets me every time. Great album too.
Thanks Michael for bringing this video. Some of the best guitar tones I've heard on your channel. I love John Sykes and was really lucky to see him twice and meet him once eight years ago in Germany. I've had the priviledge of having seen a lot of great guitar players (and my idols) live, but John Sykes has left me speechless- to this day. It was to most in your face, raw, brutal and still very touching guitar tone I#ve ever herad.
Awesome!
"An ill wind comes arising, across the Cities and the plain
There's no swimming in the heavy water, no singing in the acid rain, Red Alert, Red Alert"
Great closer to the video and 2020... Thanks Miguel...
Cheers 🍻
Such brilliant writing!
@@BigHairyGuitars Isn't it tho'?
In 1978 a close friend gave me 2 8 track tapes: 2112 and A Farewell to Kings.
That's how I started on my quest to be a musician, and not a "Rock Star"
Thanks again Miguel..
Cheers 🍻
Still own 2 JCM 800's which were bought new in 1984. The Tolex is really beat up from touring over the years but have been true work horses for me and all ive ever done to em is new tubes every so often. They also came with the Steel power and standby switches. not the plastic ones. These heads are still relevant today in my opinion. Happy new year's from this 64 year old guy from Canada..TC
What's not to love? Dan Huff licks, Sykes and Lifeson. Tasty.
Sykes is one of the under-recognized architects of the big 80s hard rock/pop metal style. Everybody cites Eddie Van Halen, who did inspire the hell out of them. But if you listen to Thin Lizzy’s Thunder & Lightning album, the 80s bands actually play a lot more like Sykes.
That's very true !
That 800 sounds ridiculously amazing and with the smallbox and an EQ... Wow. time to start shopping for an old 800!
Check out the Chinese, hand made clones. Amazing value. Approximately $700 to US.
@@dannymiller7129 Or a Ceriatone.
Where do you find these??
@@BigHairyGuitars I built my own from here: robrobinette.com/RR2104_Master_Volume_Micro.htm#JCM800_6V6 It is a very tweakable design and with 6V6's you can get right into the power amp without waking the dead. There is no magic, just build the Marshall design with good components. I stuffed the whole thing into a JTM45 chassis and small cabinet. Much happiness. YMMV.
I saw an interview with Bob Rock who said John Sykes was hands down the best guitarist he ever worked with. That guy was a monster. Really hope he'll put out another album.
Actually yesterday January 1 John released a new song. John James Sykes is the name of his YT channel.
@@demokraatti oh sweet! Thanks for the heads up
I'm crazy for liking the Alex part the most? A whole video on mr Lifeson, please
I'll take that Lifeson Detour every day of the week. That was phenomenal.
2021 is off to a GREAT start! Hearing John Sykes being respected.......AWESOME STUFF!
You are THE master hair metal tweaker and these videos are immensely helpful!! A G.A.S inspired Reverb hunt kicks off today for a local JCM800. Anything Sykes related sets off my tone obsession into crazy OCD mode. Keep these types of videos coming and 2021 will be fantastic. HNY, Cheers!
I find any eq in an amps e loop makes it more magical
Me too, started doing that in the mid 90's when I got my first "looped" amp, a 5150. Helps de-mud my Triple Rec too.
my favorite sound for over 20 years, boosted 2204 with bass cut for tightness and EQ in a serial loop for notching some mids . Perfect!
Funny, John Sykes just uploaded his new song today too
Love Sykes and his tones.....I’m shocked between you & Mike Toren that you didn’t have the actual amp Sykes used 😂
Haha! I’ll start shaming Toren!
Even through only my phone speakers the 800 sounds perfect.
That EQ Pedal is so nice to have around when you need that post gain EQ.
Being a pro skater in the 80s I was fortunate to meet JS...Such a really humble and genuine person even though he was being pulled in all directions. I was astonished to know that he knew about vert skaters of the day. 🍻
"Distant Early Warning" !! one of my favorites Rush songs!! I love Grace Under Pressure:))
Me too! 😊
"Grace" is my fave Rush album.
A GEQ in the loop is my greatest tone secret. Instant Mark series. Thanks for covering the post processing. I'm trying to get more in my bedroom tone & this helps.
Amazing result!! I think we learned that the 800 is still THE AMP. And you need your own. Here’s a project: Michael Schenker used three main amps during his heyday: A big box Marshall 50 watt (model 1987), a Marshall “split-channel” 2210, and (for rhythm parts on the obsession album) A PIGNOSE! Do it. Please.
The split channel 800 was the 2205 which was/is the 50w version. Michael helped design it and it was supposed to be his signature model.
I’ve been researching this, and the story I’ve found a couple of times is that Bob Rock got the sound, by splitting the guitar to two Mark IIIs, with a slight delay. And then it was double tracked. And the rhythm/riff tracks had gain at about 4. The leads probably used more gain and effects. Not sure if that’s accurate, but it sounds like it. No info about mics and placement.
YES!!! So timely - I’ve been on a Sykes kick lately!!
I love the Bad Boy live album. Cool that you got to work on that. Great sounding live album! Sykes is a monster, just wish he’d get some new material out.
He came out with something today
Valley of the kings -- best song and tone
The final tone gave me MAJOR Michael Wagener vibes. It sits in a similar space as his guitar sounds from 88-93 (later White Lion, Skid Row, Helloween, etc).
Waganer really HEAVILY influenced my guitar tone reference point. So I definitly gravitate that direction
You always find the most excellent tones
I saw John open up for Quiet Riot with Whitesnake he had probably the best sounding amps l ever heard.
Was he using Marshall’s, or the Mesa stuff?
Marshall it was the Slide it in Tour.
@@micksguitarchannel4502 Oh awesome!!!
Huge Sykes fan here. Thank you Michael
Mike the is this love solo was absolutely amazing my man it sounds like the record🙏🏽🙏🏽
I’m not sure if you guys already know but John Sykes has released a new tune and put up his own channel. Peace and Love.
Great show as Always Mike
Said it before and I'll say it again; Bad Boy Live has one of the greatest guitar sounds ever captured so thank you for that. What a player 🔥
Thanks MT!!!
To me " bad boy's live was ok tone wise, more marshally than the 87' mesa sound which I prefer.Michael does nail it here though with the marshall.Did'nt think it was possible.Just goes to show how important that mesa EQ is.
@@jamesfrisa2043 I prefer the Mesa sound for him. Or a blend of Mesa and Marshall. That Jose head was super cutting.
@@BigHairyGuitars Michael I always thought the Whitesnake stuff and Blue Murder stuff was pure Boogie Colosseum. Yes or no?
@@rikshredder Not pure. There are some tracks on WS that are Marshall. Blue Murder is more pure Boogie.
I took that photo of John you use in your ad thumbnail. London, England, March 1983. You’re welcome.
WOW! That's incredible! Do you have a website or something I can put in the description?
@@BigHairyGuitars No, I don’t have a website. I was just a 17 year old kid who managed to smuggle his camera in and get some great shots. That one of John in particular is used all over the net. A photo credit is always nice, but I don’t mind. I’m just glad people see them and enjoy them.
@@Tolbiny WOW! 17! That's awesome! Credit added.
Definitely, all in the hands. Tone inspires but its not the reason why something appeals to the listener. Sykes has vibrato is like no one else. He milked that vibrato in all the things that he did. Always appreciated.
This guy is so cool. He does exactly the kind of crap I do with my gear all the time. Just messing around seeing what sounds like what. Love this channel!
Loved the Sykes run through and especially the Lerxt tone. That sounded gorgeous.
Wish there was more of John Sykes. I feel we all have been short changed by him not purring out more music. Haha.
Agreed, but he just destroyed everything in the 80's. So good. Untouchable.
That was nice. Yeah, I have always loved his tone because it's surprising that such a mid rich sound like a Les Paul - Marshall one would scoop it, but that is the Sykes sound. Indeed I wnjoy listening to this songs being played and sung live by him more than the album recordings. Specially now that he plays them half step down, they work so much better. Coverdale of course is absolutely amazing, but Syke's voice takes me to a different place, a happy place.
Love the Giant riff Mike!
My favorite video ever, love this channel! JS is a legend, cant wait to hear more stuff!
Love the Vito Bratta + Dan Huff (Giant) riffs!
Great video, Sykes is so sick, so recognizable. Sykesnake 87' is top ten rock guitar tone albums EVER! At 7:50 love the ode to Studio master Dan Huff's Giant song "Chained" . Funny you picked it since Huff played on the radio mix of "Here I go again"👍👍✌✌
High school Smoking area '83 I heard thin lizzy thunder and lightning !!!! Cold sweat blew me away !! However so did screaming for vengeance !!!!!
OMG this is exactly the same amp I play for decades. Mine is a 1982' too ! Hey Micheal... insane volume right ? I've never found something louder than this early JCM800. This is raw power. And you need to push the volume to found the sweet spot. Evil. And the best way to become def in a few minutes. Gonna try a Mesa EQ with ! I like that sound. Great idea. Oh I forget : warm wishes from France for 2021. Heavy new year.
I love the Giant "Chained" guitar riffage in this video. I'll be listening to "Time To Burn" over the weekend.
Love me some Sykes and dig the Giant riffs.
Kudos for your live recording of the man! Totaly ROCKS! One of my to 5 live rock records ever.
Loved the Giant riff! 🤘🏻 Dan Huff is the man!
Hope you saw the video he just released? John James Sykes, Dawning of a new world
Oh man you really touched me with John Sykes, what an amazing musician, guitar player, singer and what astounding presence He has. (Somebody said that David Coverdale could feel the shadow from John on the stage...so He kicked him out...could be?)
Blue Murder album is one of my favourites all time, and I still trying to play a little close the riff from "Found what I need" Fantastic video as always and happy new year!!
I think that’s not far from the truth with the dynamic between he and Coverdale. John was batting 1000 and could do no wrong. He was the hottest gunslinger out there, everyone was courting him for their band, he’s a huge beautiful MTV ready monster, so I’m SURE there were some massive ego’s clashing. But also that’s probably why they created the best hard rock album ever made. Tension, fire, passion, energy!
@@BigHairyGuitars I totally agree about that album but was a pitty that Sykes could not perfom it live with Whitesnake because of egos issues... If I´m not wrong Sykes doesn't even appear in the videos. I remember an ex girlfriend I had that was shocked when saw Jelly Roll Video, Sykes looked impresive , and that song is a masterpiece like all the Blue Murder first album, as you see...I love John Sykes!!!
Happy New Year Michael and thank you for this video! I've always loved John Sykes, especially on his first album Blue Murder! The king of tone! Never heard such a huge sound, the same for the Bad Boy live album!
Thanks Andrea!
I really enjoyed that, fired up my AXFIII and my new to me (but actually 23 years old) Burny Les Paul and setup a similar tone and had great fun playing Still of the Night over and over until it annoyed my GF
Great to hear the riff from Chained by Giant in there, more Dan Huff!!
In Time John WIll Surface. He Will Blow Minds. Gary Moores Live Blues was good, but when John Goes Live Again, Its a New Benchmark in Singer Songwriting Guitar God Land. Nobody comes close ! Thanks for a cool trip down memory lane and luck you for such a cool gig. John did Jose' Modded Marshalls and Boogies with Blue Murder. That album is the benchmark and Bob Rock got it done right. He talks about it on RigTalk with Dave and Marc as you know !
He just put out a new song on January 1st. So fingers crossed we will be getting a full album this year. Cheers!
Wholly molly you nailed his tone. And your playing is killer.
Michael, you know to get the tones first, of course. I was playing in a band back then that did Whitesnake tunes, and at home I messed with my Digitech PDS1002 and got a real tight delay, and the lowest amount of reverb. Bingo, nailed an incredible Sykes tone and the delay makes it insanely thick and gives that secret Sykes feel when you run a tone like his. BINGO at 11:25 you get to it. Brilliant. Love your stuff brother, always look forward to what your channel has for us.
A solid cloning, mate😮❤
I remember my Les Paul , this was the musical equivalent like trying to tame a wild animal .
The Gibson Dirty Fingers humbuckers are a key part of his sound on the White Snake album. They really bring out the best of the 1978 Les Paul Custom he played on that album.
Holy crap that JCM 800 sounds sick nasty with nothing at all!
Dude this is awesome. Sykes is the man and you are the man Michael 🤘🏻🤘🏻🔥🔥🔥
That burst sounds great!
Almost too perfect 🥰 Michael.
The only missing ingredient is the magic 🎩 of the dirty finger pickups, in his main Black Les Paul, which Almost went up in flames in a car accident 🔥🚘🔥
John was semi unconscious when they pulled him out of the car wreck, but managed to find the strength to get back into his burning 🔥 car, just to rescue his beloved 🎸 Guitar . . . .
That Black beauty/ his main, guitar is the Source of his signature tone.
Wow!!! Crazy! I didn’t know that! 👍👍
Great stuff. Sounds great! Loves the Sykes stories too. 🤘🤘
Sykes 1987 sound always had a what I describe as a Tom Scholz Rockman sound, mixed with like a Mesa high gain and a very roomy reverb to make it big. His low tones had that Rockman compression and his highs had that sharpness of a Mesa. I don’t have the equipment to experiment but it would be cool if you tried getting that 1987 tone from these ingredients. I used to have a rig setup in my Guitar Rig Pro that sounded exactly like it.... I didn’t save it... my PC died... after weeks of tweaking it .... I lost it😩
These tones though and the way you play. Dude..!
I always thought that Bad Boy Live album sounded ridiculously great. Great mix man!
That Custom sounds amazing! Killer chops BTW!
John Sykes nails what he does 100% Vivian Campbell was good in his Dio days but Sykes destroyed on the 87 album.
John monster player & tone.total package songwriter songer&player yes the real deal.thanks you rock.
hey Mike the guys at Sinvertek loved you last video .and thank you I bought the N5plus and about Sykes ....met him ages ago when I worked at Manny's music in NYC.....coolest down to earth man
Awesome!! Sykes is 1 in a million
didnt learn anything, but confirmed that effects are cool....just super cool.
Blue Murder blows Whitesnake into oblivion! Thanks, Mr. JOHN SYKES...😃😃😃😃😁
Amazing hard rock sound 🔥
Awesome! Thanks for this Mike, you killed it!
John's 1987 tone is my holy grail! Top three guitarist Rhoads, Van Halen, Sykes!
Amazing. I absolutely love the Bad Boys Live album. I'm a massive massive Sykes fan. Saw him back in about 2005 with Thin Lizzy in London and it blew my head off how his tone fills a venue. Great singer. He's a huge influence on my singing and playing but I'm not as good no shocker! Did John ever let you play his Black Beauty???
Wow that’s sound great love Sykes tone and playing
Ya got pretty good ears son.
Why not start profiling all of your amp travels for a Kemper pack?
Thanks from Vegas
Thanks! I have. Please check em out: bighairyprofiles.com
Damn that sounds good!! Incredible tone Michael, thanks!
You got damn close !! Thanks Michael 👍🏻