How to get the RANDY RHOADS Guitar Tone!

[@Bls-of1ld]

Man back in the day no one was complaining about his tone

[@silvestrslusis]

Many people say that they dislike Rhandy's recording tone, however it makes perfect sense in the context. You can clearly hear that it was matched to Ozzy's voice which is quite thin sounding, so the guitar tone accompanies it very well and the whole "band tone" is in harmony with itself rather than fighting for the top spot in the mix. Most recorded guitars sound like crap when isolated, but the reason is to sit well in the full mix. I appreciate the video and it sounds like you did capture the tone, Johan. I never doubted you could :)

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks glad to hear it! Yeah isolated tracks never sound balanced. Slash’s great isolated tracks from AFD may also surprise many.

[@JoseArturLimaLira-rg9oj]

I really like that tone, just so unique and that's something most guitarrists should look up to

[@JohanSegeborn]

I completely agree!

[@jimicunningable]

lol, wut? By dint of this reasoning unique crap tone becomes laudable..

[@aaronperrotta7055]

One has to remember that today there are so many different tonal options to choose from. A good player can make almost any amp sound with the right overdrive. Back then there were only so many options to overdrive a Marshall, and that's what he chose. His playing way overshadowed the tone. Im sure if he had lived longer, his tone would've drastically improved! You always make great videos, and your tone is excellent. Fans should not forget that Iommi's tone got quite distorted and "buzzy" on later Sabbath albums.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks that’s a good point. Tony’s tone on “A hard road” for instance really sounds similar.

[@zandig666]

Freakn A and to think some kid was getting the tones I'm just starting to touch on at 50 yrs old same as all our 70s n 80s greats

[@CleverNameBot13]

When a new JS video drops, it’s like when your older brother would invite you into his room to hear the latest awesome new record he bought, say 40 years ago…Let’s go!!! Ques: O Fortuna, crowd screams, Ozzy yelling, “Rock n Roll!”, Gong, pick slide, chugga, whooo! Awesome!!! Thank you, Johan!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend!

[@californiasurfpunkmetal6207]

Another fantastic video. This is my favorite KZbin channel by far. Thank you again for doing this!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! I’m so glad to hear that!

[@alanst.4417]

Thanks for doing Randy's tone this time, Johan! And you did it again with EQ matching, must say the change in sound is quite drastic but it works great in the mix. Especially Crazy Train definitely is one of my most beloved songs. I had to grow to love Randy's tone though, not a love at first sight thing, but it stays 😉

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Alan! Glad to hear it.

[@ironageamplification1791]

I think Randy's tone is underrated. Listening to "Flying High Again", that comes in like a wall of guitar tone. Great, video!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! I love it too!

[@MrKnisterable]

Always loving your videos. Thank you for your effort.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, great to hear that!

[@andydinesguitar]

Thanks Johann, great stuff - one of the best examples of how a good tone for the mix can sound less than pleasing when isolated🤟

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Andy!

[@USDAselect]

Congrats on 100k subs Johan. Much overdue. RR tone is something I've chased since the late 90's. Very cool.

[@darrellminx5459]

Pretty damn good Johan. I had wondered if you could pull this off but once again you have come through. Thank you and cheers from Hawaii Aloha, Darrell

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Darrell! Aloha!

[@jamesmarcin4787]

Awesome video. I really enjoyed it and the work and time you put into your videos. I been a big Randy fan since the release of Blizzard of Oz.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks James! Glad to hear that!

[@andreacampana4754]

You nailed it! Great tone and great playing too!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Andrea! Glad to hear it!

[@jcoulter43]

Great video Johan! That EQ makes all the difference in tone matching. The isolated guitars always sound kind of fizzy and bad alone, but perfect in the mix. God bless and rock on 👍😎🎸

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks J! Glad to hear it!

[@jameslatham2655]

Holy smokes...... The first comparison of dry versus the EQ'd tones, well, frankly caused my mouth to drop. I backed the video up 3 times to listen. As far as my ears are concerned your EQ'd tone nailed Randy's tone on those 2 early albums. I bought both of those albums the same day on cassette tape and what you played (EQ'd tone) is exactly what I heard coming out of my CURTIS MATHIS boombox speakers. As loud as I could stand it. I have never heard anybody else get anywhere close to reproducing that tone. Not even a little bit to be honest. You got it big time! Well done Johan.👍🏼

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks James! Makes my day to hear that!

[@Tacklebox455]

That is awesome,and that eq trick was neat as well!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad to hear it!

[@hartlee1160]

Thanks for letting us bathe in tone again!! Im listening in a better than average car stereo system! Sounds great. You know the best classic rock tones are heard best in the car.. if not inperson.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad to hear it! I love listening to music in the car too

[@anthonyjwilkerson]

Many people seem to dislike Randy's tone but I always loved it. People say it sounds buzzy but I always thought it sounded like a chainsaw, especially on the live record. Good job with the EQ sounds super close.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Anthony! It does indeed sound like a chainsaw in the best possible way! 🤘

[@switch62586]

The buzzy sound people seem to hear is from the echo caused by how the mics were placed. It was recorded in a basement and there were 3 mics if remember correctly from the story in a magazine. The last one was placed at the top of the stairs.

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

One of me all time favorite guitarist's and his tone on the live album, Randy Roads.

[@JohanSegeborn]

I’ll do a video where we compare Randy’s live tone to his studio tones

[@Domination93]

Randy always had a unique tone. I laugh at people who say his tone wasn’t good lol.

[@JohanSegeborn]

He did indeed. It’s such a cultural reference. People can say that it’s not their preference but when they say it’s a failure it says more about them than the tone. Cheers!

[@bobjoe7508]

Great playing as always! Not necessarily my cup of tea, but it does work in the mix. Unlike a lot of people I don’t think of sucks. Personally I think the tone on Diary of a Madman was miles better. Your tone on Over the Mountain and Flying High Again sounded great!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man! I prefer the Diary of madman guitar tone too.

[@jjcollins]

Sounds really good Johan! With the eq matching it sounds quite close to the album tones. I do however think it sounds really good without the eq matching as well! Randy was my hero and main influence when I started playing guitar nearly 35 years ago. Those altecs really are the "secret sauce" when it comes to his tone. By the way, I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the distortion plus was "always on" on his pedalboard. His live tone on the tribute record definitely has it on, as you can hear the "fuzzyness" of it....but then again, in the studio it could have been very different, and unfortunately we will never know, and can only speculate. Greatly enjoyed this one Johan! Thank you for all that you do!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks jj! Glad to hear it. I didn’t manage to get enough tightness when I had the MXR on for the rhythm parts. But maybe, as some have suggested here, combined with an MXR 10 band EQ that could be achieved. I should do a video about Randy’s studio tone vs his live tone!

[@jjcollins]

@@JohanSegeborn it still sounded great either way! Yes the 10 band eq will definitely help shape the tone tighter. I personally would love another video comparing the two!

[@Bls-of1ld]

​@@JohanSegebornyes u should !! There are no videos on his live tone

[@Colin-o9t]

The eq compensation treatment just nails the tone on crazy train, brilliant. Thanks Johan.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Colin!

[@davidcaro8217]

I absolutelt love Randy's guitar playing wizardry but never cared very much for Randy's recorded tones, but with your EQ setting, it sounds really close!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks David

[@kevinc6323]

I agree - Crazy Train after the intro sounds like Randy has a sock over the mic - the EQ changes here make a big difference - playing Crazy Train with the tone of the other songs. Much better.

[@davidcaro8217]

@kevinc6323 for real, man! And gosh, he was so young and never got the chance to develop his sound.

[@pcbullets8726]

Wow! That EQ compensation hit the tone right on the money. Cheers!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad to hear it! Cheers!

[@danielforsberg4018]

Absolutely spot on, Johan! 👌 I’ve listened a lot to Ozzy’s albums with Randy Rhoads. And I agree with some of the people in the comments; that it may not be the world’s greatest guitar-sound. But it’s got a lot of character to it, that’s for sure! But I don’t agree that he didn’t get enough time to get his tone. Because, they spent quite a long time on it and tried different mic:ings and so on. At least for the “Blizzard”-album. And also; Randy insisted on using his pedal-board, despite the other guys joking about it, calling it the noise board! 😅 Obviously the 70’s pedals, like the MXR Distortion+, contributed to a lot of hiss. One can really hear the Distortion+ as well as the Altec speakers. They play a big role to his sound. I’ve chatted a few times with the producer, Max Norman. And they ended up pointing Randy’s 4x12 cab against a concrete staircase, to get that “edge”. And Randy also used a Variac set to around 90VAC.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Daniel!

[@vorpalblades]

Ozzy called it "The Chip Fryer."

[@danielforsberg4018]

@@JohanSegeborn 🤗 You really nailed Randy’s tone (tones)! Very impressive!

[@danielforsberg4018]

@@vorpalblades, I couldn’t recall the very right name of it! But you’re correct! 😊

[@truereligion7752]

Awesome video and that really nail that tone as I remember listen to OO back in days

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man! Glad to hear it!

[@metalinsights9664]

Randy also used an MXR 10-band EQ. The exact settings can be found online. Basically, he boosted the 500Hz-1kHz region heavily.

[@riangarianga]

I knew many people hated his sound, but I'm surprised with the legion of negative comments. It happens the same when anyone talks about Dimebag Darrell. I personally like it! Since I was a child in those years, and hard rock/heavy metal were mainstream music you could hear on the radio, it always brings me good memories. I remember reading somewhere that he favoured these Altec Lansing speakers because they were sort of more hi-fi sounding. Unfortunately that was long ago and I'm not sure I could trace that back.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah I was surprised too. Yeah it would be interesting to learn how he came in contact with these speakers. It was pretty unusual to change the speakers in a full stack back then

[@riangarianga]

@@JohanSegeborn It seems the spam filter caught my two attempts to reply with links. I actually found the reference I heard years ago. It's in a video called "Randy Rhoads Seminar Part 1", KZbin code HL6DPqAPhS8. He briefly explains his gear. Quote from the seminar: "I had to change the speakers over to Altecs because they're a very bright, clean speaker. The Celestions are really dirty anyway, and if you start adding a fuzzbox to them, it'll sound terrible. I like that added treble and dirt to it.”

[@PeeSocks14]

They both had terrible tone

[@eddieholmes3236]

First time I’ve come across Altec speakers. Sound fantastic!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad to hear it!

[@FleshOnGear]

I love Altecs! They have such an amazing midrange bite, with the added clarity on top. I got into them because of RR’s live tone. I like to mix my 417-8C’s with Celestion Creamback 75’s.

[@tyremanguitars]

that's an amazing tone bro, Rhoads was a true legend!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, he was indeed!

[@joellemaster998]

i love both albums randy did with ozzy,but i always loved the sound on the diary of a madman album...just a fuller punchy recording...awsome! both albums are great though,and randy was the maestro of course!

[@outernationalstudios]

That sounds awesome!

[@adamwatson6916]

Some think Randys Custom had the lower output version of the Tarback superhumbuckers . The T tops were the standard pickup for les Paul customs and Standards but some 70s Standards and customs have been found with factory installed super humbuckers .

[@jeffallen3382]

One NEEDS to really listen to this on some studio monitors! WOW!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Jeff!

[@jeffallen3382]

@@JohanSegeborn you're welcome sir!

[@GoDrex]

I'll be one of the rare few to defend Randy's tone on those albums. when they came out not one person was like oh that guitar sounds terrible. those albums are considered classic and they still hold up today. his lead sound on the album is amazing in my opinion mainly I think because it's double tracked or so. maybe it's not a sound you would want playing in your house but in the mix of a band it works. anyway I think you're really nailed the rhythm tone for sure. pretty cool

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, I’m glad to hear that!

[@stinkystubin]

Actually when Blizzard of Ozz came out I heard MANY people compare him to Ed Van Halen because of his playing ability but they would always say his tone is not that good.

[@Bls-of1ld]

I thought his best tone was from the after hours show but his studio tone certainly wasn't bad

[@davemitchell4222]

Those aluminum dust caps make a huge difference alot of rock guitarists don't like them they take some tweaking and getting used to but when you do they can be amazing I loaded 3 of my 4 x 12 cabs with EV Sro ceramics they are my go to speaker now looking forward to trying the altec's and the rawson sparfields also . By the way keep up the awesome videos love your channel

[@D.T.V83]

great video I love RR and I'm all so a guitar player. when I got into guitar I listened to RR play everything from QR to OZZY and study his tone to the point of insanity and back where I all so have the series one Altec Lansing speaker in my cab but there are only 3 things you truly need for the basic RR tone that's the speaker a vintage MXR Dis+ and a good EQ pedal I use a boss 10band EQ20 pedal on my pedal board my setup is bass around RR just a few different brands of pedals he didn't use because MXR at the time didn't make the pedals he used when I was a young teen but now you can buy them again but not the chorus pedal it has changed over the years any ways I can go on for hours about how to get the full true tone of RR from album to album to live shows I study his tone for the last 20+ years

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man! I appreciate the insight. I’m gonna make a second video where I study the Distortion + and the MXR 10 band more closely.

[@fredvahldiek738]

Great job, Johan! I also have a few old Altecs including the 417-8H. Sounds awesome with a 1987x. They sit nicely between the old Eminences and the old EV SROs. Next step up would be the old EV12L and 12S.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man! Yeah the EV is what Zack Wylde uses I think

[@fredvahldiek738]

@@JohanSegeborn Those are the new EVs that Zakk uses. I think the older ones are more guitar friendly. Mine are about 40 years old.

[@waskerbasket9601]

Sounds like The Germs ‘Lexicon Devil’ when you first started

[@hyperluminalreality1]

Be aware of them plosives when talking into the phone. My subwoofer is going crazy over here. I started playing guitar cuz of Randy in 1984. Randy's S.A.T.O solo is so damn good. People complain that Randy's isolated tone sucks. I never heard those opinions until recently here on the internet. Nobody said his tone sucked back in the early 80's when the albums went platinum. His tone sure works in the mix on both albums. Imagine if he had the same sound as Eddie.... When you think of it that way, Randy's tone could be felt as being more sophisticated.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, I will, those plosives are annoying. And yeah I’m really surprised to see how many that really disses Randys tone with a passion. Didn’t expect that. Why all the vitriol? Glad you like his tone!

[@Bls-of1ld]

Its just recently I heard ppl complain

[@JockeLundgrenTV]

Underbart jobbat. Tack! ❤

[@JohanSegeborn]

Tackar så mycket! ❤️

[@Tools_and_Guitars]

Brilliant! Very well-done.👍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Glad to hear it!

[@VonRock]

thanks for another kick ass video breakdown

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Glad to hear it!

[@patrickhay2561]

Awesome stuff! Seems like there’s usually a dip between 1 and 2k - I wonder if this was an EQ move done after the fact to make room for Ozzy’s vocals, and if it might have been flatter sounding in the room. Regardless it’s cool to hear these kinds of isolated tones!

[@Rickyboricky]

Thanks for the EQ charts!❤

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Ricky!

[@RickHardcore]

Good performance brother!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks brother!

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

Rhoads did use Series II Altec Lansing 417-8H speakers. However, his Les Paul had Alnico III T-tops...they're different than most other eras and Gibson calls them "Super 74" pickups. He used an MXR 10 Band after the Distortion plus with a heavy emphasis on boosted mids. The sound you have is great for his recorded tones! For his Live stuff you'd definitely have to have the 10 band and the Alnico III pickup in a Gibson. Super D in the Polka Dot and a Duncan Distortion Trembucker in the Concorde. For the Distortion Plus....a Vintage Distortion Plus from 79' or 80' is the key....Modern Distortion Plus pedals will not do it....trust me, I've tried! As Always great video from the legend Johan Segeborn!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks my friend, very interesting info. I’m gonna do a video where I compare his live and studio tones! Cheers

[@vorpalblades]

If you're using a 10 band E.Q. any humbuckers will work.

[@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV]

@@vorpalblades that is what you would think. In my Les Paul I tried multiple pickups over the course of a year. Dimarzio super distortion, Duncan distortion, stock alnico II. The sound I was after was Rhoads' After Hours performance. That in my humble opinion is the sole performance that showcases his raw sound. Listen to the opening chords in "I don't know" in that performance. There's this weird growl in the chords. I liken it to a fire breathing Dragon. It's a thick sound but somehow thin at the same time. I discovered alnico II's, Duncan distortions, super distortion and the active pickups I have in another guitar are too high output. The key is low output! Alnico III's just so happen to be the lowest output out of all Alnico pickups. With Alnico III's, made very similarly to Gibson Super 74s, got me that exact sound. Randy's entire rig was counter intuitive to what people think. People hear his live sound and they think gain or high gain. No, that is not it. His speakers altec 417-8h were very clean and bright. They do not naturally distort like celestions do. He used 6ca7 tubes not el34s. 6ca7s are drop in replacements for EL34s but they're designed differently. They end up giving you a slightly altered eq but more headroom which ends up being cleaner. Alnico III's are lower output as I've already stated. All of his gain largely comes from a very loud amp and the pedals but every little thing in between...the pickups, speakers, tubes add or remove characteristics that are specific to that sound. In other words, you can't just dial in that sound.

[@ro307805]

Nice!! How he sounds on blizzard is much different than diary, of which I prefer the latter. Great job!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! That’s my preference as well

[@Bls-of1ld]

In what way ..I really don't hear the difference

[@ro307805]

@@Bls-of1ld it's the production. Blizzard is "canned" to make it seem Gothic. Diary is the straight tone

[@marci84]

Hi Johan i always thinked that Randy used both equalizer and D+ on at the same time or at least EQ always on for rythm and add D+ on solos. I don’t find the D+ midrangy (instead i found it a bit scooped and muffled at high distortion level),that’s why he couldn’t boos the marshall only with D+,especially with the settings he had (found in a rig rundown from his brother Kelly on youtube).

[@markthaddeus242]

Awesome video from you as always Johan 👍🏽🙂 Do you know what my favourite video of yours was? It was the video of you playing a Red Charvel 😁 That was such a badass sound ❤️👍🏽 Just a suggestion? If you are able to, it would be nice to make a video of the Charvel goin through an old Marshall Superbass with an old Boss SD1 for an extra kick and with a Boss CE2 or dimension D waza for modulation on top just for fun ❤️🙂

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, glad to hear it! I’ll keep it in mind! Cheers

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

if you find a balance between the MXR Distortion plus and the gain on the amp the MXR will give you that more naisel sound your doing with the EQ. also crybaby after the distortion used as a filter some times. 😊 The one wite mid does add a gain stage to those amps and randy did that, but i hear the power tubes goung in to warm overdrive in his live playing. 🤠

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi! I’m boosting 12dB at 7k and I’m cutting 12dB at 1.5k. I think it’s optimistic to achieve that with the Distortion +, but as some have suggested here he most likely used an MXR 10 band EQ in pre for some of it, the rest potentially added in post EQ

[@121212Guitars]

I think he used the Distortion + as an always-on boost with the volume all the way up and the drive at 25-50%.. It’s the velvet part of the velvet buzzsaw.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi! When I add my distortion + with those settings to a super lead I can’t increase the volume to more than 3-4 after that it gets too loose and distorted for rhythm but amazing for solos

[@121212Guitars]

@@JohanSegeborn I think some of your sounds in this vid were actually too articulate, and not quite buzzy enough. His sound was punchy in the low mids, which really came through in his muffled picking. I think his sound squelched some of the upper-mid punch that one hears in an AC/DC sound, making Randy’s sound more smooth, compressed - “velvety”. I may have the dist+ settings wrong - conflating them with the way I normally use a rat or klon. Worth mentioning that there is some subtle difference between the block and script distortion +.

[@121212Guitars]

@@JohanSegeborn From RR himself: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqXRh6eLlJinqZIsi=IZRnMeAwSIgz2waY&t=40

[@121212Guitars]

@@JohanSegeborn Gotta be a script MXR. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5-sgJ6AjJiCpdEsi=GQ-XPz-4-CMUxLLK

[@dinartefreitas3344]

And another thing for the TONE of the sound of Randy Rhoads. when i heard Randy performing live in MINEAPOLIS in 82 i was like OH MY GOD.... It started with over the Mountain.... The Drums start And BOOM.... That guitar SOUND is HUGE, That POWER. I listen music from the 70s And 80s i am trying to find anyone with the same or more power than That. I am still trying.

[@rocioarce9993]

Sounds awesome! How do you use the EQ compensation by the way? I'm using cubase pro but never knew it could do that!

[@akasgsvirgil9503]

This man is officially my spirit animal! \m/ \m/

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers 🤘🤘

[@andreas5153]

What a convincing tone! A shame that I sold those speakers.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Andreas!

[@julianrodolfo]

I have the series II, and what I can say is, if you’re not in to spending, just get a new version of the EVM

[@JohanSegeborn]

I think the EVM makes it sound like Zack instead, which by the way is another killer tone

[@bunsenn5064]

The Crazy Train tone almost reminds me of EVH’s guitar tone from the first album, but with the bass completely rolled off.

[@JohanSegeborn]

They are definitely similar Tones.

[@Rickyboricky]

There's an Altec 417h for sale here in Phoenix, for $195... On the other hand, Im getting good results getting his QR Peavey sound with a Fender Mustang GTX50... 😊

[@JohanSegeborn]

Buy it!!!

[@regortex3364]

I’m pretty sure RR used an MXR 10 band eq in conjunction with the Distortion +, a vital part of his tone.

[@JohanSegeborn]

I have heard that from from a couple of guys in the comments so I’m gonna look into it. It would be interesting to investigate how much of the EQ that was added in pre and post

[@regortex3364]

@JohanSegeborn - pretty sure he did the reverse smiley (frowny) face boosted mids thing on the MXR 10 band. It's surprising that a lot of guitarists don't heavily eq their pedals/rigs because so many guitarists tone relied on this, EVH, David Gilmour, Tom Morello etc. etc.

[@Mauser3000x]

Thank you for your awesome work, Johan! You switched from ath-m50x to beyerdynamic headphones recently? Dt1770?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad you like it! Now I use both the m50x, the Dt1770 and KRK VXT8 monitors actually.

[@sonofamustangford5160]

Grymt Johan👏👏

[@JohanSegeborn]

Tackar så mycket!

[@bruzanhd]

Randy would use the Distortion+ with an MXR graphic EQ to prevent the muddiness.

[@JohanSegeborn]

That’s not my experience of the distortion + but then again his unit may have differed from the units I have had. I’d use an overdrive like a tube screamer to tighten up a loose sounding amp instead. Do you know how he combined guitar amp gain and settings on the distortion +?

[@dinartefreitas3344]

I am looking for that sound man, i really am with eq conpensation or without it. I think with that sound making artificial pitch harmonics or natural harmonics the sound is huge and with chords too.when doing solos if you listen live it goes saturated the sound actually the distortion plus transforms in fuzz. In my opinion. I love that altecs the sound is clearer and for the effect pedals resonates beautifully. Great job remaking the legendary Randy Rhoads i wish he was alive. For me he is alive in his music. But to go to the concerts.

[@leftmyhands]

Awesome!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@mblazer4004]

Ive heard numerous commentators say that randy had a terrible guitar tone. Im sure you got it spot on. I have to agree thats its not a pleasing tone. No disrespect to you, you do great work, but im not a fan of the thin nasally sound.

[@temujenbarca1284]

I somewhat shamefully, have to agree... I always thought that it was mainly due to the very poor production quality of Ozzy's first solo albums. Now, I don't know...🤔

[@mikeoxlong4588]

Didnt Randy also have an eq pedal in on his board?

[@LockRocker]

I think they used his Zeus 8401 mini practice amp to record, they are a bit rare and pricey given the association with Randy. Maybe that's contributed to the EQ situation.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi, That’s a 2” speaker. Do you have any reference for that?

[@LockRocker]

@@JohanSegeborn Not exactly, I remember seeing that somewhere and thought they decided to give it a go. Nothing definitive but there is some mention and video of his Zeus at his 2009 memorial on KZbin kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmObn5enocmfbqssi=gPg-sKvEtqDM1XXs

[@siegfriedwashburn3484]

Hi, Johan! Absolutely like those pickups. Better than the original. See you! S.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Siegfried

[@victorbeebe8372]

Mahalo Johan!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Mahalo Victor!

[@kuitaristi3003]

Did you do only one guitar track? I remember that, Randy played 2 or 3 guitar tracks and those was mixed together. Your tone is very close👍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Glad to hear it! Yeah his tracks are definitely dubbed a couple of times. I’m not tight enough to pull that off though

[@NizarOdeh85]

Johan, do modern Marshall amps such as DSL, TSL and JVM really need power attenuators for the best tone? I play them at very volume home.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi! If you wanna play them quiet, the master volume isn’t really giving you a tone as complex and aggressive as if you instead push the power section a bit, and instead limit the volume with an attenuator. The master volume does a pretty good job too though.

[@NizarOdeh85]

@@JohanSegeborn So, do you recommend something like Fryette PS-2A to be used for bedroom playing?

[@Bls-of1ld]

Do the after hours show tone

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

Nailed it. Those Altecs had a certain presence about them that is pretty hard to do with Celestions. Like the sound or not, that's what he got. The only thing I'd say that RR (and so many others do) probably did, was to turn the tone knob down about halfway on the bridge pickup. That smooths it out a little bit and takes some of the "Strat'ish" bite out of it. Don't know 100% if that's what he did, but a LOT of players do that!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Yeah the tone knob cannot be overused.

[@Bls-of1ld]

I never heard that one

[@cornfilledscreamer614]

@@Bls-of1ld It's true. Do it!

[@alanhoggard4554]

Ca you do a video on the eq compensation?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi Alan, I did a video on it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqO6fI2Bf85jhbc

[@stainedclassking]

This sounds pretty right on but didn't he have a cascaded input mod done to his Marshall? According to Marshall he did when they released the 1959RR but it never sounded particularly accurate to me; what you're doing here sounds much closer. There's alot of conflicting information out there on what RR used based on the few interviews he did before he died. For one he had multiple Marshall amps, I can't imagine all of them would have been modded. He also had to play clean parts live which would have been pretty difficult with a cascaded input.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Yeah one of the channels in the 1959RR is cascaded. I think the Altec speakers and desk EQ was the most important thing to his tone. I’m just speculating based on my experiments though.

[@stainedclassking]

@@JohanSegeborn No, you did a fantastic job. More so I think you may have debunked the cascaded input theory and that the amount of perceived gain we're hearing was due to the multi-layered guitar parts. It's been my experience that the more overdubbed guitar tracks you add the less gain you need so it's highly plausible Randy may not have engaged the cascade mod and played mostly it in it's stock configuration for the recording.

[@waynegram8907]

What is EQ compensation? and what are you using to do the EQ Compensation?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi! EQ compensation or matching means that you measure the frequency distribution of a sound you like then you measure the frequency distribution of your sound. Then the application calculates how to EQ your sound to sound like your reference sound. I’m using the EQ curve in Cubase. Hear the tool is demonstrated in a video kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4aTpYKsqtCSabM

[@TheChipMcDonald]

The 3-5k spike was probably helped by a 57, but that notch at 1.5 makes me think he had the presence down (or it's Guitar Hero eq...)...maybe the bass halfway instead of off. Then the 57 halfway between the cinderblock wall and the cab facing the wall tuned that 400-700, which I think was maybe the influence of the Boston records.... Also, the tracks from Guitar Hero may have been re-eqed for the game software's engine. Split with ai and it is not as harsh imo, and there is room mic sound (that comes forward on sustained notes) $.10

[@JohanSegeborn]

The EQ is so extreme (boosts and cuts of 12dB) that at least a significant chunk of it must have been added on the desk in Post

[@1176hambone]

Didn't his marshall have the Cascade Gain mod?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, one of the inputs on the 1959RR is cascaded.

[@gibs8412]

which software did you use to get the eq settings?

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi, I used the Cubase EQ matching tool. EQ curve it’s listed as in the effect list but I think it used to be called Voxengo EQ

[@hugoleclerc-charron3757]

Rhoads was amazing

[@JohanSegeborn]

He was indeed

[@davidteissier5704]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks David :-)

[@cesarcros]

To me crazy train always sounded like it was recorded with out of phase mics

[@JohanSegeborn]

I think the isolated track is two guitars and maybe some chorus and delay on it

[@cesarcros]

@@JohanSegeborn Yes it is definitely double tracked, maybe it is because these two tracks are out of phase with each other?

[@dougiemanross]

Yep. I think they used a couple mics on the cab then a room mic or two then triple tracked all the guitars. They wanted a big tone but what they were left with was an out of phase tinny sound. Still iconic!

[@cesarcros]

@@dougiemanross Crazy how such big albums got such bad producers haha Any guitar sound can become iconic if associated with popular songs and great players I suppose!

[@dougiemanross]

@@cesarcros it’s weird because Max Norman went on to produce the first Lynch Mob record and THAT is what those first two Ozzy albums should’ve sounded like guitar wise. Technology and knowledge just weren’t there yet. What are ya gonna do? 🤷‍♂️

[@keithbox1684]

Well I didn't really care for his tone on the first album and Diary was better but not what I would've gone for. But I remember When Crazy Train came out and Flying High Again came out I remember thinking the guitar has a new and unique sound. Now I realize it wouldn't be better any other way.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah the tones makes the mixes so clear especially on Diary

[@richardbeck4193]

Holy cow !

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers!

[@barano9729]

No modern metal guitarist really wants RR’s tone. Most appreciate it tremendously but very few actually want to emulate it for performances unless they’re in some kind of tribute band.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Given the comments here most actually doesn’t seem to appreciate his tone. Very surprising. The point of emulating different tones is to learn from them and potentially implement aspects of it in your own tone.

[@beatlejuice5951]

Distortion plus was always on, level 3x clock, gain 1 oclock. Also Randy hated his tone on the record's as it sounded thin and buzzy.

[@sl3102]

I thought I would be the one with the controversial opinion here but I see a lot of people disliking Randy's tone. I've always thought it sounds like sh*t to be honest, almost to the point where it ruins the songs. Your tone without EQ matching is pretty neat though.

[@Yupppi]

This is the guitar sound I always thought must have been born in the hands of people who had played their hearing out the door with the amps at full. Because the amount of higher frequencies is borderline painful. Like even on the record it strikes out.

[@JohanSegeborn]

All great guitar tones borders on sounding like something’s gonna break. Whether it’s excess of distortion or treble or feedback, I don’t think a tone is great if it’s not also on the verge of being bad. That of course put the player in a position where he risks looking bad to many.

[@akrmfk]

Compared to the isolated tracks u got really close. Sounds abit harsh for my current taste but that was the sound that made me really learn the guitar back then. Odd..

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Yeah it’s meant to be combined with the band. When the guitar was on it’s own in the tracks I’m sure they increased bass and back off on upper mids

[@akrmfk]

@@JohanSegeborn no, thank u johan, i was really curious about altec speakers and here u are demoing one

[@Mister_Greg]

Perhaps the worst recorded guitar tone in the entire genre. I believe the Duncan Distortion pickup deserves some of the blame. I love your videos Johan!

[@JohanSegeborn]

He used the DiMarzio Super Distortion in the V and T-tops in the LP. Can you distinguish which tracks are which guitar/pickup? I can’t. The tone most likely came from the Altec speakers and heavy desk EQ

[@Mister_Greg]

Thank you for the correction. I would say yes, I can generally distinguish broad classes of pickups regardless of the cabinet at post-processing in the case of low-to-mid gain situations in an isolated track; though not in a mix. I think an EQ or distortion pedal placed between the pickup and the amp has a larger impact since it affects the initial voicing. That said I should probably take issue with the Distortion+. This is in no way meant to diminish the effect of the speaker on tone.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Glad you like the videos! Cheers

[@MrKnisterable]

3:56. 4:17

[@InstruMentalCase]

I’d always heard he used D120F speakers.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Interesting, do you have any reference for that

[@scotthutchens1556]

Johan, I have what should be a Norlin era 1974 Les Paul Custom and the serial # (the 100000 series) says 1970-‘75. These serial numbers are really no help at all. Even for your 1973 model they’re a little more specific but even then not entirely. When I heard this era’s number system was not much use I didn’t know how bad. Norlin must not’ve cared whatsoever. Mine is stamped and harder to read but I can see it better if held in the light just the right way-but not driven and punched deeper into the wood like later ones. Plus, mine has the volute right behind the nut making it manufactured 1970 or after. Can you tell me which run of numbers yours falls in-for security purposes you don’t need to tell me the exact serial number. Just curious what range it’s in. Right now I have a Dimarzio Mega-Drive in the bridge and a Duncan Alnico Pro 2 in the neck. I may go back to a Dimarzio Super Distortion for the bridge.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi Scott! I’m afraid I don’t have the guitar here, but I remember that the date verification needed additional data to be made. I’ll try look next time Im with the guitar

[@scotthutchens1556]

Thanks so much!​ @@JohanSegeborn

[@vinnieramone4818]

It sounds to me like he used a wah about half way and moved it slightly so it sounds like a flanger in parts.

[@JohanSegeborn]

He used a wah at the end of S.A.T.O which sounds so cool

[@sasaki-sasaki619]

いいね！

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@MrGuitarDad]

Sounds like RR alright. One of my top five guitar players but mannnnn his tone on albums was not pleasing to the ear. Jake E had much better recorded tone. Zakk also.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks

[@vorpalblades]

Zakk always sounds atrocious.