Jimmy Page's Secret Distortion Trick

Thanks again to James Santiago and Dave Berners for showing me this crazy trick, and to Universal Audio for sponsoring todays video!
Today we're at the Universal Audio headquarters checking out their new 1176 Compressor pedal, but more importantly, the two pieces of gear that its modeled after, and the crazy trick that was used on Led Zeppelin's classic Black Dog.
And thank you to Philip Conrad‪@philipconradmusic‬ (bass) and Chad Collins @Chadman_Aye (drums) for playing in the studio for this one!
GEAR LINKS (affiliate links)
UAFX 1176 Studio Compressor Pedal
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[@whiplash415]

I love this video. Please make more videos about Zeppelin tones

[@saucerfullofzepp4203]

This Please!!!!!!

[@voronOsphere]

Heck yeah!

[@jeffdixon847]

You’ll have to wait for another pedal company to promote something that has a Zeppelin play to it. This isn’t a Zeppelin tutorial. It’s an ad.

[@voronOsphere]

@@jeffdixon847 It's the kind of ad I love!

[@voronOsphere]

@@jeffdixon847 BTW, not all Rhett Skull uploads are ads. He can do more videos about Jimmy Page's tone without it being an ad.

[@ChristianInSanDiego]

As you pointed out, James seems like he has some real depth of knowledge on this stuff. I'd like to hear more! Rock on kids!🤘

[@clownhands]

I don’t think this sounds good (or anything like Page) and I feel like we’re doing that hipster thing of standing around and being like oh that’s interesting

[@squiertelecaster6854]

Jimmy's real secret trick is ... He is really good, he played great compositions.

[@b00ts4ndc4ts]

It's the feeling he puts in his playing, the contrast between light and dark and that comes with playing all the time, putting in the graft isn't it?

[@richardclark.]

Everyone talks about Eddie's swing and he had it in spades. But Page had that, and so much feel, Touch, mood, pocket, etc... Even being a legend Page is under rated.

[@eriksebastian6637]

Tone is all about the jacket

[@jordan11752]

Yes and also he was a great producer/ audio technician

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

Yup. The real trick is actually showing up to practice, but we all know guitarist don't wanna hear that. It has to be the magical diodes.

[@jamesmarcin4787]

Great video. I remember reading about this technique being used on Black Dog a bunch of years ago. When tracked with multiple guitars and used in a subtle way its a great effect but by itself not so much.The Beatles used this technique as well. Keep these great videos coming.

[@annode]

Yes, Lennon's guitar is straight to board for 'Revolution'. Maybe same as 'Black Dog'?

[@mrwizardalien]

The pedal just arrived and it's better than I was even expecting! great as a sustaining compression, great as a kind of boost, and it can even do a kind of fuzz sound when combined with other pedals!

[@paullevinson2010]

OMG, for years I've been saying that a lot of Page's sound in studio never sounded like an amp I ever heard and thought maybe it was direct input like bass players do and tweaked out in the mix! Finally, clarification about all that! The sound quality of the double 1176's sounds similar to an out-of-phase switch (OOP) so prior to all this my thought was he used his pickups switched OOP through a pedal and direct into the board and pre-amped by the channel gain. Anyways, this has all been very enlightening. Thank you so much! 🤘🤘

[@peacefulruler1]

Don’t forget his Germanium Fuzz pedal was used for Whole Lotta Love and others

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

Jimmy and all the greats back then managed to make the best sound out of what they had. We now have infinitely more specific gear and stil try to copy their old set ups. We guitarists are hard to please!

[@dodgedandle8311]

I know it’s Madness gone Mad , All the Gear and endless possibilities, AI and god knows whatever other Nonsense and yet The Best was still Done with them Great Bands from The 60s and 70s with stuff that hasn’t been bettered really when you think about it,it’s just a bit more convenient now.. 👍🏻⭐️

[@danmorrison8746]

I'm pleased.

[@richardclark.]

I have had the pleasure of recording this way on occasion. Something that wasn't touched on was that your guitar and pup choice become very important. Tele gonna Tele and a master gonna jazz.

[@mark.guitar]

Superb video Rhett. This is the first decent explaination of what UA have put in their 1176 pedal. More importantly it explains why. Cheers.

[@jeremythornton433]

Now I have to try this with my Strat running in and out and back in both channels of my ART VLA II stereo compressor. It won't be the same, but it might be amazing in it's own way! You never know until you try.

[@matthewf1979]

It sounds like a cheap solid state amp from the 70’s/80’s to me. Nothing like the record. Maybe a demonstration with a mix would have been better. I’ve been disappointed with boutique compressors before. The Origin Cali76 has either a design flaw or the last couple I had to return were broken. The noise floor was atrocious. Hopefully UA’s pedal can deliver because I want a compressor that does that super long hang thing.

[@4unkb0y]

super tips folks, awesome stuff. I never understood why my stereo compressor has a button to dump one channel into the other. now I do. thanks!

[@basildog007]

If someone is looking for a cool compressor pedal, try the Carl Martin Andy Timmons signature.... It's my holy grail after I tried so many of them... Too many... Boss, MXR, Source Audio, EH, Walrus, Earthquaker, Keeley, Pigtronix... You name it... So I hope it spares someone some time. Carl Martin from 10 years ago beats them ALL by a LONG SHOT... It feels like studio quality. Anyways, I love compression. Great video. Cheers everyone 👍

[@Hugoknots]

but have you tried the origin effects cali 76 stacked edition. That is the true holy grail for guitar compression pedals.

[@dreamscuba]

Great video. I had heard about the distortion coming from several compressors, but never seen it demonstrated. I think the key, as articulated in the video - in the context of a mix. By itself, it doesn’t sound great. But, in a mix, it works so well. Nice.

[@thomassabarly6700]

Bro Dr. Berners is ripped, amazing video btw

[@chesneytube1]

Nothing screams rock and roll more than affiliate links

[@BluesboyJagCigarBoxGuitar]

Huge Zip fan, IV was one of thre first lp's I purchased in 1977. Thanks for this video!

[@professorpedropontes4402]

Not only the gear does brilliant stuff, your slide playing blew me away.

[@JohnsDough1918]

DI guitar sounds are underrated. Of course you can't get them to sound like a traditional amp, but that's the point. Sometimes, you just need an heavily compressed, heavily EQed direct signal to get your sound to stand out in the mix.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

@8:00 running your rig through an ancient tube tape recorder you can get some of these similar vibes. The tubes act as the compressor.

[@gregantonowicz2818]

Hey Rhett, where can I hear the entire little wing you did there? Sounds fantastic!

[@blueslawyer]

I love this method with the EHX Black Finger.

[@Stratguy10NZ]

Super educational - thanks heaps Rhett and UA

[@snapfinger1]

That’s why engineers & producers make the big bucks got you sounding Lowell George.

[@gyslainbeauchamp9241]

Great review,Nice trick,

[@K0kEEE]

Love the dive into some Zeppelin tones, there's a lot of misconception around what Jimmy Page actually used in the studio, like for example the fact that Whole Lotta Love is played on a Vox amp, I think one of the old Super Beetles from memory, and also that he rarely used marshalls in the studio

[@jacobsmith6773]

never used marshalls. small fenders, supros, vox

[@geschickt]

@jacobsmith6773 I swear I remember reading that for Heartbreaker, Page said something along the lines of using a pared down version of his live rig (by that time, LP & Marshalls) mic'd up in the studio for that track? They're a pics of him tracking guitars for LZ II at Olympic Studios where you can plainly see the Vox head cokefreak117 mentioned, and also a Marshall head & cab. Likewise for most/all of Presence...? They sure sound like it--but Page was a master of sonic "trickery" (so to speak) in the studio. Still, those pics from that recording session don't lie, fwiw.

[@K0kEEE]

@@geschickt In the same interview where Jimmy Page talks about using the Super Beetles on Whole Lotta Love, he talks about towards the end of recording Zeppelin 2 he was using a marshall, I believe specifically on Heartbreaker or something like that, you are correct :)

[@jacobsmith6773]

@@geschickt “Once I’d done the second album, the Marshall is being used by the end of those tracks [recorded] in New York. I got those during that ’69 tour. So maybe Heartbreaker was done on a Marshall. And that’s how it stayed, with the Marshall cabinet all the way through.” looks like youre right. He was still using hiwatt live up until early 70's though

[@timetraveler8777]

Page called that amp used on zep 2 super beetle but it was Vox UL7120, 120 watt, ibryd amp with solid state preamp and power tube

[@resofactor]

This was a really kick ass video, yo. Shout out to UA.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

I never knew the exact gear he used but it sounded like an overdriven FET stage in a compressor.. I had assumed he just used the console built in compressor stage when the Solid State boards starting coming out (late 60s) .. it just has that sound (double tracked ) . Cool to see it was this gear..and it was ubuitous stuff at the time to see this gear. So he used the console and outboard gear - yes it adds a flavor for sure it speaks volumes about the quality of these mixing consoles as well.

[@andypomeroy7447]

SWEET! Now I want another pedal. This is a great video & sharing of information to help us be better players.

[@solaris70]

some of the inexpensive guitar practice amps and even bass amps we used and played in the late 70's to late 80's had that type of sound as if one of the Humbuckers or single coils was tøø low away from the strings the midrange treble would seem to be absent for the middle 4th 3rd strings, yet sustain was still available for the bass tones 6th and 5th strings often during jamming or noodling - yet when learning or rehearsing, practicing - the notes come before the drop off sensation effect of the amp and pickups in most songs so the higher treble strings 2nd and 1st would have clear sound and tone before the decay instead of fading away.. almost similar to blown speakers in a car or pickup truck.. so it was necessary to be proficient and have a precise attack on the notes that need to be heard from each of the strings and as chords. especially with live drum set where the percussion from the guitar players needs to be proficient otherwise probably won't hear anything from the guitar (s) except the bass and midrange many times options for adjusting the amp were just more volume and midrange so scooping the sound would not really work in those situations - until better pickups and pedals and better amp was available somewhere along the journey and then it' was possible to get more in sync sound wise to what was being produced released that one would hear on the radio peavey and crate practice amps really were the go - to for hard rock and metal and having tabs in back on the speaker was a bonus to connect to more stand alone speaker(s) we would aLways' ALLwAYyszzz trying to sneak the parents the adults home stereo system speakers everyone had during those times 😉 of course a big fender twin reverb or Princeton would be nice a real Strat would be nice and easily a half or full stack ¿marshmallow? Marshall but oftentimes nobody had a gibson les paul or fender strat we got whatever we could afford in the instruments and amplifier world while saving up for a vehicle at 16 . yes the lawsuit era . amazing period of time that decade before grunge and alternate and CD players it was aLL rAd .. heLLa rAd 🔥⚡😎⚡🔥⚡🤘 6:30 - 6:50

[@cowabungaw9958]

Some inconsistencies here. The original studio trick used 2 - 1176's, here 3 were used. Also in this demo an unspecified preamp was used between guitar & 1st 1176. Apples & oranges = The top 1176 meter button looks like its monitoring the output on +8dB setting while the bottom 2 units are on gain reduction. A signal flow chart along with the all settings would be nice.

[@timmungenast]

Such great sounds in here! This would be great for Under the Bridge.

[@Popskull_666]

Loved this!!!

[@horizonishere]

Perfect shirt is perfect for slide playing

[@shilesw5324]

Id love to see a video on Jimmy Page's 'guitar army' method of recordong guitar parts.

[@mrcopeland3996]

Very Interesting. Complex to me. Would love to have that set.

[@brianwood7237]

And you got to go to Santa Cruz too...not a bad trade off

[@marvinm.messier1120]

I'm thinking Roger McGuinn, and his Ric 12 too. tasty sustain - like a Super Squishee.

[@astrovenus8345]

Wow., this was such a dope vid Dude. Kudos. Im sold.

[@miltonfmn]

Led Zeppelin é sempre surpreendente!

[@robertbuffalo8287]

Back in the 70s I plugged my guitar into my stereo system to get a similar fuzz effect.

[@amiriteshyalaman]

This video and the Ross pedals relaunch have me excited about where the craft of guitar playing is headed

[@mburtondavis]

Whoa. That’s pretty cool.

[@donaldr.dieffenbach7713]

The Beatles did it on "Revolution" too.

[@SeeMick1]

Totally thought this was gonna be an Echoplex video

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

In theory, you could do the same with a boost into a compressor, right? As the first comp is not compressing, it’s in fact, just boosting the direct signal.

[@darwinsaye]

This is the question I’ve been trying to determine. But if the first comp is *just* boosting, then the distortion is happening in the second comp; but they say in the video that the first comp is the one distorting. Elsewhere, I read that one of the characteristics of the 1176 is that it has some inherent distortion, so maybe it is actually just that they are pushing the first one so hard that it’s clipping, and then they’re just taming volume with the second? I don’t know, but I think that as an explanation of this sound this video is actually a big fail as the explanation they give is very vague.

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

@@darwinsaye that got me confused as well. However, they say they’re “smaking the front of the note” with the first comp. That’s why I think the second comp act as a limiter. Those old comps must have a preamp of some sorts (like an Echoplex), wich, in theory, make them an “amp” in itself.

[@pedrova8058]

Not really. The 1176 (the original rack unit) has audio transformer in the input/output (line level). Also, it uses single transistors, and the distortion generated by the FEt in the imput/ control in the compression level, adds a bit more distortion in extreme settings. . The channel of the Api consoles, or Neve consoles _ in addition to the input transformer (which is the one that receives the balanced signal)- have a "discrete" operational amplifier, built with individual transistors, and are asymmetrical ("class A" amplifier input, like Rangemaster topology for example). Modern op amps have balanced inputs ("current mirror /cascode input", with class "AB" output amp), with less noise, less distortion, in one package (chip), more "precise" amplification. . All of this means that these old consoles and equipment, despite being "solid state", have a different type of distortion than that generated by equipment with modern Operational Amplifiers.

[@pedrova8058]

@@darwinsaye it's the first compressor that "distorts", its input and output transformer, and the discrete transistors in the gain/amp circuit (look at the VU meters, well above "normal" operating levels) The topology of the gain circuit is very similar to that of a fuzz pedal, except that it has a huge headroom (it works with 30V or something close to it)

[@darwinsaye]

@@pedrova8058 Thank you.

[@flmason]

So what are we saying here... Some FET distortion driven into a compressor makes a cool sound... kinda wondering if that will work in a DAW... just running guitar through a wave shaper, to a compressor, maybe followed by a limiter and some dynamic EQ.

[@gregmize01]

Rhetts slide tone was nearly as good as Josh's!

[@raymondmeers]

So are you giving up on using Amps in your new studio? I doubt it. You love analog, tube compression of an Amp and then speakers. I am one of your long time followers, an old(1949) boomer. I recently bought my 1st good tube amp(I had a crappy one in the 60s) Mesa Boogie California Tweed and it sounds amazing! I doubt I could get that sound from a pair of 1176s.

[@voronOsphere]

Great video! Thanks, guys!

[@foxburroughs9149]

Worth mentioning: 'Black Dog' is overdubbed 3 times as such.

[@darwinsaye]

Still not clear on where the drive is coming from. Is the first compressor that is cranked, clipping -or is it clean-boosting into the second one so hard that the second one is clipping?

[@FeelingShred]

either way, you can achieve same result with a cheap booster pedal clone

[@darwinsaye]

@@FeelingShred No, not at all. A clean boost will drive your amp into distortion and you will hear the sound of amp distortion. The point here is that either one compressor is driving the other compressor to distort by boosting *it*, or the first compressor is just driving itself to distortion by being turned up all the way. Either way the sound of a compressor distorting is a totally different sound than the sound of amp distortion resulting from being pushed with a booster.

[@FeelingShred]

uhm good point, it's boosting it but not distorting... good catch

[@FeelingShred]

Fender Vibrolux? Or was it Vibroverb? There's this album from the band Extreme from 1995 called Waiting for the Punchline that had such elusive recording process with lots of different gear, to this day people have to guess how it was recorded, probably Fender amps with some kind of distortion to give that "roomy" tone. That album recording process yields a documentary of content in itself

[@FeelingShred]

another mystery in terms of recording is the Buckethead album Shadows Between The Sky... is it acoustic guitar plugged in distortion pedal? or is it electric guitar with clean tone cleaned out? I can't decipher it... or maybe some kind of VST simulation (these were already around in 2010)

[@FeelingShred]

and of course Dire Straits 1978 debut album, it's a raw clean tone straight into the amp at the same time so simple yet nobody can replicate it

[@IamMedicine]

Thanks!

[@strangeuniverse1199]

Jimmy Page was going to the moon with his ideas and musicianship in the late 60's and early 70's while everybody else was still on planet earth. (however Hendrix had already landed on Mars at the time!)

[@youropionmattersnot]

I'm more impressed with Dave being SWOLE like it's real job. Dude is ripped. Don't let that "dad bod" get ahold of you out of anger. 😅👹

[@bryanwilliams3665]

( For Page Tone chasers)My new MSG 50th Anniversary Pickups will get you the sounds from 'The Song Remains The Same".I was fortunate to know Jimmys guitar tech..The vid is the latest one on my channel .

[@jordan11752]

That Les Paul through the rig sounds nasty

[@AntonioLopez-bc6qg]

Which Two Rock Model is that in the background? Cool moss green suede.

[@alk399]

Is the Two Rock placement a teaser and Easter egg for an upcoming video

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

This is somewhat correct, but Page said the main riff is triple tracked -- one guitar split 3 ways, each split is tweaked to avoid phasing. He said it created an almost synth-like effect.

[@SixStrings2wheels]

1) Tell me about that Strat! 2) When did you get the Two Rock?? Looking forward to hearing some in depth videos about that Two Rock!

[@glennmichaelthompson4112]

I need to upgrade my compressor and love the tones you were getting with UA 1176 in this video. Before pulling the trigger I have to consider what else is available... the more expensive Universal Audio UAFX Max Preamp & Dual Compressor appears to be much more versatile. Wondering... is it worth the extra cost? It's about $100 more and was released earlier this year. I'd be grateful for any feedback. Thanks.

[@donbishop6994]

Black dog is hands down my favorite Led Zeppelin song, and it isnt even close.

[@timetraveler8777]

It's really close instead, of the studio version

[@vp5209]

When I was 12 or something I plugged my guitar in karaoke microphone input of a budget Sony stereo system and got the same crappy sound

[@MegaElvisd]

In other words, the "Plugged into your 1970's JC Penny's Realistic stereo because you were 13 and hadn't gotten an amp yet" sound. Fondly remember that tone.

[@viciousattackvideo]

Yeah, it ain’t the compressors, it’s the overdriven Helios giving it the drive. They were designed to attempt to achieve a tubelike sound, since that was the gold standard at the time and transistor consoles were still relatively new in 1969.

[@mshioty]

So where does the surprise part come in?

[@Tyrell_Corp2019]

God dammit! lol. I just spent $300 on a Fuzz Box to get close Page's tone. It arrived today and I've been playing Black Dog all day. Now I have to get this? I will! 😂 (Sounds awesome)

[@JRandallS]

Okay Rhett, I ordered through your link.

[@rm_0605]

Do those compressors have any tubes? The rack looks kind of big for only FET transistors.

[@brunocorreia5592]

It sounds like my crappy Squier SP10 (i got in a Squier bundle) that costs less than 40euros Would you play with that tone? i love your channel, but i dont get this post

[@FeelingShred]

okay I get it, the guys have to make a living, but that Les Paul tone... yuck, it sounded really digitized, not even my entry level Zoom multieffect pedal could sound like plastic like that... not sure why they picked that specific sound to advertise their product 🤣

[@theirritatedirishman5440]

Lowell George basically did the same thing using 2 MXR Dynacomp pedals. One was compressing and the other pushing it

[@armandoarciniega1462]

Sounds horrible by itself

[@wce74wce15]

could you replicate this with vst compressors

[@tone1798]

Rhett, you keep hitting them out of the park! I am learning so much from the great content, conversations and playing that this channel offers! THANK YOU!

[@hawg427]

Which album is the one they recorded in a castle in England? I wonder what Jimmy used later in his career when the band got back together for special performances?

[@FeelingShred]

okay but I really wanna know how PRESENCE was recorded 1976 🤘🤘

[@fredfloyd68]

Our best instrument was the teac reel to reel...

[@scottycaps]

What's the specs on that sweet strat?

[@seanzinger]

This distortion sounds pretty poopey

[@lithominium9955]

Yeah thats what normal guitar tones sound like outside of a mix A guitar tone for a mix sounds like absolute shit on its own, but great with drums and bass

[@muaddib01]

​@@lithominium9955nah, if you listen Page's guitars isolated they blow your mind

[@phabi0]

​​​@@lithominium9955you're wrong.

[@bobbert6770]

​@@phabi0 why is he wrong

[@phabi0]

@@bobbert6770 because guitars don't sound bad like that on their own. Saying it only sounds good with other instruments is like saying cheese only tastes good if it's in a sandwich. The tone on the video is the result of very old pickups (they are a lot better these days) connected to a device where the impedances don't match (they were not made for that purpose). The result is unintended distortion and loss of some frequencies. Now get a pair of good Seymour Duncans and hook them up to a good tube amp, the result is completely different and it will sound very good and pleasant on its own.

[@jimhart1959]

Darn cool, and unexpected.

[@CaevanOShite]

(Pssst- Rhett Shull- the thumbnail/still image dusplay reads, "Jimi Page's Secret Distortion Trick", just so you know... )

[@vangogh7127]

is it me? does that sound good? i am totally missing something

[@vangogh7127]

the fuzz sound i mean. the clean is good

[@oxygen69able]

He used a small Valco amp turned all the way up.

[@knockoutguitarist087]

Can you give me the inside secret to the Leslie sound he has on wanton song.. because no pedal gets the sound right

[@vinivola]

Was the strat in standard tuning or tuned lower?

[@jeffreypaulross9767]

How did Jimmy Page get that rubbery, liquid, sound on the “Dazed And Confused” solo?

[@dasczwo]

i tend to dislike companies shelling out the same oll dsp with a couple of pots running a vst clutering my board calling em pedals, charging more then hand soldering boutique pedal makers for theirs. this computer with knobs makes sense. so i stfu. love the ruby too. oh uafx, you started with " buy one box, sound lika a whole studio" look where youve ended up.... when is your helix alternative coming? id better start saving.... at least 2 stereo paths in, and 2 phantom power mic pres please. and the mesa recto please

[@mcmentalmusicmakers3219]

Didn't Gilmour use this direct on the wall also

[@BaronVonNebula]

Tone is in the fingers

[@moritzmaier.studio]

Ok, NOW I have a reason to put some 1176s in my studio rack 😂

[@Bldyiii]

He would turn the dial to 11

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

😮

[@BigBri550]

There's no fuzz pedal that will do that? Try running an overdrive and/or compressor pedal into a board.

[@allenanderson4911]

Saw SRV play super clean Jazzy tone on Lenny and then blister the crowds face off with raunchy distortion a split second later .... Live. No pedal. Into an amp. Without a significant change in volume. So how again?

[@ohpotatoesandmolasses]

Lauren Audio makes a 1176 preamp pedal called the Aerocomet that fucking rules.

[@jocallaghan]

"There's no fuzz pedal that does this." @jhspedals this sounds like a challenge to me...👀

[@AL_1991]

So in order to nail his trick you need to buy a whole top-notch music studio. Nice Rhett! Once I get the money I’ll do it. Also I will buy KZbin a close your channel just for the sake of it.