The Guitar of Chris Holmes and W.A.S.P. Inside the Electric Circus - WASP

[@Mad_Axe_Man125]

chris is so underrated. Hes one of my favorite guitar players.

[@user-pl7lr5dn8q]

u keep saying underrated but i dont think u know what rhat means. Guitar players know who these “underrated” guitarist are. whi cares what mainstream polls have to say

[@ALANRMOREY]

​@user-pl7lr5dn8q well said sir ! I'm tired of idiots saying he's underrated ! Underrated by who ? B.S.

[@anahowana]

Chris Holmes, a living legend ! Let celebrate his work and life while he is still here ! They are taking off one by one, Hanneman, Dimebag, and now EVH.

[@samunden]

Not gonna lie...Chris is the reason for my love of chorus

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

It is glorious.

[@lasancheofficial1933]

Same

[@johnadams2063]

Haha.. the dude was such a cool rockstar!!!

[@joerobinson2538]

Same here! I can’t play without it!

[@srh361]

I was a thrash guy in the 80s also but I always loved Wasp and Motley Crue.

[@srh361]

@@TheHill1798 That is so true, the metal in the first half of the 80s was totally different than from 86 on. It's when acts like poison and nelson and winger started getting big that I stopped buying those kinds of bands.

[@dizzyastr989]

You can never go wrong with WASP or Crue!

[@edhombre]

Chris has always been one of my favorite guitarists. His Budweiser guitar was my favorite. Sadly lita broke that guitar all to hell.

[@rayprevailer8454]

Wow...Can not believe it. I have been playing guitar for 30 years and Chris is a major influence for me. Chris figured out a signature tone that just rips ass. Very few players get a unique tone. He did it and still has it. Got to see W.A.S.P once. At the Orphium in Minneapolis on the Electric Circus tour. 3 bill show. Raven, Slayer, then W.A.S.P. Thank you.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

So many people are influenced by him and he does not get much hype.

[@kalebvera1841]

He said recently Eddie Van Halen was a big help gettin his sound. he was friends with eddie

[@robertscott5566]

@@kalebvera1841 I was going to say the same thing! Him and Eddie were buddies and Eddie new everything about Marshalls and talk Chris about them! I'm sure you knew this but Eddie used to borrow his Gibson explorer guitar!

[@Gonboo]

A lot of younger people don't realize that a lot of 80s bands used chorus to thicken up their tones and make it heavier sounding. A little will do ya.

[@micahj9828]

That's why the Ampeg VH-140C, Crate GX-130C, and Crate GX-140CH were so brutal. And that preamp circuit was the best solid state circuit ever made.

[@Gonboo]

@@micahj9828 I would strangle a grizzly bear with my bare hands to get a VH-140C in decent shape for a reasonable price. Same for the Marshall 8100. Such amazing amps.

[@micahj9828]

@@Gonboo Not to rub your face in it, but I have had every one of the three at one point, and recently just got the GX-140CH, which is the VH140C with an additional gain channel, plus reverb. It does the Roland JC120 thing SO well. And obviously the Cannibal Corpse tone. There is a company called Aion Effects making a pedal version of the VH140C preamp. He says it will be out by the end of the year. Whether it will run the magic 7.5v/15v op-amps of the original, I don't know.

[@bobowrathsovine.]

To me chorus make rhythm sound far less heavy. Makes the guitar sound more space age which can be good for solos though.

[@camdero3294]

@@bobowrathsovine. that’s why ya have to blend it just enough or set it to a point where it’s just barely there but just enough that it’s making a difference. I just bought a super chorus cuz I thought my sound was a bit dry. SUPER. Thick. I thought a Randall couldn’t get any thicker sounding.

[@kingofdragontown9680]

This is the one I've wanted more than anything.

[@robinhansen292]

Awesome work dude! Thank's for the mentioning , I feel kinda honored now 🙂 And no problem dude 👌I am just happy I could help with this one, since Chris is one of my all time favorite guitar players & Inside the Electric Circus is my 2nd favorite W.A.S.P album 😎🤘

[@junkawakami3193]

i think we should use more chorus and less delay for lead guitars

[@cornelius5595]

There's another KZbinr here, RR0849, that has a big fascination with Chris Holmes. He's got quite impressive documentation of his rig and guitars. Pretty cool original material too, but hasn't made videos in forever. Really enjoyed this one 👌

[@TheGreatBaronOBeefDip]

Dude he was great, he had that finnish guitar palace with stuff on Dave Mustaine and Chris, I miss that dude.

[@harrisonrelf6096]

Yes!!! I have been waiting for this I love Chris' tone

[@ricardothelionhearted3725]

Mr Holmes seems pretty chill,you could probably get him to tell you everything you'd want to know about his gear.Good thing is his cancer is in remission now so yeah.

[@Jaidezilla]

KZbin is messed up. I watch all kinds of guitar related videos and this is the very first time this channel has ever been recommended to me. I am now subscribed.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Thanks man. I swear and talk about sketchy bands so I'm not exactly algorithm gold. Haha.

[@austinfailz]

Chris broke the knobs on his amps once he set the tones.

[@jbusk6298]

Pretty sure your the first person I've ever seen mention there tone, thanks!

[@smashdalde9713]

Dear Edward taught Chris a shit ton about amps when they used to sit around smoking spliffs together.No doubt some of this knowledge manifested in Chris' sound a few years later..great vid once again, man

[@rollingedges9469]

I think in an interview he said ed used his ibanez destroyer for fair warning or wacf recordings after ed "destroyed" his.

[@arthurmckay4202]

My all time favorite player, go glad to see a video like this

[@Joey.Darkwoods-Studio]

Man, if you don't mind me sharing this.... W.A.S.P. was my introduction to a rawer type of metal... My dad was a rock head so I listened to Kiss, Priest, Sabbath, VH, Hendrix etc... the little stuff. And that was about as heavy as my listening vibe was. I was 9 years old and we had just moved into a new area and I noticed a few metal heads on the same street. There were these two long-haired greek brothers' metalheads a few houses down and some other Hispanic dudes further down the street with DRI & Motorhead backpatches, walked around with a snake and that was cool as shit to me... and I am still friends with these dudes to this day... lol So, we moved in July 84' and the 2 greek brothers that lived about 4 houses down, and this is in Montreal, Qc so no suburb shit here! These dudes always had 2 huge Cerwin vega speakers on the front balcony of a 2nd floor blasting metal and they played Scorpions, Kiss, Priest.... A few months later, I became friends with their little brother and one day... during the summer... BAM!!! all I heard coming from that balcony was "You say you don't want to run and hide, a face that no one knows" I was floored and didn't know what the fuck just happened!! I asked the brother to ask what they had playing... That kinda changed my vibe. I started listening to rawer-sounding hard rock/glam metal/heavy metal... and that started the journey into the heavier stuff throughout the years!

[@haatock]

Chris Plays Like A Beast

[@pivotpointfilms]

Keep fighting Chris...best Metal Guitarist...Thee OG

[@DannyGadish]

The THICCEST tone ever

[@Lordhumongus]

Randy Rhoads, Chris Holmes, Vinnie Vincent, Carlos Cavazo, Mathias Jabs and Glen Tipton are all responsible for me playing guitar. Chris was, for me, the most monstrous player and the idea of what I wanted too become. Which would explain my turbulent drug years lol... however I would move on to Thrash and Death metal as well but WASP and Scorpions always stayed in the wheel house for me. I love Blackie voice and still today he is my favorite voice. I later in my life would work with a guy in Texas that was Chris Holmes roommate during the early 2000s when Chris really struggled with things. It was such a cool experience to work with that dude and get too know things about Chris. I love his new stuff bc it is no doubt gritty rock n roll. Chris has a tone that stands alone. The difference between the guys then and now is that those men set themselves apart where as now most of these guys sound the same. Digital. Ill be sad when Chris passes but I find it totally metal that of all people Chris seems to be in good health and still blasting.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Yeah Chris was a giant.

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

I love the raw tone, and that chorus makes it sound way more thick than it actually is. I love the smoke and mirrors approach with guitar tone.

[@JJSkywalker2407]

I was a thrash guy in high school but dug WASP Motley Crue ratt along with Chris my influence is Martin Barre of Jethro Tull I used to jam Aqualung on my Plexi a lot on a Fender Stratocaster

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Can't go wrong with that combo

[@lasancheofficial1933]

Owen we both were into the same music back then, but we both know that WASP with Holmes was always cool, as was Mick Mars. Cure may have been cringe but no one from our genre slagged Mars. Nor Holmes.

[@electriccircusukwasptribut443]

Just watched your video. I`m a guitarist in a WASP tribute, and would really appreciate it if yoiu would share your tone settings. I was lucky enough to play onstage with him a few years ago, and played his "piss yellow" Star.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Thanks man. Off top of my head I can't Remeber but if you watch closely I usually zoom in on settings during the vid. Cheers!

[@electriccircusukwasptribut443]

@@CIRCLEOFTONE how about the chorus?

[@johnadams2063]

Crazy to think there was ever a time Eddie didnt have all the gear he needed . The guy was soooo great..just insane!!

[@UnderratedRiffs]

Thanks! Chris is an excellent guitar player! Love his tones! Check out my Tone for Inside The Electric Circus solo. Only with an old POD XT Pro, and Let me know what you think! 🤘

[@Tinky__Winky]

Your tone for that video is absolutely album perfect man, it’s incredible. I’m thinking about ordering a pod XT to try to dial that in, any tips?

[@UnderratedRiffs]

@@Tinky__Winky Thanks man! I can certainly send you my settings once you buy one of these. But, to explain very briefly, I combined the following: -Amp: Spinal Puppet -Cab: 1x12 Class A / Mic: 67 Condenser -Screamer: 100% drive -Comp/Gate/EQ -Rotarydrum+Horn: 51% mixed, with Tone all the way up to 100% (POST)

[@Tinky__Winky]

@@UnderratedRiffs Thank you so much man! Once I get around to getting one I’ll have to bother you again

[@UnderratedRiffs]

@@Tinky__Winky Absolutely!

[@AceGibson1959]

I remember the good 'ol days of having our Plexi's, JMP's early JCM's modded. These days you don't need to do that. Just about every amp, including budget amps can either duplicate the modded Marshall or really close, right out of the box.

[@GigglingDickhead]

the Tierce de Picardie at the end of the Patreon ballad was a nice touch Owen

[@PorchBass]

Amazing outro tune!

[@Gonboo]

That Chris Holmes bit in Decline was fake. It wasn't even vodka in the bottle, it was water.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

You can hear the seal crack when he opens it.

[@Gonboo]

@@CIRCLEOFTONE From what I heard, during one of the takes after it was opened he dumped at least half if not all of it and replaced it with water for the chugging scene. But that could all be bullshit.

[@bublok]

The man himself said that it was vodka, in one of the latest interviews on his channel

[@Gonboo]

@@bublok Gotta love the internet, guess I was mislead.

[@theadorebundy4514]

Lol not true. It was Vodka. He says it was in interviews. In his recent one with Eddy Trunk he tells about it. Lol ffs... Even redid the interview in a pool on a floaty sober in 2017.

[@ToddTheJoker]

This is great..thanks for this..I was a huge WASP fan..I love that crisp BCRich guitar sound..circle of tone bitch! Chris Holmes was interviewed on Metal Voice ,I think it is called, a few days ago and he talks about EVH..pretty cool if you can believe what he says that is.

[@angusorvid8840]

I was very involved in the L.A. guitar shredder scene in the 80s and Holmes' rig and sound was very typical of those times. Modded Lee Jackson JCMs, Jackson Vs and Charvel stars with Duncan Distortions or Invaders.

[@thomashopper1325]

I'd love to see a video on the bass tone of JFK from Death from Above 1979. There are rundown videos of his gear mainly showing that his tone is natural overdrive from a vintage head and cabs and then takes out a lot of low end with an EQ. But the head and cabs nowadays aren't easy to find I imagine so I wondered how to approximate the tone with a more achievable rig.

[@jbusk6298]

What type of Master Volume mod is on your plexi? Is it a Jose style with clipping diodes or a post phase inverter master?

[@georgemcmillan9172]

I used the Ibanez dely/chorus rack unit back in the day. In fact I had two of them. I really wish I had them now...

[@zachwinkelmann5881]

Was hoping someone would cover this... Yes!

[@konnorfoxworth9632]

Well, since this is the 35th Anniversary of Electric Circus, I actually did make a fictional 1900’s style poster of a live WASP concert doing an anniversary edition of Electric Circus. This was even done in college.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Hehe

[@thelight888]

this guy here is good people......and very competent.....

[@bigpapi2658]

The Duran Duran Bass line on Rio is killer!!!

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

How did he find the time to rehearse so much in between hair styling and clothes wearing?

[@electriccircusukwasptribut443]

I'm in a wasp tribute band. Chris has said he will call me at some point, and help me with his tone, but its not happened yet. Can you go into more detail with your settings? Can't get chorus to sound good. Cheers

[@neddistanz]

Did you use the chorus before the amp or did you have it after the preamp section in the effects Loop?

[@johnadams2063]

Holmes was a great rock star.. loved the guy and wasp.. so pimp back in the day

[@larrybrown7273]

Chris A Pure Legend You Left The warlock Blackie The Endorsement Until They Bellie Up The Head Back Chris Blew Alot Of Shit Up Too

[@larrybrown7273]

And Chris Been Sayin A Long Long Fuck Blackie

[@neilwishart3162]

Yas! Love WASP.

[@hardrockrelics2157]

What a great EVH story

[@bingefeller]

This is going to be great!!

[@tyranonaut]

The Lexicon Parametric EQ is the key to his sound. Just the preamp alone gets you mostly there.

[@DragonboltBlastter]

Nopes, you need the right speaker!

[@calebhughes5365]

Yes yes yes yes yes finally

[@mottosierra1372]

I think that the wasp live raw album sounds very close to the motley's GGG album guitar tone

[@lasancheofficial1933]

What Master Volume on the second 1959 Owen? Do you know for sure which one? Was it a cascaded master on the front end, or a post phase inverter master? There are 4 different variations of the PPIMV according to the Trainwreck Pages in Weber’s Book of Hope Tube Guitar Amps.

[@lasancheofficial1933]

And not your amp, Holmes’ amp.... But yeah, sure, what master is on yours too just for gp...

[@massttrshrdrharmonicminor2002]

Weekend Nachos, punish and destroy Rotting Out, Vandalized

[@UnderratedRiffs]

@2:30 IF what you are saying is true, then Chris would step down more than a half step, because all Classic W.A.S.P. songs are in Eb tuning

[@arthurmckay4202]

Exactly

[@j80282]

His duncan is different had rods on both sides no screws. Chris was first Rockstar i met. He was outside the city limits club in Connecticut. I said hey Chris what time you guys go on tonight. He says "kid idk where tf i am"😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Jaidezilla]

Are you running that chorus before the amp or after the preamp? I thought those amps didn't have effects Loops so if you are running it after the preamp how do you do that?

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

It's in front of the amps.

[@Jaidezilla]

@@CIRCLEOFTONE wow that was fast. Thanks for the quick reply. I know I've tried chorus over the years in both positions and they both seem to work really well. I know some guys modified amps to add effects Loops to him so I wasn't sure if you would done that or what. Also thanks for doing this wasp video. I love wasp.

[@willk.illyouii5583]

Ok, i didnt see any of the guitars chris plays? I just saw you playing?

[@caljerm]

If you dig in on low frets don't your fingers drag on the fretboard on bends?

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

You have to stab in and out quick with the right hand to let the bend ring.

[@sleepy_druid1001]

Yayyyyyyyyy

[@outoforder9348]

My mate rod smallwood calls blackie lawless bloody clueless when he’s not around 😂😂🤣

[@thrasher5122]

Heavy!!!

[@christopherwoods6]

Duncan Distortion and Dimarzio Super 2.

[@johnadams2063]

Holmes was a cool rock star!!! I thought so anyway.. haha!!!

[@andrewmuelleranantababaji8073]

Can you please cover more 69 to 72 bands some of best

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Good shout. My dad was in Badfinger. I'm kinda obsessed about that era.

[@andrewmuelleranantababaji8073]

What string gage what material strings and what pick up?

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

I mention string gauge and pickups of Chris. 9-42 and probably a Duncan distortion. I used 9-46 and a Gibson T Top from the late 60's.

[@daveshort6568]

Chris used 9-42, tuned to E flat. Often used Duncan sh-6 pickups, as well as pickups that Tony Iommi gave him. I know Chris. We've talked a lot about this stuff.

[@alexanderlagomarcino5878]

Awesome as always man ! Please do System of a Down next !

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

I have a folder on that.

[@rmrm1002]

Chris seems to walk the line! Which almost none of them did.

[@jamdalf4343]

I bet Chris was just using a Marshall 2203 100watt amp and a Tom Scholz "Rockman", lol!

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

These two were kzbin.info/www/bejne/mICymYGGj9uJbpI

[@Nokšė0]

You are right chris is not famuos HOW HES REALLY BEST

[@sleepy_druid1001]

Awww u didnt do the pool scene, kinda sad lol

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Yeah I was going to do it but it fell through.

[@kennethnielsen3864]

50.

[@johnadams2063]

Not as much gain but your OD ing on the gay.. yeah!!!

[@johnadams2063]

He was acting in the movie.. not real..

[@angrytroll27]

Im a massive WASP fan but Chris always reminded me of Beavis from Beavis and Butthead

[@myerkord]

great ass amps but... a cheap ass guitar

[@joebesser6574]

Sorry, not even close to his Ripping Tone….

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Apology accepted

[@pjsmith2744]

Your fucking kidding me mate!!! Oh black metal is terrible then you defend WASP those shock rockers from the 1980s!! 😂😂😂😂

[@estring69]

Wasp was the cheesiest yes. But yeah, fine in retrospect.

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Agreed.

[@estring69]

Blind in Texas was an instant classic though. It holds up well.