UAFX Lion: Pete Thorn, Blues Saraceno & James Santiago at Sound City Studios

[@sweetwater]

If you were hosting a dream roundtable discussion on sound or gear, who would you want to see pulling up a chair? Tell us in the comments below, and don’t forget to drop by Sweetwater for a closer look at the UAFX Lion pedal 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Universal_Audio_UAFX_Lion_68_Super_Lead_Amp_Pedal

[@RokDAWG1]

I'd want Phil X, Jack White, Yvette Young & Isaiah Sharkey. All very different players, with amazing skills. Different outlooks, approaches and very effective in their delivery of their craft.

[@JockeLundgrenTV]

John Sykes, Michael Wagener, Wolf Hoffmann, Vivian Campbell. 😇

[@jeffk8391]

I like Pete Thorn in everything, so you can always bring him back. Get Tim Pierce, Tom Bukovac, Chris Shiflett, Mark Tremonti or Joe Bonamassa too

[@jeffallen3382]

George Lynch!!!

[@lunchbox105]

Rhett Shull, Pete Thorn, John Suhr, Dave Friedman, Ian Thornley, Mateus Asato, Tim Pierce, Chris Buck, Jack White, and a couple unkown/amateur/hobbyist guitarists.

[@mrbuttons1243]

I love seeing Blues in so many videos lately.

[@ribbonsofeuphoria5744]

Playing here through a digital pedal. It is all in the hands

[@JimiHL]

Haven't heard of BS since the 80s. Wouldn't have recognized him at all.

[@GmanMusicProductions]

It's funny how not once was a real Plexi used and if you didn't know that, you'd swear they played through one. James Santiago is a national treasure who curates the vintage gear into digital format so we have a chance to experience playing one Kudos to James and the UA team!

[@doc_matter]

I dont know man, at 44"40 for example you can specifically here the non natural clipping, has that transistor sound to me. No smooth clipping at all, the tones smooth still but the clipping sounds abrasive. I'm all for it, it's sweet. I'd buy it, but definetly not indistinguishable.

[@Jarrodpimental]

Well I am listening to this on a 1mm speaker

[@Jarrodpimental]

Kidding aside though. It does sound great though and I want one

[@zenlandzipline]

@@steve10358yeah. Pair it with one of the small Seymour Duncan solid state power amps that are like the size of a foot pedal, and you’ve got yourself a good sounding practice amp. (With a little 1-12” cab). Almost like the old Pignose! Edit to say there is some company making small pedal size tube power amps, too. KMD or some name with a K in it. Cant remember exactly.

[@steve10358]

@@zenlandzipline that’d be killer for sure

[@JockeLundgrenTV]

Blues Saraceno is a FORCE! Thanks! 🙏🏼

[@dananthony6258]

That dog looks exactly like my Harley boy that died. That dog put up with all my guitar for so many years . RIP little dude.

[@thebenefactor6744]

I like when animals do that little head snap when you surprise them a bit, but you take it personally, and start immediately reevaluating your phrasing choices.

[@matthewgonzales3970]

One of the most enjoyable and fulfilling videos I've watched in a while. Think about how, no matter where the discussion started, at the end of the day, it comes back to Eddie. He was a TRUE pioneer and literally REDEFINED not only the SOUND of the electric guitar, but how guitars were actually BUILT. He defined an entire generation of electric guitar and now, almost FIFTY YEARS after he arrived on the scene, we are STILL talking about his sound and companies are STILL doing their best to duplicate every nuance of it. Mind-blowing. I watched the first video with James and Nick, and ordered the pedal immediately afterward. I was so impressed. As a former vintage Super Lead owner, I can't say enough about it. They absolutely NAILED it. I plug into it, and lose two hours. It's that good.

[@Sphere282]

Blues feel and tone is unbelievable

[@shakarocks]

Nick is actually a great facilitator. This video is probably the best I've ever watched regarding the nuances of the Plexi. I'm going to have to buy the pedal.

[@thomascleveland]

Its amazing

[@matthewgonzales3970]

I owned a '71 JMP for 25 years. It was pretty unique in that it had a really sloppy MV mod, but it was glorious! As a working musician, it was really hard to keep up with a 40+ year old amp. I've since moved on to more portable solutions. I was intrigued when this came out so I bought this pedal and I dialed in THAT tone in less than 5 minutes! It TRULY reacts the way my old Marshall did.

[@guitarwayneo]

More Blues Saraceno please !

[@gktde9874]

Absolutely 🤘

[@AllenGarberGuitarFun]

The actual tuning offset on the main guitar track and lead guitar track on “Mean Street” is: 1st string: Eb -14.3 cents 2nd string: Bb -27.0 cents 3rd string: Gb -12.4 cents 4th string: Db -12.0 cents 5th string: Ab -12.0 cents 6th string: Eb -14.3 cents A lot of people marvel at the power of the guitar sound on this track and that is partly to do with the Eventide Harmonizer de-tune chorus judiciously mixed in with that amazing core amp/speaker tone, but I believe that this tuning offset has A LOT to do with why this recording sounds so great, especially that incredible open G chord in the intro with the open D, G and B strings ringing. This offset is fairly unique in that the B string is significantly flattened for that obviously pleasing major third sound and the rest of the strings are pretty much within a range of 12-14 cents below 1/2 step down tuning. Sounds so good…

[@mdub048]

when Pete plays it sounds like the best real plexi is right there in the room. Great discussion and demo.

[@EmilioConesa]

Huge thanks for the hang with my kind of people. The Lion is my favorite UAFX amp. I never thought I’d be a Marshall advocate.

[@bigboypants988]

Ive been lucky (old emough) to play these monster Plexi's they're referring to when they came out. And being a younger player i distinctly remember how mercilessly unforgiving they were. They FORCED you tou to be a better player. But my God, you were rewarded tenfold with the most glorious experience youd ever want and NEVER forget. More than just sound or tone. The visceral FEEL and shear volume was transcendental.

[@andrewsantos3283]

Blues is a great guitar player. Good to see him in videos lately

[@jeffallen3382]

We are living in a time with so many options to get a fantastic tone! I'm the same age as these guys and if we had this gear when we were 13 years old. It would of been so much easier starting out playing guitar.

[@kevinmorris4468]

Thank you Rick! Truly inspirational. I just got let go by my company. I have loved music all my life. I’ve bought lots of equipment as a hobby… perhaps inspired by your works, I may find that courage to walk forward. I’m 55. I too have felt that I was too old to begin something new like this. You’re quite an inspiration to this old bird. Thank you for putting it out there.

[@francescomainino8320]

This type of meetings are gold these days, big thanks to sweetwater, Nik, Blues, James and Pete for make it possible.

[@indiecrust]

Well that was bloody brilliant

[@ttestates1]

I used to teach Blues Van Halen links when he was 13 in Wethersfield, CT. Crazy. He was ridiculously great a 12/13

[@JamieTyson]

This might have been the most fun Lion 68 video I've seen, with some of my favorite tone chasers getting deeply nerdy! I have played a lot of different modelers over the years; the Lion is the first that approaches or matches the sound of my 4 hole marshall into an IR!! I love hearing how every different player and guitar shines through as unique with the Lion. Amazing! Thanks for doing this, it was lots of fun!!

[@billvillamusic3625]

Yes!!! It’s awesome to see Blues in this video! Such an amazing player 👍

[@mikeoxley4458]

Great to see Blues again, having met him at the NAMM Show many years ago! Saw Landau at the Spud in ‘08, where he used a Marshall Plexi half stack. It was the best tone I’ve ever heard! And he was never too loud in that small room! He showed me his rig after the show - really nice guy!

[@julianc.227]

Thanks for this video. Man, Blues Saraceno has so much tone in his hands💪 What a giant on the guitar. Really nice to see him being featured again.

[@ralphyulo3175]

What a blessing “James Santiago”, genuinely a normal genius. Great guests here , timeless. Loved it. ❤

[@thomascleveland]

On a note about imperfection being beautiful. As a painter/artist, when I am painting digitally I have to actually add noise filters, water stains, paper fuzz and whatnot to shake off the pristine perfection that I get from digital media. This pedal is like a digital canvas that has all that roughness built in and ready to go.

[@mbreinin]

So awesome to see Blues, who was an absolute god to me when he came out, showing the magic. Pete, of course, is always perfect. The guy is a machine. Great video.

[@TVoltG]

I can listen to Blues Saraceno play anytime of day. Seriously my favorite since I first heard Hairpick. His music is fantastic. His playing phenomenal.

[@chrislestermusic]

All I care about is the dog. 😂 I love this round table. The Lion sounds incredible. I have had a ‘68 50 watt Plexi, a ‘66 JTM45 and a ‘78 JMP 100 watt and this sounds amazing.

[@BaroqueBlues]

Blues is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@LaMarrBrewster]

Maybe I missed it…I assume we are hearing a direct recording from the DAW. How were the players hearing themselves? Each into a channel of the board and all through the studio monitors?

[@briankehew579]

Forget the guitars, Pete and Blues are great guys... period.

[@Andrelix67]

I could watch these guys’ conversations for days, wow, what a nice idea to get them together for this video!

[@Jethlin2020]

Awesome video! I just wish there was an overhead camera.

[@AndreAmeli]

Nice see me saraceno Back in the guitar world! I like this guy

[@Houston123ABC]

This is what I want - a classic amp curated by the best. There are about 1.2 billion amp captures now, and I just want what UA is offering.

[@richweber5256]

Pete is great, ofcourse..but Blues just has that next level feel and style. He’s always had that mojo👍🏽

[@thomascleveland]

James was saying that back in the day, ya'll had to find a session player to show you how to dial in your amp properly. While it is true that youtube exists. A lot of the information in this was not readily available, even when you search "how to dial in a plexi" and such. Thanks for preserving your experience for posterity. You guys's expertise is irreplacable. Btw, the last time James and Nick got together I left a comment asking for this exact kind of video. I am going to pretend that you did this video just for me. So thanks for that.

[@susanandjasonstaal3778]

What a great video! Pete and the gang create such a cool gear neard talk and vibe, awesome!

[@cbiltz75]

I play the EXACT test riffs!!! Love my LION!!!

[@musicalSFCat]

Stellar in-depth UAFX Lion ‘68 & Marshall Plexi discussion with Pete Thorn, Blues Saraceno, James Santiago. Purchased UAFX Lion '68 this past week. Updated firmware, UAFX app on iPhone with no issues. Lion, Golden UAFX pedals & UA Solo/610 are truly game changers in recording studio. Channeling unlimited sonic musical creative capabilities with both effects. Cheers.

[@paullaughton6016]

This conversation is so informative. I also sold an unusable 100 watt JMP in the late 90s 😜. I now know how to try and tame it.

[@shable1436]

Rectifier

[@riniones]

Blues playing is sick

[@mqldev]

Great videos! Thanks for sharing a lot of experience here. I'm dual rectifier guy and the trick with presence up and treble full down saved me hours on the marshall head tweaking 🤘

[@Stefan-Van-der-Pulst]

Nick, the second VH album has a cleaner plexi sound than the first one, so that would be a better example that Ed didn't use that much gain back in the day.

[@PedroEvil12]

Bring Blues more times ! Monster Player !

[@alguitarchristie]

Totally rad! Love this. 4 guitar players with a totally different sound, but all great sounds!

[@jorgeleonel6663]

This has been an excepcional idea/accomplishment from Sweetwater! Such a great show!

[@brentmagnano3808]

Thanks for the plug Blues! Great to see and hear you. Hello to Dad and Nick for me.

[@brianrojasofficial]

Awesome. Great job!

[@GuitarJawn]

I have a Suhr Badger 30 and recently got a new 2x12 cab. Now I'm in love with the amp and I use it like James does. Big clean platform

[@taylormesa]

SO cool to see Saraceno on here, what a legend!!

[@pellevastano]

The conversation is great, but the dog is the highlight for me

[@lyricbread]

More Blues Saraceno! ❤

[@chrisw5742]

Nick Bowcott for the win. I loved Grim Reaper since I was a kid in the 80's. Still play to it all the time.

[@LochNessAnthony]

Make an ampeg b-15 next!!

[@canconeteirodopunk]

And a mesa!

[@Sam_Sparks144]

Awesome 💯🎉💪😎

[@thebenefactor6744]

Whoa. I dont intend on getting this gear, but how my perspectives expanded watching practical tone sculpting just sharpened my chisel.

[@patricklangdale8384]

Magic phrase!!!! Great info Scott. Appreciate your time and effort! Lotta people don’t understand what it takes to do what you do. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks.

[@poesybeat]

I’m running a Lion in the fx loop of an HX Stomp. Perfect little rig. The Lion is so great for cleans (obviously great for gain).

[@elbowjames7625]

From what I remember way way back, playing through full or even double stacks, the reason we wanted less bass all the time was that those full 4x12 speaker cabinets really emphasized bass in a huge way, especially when they were stacked. Having a very "thin" sounding amp was the answer for bass-heavy speaker arrays. It balanced out and sounded great; plenty of lows, highs and mids. But when you played through a single speaker or a 2x12, it sounded terrible. And at low settings of the volume control, that bright cap made it even worse.

[@NUNUA]

For me, the bright cap is part of the Marshal DNA. It sounds bright and shrilly in the room but great in recording.

[@BradMiller007]

Really informative guys. Great pedal. Interesting too how Pete mentioned how he loves the middle pickup in the strat. I love it to and used the middle pickup in my strat to record my Jeff Beck inspired song. No other position worked liked the middle did.

[@rikm2625]

way to metal up Nick!! you cut right though. bright caps forever! :)

[@jasonlocke]

Great video! I'd love to hear/see more detail about each players' settings that were used.

[@alexmbrenner]

Blues is a monster! So underrated I’ve been a fan since he came out. Awesome video! I’m such a Plexi fan.

[@jasonyltan7672]

Blues is blues and he has that blues shuffle in da pocket! Pete’s always gonna sound good no matter what gear he’s using.

[@MikeUIibarri]

Sweetwater. Delivering the goods! Nick is the man.

[@MikeUIibarri]

An over-head would be nice, while they're talking dials...

[@5150show]

Incredible

[@patrickkoenigsfeld1253]

What an AMAZING video!!! I love all these guys! I especially loved how they said amps sound so much different in the store! All those guitars on the wall effect the sound and i swear that can make even the most baked potato sound good! get it home, play it and figure out if it works for you! Such a wealth of info here! Thanks again for an epic adventure Sweetwater!

[@yippy327]

Great video, guys! I couldn't help but think about Jared James Nichols when they were talking about the lack of rawness in playing, today. I think JJN is a great example for the opposite of that. He is so raw and organic when playing. It just sounds and feels more real.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Middle strat pickup= WALTER TROUT!!! 🤘

[@syfman6]

Nick is another of my favorite riff masters. I love your Jim Marshall tattoo! I saw a Super Lead head with 412 cab in a pawn shop 10 years ago. It was road beat, but still had more miles to go. At the time I did not know what I was looking at, and needed to research. BTW, it was at a great price! I did some research over the next week, needless to say I returned to the pawn shop to make the purchase. Sad to say it was gone...😔💚🎸

[@KenLasaine]

Team ‘ghost notes’ for me. Bright cap - sometimes yes, sometimes no. Great round table. Thank you!

[@raymondsurace2575]

Pete...is on fire.... :-)

[@larryb3946]

That was great!

[@admarhermans1]

More of great conversations like this one please! 🙏 🖖

[@sfdoyle]

I swear the best best discussions ever!’ Lov it.!!’

[@kennethpeabody1333]

Love the Ibanez Destroyer Pete is playing. I had a chance to buy one in the 80's and really regret not buying it.

[@Mujcanal]

what a gang ! pleasure to watch and listening !!!

[@x2mars]

Blues Saraceno!!

[@lookingatcrap]

Pete's Ibanez Destroyer is beautiful.

[@mofost1]

Pete is an amazing player, him & RJ are pretty hard to beat….oh & Andy from reverb is pretty dope too.

[@hipmetalworx]

Very cool..... Cheers from the Isle of Vancouver.

[@braxal6983]

Are you guys uploading your Lion settings so all of us can use them?

[@waynerd]

This was an awesome video. I love listening to such skilled musicians talking gear. The Lion is in my cart and I'm trying to figure out what to tell the wife. lol. Cheers guys. And BTW... I sold my plexi after a few months too. I couldn't tame it.

[@steve10358]

I’ve watched this twice so far. Def want to snag one of these.

[@charleslivingston803]

Anybody catch Pete’s No Bozos t-shirt from the Hot for Teacher video? Nice one, Pete.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

The dog in the thumbnail is heartbreaking. What a cutie.

[@MurrayWilliams]

You guys are all invited. Let’s continue this conversation at the house.

[@JohnW335andTele]

Fantastic episode! I really enjoyed watching this! Please do more of these.

[@djjazzyjeff1232]

13:38 That was funny, just casually hands a man his 1956 Stratocaster in borderline mint condition. What a legend.

[@Guttalaser]

@20:31 That's WHY Eddie called the volume knob "TONE"!

[@dadude7]

Smashed like before I’d even watched.

[@quasimandias]

I have one, completely ideal for my use.

[@milsiknuff]

I like the tone on 1:28:40 ... that vibrato at the end...think I need to get one...

[@CarstenGoeke]

What a nice episode. I have to check the pedal 😀✌🏼

[@rawknotwantnot]

Great roundtable guys! Wish I coulda been in on the bright cap conversation!!!

[@Guitarjosii]

Really love the lion. I did a comparison to my plexi (actually made a video about it on my channel) and maaaan, they are sooo close to each other! I couldn't believe it!

[@sargentppeper]

Can you run a Fuzz Face or Chandler Tube Driver into this pedal ala EJ? 😊

[@colinjames7765]

Please add more bight cap options in future firmware updates.

[@odgeUK]

What are these guys hearing the UA through? Monitor Speakers?

[@robmcgaughey1938]

Direct into Apollo X and recorded in Luna and monitored in the room thru ATC studio monitors.