Looking for that CSNY guitar sound

Drrabbitfoot

Hey folks, wondering if any one knows an iOS app or combo of pedal and amp to get that Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young guitar sound that you hear in Deja Vu or Down by the River.

wim

There are lots of different guitar sounds on Deja Vu. Can you be a bit more specific?

michael_m

Do you mean that crunchy tube amp sound that he can keep clean when playing softly but breaks up when he plays harder? Mostly humbuckers through a very loud Fender Twin Reverb if I recall correctly.

Maybe find something that emulates a Twin Reverb (or similar) and see what you get out of it?

Drrabbitfoot

@wim said:
There are lots of different guitar sounds on Deja Vu. Can you be a bit more specific?

I’d say @michael_m has the description down pat lol I’ll run through and listen (that’s not a hard thing to do) I was listening to Down by the River, and thought this is all over CSNY too.

McD

Google research suggests it’s a neck humbucker with the tone knob dialed all the way to the low end.
No pick. Fingernail only to get that attack sound.

Then run into the soundboard through a Neve Pre-amp to get sweet tube compression. No amp required. This of course requires some special FX apps for IOS. I suspect there’s a DDMF app that models the Neve pre-amp.

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/14523/new-au-6144-equalizer-by-ddmf-supposed-neve-emulator

To me parts of it sound like the guitar part is put on the recording in reverse to get that particular sound envelope.

I think Pat Metheny gets closest to that tone live.
He plays a single humbucker Ibanez PM120 Hollowbody guitar (17:00 minutes)

espiegel123

@McD said:
Google research suggests it’s a neck humbucker with the tone knob dialed all the way to the low end.
No pick. Fingernail only to get that attack sound.

Then run into the soundboard through a Neve Pre-amp to get sweet tube compression. No amp required. This of course requires some special FX apps for IOS. I suspect there’s a DDMF app that models the Neve pre-amp.

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/14523/new-au-6144-equalizer-by-ddmf-supposed-neve-emulator

To me parts of it sound like the guitar part is put on the recording in reverse to get that particular sound envelope.

According to this article, Neil Young says that Down by The River is a Les Paul though a Fender Deluxe..and the implication is that it was turned up loud (he says the room began to shake)

http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/02/the-making-of-down-by-river-by-neil.html

michael_m

@espiegel123 said:

@McD said:
Google research suggests it’s a neck humbucker with the tone knob dialed all the way to the low end.
No pick. Fingernail only to get that attack sound.

Then run into the soundboard through a Neve Pre-amp to get sweet tube compression. No amp required. This of course requires some special FX apps for IOS. I suspect there’s a DDMF app that models the Neve pre-amp.

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/14523/new-au-6144-equalizer-by-ddmf-supposed-neve-emulator

To me parts of it sound like the guitar part is put on the recording in reverse to get that particular sound envelope.

According to this article, Neil Young says that Down by The River is a Les Paul though a Fender Deluxe..and the implication is that it was turned up loud (he says the room began to shake)

http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/02/the-making-of-down-by-river-by-neil.html

That’s probably what I’m remembering, only got the amp model wrong.

espiegel123

@Drrabbitfoot : On the CSNY record, there are lots of different guitars and tones. If you specify specific tunes and the part you mean, we could better advise.

michael_m

@espiegel123 said:
@Drrabbitfoot : On the CSNY record, there are lots of different guitars and tones. If you specify specific tunes and the part you mean, we could better advise.

For sure, and while I don’t recall him using one during his solo career, he definitely used a fuzz pedal for some Buffalo Springfield and CSNY songs.

JeffChasteen

For that type of THE Neil Sound, as others have said, Les Paul into Fender Deluxe. I’m pretty certain this was before he had the Deluxe modified with the audio analyzer/servo-robotics to delicately ride the gain.

If you are lacking these specific ingredients, I have found that humbuckers, a Rat, cranked Twin Reverb, and the best neighbors in the world will get you there.

wim

@JeffChasteen said:
For that type of THE Neil Sound, as others have said, Les Paul into Fender Deluxe. I’m pretty certain this was before he had the Deluxe modified with the audio analyzer/servo-robotics to delicately ride the gain.

If you are lacking these specific ingredients, I have found that humbuckers, a Rat, cranked Twin Reverb, and the best neighbors in the world will get you there.

... and a deaf spouse if you're married.

Drrabbitfoot

So I went through Deja Vu, and I guess I was taking from songs on other albums maybe Crosbys first solo, but almost cut my hair was also close to the Young track

Drrabbitfoot

And I’m honestly just wondering if there’s anything on IOS that could mimic that

wim

Just to be clear ... you play guitar and want to make it your playing sound like that?

If you're asking about other ways to get that sound, the answers are a whole lotta different.

Drrabbitfoot

For guitar into my iPad

musikeer

What button do I push to make it sound like The Beatles?

Drrabbitfoot

lol

michael_m

@Drrabbitfoot said:
So I went through Deja Vu, and I guess I was taking from songs on other albums maybe Crosbys first solo, but almost cut my hair was also close to the Young track

Maybe the guitar? He played a Gretsch White Falcon for years, and would have found it difficult to play at the volumes he used with his Les Paul due to feedback problems as it’s a hollow-body.

The other thing to consider with CSNY is that Stephen Stills is a competent electric guitarist, so you should figure out which of the two of them you’re hearing.

Fingolfinzz

@espiegel123 said:

@McD said:
Google research suggests it’s a neck humbucker with the tone knob dialed all the way to the low end.
No pick. Fingernail only to get that attack sound.

Then run into the soundboard through a Neve Pre-amp to get sweet tube compression. No amp required. This of course requires some special FX apps for IOS. I suspect there’s a DDMF app that models the Neve pre-amp.

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/14523/new-au-6144-equalizer-by-ddmf-supposed-neve-emulator

To me parts of it sound like the guitar part is put on the recording in reverse to get that particular sound envelope.

According to this article, Neil Young says that Down by The River is a Les Paul though a Fender Deluxe..and the implication is that it was turned up loud (he says the room began to shake)

http://neilyoungnews.thrasherswheat.org/2015/02/the-making-of-down-by-river-by-neil.html

It doesn’t take much to get those shaking the room. I have a Princeton I barely ever turn past 2