TAVO VEGA a tout conservé
I have been itching to jump in, so I'm gonna
I am an archiver of most Setzer things and am the builder of the Nocturne Brain Seltzer preamp. (several threads exist on it,just search nocturne, or visit my blog)
http://thenocturnebrainseltzer.blogspot.com
Its based off the tone/gain structure of the RE-301 space echo with the twist of not needing 30-50ft of guitar cable to make impedence work properly with a gretsch.
Its been tweeked n booteeked. It will get you right on the money only if you use
a gretsch with filtertrons and a blonde bassman, thats whats its designed for. Others seem to be using it for different apps but my intention was having a "setzer version" of an re301 preamp for the specific purpose of letting your guitar sound like his tones n textures recorded on the dirty boogie album and the 68 comeback spec album.
..If youre interested below I am posting the text (LONG LONG) from my buddy's defunct website. I've been wanting to put it on a website and cannot on my Nocturne
pedal site as I have nothing to do with anything setzer or gretsch.
here is all the text from Nicks defunct "Setzer sound website"
I will be happy to post pictures of his rig close up if wanted or email
me, I wont say I know it all but I have a well documented obsession that I dont ever care to recover from ...haha! :
I'm not the expert in this area. All of this information was compiled from various sources - Guitar player magazine, pictures, Gretschpages.com and Japanese books & magazines. A large portion of the technical information came from TVtheWiredTurtle on Hoodoovoodoolounge.com and his exhaustive research. Thank him for most of what you see here. Direct quotes are regularly added for more clarification.
Be sure to check out Brian's Picks (file:///Users/tavovega/Library/pictures/picks/setzer%27s_picks.htm) in the Pictures section of this site.
Setzer's Amps
file:///Users/tavovega/Library/pictures/setzer_gear/bassman.jpg
[U]1963 Bassman - 50 watts
- blonde Tolex with wheat grille cover
- 6G6-B unmodified circuit with solid-state rectifier
- preamp tubes - NOS Chinese 12AX7
- output tubes - NOS Philips 6L6WGB or NOS Tung Sol 5881
- cabinet - 2 x 12" with 12 gauge wiring for a fuller sound
- speakers - Celestion V30, 8 ohm, 30 watt speakers wired in parallel (4 ohm total cabinet load).
[U]Settings (note settings in picture below)
file:///Users/tavovega/Nick_pages/pictures/setzer_gear/bassman1_small.jpg (file:///Users/tavovega/Library/pictures/setzer_gear/bassman1.jpg)
- normal input
- volume 4 (up to 5 for heavier overdrive)
- treble 10
- bass 4
- presence 10
Tubes
From TVtheWiredTurtle - "Brian is using either the Phillips NOS 6L6WGBs or Tungsol NOS 5881s, the amp is almost 10 watts less efficient hence the earlier breakup of the power section coupled by the "gainier" Chinese tubes that carry a bigger voltage than most NOS tubes and many Soviet reissues. It's running closer to 40 watts." and "The nature of the EQ in the normal channel is such that when the treble is dimed, the bass is slightly attenuated which cuts down on the speakers farting out in the lows - although the V30s don't give up the ghost very easily."
More from TV - "The reason for the Chinese tubes from that period is that on a voltage ratings,they were the highest. Not necessarily the "sweetest and cleanest," but the best for gritty rockin. From what I am aware of the Chinese ruby is the only thing to get close to the fabled tube. Tophat amps, the company that rebuilt my blonde told me to stick with the ruby Chinese 12ax7 in the front and either the NOS Phillips 6G6WGB or the Tungsol 5881. If you compromise in the vintage power tubes, it'll be difficult to get close to Setzer's tone clip. The marriage of the small bottle power tubes with their bubbly jangle and the gain structure of the the Chinese pre amp tubes are "that" thing. You can fake it by having the treble bleed off caps removed from the first channel and then just using a jump patch cable from that channel to the normal channel..but...the Setz'...the Setzer master does it the right way. Not to mention that TV Jones confirmed that he is still keeping drilled aluminum saddles in the ABRr bridge of his Hot Rods. FWIW..What's funny is many think Brian uses blonde fenders to grab a 60's surf thang..but that's far from the truth. The fact is that the amp, when tubed right, is like a Marshall JTM45 on fatass steriods...
btw.. this is the basic info about the fabled Setzer Chinese preamp tube:
The factory in Beijing, China that produced our popular 12AX7AC and 7025STR tubes, has stopped production. They have decided to devote their resources to computer screens, energy efficient light bulbs and other electronic devices. They viewed the tube market as too small with not enough profit. Interestingly enough, these were the same arguments made by American companies like Phillips and GE. Tom McNeil participated in many long hours of discussion with leaders of the Beijing factory, but nothing could be done to avoid the closing.
{note: now back making em again}
Guitar lead (no wireless, ever)
Setzer uses long guitar leads for room on the stage,30-50ft
Effects
Roland 301 Chorus Echo
file:///Users/tavovega/Library/pictures/setzer_gear/Roland.jpg
(all settings assume the first line is "0", straight up is "5"
- direct sig. - ON
- input #3 (input #1 for stereo applications)
- volume - 4 to 4.5
- level -35dB
- chorus off
- intensity (not used)
- echo - ON
- mode 1 (3 for Sleepwalk)
- volume - 3 to 3.5
- repeat rate - 2
- intensity - 2
- switch on ECHO (not single delay)
- reverb - 0 (not used)
- bass tone - 5
- treble tone - 5
- output level -25dB
These pictures were taken before the Stray Cat reunion show at the Hootenanny. The settings appear to be very close to other pictures we've seen. (thank again, Brian F!)
file:///Users/tavovega/Library/pictures/setzer_gear/Roland_Close-Up.JPG
file:///Users/tavovega/Library/Mail%20Downloads/setzer_sound/Roland_settings.jpg
Again, the Roland is used primarily in live situations. In the studio, old Echoplexes are often seen. Echoplexes are notoriously unreliable and never see road use.
A Fulltone Tube Tape Echo (http://fulltone.com/tte.asp) made several appearances during the Christmas season and in Paris on the Stray Cats European reunion tour. It's seen in pictures during the Sun Records sessions, but it appears it's used in the mastering process.
The Roland is really the key to the overall guitar sound. The Input volume hits the preamp tubes on the Bassman that you're just not going to get from anything else.
Vintage Fender Reverb unit (63-64) - Used in the studio, but not on the road in years. Seen on the Hot Licks instructional video
guitars
Standard guitar setup (all done by TV Jones (http://tvjones.com/))
- Sperzel replacement tuners - The Sperzels make string changes quick and easy with a Bigsby. The are heavy enough to affect the sound of the guitar. They're simply fantastic.
- neck
- compound radius - The necks are planed for a compound radius - flatter on the lower frets, rounder up high. This keeps the guitar from "fretting out" during bends.
- Dunlop 6105 fretwire (with triangle crown)
- Delrin nut - The nut and saddles deburred and lubed with graphite and oil at every string change. The nut is cut steeply to keep the amount of string contact to a minimum. This are all keys to keeping the Bigsbys in tune. Keep up this regimen you'll never have tuning stability problems.
- Schaller strap locks
- no pickguard (gets in the way)
- ABR-1 bridge with Tone-O-Matic (http://toneomatic.com/) aluminum drilled saddles. Bridges are pinned to keep them from moving, but not permanently attached. The saddles are aluminum and are drilled front to back with a hole on either side. [changes saddles]
- D'Addario XL110 - .010 to .046
- medium gauge plastic picks (pink, black or white) .
1959 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 (several) - All the headstock faceplates have been replaced to cover the damage left by removing the zero fret. All electronics and pickups are stock
Gretsch Hot Rods (prototypes, pre-Fender) - All the "Pre-Fender" Hot Rods are easy to spot. They don't have the hole left by moving the switch into the standard position. The guitars had the selector switch in an aesthetically pleasing position, but not where Brian was used to it. A new hole was drilled, switch moved and the hole left uncovered. Currently, the only Fender Gretsch he's using is the lime green one used on the Nashvillians European tour.
TV Jones Spectrasonic prototype (model for current Gretsch Spectrasonic) - The new Gretsch models are equipped with a Magna'Tron pickup in the neck and a Classic in the bridge position. I remember reading that Brian's was set up the same way. Whatever is in it, the damn thing just RUMBLES.
"Stripe" Black, pinstriped Hot Rod (with TV Jones Super'Trons as of late 2004) used extensively on Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy and Ignition (with different pickups.)
Pickups
- TV Jones Classics (http://www.tvjones.com/)
Straight from TV Jones -
"I like to see 5/32" from the top of the cover to the bottom of both E strings for the bridge pickup, and 3/16" from the cover to the bottom of both E strings for the neck pickup. If the neck position is too boomy, I like to see 7/32" on the bass side. This is without fretting any strings. It is not a definite measurement, just a place to start"
These pickups simply can't be overrated. He had one of Setzer's '59 Filtertrons analyzed and duplicated, but also made some key improvements - separate bridge/neck pickup heights, correct string spacing, double potting. Setzer describes it as "taking 50 years of gunk of the pickups."
Setting up these pickups is VERY tricky because they are so sensitive to adjustments. You'll know the sweet spot when you hit it.
75% of Setzer's playing is done with both pickups on. Set the individual volumes on full and use the master volume for changing the volume.
Most of the Fender Gretsches come with these pickups standard now.
Website by Nick
Copyright
2004 . All rights reserved.
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