Legendary Tone: Introduce Myself

Introduce Myself

In this particular piece I just wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself and why I started this blog.

My name is Hunter Hansen and I am a recoding artist, producer and certified audio engineer via Recording Connection. I grew up in Montgomery, AL and graduated from Evangel Christian Academy. My father is Bob Hansen who is currently working in sales and my mother is Kay Oswalt, a PC technician for the State of Alabama. My sister, Brooke Hansen, is a nursing graduate of the University of Alabama.

My passion for music has been a big part of my life since I was around 2 years old. Since the day I learned to put headphones on I have never looked back.

I started playing guitar around the age of 7. I played other instruments later on as well but guitar is my primary instrument. When I was growing up I wanted to imitate my "guitar heros" that I had grown up listening to. Naturally this led to years of research and not to mention experimentation of gear. 

I wanted to create this blog because there are many kids growing up just like me who want to sound like their favorite players and it is important to me that they have the right information to do so. 

I try to take all the knowledge I have learned over the years and put it all in one location. This way information on equipment will be a little easier to acquire.

I know how hard it is to find the right information about this subject so hopefully, it will help some people. 

I will be posting weekly here at: www.legendarygear.blogspot.com  

Legendary Tone: Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

Legendary Tone:

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top

Billy Gibbons is one of the biggest names in classic rock. His technique and tone are also highly recognizable. His tone is very gritty and muddy sounding but sharp and clear at the same time. 

As far as guitars are concerned, it is a bit controversial as to whether Gibbons was primarily a Strat player or Les Paul. However most people believe that his Gibson Les Paul was played on every recording. Personally, when listening to songs like 'Just Got Paid' I cant help but feel that I'm hearing a Les Paul. The Humbuckers are pretty distinct but due to studio editing, anything is possible.

Also like many players of the time, Gibbons used Marshall Amplifiers in his rig. These were the choice for many, many classic rock artists of the 70's and 80's. They just produce a sound that is hard to beat when it comes to its primary uses.

Gibbons used his Marshall amps for overdrive but when he wanted to make a solo sound more interesting he would - like many players then - used a fuzz pedal. This would give his sound more bite and sustain. 

Like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gibbons also used an octavia. There weren't many pedals being made back then so it was common for players to discuss gear and experiment with the effects that were available to them at the time.

While Gibbons tone is seemingly simple, the tweaking of the settings on the effects is crucial. He is very careful with the settings that he chooses. This combined with his flawless technique is what gives him such a recognizable tone. Buying the gear is only half of the battle; the rest is perfecting the technique. However achieving Billy Gibbons tone should't be all that difficult even in a tighter budget.

Legendary Tone: Stevie Ray Vaughn

Legendary Tone:

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Stevie Ray Vaughn is one of the greatest blues guitar players of all time. He definitely set the bar when it comes to tone and technique. His tone was very dry but and extremely clean. This was due to his unique way of using his equipment.

Vaughn was primarily a Fender Stratocaster player and his most favorite guitar, Lenny, was the one he used most often. Stratocasters work very well with blues oriented music.

While most players used Marshall Amps for overdrive and Fender for clean, Vaughn did just the opposite. He used his '64 Fender Vibroverb for his crunch tones and the Marshall for his clean. 

Vaughn used two Ibanez TS9 overdrive pedals, which he would incorporate for a solo or to stand out, that he had set for a clean boost tone. Because they were so important to his tone, the TS9's became very popular and sought after. 

The Octavia, also used by Hendrix, was another integral piece of Vaughn's tone. He used it much like the way Hendrix used it. This pedal produces a fuzz sound that is also an octave up so the sound is very unique. These pedals also became very popular because of both, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix.

Like many players of the time, Vaughn was using a Vox wah pedal. This was mainly used on solos or to add variety to a song. Vox is a very well known brand of pedals. They are most famous for the Wah pedal used by countless professional guitarists.

Finally, the Fender Vibratone rotating speaker was added to Vaughn's rig (another trend among guitar players of the era) to modulate the sound and give off a swirl type of tone heard on songs like 'Cold Shot'.

Stevie Ray Vaughn has a very distinctive tone which he acquired using very little effects. Overall his tone is fairly easy to achieve considering only a few effects are required. 

Leaving Home: Doctor Visit

Leaving Home:

Doctor Visit

This morning I had to go to the doctor and get my prescription refilled. I had to get up earlier than normal so I wasn't too excited about it. Either way my stomach was upset so I really needed to refill my medication. 

Even though I hate getting up early I still like getting my day started early. Something about it feels more productive. I would definitely say that I am not a morning person but when I get up, I'm ready to go. I can't just go back to sleep, my mind won't let me. 

While I was out I saw something I'd never seen before. A hawk in a tree near the entrance to the doctor's office. I thought this was really cool because I had never seen a hawk that close before just perched in a tree like that. 

After I left the doctors office, it wasn't long before my script was ready at the pharmacy. They weren't very busy so it was much quicker than usual. 

Before long I was ready to leave. I decided to get lunch at Momma Goldberg's. I was pretty happy about my choice and all in all it wasn't a bad day. 

Legendary Tone: Jack White of the White Stripes

Legendary Tone:

Jack White of the White Stripes

Jack White is one of my all time favorite guitar players. While he hasn't been around since guitar pioneers of the 70's, he still has a tone people will be remembering for a long time. His tone is very unique in many ways. He achieves this tone with various guitars and old vintage amps that are no longer even produced. 

White is definitely a purist when it comes to gear. He only uses analog equipment, even in the studio and is one of the few artists of today that still records to tape and vinyl. However, these features are what give him his distinct tone. 

His main guitar is a 1964 JB Hutto Montgomery Airline. He of course has a vast collection of other guitars as well but this model was used primarily throughout his career with the White Stripes.

His choice in amps is very different from any other player I've heard. Besides a coupe of Fender amps (Fender 65' reissue Twin Reverb) and a Leslie cab, White mainly uses a mid-60's era Sears Silvertone amplifier. This gave him that distinct overdrive sound you hear on the White Stripes records.

When he wanted to push the song in a heavier direction or take a solo, White usually stomps the Electro Harmonix Big Muff (the 90's Red and Black model). This gives off a grungy heavy fuzz. The Big Muff (all eras) has been used in many famous guitar rigs since the 70's. 

The Digitech Whammy pedal was also a primary tool for Jack Whites tone during the White Stripes Years. He claims once he heard Tom Morello use it in Rage Against the Machine, he knew he had chosen an interesting pedal. This pedal allowed him to play a guitar solo octaves higher or lower so as to break out of the band mix and be heard a little better. 

As hard as it is to believe these three components made up almost all of Jack White's tone throughout his years in the White Stripes. 

A Piece On Class: JRN 4440

A Piece On Class:

JRN 4440

I didn't exactly know what to expect before taking the JRN 4440 course but I was interested in the curriculum. My mother is a PC specialist so I kind of grew up around computers. While Photoshop was somewhat familiar, I was not in any way experienced with HTML coding.

My mother, being an expert, is very knowledgeable when it comes to coding and building webpages so I knew of the concept. However,I had never worked with it myself. This was the most challenging portion of the course IMO. The coding is very precise and requires much accuracy. I'm sure with practice this process becomes somewhat easier. 

Photoshop, as I have mentioned, was somewhat familiar to me. My cousins had the program on their laptop growing up so I was always on it. Then I had a little more experience with it in high school. This was the best part to me because I am an artist, so I was able to get a little creative with projects involving the Photoshop program. 

Overall this class was very informative and useful. The coding is something I would definitely need to get used too but in time I'm sure I would be able to. 

This course also helped with some advertising ideas I am currently developing. I will be able to build webpages more efficiently and get creative with Photoshop as well. Self promotion is a big deal in this generation especially in the music industry. With the knowledge I have gained from this course I will be able to promote my music and myself more efficiently and creatively. This is a huge deal for me and my developing career. 

One other thing that I got out of this class was more complete knowledge on the way that the internet actually works and functions. This was very interesting to me having grown up in the "internet age" so to speak. I now know much more than I had before and take the web for granted a lot less. 

About Me: Hunter W. Hansen

About Me

Hunter Hansen

I have decided to talk a little bit about myself in this blog piece to let you readers know who I am and where I'm coming from. I was born July 31, 1989 in Montgomery, AL. My mother is Kay Oswalt and my father's name is Robert Hansen. 

I started playing guitar around age 7 and have been playing ever since. I've played in a couple of bands over the years and done many shows. Playing live is what I absolutely live for. I feel my best playing my instrument in front of a crowd. 

I have written and performed many original songs which my band, Electric Tigre, plays as well as covers. We are currently developing our sound and hope to be performing in many more areas of the US soon. We are also in the process of properly recording a demo. 

While guitar is my primary instrument, I also play other instruments as well. I actually started playing drums in the 8th grade. I soon began playing for a couple of local churches here and there but eventually decided playing guitar was much more fulfilling. It wasn't until I heard David Gilmour play for the first time that I decided to pick up the guitar and make it my instrument. Aside from guitar, I also play: drums, bass, and a little keys occasionally (I'm still learning).

Aside from my band I also have my hands in a couple of hip hop projects as well. I have been dabbling in hip hop for a few years now. I started off recording other people and eventually decided to try and perform on a track of my own. I did and the reaction was pretty great so I just kept going. 

I am affiliated with a couple of different hip hop groups. STS or Shock to Society, is the first crew that I actually got involved with out of Montevallo, AL. We are currently putting a portfolio together for a label and will soon be performing live on our tour.

Second I am affiliated with the rap group Squad. I have been working as a recording artist, engineer and producer for them for about a year and a half. We are also developing a current portfolio for label recognition.

Being a recording artist is something I've dreamt about my entire life. The fact that I can make music right out of my own home studio in itself is a dream come true for me so I can get my music out there and have it be heard. 

Legendary Tone: Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath

Legendary Tone

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath

Tony Iommi has been one of my favorite players since I was about 13 years old and I heard Black Sabbath for the first time in my life. I'll never forget when my buddy Spence played their record the first time. I was blown away by Iommi's playing but his tone especially. No one I had heard before seemed to be able to quite capture that type of sound. 

First let me explain that there is a reason for his sound being so "metal". This is because he is the reason for the term heavy metal. When he was working in a metal shop in Birmingham, Engl he accidentally cut off his finger tips on his fret hand. He then melted metal bottle caps to his fingers in order to continue playing. This is where to term "heavy metal" came from.

Iommi is famous for using a Gibson SG. This is a heavy sounding guitar with hollow sounding pickups inside. It gives him that raw edgy sound when played with some distortion added to it. Many metal players of the time were sporting an SG similar to Iommi's. But he has a signature model with a signature set of humbuckers inside.

Tony Iommi Sig Gibson SG

Tony was known for mainly using an amp by a company called Laney. To my knowledge, there aren't many famous player accredited to using this particular brand of amp. However, Tony used them almost exclusively. These amp were darker sounding english amps that gave off a heavy growl type of distortion. These were perfect for the type of tone Tony was going for; and no one else was getting it. Like many guitarists of the 70's, Tony was using his amp to supply him with most of his distortion tones live and in the studio.

  

Sig Tony Iommi Laney Amp Head

Like I stated before, most of Tony's tone was coming from the amp he used but like other players of the time, if he wanted to send it a bit over the edge every once in a while for a hook or guitar solo he would utilize a distortion pedal of some kind. A good fuzzface and a hot overdriven amp will put you into metal territory as far as tone is concerned. This will nail riffs on songs like National Acrobat and the Wizard.

Tony wasn't known for using much modulation but he definitely used a wah pedal. Like many players of the time, the wah peal was heavily utilized as there weren't many pedals to choose from at the time. While he didn't use it often he made very subtle and useful pieces for it in songs occasionally. A good choice for a wah pedal in this department would be a vox wah pedal.

In short, it is fairly easy to attain Tony Iommi's sound with just a few stompboxes and a good Laney combo. As far as a budget set up, Tony is definitely one to look into as it would not cost much money to sound like him.

Heres a link on more extensive information.

Legendary Tone: Jimi Hendrix of the Jimi Hendrix Experience

Legendary Tone

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is a player that is definitely known for his unique tone and playing style. He is mainly blues influenced; but his loud and psychedelic tones have been a sought after commodity since his debut in the early 70's. 

Hand Panted Fender Stratocaster

Hendrix Marshall Amp Head

Jimi Hendrix is probably one of the reasons that David Gilmour picked up a Fender Stratocaster in the first place. Hendrix was very well known for using a fender stratocaster throughout his career.   

Hendrix's Marshall SuperJH LTD played an enormous role in his tone; especially when dealing with overdrive and distortion. He was famous for really cranking his amp loudly for his riffs. This is what gave his sound so much punch and drive. Marshal Amps were a big part of the 70's rock era. These amps gave players like Hendrix that really dirty overdrove to play classic blues riffs such as Red House and Hey Joe.

When He really wanted to send it over the top to get those fuzz type distortions for solos, hooks etc.; he would often use a Dunlop Fuzz Face. This was a very popular pedal in the 70's because it was one of the first distortion pedals ever made. It still is today one of the most sought after pedals of its design.

Dunlop Fuzz Face

 The uni-vibe is another pedal that Hendrix actually made famous. It was originally made to imitate the sound of a Leslie speaker cabinet that would usually be hooked to an organ. However the 70's was a time of experimentation and led to guitarists using it as an effect. Enter the uni-vibe. However, the uni-vibe really became a more distinct and individual sound all on its own. It can be heard on songs like Hendrix's, 'Hey Baby".

Original Univox Uni-vibe