[kj] The secrets behind Geordie Walker's guitar tone on Eighties (Guitar World)

[fatpotanga]

Saw this earlier - you beat me to sharing!
It's the most detailed, comprehensive breakdown Geordies set up I've seen.
Fabulous!
Although, it baffles me why anyone would try to sound like Geordie; at best
all you can hope to achieve is being someone who's trying to sound like
Geordie.
Too distinct. Too majestic. We are not worthy!

On Mon, 3 Aug 2020, 13:55 Paul, <dubecho at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-secrets-behind-geordie-walkers-guitar-tone-on-eighties
>
>
> *The secrets behind Geordie Walker's guitar tone on Eighties*
> By Chris Gill
>
> The Killing Joke guitarist found his sound in a Gibson ES-295 and an ear
> for lush yet haunting tone
>
> [image: Geordie.jpg]
> (Image credit: Future / Kevin Nixon)
>
> Killing Joke had recorded three studio albums before 1982 when Geordie
> Walker found the Gibson ES-295 hollowbody electric that became his main
> guitar.
>
> Ever since then, the ES-295 has played a prominent role on every
> subsequent recording he’s made, as it delivered exactly the sound he was
> looking for.
>
> “When you find something that you express yourself through the best -
> something that is completely your sound - why would you use anything else?”
> he said in the May 2016 issue of Guitar World.
>
> Geordie uses very heavy strings but tunes down a whole step to DGCFAD to
> make the string tension more comfortable, with the added benefit of making
> the tone heavier as well.
> In addition to enhancing the guitar’s resonant twang, the ES-295’s Les
> Paul wraparound trapeze bridge allows Walker to create subtle vibrato
> effects by pushing down on the tailpiece to ease string tension, which he
> certainly does to great effect when it comes to the chorus of Eighties.
>
> Geordie plugged his ES-295 directly into an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory
> Man, which provided slapback echo (here at about 132ms with two repeats)
> and subtle chorus modulation
>
> Another key to Geordie’s highly distinctive, richly textured tone is his
> stereo dual-amp setup with chorus/delay units. From Killing Joke’s early
> days through the mid Nineties, he used a pair of Burman Pro 2000 heads,
> each driving a custom-made Burman 8x10 speaker cabinet.
>
> Manufactured in Walker’s hometown of Newcastle during the late Seventies
> and early Eighties, Burman amps were developed by Gregg Burman and also
> used by Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy, Allan Holdsworth and some bloke named
> Eric Clapton.
>
> The amps feature an unusual cascaded preamp design with three gain
> controls, active midrange EQ and robust circuitry such as KT77 tubes and
> custom transformers.
>
> [image: 80s.jpg]
> Killing Joke - Eighties <https://youtu.be/x1U1Ue_5kq8>
>
> Geordie plugged his ES-295 directly into an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory
> Man, which provided slapback echo (here at about 132ms with two repeats)
> and subtle chorus modulation while also splitting the signal to a pair of
> PA:CE/Bell Electrolabs ADT units, which stack additional layers of chorus
> modulation and delay effects to generate a lush, vibrant wall of sound.
>
> Like the ES-295, the ADT units remain mainstays of Geordie’s rig to this
> day and play an essential role in his highly distinctive signature sound.
> Ambience comes courtesy of meticulous room miking instead of the amp’s
> reverb or studio processing.
>
> *Original Gear*
> *GUITAR:* 1952 Gibson ES-295, all tone and volume controls: 10 (middle
> pickup setting for main riff; bridge pickup for chorus and solo).
>
> *AMPS:* Two late-'70s Burman Pro 2000 heads (High Frequency switch: On,
> Gain 1: 4, Gain 2: 5, Gain 3: 7, Bass: 2.5, Middle: 4.5, Treble: 5,
> Presence: 4, Reverb: 0); two custom Burman 8x10 speaker cabinets with
> Celestion G10L-35 speakers.
>
> *EFFECTS:* late-'70s Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man (Chorus setting,
> Level: 2, Blend: 6, Feedback: 6, Delay: 2, Chorus-Vibrato: 4, Echo out and
> Direct Out both used to split signal to inputs of each ADT unit), two
> PA:CE/Bell Electrolabs ADT (identical settings on both units – Gain: 2,
> Mix: 10, Mod: 5, Deviation: 5, Delay: 6, Mixed output).
>
> *STRINGS/TUNING:* .012 - .062, brand unknown/DGCFAD (low to high).
>
> *PICK:* unknown, possibly heavy teardrop-shaped.
>
>
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