Wah pedals

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by zhivago » Wed Jun 05, 2019 5:40 am

mezcalhead wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:19 am
mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
I suppose you have the truth of it, but who cares?
Well, presumably the guy who asked the question .. who probably also values the fact that it was being answered by a working musician/producer.
I gotta +1 this one.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by MechaBulletBill » Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am

mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
If he's ever wanted to sound like Nile Rodgers
i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by øøøøøøø » Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am

MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am
mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
If he's ever wanted to sound like Nile Rodgers
i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Larry Mal » Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:09 pm

I thought it was a good point to make, professional outboard gear is always better than pedals, and it's worth keeping that in mind when you are talking about EQ and compression.

EQ and compressor pedals have their uses, namely live, but are outclassed in the studio and I do think that's worth bearing in mind.

Especially since we are discussing how to get a sound we hear on recordings.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Maggieo » Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:32 pm

øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am
MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am
mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
If he's ever wanted to sound like Nile Rodgers
i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.
It also helps to be Nile Rodgers. The man is singular.
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Larry Mal » Wed Jun 05, 2019 1:17 pm

I've heard that it can help.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by øøøøøøø » Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:56 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:32 pm
øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am
MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am


i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.
It also helps to be Nile Rodgers. The man is singular.
Truly. A real original stylist, and international treasure.

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Larry Mal » Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:05 pm

If anyone isn't friends with him on Facebook, you should do that. He's a very interesting person with good posts.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:26 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:32 pm
It also helps to be Nile Rodgers. The man is singular.
Which is why mortals like us use compressors. Our hands can only get us so far. Not much squish and slower attack is how I smoothed it out. And it's true, his typical range of sound is nothing like the heavily compressed stuff you hear in 80s funk.

That guy probably did more for my appreciation of music than any other single person, filling my ears with complex chords at such an early age. He was all over the radio (and particularly the stuff I really liked at the time) from my infancy through my childhood.
Last edited by mackerelmint on Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:53 pm

mezcalhead wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:19 am
mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
I suppose you have the truth of it, but who cares?
Well, presumably the guy who asked the question .. who probably also values the fact that it was being answered by a working musician/producer.
And the one asking isn't. He's getting started, not recording, so I spoke to that and to getting closer to the sounds he's heard for years. I expect the OP would see value in my experiences as someone who played in a funk/disco band as well. I got irritated at Brad, because he went with the classically obnoxious "Not to be x, y, or z, but... (comments that are or are easily interpreted as x, y, and z)" formula disclaimer and went with being pedantic instead of tactful. I'm not gonna claim that as one of my finer (or worst, for that matter) moments on the board, but he knew what he was doing. I SEE YOU, BRAD.

I'll contribute no further to any derailment.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Maggieo » Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:33 pm

mackerelmint wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 3:26 pm
Maggieo wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 12:32 pm
It also helps to be Nile Rodgers. The man is singular.
Which is why mortals like us use compressors. Our hands can only get us so far. Not much squish and slower attack is how I smoothed it out. And it's true, his typical range of sound is nothing like the heavily compressed stuff you hear in 80s funk.

That guy probably did more for my appreciation of music than any other single person, filling my ears with complex chords at such an early age. He was all over the radio (and particularly the stuff I really liked at the time) from my infancy through my childhood.
Truth right there.

IIRC, Rodgers has said that he plugged DI to the deck and then used the studio compressors to squish as needed. FWIW.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:47 pm

Yeah. He usually left quite a bit of bounce in his playing. I'll say this, though: you can really hear (and feel if you play it) the way that he used compression on "Le Freak", the chord stabs could be uncompressed but having a little there makes the single line stuff in between them sound and sit right.

It doesn't take an 1176 to achieve that. I made do with a borrowed boss compressor. It did the job.
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Re: Wah pedals

Post by gusgorman » Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:43 am

øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am
MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am
mackerelmint wrote:
Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:00 pm
If he's ever wanted to sound like Nile Rodgers
i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.
I've seen an interview where he mentioned DI in the studio.... but I'm fairly sure that strat he always uses is a 50s hardtail?

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by Maggieo » Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:04 am

gusgorman wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:43 am
øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am
MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am


i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.
I've seen an interview where he mentioned DI in the studio.... but I'm fairly sure that strat he always uses is a 50s hardtail?
Here's some great info on his Strat, "The Hitmaker."
The Fender Custom Shop is proud to introduce the limited edition Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Stratocaster guitar. It’s a very special recreation of the “Hitmaker”—the well-worn 1960 Stratocaster played by Chic co-founder and revered session ace Rodgers on countless chart-topping songs.
Here's a great profile of him.
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: Wah pedals

Post by øøøøøøø » Thu Jun 06, 2019 6:29 am

gusgorman wrote:
Thu Jun 06, 2019 5:43 am
øøøøøøø wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:27 am
MechaBulletBill wrote:
Wed Jun 05, 2019 10:19 am


i have to say that, ime, the only way to sound remotely like Nile is to use a strat's neck pickup into a clean fendery amp and absolutely nothing else.
Not even the amp, many times. Heavy 70s ash stratocaster, direct in.
I've seen an interview where he mentioned DI in the studio.... but I'm fairly sure that strat he always uses is a 50s hardtail?
Well I'll be damned! I guess I had either incorrectly-surmised the era of that strat, or else have it confused with another guitar.

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