Eric Johnson is a WACKO

[kissfanps]

Ok, they man can play like no other and his tone is to die for.

BUT

I am reading the June PG and there is an article that describes a bunch of the guitarists' rigs on the Jimi Hendrix tribute tour. For EJ, it says . . . "[f]amous for being partilar about seeming insignifcant gear details, Johnson chose the screws in the back of ['68 1987 Marshall] because f qualities he says affect feel and tone.

The screws...the SCREWS...in the head nonetheless. I mean, really?

I could be totally ignorant to this aspect of tone, but this seems absurd.

Anyway, check out the articles....awesome for a gear head.

[surfnorthwest]

I think it was maybe sarcasism, he couldn't have been serious.

[StephenRutledge]

C'mon man... it's in jest... he is a slightly whacko... but so are we - here on this forum - talking about the nuances of guitar amp tone hehe

[MKB]

Maybe he is doing this in jest as so many musicians make fun of his pickiness (he can hear the difference between battery brands, uses a rubber band to hold his fuzz face together, stacks pedals vertically in specific ways, etc). But there is a tradition of equipment description jest with guitarists; Van Halen was famous for this as well as Billy Gibbons.

Some of Johnson's tricks could make sense; different batteries have different characteristics and can indeed sound a bit different, and the screws in the fuzz face case could affect grounding paths in the pedal. Johnson tilts his distorted rhythm amp 90 degrees from the others, this can affect magnetic interaction between the transformers in the amps. But I don't know about the screws in the cab, that sounds a bit extreme. Ken Fisher claimed he could hear differences with the wood types he used in the cabinets of the Trainwreck heads; maybe what Johnson hears is something like that (if he is serious).

[SteveD]

You'd be surprised at the affect different fret cloths have on sound.

[LivewireBlanco]

You'd be surprised at the affect different fret cloths have on sound.

That I believe, but how about the size of the Marshall logo.....

[SteveD]

You'd be surprised at the affect different fret cloths have on sound.

That I believe, but how about the size of the Marshall logo.....

Only if it covers the whole baffle!

[David Vee]

As long as we're discussing coloring the sound... what about the Tolex? The wrong color could ruin everything... and don't forget the feet on the amp head and the wheels on the speaker cabinet. If they are the wrong type of plastic, the stack has to be scrapped. LOL

Seriously, I hope EJ was only kidding about the screws.

[jboyjams]

The Gold Klon is warmer than the Silver even though they use the same circuit.

-- Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:21 pm --

The Gold Klon is warmer than the Silver even though they use the same circuit.

[OdgeUK]

But there is a tradition of equipment description jest with guitarists; Van Halen was famous for this as well as Billy Gibbons.

Probably an urban myth but I once heard that Richie Blackmore had a mysterious pedal on his board called the "DFA". It eventually came to light that it did nothing at all. "DFA = "Does F**k All". !!!

This story is probably based on the idea that session musicians used to be paid extra money if they used additional equipment on recordings, so 'dummy' pedals were sometimes employed in order to claim a little more cash from the session!

If I was a famous guitarist, I would love a DFA-1 on my board!!!

[Herbvis]

On the randall aiken website there is a tech ?s section. There is info on tolex color and the effects on tone. It does say that purple tolex does produce the best tone As funny as it is, it seems to work for the VM

[Rev al]

Would the DFA be a total bypass ? Wouldnt want it to interfere with my 'tone'

[okgb]

Keeps people talking about him
and there's the utube clip where me pokes fun at himself in the end
with a bottle of fantastic

[Dave W]

If he is referring to the screws on the back of the cab, maybe he feels the different ones hold it on tighter or looser, thinking or possibly hearing a difference in resonance. Maybe the tighter the less air/freqeuncies escape. Maybe the metal alloys are different or different threads, width, length.

I wish my ears and brain were that good. Then again maybe not.

Maybe if he eventually gets that good proper "screw" he needs, he will be content and stop obsessing about his tone.