The Influential Kiss – Eddie Kramer Signal Chain
In this video I’m investigating how Eddie Kramer and Kiss in 1975 created the classic extreme, bright and gainy lead tone that later inspired Eddie Van Halen and Slash to create their signature sounds. I’m discussing which role guitars, pickups, amps, speakers, mics, compressor, EQ and all other factors may likely have contributed. I’m futhermore making expirements to investigate if the guitars were recorded through a 4×12 or a 1×12, whether they used Greenbacks or Blackbacks, what role pedals (EHX LPB-1) played and what desk EQ that was applied.
#Influential #Kiss #Eddie #Kramer #Signal #Chain
Originally posted by UCyaStghQb7_e51PgH8bUkzg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu8RYUp17_0
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Ace clearly used a BM or some kind of pedal to get his trademark lead sustain but Johan nailed the rythem tone especially on Mr Speed riff. Great content as usual.
its the pre rola greenback they used it has this the nice smooth top end but i personally like the g12h 30 watt 75hz more because of the extra cut in the top end. the black backs have too much upper mids and sound very nassle. please can you try this tone with the mojotone bv25m
Remember I told you I have a picture of a receipt from a pawn shop for a fuzz pedal, bought in September of 1975. He might have been out and looking for sound to ad. Great attempts Johan????
Whooeee those black backs ????
Johan out here doing the LORD'S work. Amazing. Thank you.
Tone seemed closer (to me) w guitar on 10 and no lpb. (Probably not in your hands..but in my Bose headphones). I was wondering what the rest of the test would’ve sounded like without the lpb and with the guitar on 10. Food for thought. Thanks for your great work
This is great. Thanks so much. The sound of Ace's guitar sounds very mid focused to me. I've always liked that sound but sometimes it can be too much mids and not sound good. It's a fine line. Thanks for this Johan. Many people don't understand how much Kiss affected/ influenced some of a certain age. I think this first Alive album stands alongside other classic hard rock albums(frampton/ Humble Pie, Zep S.R.T.S./. ) They could have played without the make up stark naked and these would still be good songs. If you like 70's hard rock you will like R.e.o. speedwagons live set called you get what you play for. Good songs and Gary Ritchrath is on fire. On these old setups you can really hear the sound of the pick. I didn't know what that was but I loved that sound and others that we would consider bad these days. Thanks again Johan, great work!
I miss the kiss train being born in 76. I think I might of had a kiss pacifier now that I think about. ????. Those guys had their name on everything. Loved the video thanks for anything les paul and Marshall. I love the tone history. I think of Johan as my tone history teacher now that I think about it. This is definitely one of my all time favorite channels. Love you dude ????????????️????️
I hate and love YouTube. Why am I only seeing this now ? I been subbed forever. Maybe I just missed the video. I wish they had an extra important list. Johan would definitely be on mine.
I think if anything can be universalized from this video, it's that a guitar sound has to work with everything else in the mix, more often than not meaning the guitars will be petty bright and biting.
One of the biggest mistakes that's easy to make is trying to make everything else fit around a guitar sound, when it should be the other way around. Great work Johan!
I've already learned from watching all your videos, if Maestro Johan dials in a tone, you can trust it's as close as us mere mortals will ever get to matching the source tone. It all sounded great. God bless and rock on ????????????
A Les Paul into a Marshall Plexi w/ 4×12 Greenbacks and you’re already 90% there, imo.
WHy did you choose to a LDC instead of a DM as stated in the video? Why that choice? Also in that time, how would they use a greenback in a 1×12 without blowing it up? Were they using attenuators or someother load in those days to lower the wattage to a single speaker?
I'm no Kiss expert but the amount of effort and experimentation you put into this is just mind-blowing, Johan! ???? There's tone for ages in this video. The 4×12, booster and desk EQ seem to be the decisive factors here IMO, not sure about the greenbacks vs blackbacks. But who am I to judge, you're the hard rock professor ???? Cheers and rock on????
Great job Johan. The 4×12 Greenbacks sound closest to Alive than anything else, also probably on a majority or Rock N Roll Over, sounds like other amps and guitars come into play mixed into tracks on that album and also the use of some pedals like LPB1, Big Muff and some kind of phaser. I listen to RnR Over and Love Gun often. Best era for KISS from the first album until Alive II. You put in a lot of good work and we all appreciate it! I read an article on WordPress callled "Deconstructing Double Platinum" there are a few parts to it and they discuss how some of the recording for the original tracks that were used on that album. I tried to share the link but can't here. Keep up the great work and take care!
Great in-depth analysis of an icon Marshall tone! I think your initial attempt was really, really close and I think a lot of it may be due to your playing style knowing your affinity for Ace's playing and tone. In your later attempts, the LPB-1 definitely added an upper midrange attack. The Greenback speakers were a lot closer sounding than the Blackback speakers as was the 4×12 over the 1×12 cab. The influence of the Super Distortion pickup can't be overlooked. The "preferred setting" with all the controls being set at "5" is sort of arbitrary as I'm sure you know ALL vintage Marshall amps are different and almost always have to be set differently to get a similar tone. Cheers!
I see from your videos that you really like Kiss!. I saw them in Houston in late 1977. The opening act was Styx. Both bands were at the top of their games at that time.
Ace’s guitar
https://youtu.be/SaVm5aEA8F0?si=scD6GUbGqOnyGG1O
Both green & black have THE sound, I call a blend of BOTH!
And Deuce is pronounced as 'dyuce'!
Underbart! Tack! ❤❤❤
Thank you Johan for letting us in on the tone secrets of the past! I agree with your conclusions and must say as a Marshall and Les Paul guy after a wile of plugging the guitar straight in I started wanting more than the amp could give and started pushing the amp with spiky fuzz pedals boosts overdrives and so on. I think it’s cool that you mention Van Halen, GnR and the different way they achieved this. The development of the super lead with the treble cap and other changes goes in this direction to I think, but still many prefer the older amps… My guess is that you can’t get “ that sound in your head “ with the one amp mod, pedal etc You need the small steps culminating, as you mentioned with pedals. The eq was a big step, even so I think it needed the small steps leading up. I think I learned something more general through this, that’s cool! By the way I recently switched over to a strat, that’s even more extreme than the eq changes, all the treble I ever need.
Love your work but you began by playing Paul Stanley parts. Also Aces tech has stated he often used a EH big muff in the 70's. Never the less, keep up the great content.
I wanna rock and roll!
Seems a little heavy handed for Eddie Kramer using that much EQ based on interviews I 've read from him about his recording ethos.
Wonder if there could be another explanation if they re-tracked everything in the studio?
treble booster? telecaster? tweed amp? or combination of any of those
Mr. Speed! Great riffs and awesome sound ????
tape would've been a factor
how can I get in contact with you?
Fantastic analysis Johan???? EQ matching is amazing
I've been thinking about this lately in how it relates to the Gene produced VH demo. It seems unlikely they would have flown out to NY with their own equipment and just ended up using Kiss gear at Electric Lady. How it compares to the Landee/Templeman Sunset stuff a year later is interesting.
Not sure if this is true but I heard a rumor that Kiss used Fender Champs cranked up.