closest fuzz pedal to Beatles "revolution" sound!?!?

[telesandtwins]

any help would be great! thank you!

pete

[Elvis Christ]

i'd take a guess that that sound is the guitar direct into the console overdriving the console's preamps.

[davedarling]

Originally Posted by Elvis Christ

i'd take a guess that that sound is the guitar direct into the console overdriving the console's preamps.

Bingo !
if you want to recreate this ultra boss sound try this.

guitar(335 type hollow body) direct into preamp, input all the way up- into a compressor to squash and keep your level to tape sane.

good luck dd

[telesandtwins]

closest fuzz pedal to recreate the sound...

thanks.

[davedarling]

Originally Posted by telesandtwins

closest fuzz pedal to recreate the sound...

thanks.

then I guess "any fuzz pedal" would be the answer since NO pedal sounds like that.
But if you find one, let us know.

good luck dd

[MindRiot]

If you want to replicate the 'Revolution' sound with a pedal, your best bet is to get a compressor with some nice gain boost to overdrive the preamp. I read a review of the Joemeek 'floorQ' (it's def. a compressor, not an EQ) that said it's extra 20db of gain simulated the 'Revolution' distortion effect.

I'm no expert on Fuzz pedals, but I've been playing (and experimenting) for many years, and have to double-down on the advice that DD gave above. I'm sure you could get a somewhat similar effect with a Fuzz, but to a discerning ear it most likely won't cut it.

Good luck!

[mobius.media]

I'd go with a tube overdrive guitar pedal (one with a real tube in it - they do exist) as a first try.

[Mark Kaufman]

telesandtwins, your quest has been baffling live guitarists for over 40 years. Welcome to yet another episode of "Damn Those Beatles--How Did They DO That?"

[mdme_sadie]

Underpower some active pickups, you'll soon get that farty kazoo like sound!

It's a combo of clipping and overdrive on what to me sounds like an acoustic guitar. Of course overdriving an acoustic guitar is obviously going to be a lot of pain, but I'm pretty certain that's what that sound is and I don't think it's such an easy tone to recreate with an electric and any pedal at all.

[telesandtwins]

thank you guys!

[vincentvangogo]

I once plugged a guitar direct into a Revox B77 1/4" and put the levels into the red, very similar distortion (I thought.)

[embrionic]

perhaps a silicon based fuzz, one of the many on the market that has a "gate" or similar control, that can thin the fuzz out and make it "sputter" and "spit", and then mix that back in with a direct guitar sound? just a guess.

Indeed as stated above, it is console distortion (Sure sounds like it) according to:
The Evolution of Beatles' Recording Technology. by Cari Morin (1998)

"The single version of Revolution has a very distorted guitar sound to it which was achieved by putting the guitars through the recording console which causes the channel to overload and create a fuzz sound."

[litepipe]

You should try a ZVex Fuzz Factory. I can get that "vibe".

[Whitecat]

a z-vex super hard-on is worth a try too (but be careful, you could damage your amp). it's a different kind of distortion but it is a sort-of-preamp style circuit.

P90s are an important part of the equation too.

[embrionic]

Originally Posted by terminal3

P90s are an important part of the equation too.

indeed I would agree with this too... hey telesandtwins if you get this figured out post a clip here so we can check it out!

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by terminal3

a z-vex super hard-on is worth a try too (but be careful, you could damage your amp). it's a different kind of distortion but it is a sort-of-preamp style circuit.

Sorry but the Super Hard-On is not a distortion box. It is a clean booster but the main intent really is the use as a buffer amp, thus getting a real high inmpedance value that will restore the sound of your pasive PUs with longer cable runs/effects.

I have a SHO on my pedalboard but I'm still undecided whether I really like the sound better with it. It tends to thin out distorted sounds somewhat, or rather it might be the effect of NOT attenuating the highs that way.

There's also the Z.Vex Super Duper, basically 2 SHOs in one, and that one resembles more closely your description as you can overdrive the unit itself via the master volume knob: ZVEX EFFECTS

As for 'Revolution', I think it's all in the hands and not so much in the gear:

[pbradt]

My question is why are you chasing a tone that's unobtanium, and why are you chasing someone else's tone?

I will NEVER understand the obsessive need for cover-band players to try to duplicate a recording-studio sound live. Believe me, if Lennon ever played that song live, he probably played it through a Twin or a Marshall, and didn't worry for a moment if he sounded like the record. Why would you?

Find YOUR sound and put something of YOURSELF into the song. Make it your own.

[Whitecat]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

Sorry but the Super Hard-On is not a distortion box. It is a clean booster but the main intent really is the use as a buffer amp, thus getting a real high inmpedance value that will restore the sound of your pasive PUs with longer cable runs/effects.

not as intended/marketed but Zachary himself has said that you can drive it into distortion. it's not fuzz, though - his exact words:

Originally Posted by Zachary Vex

This is the perfect preamp pedal. The "Crackle Okay" volume knob is a negative-feedback control styled after classic 60's recording console inputs. (They crackled when adjusted too.)
<snip>
The ouput level can exceed 8 volts peak, and when it finally distorts, the wave is shaped like triode overload, not fuzz.

You're right though, the Super-Duper would be a better tool for achieving the overload, but the part about "styled after classic 60's recording console inputs" in the description is what triggered the thought since it's essentially a console preamp effect...

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by terminal3

not as intended/marketed but Zachary himself has said that you can drive it into distortion. it's not fuzz, though - his exact words:

You're right though, the Super-Duper would be a better tool for achieving the overload, but the part about "styled after classic 60's recording console inputs" in the description is what triggered the thought since it's essentially a console preamp effect...

I might try this soon but since I have a TG-2 as well, overdriving the latter (or even use both channels in series) probably would be the best choice for a Beatle-approved DI 'fuzz'. Maybe a combo of the Super Hard-On into the TG-2, should be crazy I guess....

OT but related hopefully: One of my all-time (no, make it THE all-time) fave DI guitar sounds is the guitar on Edwyn Collins 'A girl like you'. At least I assume that this ugly-but-beautiful sound was created by going DI through a fuzz pedal or something. If anybody has info I would be most grateful!

[popvulture]

I've found that the SHO can add a great, buzzy sort of distortion/boost when used on top of another overdrive. The Super Duper does this by cascading 2 SHOs, but I don't particularly like it because it has no tone controls. As another little bonus, the SHO is great for guitars with old pickups that have lost a little bit of their magnetism - I've used mine in the studio several times to give my tone a little extra sparkle and beef.

+1 on the Fuzz Factory, though... if you mess with em enough you can get some really great "velcro" fuzz sounds. Scratchy and buzzy, similar to the Revolution sound, but of course not dead on.

[popvulture]

Oh and doorknocker - the Edwyn Collins tone is awesome. Dave Navarro used one of those crappy Fernandes guitars with the built in speaker on Red Hot Chili Peppers' One Hot Minute, and it got almost the exact same tone. I forget what they're called, but they're cheap and funny looking. Mic up that speaker and you've got that great thin, nasal sound. Throw a hi-pass on there for some more whine.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by popvulture

Oh and doorknocker - the Edwyn Collins tone is awesome. Dave Navarro used one of those crappy Fernandes guitars with the built in speaker on Red Hot Chili Peppers' One Hot Minute, and it got almost the exact same tone. I forget what they're called, but they're cheap and funny looking. Mic up that speaker and you've got that great thin, nasal sound. Throw a hi-pass on there for some more whine.

Cool, thanks for the tip. I wasn't particuallary impressed by 'One hot minute' but I think I still have the CD somewhere, so I'm gonna check it out for that guitar bit!

[johnny nowhere]

Originally Posted by telesandtwins

closest fuzz pedal to recreate the sound...

thanks.

Short answer: there ain't one. John pre-amped his pre-amp. If you buy a
low end tube/valve type mic and/or line pre (as cheap as some pedals out there) and run your signal into it before it hits your amp head, a bit of
tweaking will get you very close. Other factors come into play, however,
mainly pickups and amps. Very few solutions come in the form of a pedal.
I could make a million dollars selling talent if I could cram it in a stompbox.
It'll help a great deal if you're using a tube amp, too.(duh)

[popvulture]

Yeah, I didn't really like One Hot Minute either, nor am I a big Dave Navarro fan. Was a really cool tone though, and I've always remembered that one little tidbit.

[dualtone]

Might've been the built in fuzz on a Vox Conquerer?? Those things are wicked, I know they used it for a bunch of stuff.

[YuriK]

Try one of the JMI topboost of fuzz reissues

[Manyrains]

Originally Posted by pbradt

My question is why are you chasing a tone that's unobtanium, and why are you chasing someone else's tone?

I will NEVER understand the obsessive need for cover-band players to try to duplicate a recording-studio sound live. Believe me, if Lennon ever played that song live, he probably played it through a Twin or a Marshall, and didn't worry for a moment if he sounded like the record. Why would you?

Find YOUR sound and put something of YOURSELF into the song. Make it your own.

Um, cuz it's fun?
I just plugged my strat into my pre , turned the gain up all the way, and got a big grin on my face- cuz all of sudden it sounded just like the record (at least closer than any pedal/amp sound) just for yuks! What a sound. But not doing anything else- not sure about damaging my pre having the needle pinned like that.

[3waytie4last]

A Roland Funny Cat is the closest I've ever heard a pedal get to that fizzy distortion.

[Iggy Poop]

Years ago there was a company called "Big Jam" that made some cool pedals. I remember trying a Big Jam Fuzz in a store when I was 12 and it sounded just like Revolution to me. I see them on Ebay every now and then.

[Shimona]

Check out the Swollen Pickle by Way Huge.