What’s new at Zystrix? Read on… December 23, 2024 How to Sound Like Jimi Hendrix. No, there won’t be any guitar lessons in this issue. Sorry. We’re going to end 2024 by going over the gear to get a person close to his sound. So sit back and relax. Welcome to Zystrix, the heartbeat of the universe. Where creativity and free- thinking have more value than conformity. Background Artwork The colorful artwork that surrounds the edges of this website is invisible to many cell phone users. It’s included here for your enjoyment. Multiple copies are tiled together for a cohesive and seamless background seen all around this page. Enjoy. How to Sound Like Jimi Hendrix In this issue we’ll cover how to Sound Like Jimi Hendrix in two different ways: #1. money is no object (high expense), and #2. affordable (or portable) setup. Although he used many different guitars and amplifiers (see photos), we’re going to stick with a Fender Stratocaster guitar and the sound of a Marshall plexi Super Lead 100-watt amplifier (the type used near the end of his life). Sound Like Jimi Hendrix – High Expense We’re going to assume you already own a Fender Stratocaster guitar (right or left handed), all the necessary cords, and you know at least one of his guitar licks. Is a Stratocaster guitar necessary? Well, maybe not. It’s possible to play the same Hendrix licks, but a Les Paul or something with double coil pickups won’t sound the same. There are some guitars made that brag about having the pickups in backwards to emulate his sound. But as we learned in the last guitar pickup issue, putting the pickups in a Stratocaster backwards doesn’t change the sound at all, but changing the pickup angle to backward does. In this first (and expensive) scenario you’re going to need a Marshall Super Lead 100-watt plexi panel type amplifier with a matching 4x12 angled front speaker cabinet. If you purchase ones made in the late 1960s expect to be separated from your wallet. The settings on his amplifier are Bass at 4, the mids at about 8, and the treble at about 6, and the gain at about 4 or 5. He also used a few guitar pedals you’ll need to consider for purchase... Jimi Hendrix’ Guitar Pedals (roughly chronological order) Maestro Fuzz Tone (first known pedal Hendrix used 1966) Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face (germanium and silicon transistor) Octavia (original without fuzz) Vox Wa-Wa Roger Mayer Axis Fuzz Marshall Colorsound Supa Fuzz (Tone Bender) Guild Foxey Lady Fuzz Big Muff V1 model by Mike Mathews Uni-Vibe (1968 model) OK, there’s the required gear if you’re looking to own all the original pieces. Now let’s try this scenario another way. We’re looking to sound like Hendrix on a less extravagant budget, and he used 4 basic pedals: wa-wa, fuzz, octavia, and the Uni-Vibe. The rest was studio effects. And something portable for gigging or jamming with friends would also be a plus. Probably the only thing that can’t really be cheapened is the guitar, although there are some non-USA built Strat’ type guitars that sound quite close. The amplifier sound can be imitated with various amp-in- a-box pedals. Here are some great ideas to get you started. At the end I’ll throw in my two-cents for a pedal board even though you didn’t ask for a penny. We’ll take one item at a time and find affordable and great sounding alternatives. We’ll also imitate only his 4 most popular pedals (at least for now)... Wa-Wa Pedal The Vox Wa-Wa is hard to beat because that’s what he used, and they are still widely available, albeit expensive. However the Cry Baby is a close second. I’m sure there are others that would do the job satisfactorily, but I’m trying to get as close as possible for sound. Fuzz Pedal (and options) Hendrix used an octave pedal (Octavia) to get the higher fuzz harmonic, but there are fuzz pedals that also do this on their own. The choice is yours. If you are looking for fuzz pedals then try the Dunlop Fuzz Face (mini), MXR Classic 108 Fuzz, Pedal Pawn Fuzz (has the upper harmonic), Wampler Velvet Fuzz (plexi amp and fuzz sound mixed), Mooer Gray Faze (germanium based sound), Mooer Blue Faze (silicon based sound), Tone City Fuxx Fuzz (traditional fuzz with an octave switch built in), and the Caline Voodoo Octave CP-53 (retro fuzz with an octave switch built in). Also, the Mosky Big Fuzz is an inexpensive way to get the Big Muff type of sound (if you are looking for that), and it’s more versatile. Getting the Octave Sound There are pedals that have the octave above, and some also have an octave below. Hendrix used the octave above. Give these a listen… Electro-Harmonix Octavix, Pedal Pawn Octone, Electro-Harmonix Nano POG, Boss OC-5 Octave (lots of options but a delicate sound), TC Electronic Sub ‘N’ Up ($80.00 USA), and the MXR Poly Blue. Getting a Uni-Vibe Sound There are some great Uni- Vibe emulations out there. Give these a listen… MXR M68 Uni-Vibe, Fulltone Deja Vibe, Good Vibes by Electro Harmonix, Mosky Ch-Vibe ($35.00 USA), Mooer Soul Shiver, Moen Shaky Jimi ($59.80 USA), EarthQuaker Optical. OK, so we’ve covered his four pedals. Now let’s move on and cover his other gear (guitar not included) and I’ll throw in a little wa-wa secret… Getting the Amplifier Sound (Marshall plexi) Needless to say there are many pedals that offer the Mashall plexi tone (and lots of pedals that offer considerably more). Listen to these… Tonex One ($180.00 USA), Mooer Preamp X2 ($127.00 USA), Joyo Preamp House ($144.00), Line 6 POD Express ($180.00 USA), or the Tone City Golden Plexi 2 (requires a cab IR for recording direct) ($70.00 USA). Extra Studio Effects There was delay and reverb on Jimi’s recorded sound. His studio engineer, Eddie Kramer, used a real plate reverb and real tape delay. Reverb is still a rather expensive effect, but there are some great ones to be had. To emulate these sounds try the Tape Machine by Tone City (delay), DemonFX Reverb Delay Workstation (reverb and delay), Line 6 HX Effects (many effects), and the TC Electronic Flashback X4 Delay (various delay). Getting the Flanger Sound Eddie Kramer also used a real tape deck for the flanger sound. To emulate this effect give these pedals a listen... Mooer E Lady ($45.00 USA), Boss BF-3, Boss MD-500, Joyo Classic Flanger ($38.00 USA), Strymon Deco, TC Electronics Vortex. Building the Pedal Board How would I build my own Jimi Hendrix sounding pedal board choosing from the gear listed above? I want a great Hendrix sound on a budget, and the problem becomes too many pedal choices. Are my choices a dead-ringer for his tone? Well, no, but it’s close enough to rock, and that’s good enough for me. Here are the pedals I would purchase and in what order I’d place them on my pedal board... Cry Baby (my favorite wa-wa) ($125 USA) Tone City Fuxx Fuzz (fuzz and octave built-in) (about $50 USA) Mosky Ch-Vibe (rotary speaker emulation) (about $40 USA) Mooer Preamp X2 ($127.00 USA). For my studio effects, and they are generally not cheap, I would choose… Tone City Little Wing Chorus (not necessary, but it just sounds cool) Joyo Classic Flanger DemonFX Reverb Delay Workstation (excellent reverb and delay). Conclusion And there it is, Jimi Hendrix tone on a budget, and it probably sounds better than it did back in the day. And here’s a cool little secret… duct tape a sturdy small but wide spring under the wa- wa top and fastened to the top of base for those really fast laughing wa-wa effects. The spring makes it much easier to do it with your foot. Remember you heard it here first. OK, I’ve got the pedal board ready, now the trick becomes how to make my hands play his guitar licks with his feel. Hmm, I wonder if there’s a pedal for that… Don’t touch that dial… Stay tuned next time… Here’s to a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. Maybe I’ll see you next time. How much did it cost Santa to park his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house. Knowledge, art, and music for all.
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ZYSTRIX POPULAR FREE DOWNLOADS The Best Free Synthesizers of 2024 It’s another epic issue, and there’s lots of FREE downloads here. And the Honorable Mention Synthesizer List might surprise you. This list is long, so prepare yourself. And if it seems like too much to take in, I warned you. Click here for the official list of The Best Free Synthesizers of 2024. The Best Free Mastering Plugins Your DAW (digital audio workstation) will be so happy. And so will you. Here are the best of the best for EQ, compression, limiting, tube and tape emulation, reverb, delay, and honorable mentions. This list is a must have with lots of downloads. Check out The Best FREE Plugins for Mastering 2024. Here’s a free download of almost one and a half hours of original neo-classical solo piano by Dangerous Neighbors. This full length album called Piano Top to Bottom consists of 18 original piano pieces with the final piece in two movements. There is a bonus track making 20 files total. 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Download Free Synth Samples for Intros, Interludes, and Endings Listen to example #01 by clicking here (MP3 Sample) Download FREE professional quality stereo sample packs that slowly evolve over time. All samples are in 48K 24 bit WAV format and are about 20 seconds long or more. If you like suspense, psycho, outer space, or terror then this collection is for you. These range from paranoia to sci-fi, cinematic gore to strange industrial horror, and creepy creatures to insane laboratories. Click here to download all the synth Intros, Interludes, and Endings. DOWNLOAD FREE AUDIO BOOKS The Fluid, Embalmed for Life There are Free Audio Book codes for Audible downloads (must sign up). There are also free sample downloads of the book reading. There are free downloads of music samples. There is a free “Look Inside” download of the paperback. There is a free glossary of the largest list of mortuary slang in the world. The Free Dangerous Neighbors Album The Fluid, Embalmed for Life comes included as part of the audio book and parts are available here as a free download. The paperback book is available for sale at Amazon dot com. I have no control over these sales; because of the Amazon agreement I cannot offer complete paperback or complete audio books here. And for some reason most book sales go to Japan. Who would have thunk it? Click here for free audio books, book reading samples, music samples, etc. Take me back to the top of the page. Zystrix Privacy Policy THE FINE PRINT: Zystrix is a world leader in personal privacy and we take your privacy very seriously. We do not store, sell, give away, or barter with any of your personal or private information including your email, IP address, links clicked, location, habits, tastes, online activities and behaviors, or anything else considered personal or private information. We never have. 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