29 replies to this topic

[Zephyr]

Fairly comprehensive video of John's current setup:

http://www.guitarpla...tid=76794732001

Shows his amp, pedal board and a quick rundown of his guitars.

[Pauna]

john says that his stompbox is a 57 with a bunch of foam but what is a 57 ?

[Zephyr]

john says that his stompbox is a 57 with a bunch of foam but what is a 57 ?

I think he's talking about the mic, I would guess a Shure 57 - http://www.shure.com...sm57-lc_content

The actual stomp 'box' is just part of a case for his kit.

[valley]

he would definetly be talking about a shure 57 your right, did suprise me though at first, i thought he would have gone a bass mix but then i figured it wasnt naturally a bass sound and it would have been EQ'd to sound so!

pretty cool, i think i saw a little button on his box that he pressed, must stop the signal flow until pressed!

[bryanhard]

That was a great video. I'm not a guitar player, but I'm learning the bass and recording arts, and I'm a singer, so i get into the tech aspects of it all.

I have a question though... This video: is described that he is messing with his Harmonium. When I look up harmonium, I find this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonium
and clearly that is not what he is messing with in the video. Anyone know what it really is that he is talking about here?

[Jojomojo]

It's a Shruti box

http://www.johnbutle...opic.php?id=766

look toward the end of the thread

[bryanhard]

Thanks, Jojomojo!

[Jojomojo]

No worries mate

[merbo]

Check this out. Get this happening, just hit play, then play Ragged Mile over the top.

[Zephyr]

That's brilliant merbo!

[paul.woolhouse]

just after some confirmation, with his volume pedal, is he running one pickup on the guitar clean and the other one runs through the volume pedal and distortion, so when he does that distorted fade in (like on max sessions ocean) its the two running together? and if he does, do they both run through the marshall? Thanks

[valley]

just after some confirmation, with his volume pedal, is he running one pickup on the guitar clean and the other one runs through the volume pedal and distortion, so when he does that distorted fade in (like on max sessions ocean) its the two running together? and if he does, do they both run through the marshall? Thanks

two pickups to his guitar> his clean sounds bypass the amp and run clean to the FOH> when he fades in the volume it brings in the amp but i believe it may also cut the clean signal to the FOH?

could be wrong though!

Edited by valley, 19 April 2010 - 11:46 AM.

[Zephyr]

[quote name=valley][quote name='paul.woolhouse]just after some confirmation' date=' with his volume pedal, is he running one pickup on the guitar clean and the other one runs through the volume pedal and distortion, so when he does that distorted fade in (like on max sessions ocean) its the two running together? and if he does, do they both run through the marshall? Thanks [/quote']

two pickups to his guitar> his clean sounds bypass the amp and run clean to the FOH> when he fades in the volume it brings in the amp but i believe it may also cut the clean signal to the FOH?

could be wrong though![/quote]
I though he ALWAYS had the clean sound going out no matter what?

[valley]

two pickups to his guitar> his clean sounds bypass the amp and run clean to the FOH> when he fades in the volume it brings in the amp but i believe it may also cut the clean signal to the FOH?

could be wrong though!

I though he ALWAYS had the clean sound going out no matter what?

maybe but then youd htink you would hear two guitars?

[Ross1394]

It's a Shruti box

http://www.johnbutle...opic.php?id=766

look toward the end of the thread

aye, now you say its a shruti box

[Zephyr]

two pickups to his guitar> his clean sounds bypass the amp and run clean to the FOH> when he fades in the volume it brings in the amp but i believe it may also cut the clean signal to the FOH?

could be wrong though!

I though he ALWAYS had the clean sound going out no matter what?

maybe but then youd htink you would hear two guitars?

yeah but isn't that what he was saying about phasing? - that puts the two sounds together into the sound we hear.

[valley]

I though he ALWAYS had the clean sound going out no matter what?

maybe but then youd htink you would hear two guitars?

yeah but isn't that what he was saying about phasing? - that puts the two sounds together into the sound we hear.

you may be right zeph..

hmm shall be interesting to follow this up more! johnvestigation :shifty:

[Pauna]

maybe but then youd htink you would hear two guitars?

yeah but isn't that what he was saying about phasing? - that puts the two sounds together into the sound we hear.

you may be right zeph..

hmm shall be interesting to follow this up more! johnvestigation :shifty:

Actually what i Think he does is : He has 2 pickups in his guitar : 1 neck pickup and 1 bridge pickup... 1 is a magnetic pickup and 1 is an acoustic pickup. As you all know when he changes guitars in his live shows he plugs 2 jacks into his guitar. 1 jack is run into his stomp board where he has all his effects then it runs thru his avalon then into his marshall which is always on the distorted channel . His other pickup goes straight into his avalon then to the front of house as john calls it. The thing that makes the transition from the clean sound to the distorted sound is an ernie ball volume pedal that he uses as a stereo a/b switch where he switches from his acoustic pickup to his magnetic pickup. As for the constant clean sound i don't know if it's always there i personally don't think so! Hope it helped !

[AJGooch]

Anybody actually know what the pickups are in john butlers weissenborn? one is a seymour duncan magmic, but what is the other cause he's got 2 output jacks right?

[merbo]

http://www.guitarpla...io/Oct-07/32089

…?Each of my guitars has two pickup systems with separate outputs. The Maton 12-strings are fitted with Seymour Duncan Mag-Mic soundhole pickups—I don’t use the microphone, only the magnetic part—and Maton APMic pickups, which combine an under-saddle component with a soundhole mic. The lap-steels are fitted with Fishman Rare Earth Blend soundhole pickups that have both a magnetic pickup and a microphone with individual outputs for each. So, in both cases, there are separate signals for the magnetic pickups and the non-magnetic pickups.
…

That should get you there or thereabouts, Goochy

[AJGooch]

http://www.guitarpla...io/Oct-07/32089

…?Each of my guitars has two pickup systems with separate outputs. The Maton 12-strings are fitted with Seymour Duncan Mag-Mic soundhole pickups—I don’t use the microphone, only the magnetic part—and Maton APMic pickups, which combine an under-saddle component with a soundhole mic. The lap-steels are fitted with Fishman Rare Earth Blend soundhole pickups that have both a magnetic pickup and a microphone with individual outputs for each. So, in both cases, there are separate signals for the magnetic pickups and the non-magnetic pickups.
…

That should get you there or thereabouts, Goochy

Ahhh. so he splits the signal. wonder if u could do that on the seymour duncans. muchly appreciated!

[merbo]

Ahhh. so he splits the signal. wonder if u could do that on the seymour duncans. muchly appreciated!

After having a little stickybeak, It looks to me as though splitting the signal could get a bit, fiddly, let alone technical. The output junction looks very likely to be inside the pickup. I imagine it might be easier to disable or isolate the magmic's mic circuit rather than it would be to split the magmic's signal somehow.

That's just a hunch mind you, based on John's approach. It could be that the Maton APMic pickup's mic section, for this purpose, is superior or more desirable in one way or another, but I'm only guessing. In any case though, the two signals will need to be split. That's the ticket.

Maybe, you should look for a quality, stand alone, mic, in any event. Something like what Jeff Lang likes to use, namely, Acoustech Dynafield mics, engineered by Dave Wendler. Sounds like a little ripper to me and the Langster's no slouch when it comes to serious tone and terminal G.A.S. That's for certain.

Edited by merbo, 03 April 2011 - 02:15 PM.

[AJGooch]

Ahhh. so he splits the signal. wonder if u could do that on the seymour duncans. muchly appreciated!

After having a little stickybeak, It looks to me as though splitting the signal could get a bit, fiddly, let alone technical. The output junction looks very likely to be inside the pickup. I imagine it might be easier to disable or isolate the magmic's mic circuit rather than it would be to split the magmic's signal somehow.

That's just a hunch mind you, based on John's approach. It could be that the Maton APMic pickup's mic section, for this purpose, is superior or more desirable in one way or another, but I'm only guessing. In any case though, the two signals will need to be split. That's the ticket.

Maybe, you should look for a quality, stand alone, mic, in any event. Something like what Jeff Lang likes to use, namely, Acoustech Dynafield mics, engineered by Dave Wendler. Sounds like a little ripper to me and the Langster's no slouch when it comes to serious tone and terminal G.A.S. That's for certain.

yeah i suppose thats probably a better idea, to find a decent stand alone mic rather than rewiring stuff. i will indeed check out jeff langs setup.
thanks again!

Edited by AJGooch, 03 April 2011 - 05:36 PM.

[merbo]

No sweat. Keep asking, keep lookin' around. You'll sort it out, I'm sure. Slow and steady. Bless!

[gtrguisgrl]

Thanks for posting this link, but when I go there... there is no info on John's setup. I'm trying to find out what kind of lap steel he plays. Christmas is coming -- gotta make a list!

[rcb396]

Thanks for posting this link, but when I go there... there is no info on John's setup. I'm trying to find out what kind of lap steel he plays. Christmas is coming -- gotta make a list!

now he plays a hawaiian weissenborn i think (for treat yo' mama for e.g.) and a National model D west (for one way road for e.g.)

[rcb396]

and he has his grandfather's dobro, but i think he doesn't play with it nowadays

[Shenay]

Fairly comprehensive video of John's current setup:

http://www.guitarpla...tid=76794732001

Shows his amp, pedal board and a quick rundown of his guitars.

This link doesnt link me to the JB vid?

[Zephyr]

Hmm, I can't seem to find it on the site, must have been removed sorry.

[merbo]

Bit sad!

However, here's sort of a consolation… Pretty sweet!

From the same crew,

Guitar Player http://www.guitarpla...ohn-butler/1152

FROM HIS EARLY DAYS BUSKING ON THE STREETS TO touring globally as a headliner, Australia’s John Butler has sought to forge his own musical voice both as a guitarist and as a socially conscious songwriter. Primarily wielding 11-string acoustics and Weissenborn lap-steels run through a rig that includes both studio-grade preamps and a Marshall JCM800 half-stack, Butler also plays 6-string acoustics and electrics, lap-steel, a National Steel resonator, and banjo. On his latest recording, April Uprising [ATO], Butler enlists bassist Byron Luiters and drummer Nicky Bomba as the latest incarnation of the John Butler Trio, and brings a tighter, more pop savvy feel to the music. From the fingerpicked hillbilly funk of “Don’t Wanna See Your Face” to his taut slide playing on “One Way Road” to the gentle acoustic closer “A Star is Born,” Butler shows the breadth of his musical scope and abilities.

How did you approach recording April Uprising?

My main agenda was to have an album that was very focused, very powerful, and very song-driven—and we just humbled ourselves to doing whatever was needed to do right by each song. I relate to songs a little like I would to a wild animal, such as a beautiful horse. What makes it beautiful is that it’s wild and strong and healthy. It hasn’t been broken, but in order to take it to town and show everyone how beautiful it is, you have to get the saddle on it. I want to be able to ride the horse, not kill its spirit.

Is there a particular guitar that you tend to use for writing?

I write on whatever instrument is in my hands at the time I get the inspiration, though when it comes time to record and perform live, I may wind up playing the song on a different type of instrument altogether. For example, I wrote “Close to You” on an acoustic, but in my head I was already hearing it as an electric guitar song, and that’s what it became.

You play several types of guitars live. What is your main instrument?

My main guitar is the Maton CW80 dreadnought 12-string that I’ve been playing for about ten years, which is tuned to open C (C, G, C, G, C, E, low to high). It’s really an 11-string, because I remove the high-octave G string. On a 12-string, the high G is higher than the high E, which is just too high, because I want the sound to be even and my mids to be nice and warm. I also have a Maton ECJ85 jumbo 12-string with a solid spruce top that’s in the same tuning but a half-step lower, a Larrivee 6-string acoustic, a reissue Model D National resonator, and a Carson Crickmore Weissenborn-style guitar, which is made out of an Aussie wood called blackbutt. My electric is a ’72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe.

You also play banjo.

I have two: An American banjo made by Imperial and an Aussie banjo made by Bacon. Because I already played in open tunings using my fingers, picking up the banjo made perfect sense. I like it because it sounds sort of like a sitar, though when I play it through my Marshall rig I have to stuff it with foam so it doesn’t feed back.

How do you amplify your acoustic instruments?

The 12-strings and the banjos use a combination of Seymour Duncan magnetic and Maton bridge pickups, and the 6-string just uses a bridge pickup. The lap-steels are fitted with Fishman Rare Earth Blend soundhole pickups that combine a magnetic pickup with a microphone. The magnetic pickups and the other pickups and mics follow separate signal paths, one for the pure acoustic sound that goes to the P.A., and one that eventually gets routed into the Marshall.

The signal path involves an Avalon M5 microphone preamp, an Avalon U5 instrument preamp/DI, a Midas XL42 mixer, and some other components (see the November 2007 issue of GP for details). The magnetic pickup signal also gets routed through a DigiTech Whammy pedal, a Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive, a Boss PH-2 Super Phaser, a Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe, a Boss RV-2 Digital Reverb, a Dunlop Crybaby 535Q wah, and an Akai Head Rush E2 delay. And the signal that goes to the Marshall also gets routed through an Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer and an Ernie Ball volume pedal along the way.

How do you set the controls on the Marshall to optimize it for acoustic instruments?

Usually I have the Middle and Treble controls up half-way and the Bass control up full, because I like a rich, full bottom end. I also like a lot of gain. In the studio I have a 1974 Marshall JMP Super Lead 100 MKII that I set the same way as the JCM800, because both of those amps need to have the bass turned up all the way to sound right.

How do you see your role as a guitarist and a musician?

There are so many tones and techniques that can be used to express feelings, and as a guitarist I feel it is my job to tell a story and to take the listener on a ride. For example, the first time I got hit really hard in that way was listening to the Band of Gypsys play an alternate version of “Machine Gun.” I could hear helicopters and napalm bombs and screaming and machine guns and hearts breaking and coffins being sent back home—all in the sounds Hendrix was creating with his guitar. He was channeling something way bigger than himself that was coming directly from his heart. Sometimes he ripped into the sound and sometimes he just let the sound hang and unfold and distort and break apart. I was laughing and crying at the same time. It was life changing.