That 80's Metal Tone
The 80's were an epoch that marked the rise of hair metal, glam, and MTV ready acts. The tones and the bands were big, but not too difficult to assemble.
The 1980’s. Hard Rock was giving way to Heavy Metal. Big permed hair was in, as was spandex, and MTV was on a trajectory of growth. Bands like RATT, Poison, Motley Crüe, Judas Priest, Def Leopard and many more were ascendant, and the sounds that were swirling around were iconic.
That was the era I grew up in, and I was all in. At the time I spent a lot of time and money chasing that magic sound, that thick, lush crunch-y tone.
But, at the time I didn't really know what built that tone, I just knew that my favorite guitar slingers were able to get it.
The best that I got was my Gallien Krueger “Lunchbox”, turned on the onboard chorus, scooped the mids, and I just jammed.
Today, I know that isn’t the sound that I loved so much. Oh sure, it had a rich stereo chorus, but that was pretty much de riguer for 80s hard rock and metal.
Instead, what is needed is a pretty nasally high sound, and a fairly fat mid range. The amps used were big tube amps 50, 100 watts or even larger, 4x12 cabinets, and a lot of overdrive. A chorus either a bit-bucket analog or something added on the mixing board at the studio is mandatory.
So, a Marshall plexi, or a 100 Watt head, but also Mesa Boogie amps were common.
To replicate this with my Helix, I have selected the Brit Plexi Bright channel, and fiddled with the knobs to get a fat, creamy overdrive. Pair that up with a 4x12 cabinet with greenback Celestions, and a Shure SM57 mic, and you have a kick ass foundational tone.
In front of that, the Boss DS-1 pedal tips the overdrive into the pleasant space. Slightly scoop the mids, and then add a classic chorus in the path after the amp. I like to add a short-ish delay, nothing special, a slap-back to give a little wetness to the sound chain.
The last thing in the path is a medium room reverb, just a hint of an echo, and all together, you can get that 80’s metal sound.
Just once in my life I experienced the real deal. Mid week, I visited a music store I hung out at a lot in the 80’s, and it was empty, just me and the person at the counter. I pulled a Les Paul off the wall, plugged into a full stack Marshall, and dialed in a loud, killer tone. The guy at the counter sat behind the drums, and we jammed for about 45 minutes. My ears rang for several days after that. It was totally worth it. The problem is that the volume levels where it all clicks is almost painful, and not suitable for home or any reasonable environment.
Hence, my journey through a ton of pedals, before I caved in on the Helix and bought it.
Stay tuned for more explorative tone developments.