Unique tone, playing like a rythm guitarist through a cranked Marshall stack with a Super Bass, it sounds.. Well like Lemmy!
Allright, you all probubly know how his tone is like, it seems very midrangy, gritty, and it's loud, so i wont go to much into it.
Okey, let's start what i've dug up so far.
It is said that Lemmys Super Basses were ''hot rodded'', meaning modified for example in wikipedia.
But what kind of mods did he have to his amps in those older days, and who modded those amps? Was it Marshall themselves?
Was it different tubes and not the mid rangy tubes like EL34 and something else or was it EL34 tubes?
Master volume mods? 6550-tubes? KT88s for bigger low end and bigger sound? (I think Lemmys sound is pretty big though not to big, he plays loud also remember) Mods for extra distortion? (unlikely since he isn't exactly an super distortion kind of person, he cranks his amps high and uses a reasonable amount of distortion it seems)
I have no idea really what mods he have had on his amps in the older days, but supposly since the word ''hot rodded'' is used in most times people mention his amps as on wikipedia, i asume his amps were(and still is)modified.
Any ideas at least who might have made those mods?
Kinda trying to in future save up for a decent Super Bass MKII, one to keep in stock form and one to mod in some ways, i have some ideas about what cabinets he might have used and what speakers, what Rickenbacker he have used and what pickups and whatever else but just a thought about who were modifying his amps and how i have wondering about as well.
Kinda trying to save up for one Super Bass that should be a similar one like the one he had in past in the 70s. I'd like to try to recreate a very 'Lemmyish' kind of tone so i'am interrested into any reliable or good information that makes sense, statements, anything that could be of help to archive this
So i'am collecting information pretty often.
What i've found so far,
Marshall cabs: 70s 1979a/b 4x15'' Square cabinets with either stock G15-150s or some Fender 15s or whatever they are called with Marshall 4x12 1960s/1982 models on top with supposly 444 cone(bass probubly) speakers like G12M or G12H (more likely imo), maybe slanted cabs on top of the big 4x15 cabinets but i think i've seen different pictures of both slanted and non slanted cabs.
Bass heads: 70s Marshall Super Bass MKII 1992 heads rated at 100 watt, supposly ''hot rodded'' meaning modified somehow?
So 4 inputs and 2 channels just like a normal Super Bass, and since it says MKII it could mean middle to late 70s Super Basses. It seems mostly clear he allways used 100 watt heads (it makes sense, he probubly didn't think the 50 watters had enough punch and power that the 100 watt heads had so he COULD have mostly stuck to 100 watt heads, not saying he didn't use but probubly the 100 watt heads suited him better since those have more punch, ''tighter'' and have maybe little more bass?) and somehow were modified. No idea about who modded the amps and how they were modified BUT if anyone have any info about it i would be really greatfull!
Rickenbackers: Supposly old vintage Rickenbacker basses, maybe early 4000, 4001 and similar basses from 60s up to 70s rickenbackers, they were probubly not heavily modified and probubly left mostly stock exept from changes to Thunderbird pickups that he supposly used from time to time. They were probubly not much modified, maybe his more modern basses are modified and customized in some ways like his live basses. Let's assume his older Rics were stock in the beginning, and were 60s and 70s Rickenbacker models like 4000, 4001 and that he didn't did major modifications or anything at first, maybe he did do smaller like pickup changes and maybe did major modifications in later years?
Pedals and effects: I assume he didn't use pedals, many people say he only cranks his amps really high and doesn't use distortion pedals, i can for the moment only speculate that he MIGHT have had some clean boost pedals, i have no idea, but pedals overall doesn't seem like something Lemmy would use, maybe clean boosts to beef up the sound perhaps sometimes?
Playing: Well he's basicly a rythm guitar player from what i understand, and that he uses picks, and he plays really high volumes, he might bang his guitars and pound them with his playing alot so they might also have been forced to repair his basses alot (?), no idea really but wouldn't be suprised if his playing takes or maybe in his younger days took it's tools on his basses alot. Maybe he combine his picking with finger picking in some songs? Possibly.
I think that Lemmy, like bands like ACDC, at their young years when they produced their earlier albums, was forced to stick with what they could afford, these guys weren't allways rich and so, so we could possibly say their equippment wasen't the most expensive of their time. Lemmy might have brough his equippment second hand, his rics being an old one he stuck with for a long time before getting money to get what he wanted if he needed, if he had money he probubly stick with non expensive stuff, maybe second hand stuff that were allready used and not brought new?
So they had mostly in their younger days have to rely on cheap stuff they could afford and make the best things out of them. That's my opinion at least. They couldn't perhaps afford highly modified equippment early on, but started to get more advanced and newer stuff and things like that when they became more famous and could afford ''better'' equippments.
So i think most stuff people like Lemmy had back in their younger days were mostly second hand items they had repaired, bought cheap and that those amps, cabinets, e.t.c wasen't so advanced really. They could get their tones by experimenting with their gear, making odd changes, maybe using combinations with items that people normaly wouldn't use together like bass guitar through guitar heads and guitar speakers, you know what i mean
So Lemmys older tones shouldn't be so hard to archive gear wise, at least not if we're counting on earlier albums and things like that. Remember Lemmy wasen't allways having all the money he now has(rich is a relative term) so he had to rely on things he could afford and what was available at that time, so back in those days i doupt he had his amps modified unless he could save up for it. Speculation?
Lemmys tone isn't the best, some people don't like it, some do, i like it, it's unique in it's own way. And we sure most of us loves his classic tones on Ace of Spades, Bomber, Overkill, Orgasmatron and so on
When i have gotten money for all induvidual parts in this chain, i will begin to obtain peices to build up an vintage old Lemmy/motörhead kind of tone, with gear he probubly did use back then, vintage rics, cabs, heads, similar picking and string gauge e.t.c.
Will not happend over a year at all, but it will be a long time project.
Best Regards - Irön/Beast
P.S I might have some information being wrong, i don't claim any information to be accurate, much of what is written is speculation and from what i've heard from other peoples, i wrote much of it that would make sense he would of use, but i can't be certein he actually DID use items i have listed. Just so you all know.