Board Games Pedalboard problems solved
The background
James Henderson, Guitarist reader: This is a very well-trodden path, I know, already covered by many online articles and magazine pieces over many years. Yet still I find myself confused about what pedals/amps to assemble for an authentic Jimi Hendrix tone. I suspect this email will find its way instantly to the trash folder, but if you feel like indulging me, this Hendrix fan would be extremely grateful. My maple-neck Strat is ready to go…
The questions
1. What are the essential pedals/effects for Hendrix sounds? 2. In what order should they be placed in the signal chain? 3. How much does the amp matter in all of this?
The answers
You’re in luck, James. There’s a trio of Guitarist editors current and past (Jamie Dickson, Neville Marten, Mick Taylor) about to indulge in some live Hendrix shenanigans, so it’s a question they’ve been pondering, too. Indeed, Jamie even shared his revamped GigRig ’board with us in last issue’s Longterm Test.
Here, we’ll start with the caveat that the Hendrix sound is only partly in the gear, but you already knew that. Also, there have been whole books written on this subject and we’re attempting it in a couple of hundred words. So…
1. You want a wah-wah (eg, Voodoo Chile intro), at least one Fuzz Face-style fuzz (most things), an octave fuzz (eg, second bit of the Purple Haze solo) and a Uni-Vibe (eg, Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock). Of course, working in the studio put many more things at Hendrix’s disposal: echo, reverb, reversed effects and so on.
2. No doubt Hendrix did all kinds of things, but a good starting point (based on various images that survive from live performances and studio sessions) is: wah, fuzz, Octavio, Uni-Vibe [as Fig. 1]. Some germanium Fuzz Face types really don’t like being placed after a wah-wah – you can get a weird oscillation/ freak out thing happening. Hendrix used a germanium Fuzz Face in the earlier years, silicon later. Try swapping things around all ways – the wah after the fuzz, for instance.
3. We’re glad you asked. It’s really important that the amp is driving. Part of the reason the fuzz, octave and Uni-Vibe sound the way they do is because they’re hitting a driving Marshall Plexi (for the classic Hendrix driven sounds, anyway). So if you’re running into a clean amp, definitely consider adding a Marshall-y style OD pedal after the Uni-Vibe [as Fig. 2]. Nothing too gainy. It’s also worth mentioning that there are beautiful clean tones available from a grunting Marshall and Fuzz Face… simply by rolling the Strat volume pot back. Good luck with it!