Metropoulos Forum

What amp are we hearing mostly on Rush ATWAS? (Recorded in 1976 during the 2112 tour)

Looking at the pictures, we see all his Marshalls, but the tour programs for the subsequent Rush Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres tours (1977-1979) states that he's using a JBL Fender Twin for PA micing:

http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tou ... okings.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tou ... pheres.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Was he also using a Fender combo for PA micing in 1976? Apparently so according to this post on TGP:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archiv ... 95927.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I went around the back of the stage during Rush's 2112 tour and found a Super Reverb tilted back and mic'd hiding behind a wall of Marshalls (which were not mic'd BTW!). This was back in his ES 335 playing days.

This is the kind of stuff that totally cracks me up.


So how were live albums like ATWAS recorded back in the day? Did they mic off the stage amps? Or the PA? Or the soundboard? (which would make the most sense)

So the amp sound we're hearing most on ATWAS is actually a Fender combo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYYxtkMAd8U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hmmmmm... interesting find...

Alex was my first real influence on guitar , marshalls hiwatts ...I would've never thought Fender ?? for that album/tour

You can definitely hear the echoplex/gibson PAF in the tone - I always rank this album high as favorite/classic rock guitar album.

the instrumental jam on Bytor and the snow dog is classic ... great use of the echoplex.

Eric Johnson said in an interview that if he had to have one guitar and one amp on a deserted island it would be...

a strat and a Fender Twin.

Here's more that I've found:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/sho ... -2112-Tone" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

(quoting an old GP magazine interview)

What amps were you using on Caress Of Steel?

I used the Fender Super Reverb on both that album and the one right before it, Fly By Night. And on our live album [All The World's A Stage] I was playing the tobacco Les Paul Standard, which at the time had Pyramid [26044 Grandriver, Detroit, MI 48240] pickups on it. I've since replaced them with the stock humbuckers.

Why did you have the Pyramids installed in the first place?

With the Pyramid pickups there was a really tough, compressed sound, which I like. The only problem with them was they were just too powerful; I couldn't get the clean sound I wanted for quieter things.

On 2112, which guitars and amps did you use?

There again, I played the 335 for most of the electric stuff, and I used the Les Paul Standard on some leads. For acoustics I bought a new Gibson B-45 12-string and a Gibson Dove 6-String, and for amps I had both a Fender Super Reverb and a Twin Reverb.


So there it is: ATWAS is a 4x10 Super Reverb (with higher-output pickups on his LP). Here's more info from the Field Guide:

http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=97" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


So it looks like he used the 50w Marshall for the first album, then the Fender Super for the next 3 studio albums and ATWAS.... which would explain why on these recordings there's more of a classic Fender "Kerrang" sound than the Marshall/Hiwatt sound.




I'm guessing he switched over from the using the Super Reverb to the Twin Reverb for live micing sometime in 1977 (either the ATWAS or Farewell to Kings tour) They both have the AB763 circuit - it's just that 1 has 4x10 and the other 2x12