Magic Marshall at Farm Aid '85

[Tone Slinger]

This is great and dynamic BROWN SOUND ! Similar to the Letterman stuff, but you can tell the amps working harder here (that open 'A' chord at the end of Ed's middle solo just BLARES and sags ). Also the NAMN show from this same year is bad assed. It certainly sounds like Ed brought along his #1 top and cab to all of these jams (Letterman,NAMN, Farm Aid).

http://youtu.be/cvl5wEDkjXM

[echoplexi1974]

Yep, same year as letterman and same killer tone!!! I have not heard a stock plexi sound that fat, warm, and sustainy. I still believe there were some minor tweaks done to that amp that we do not know about. Who knows what configuration 12301 was in 1985....

[Strat78]

The 12301 is in plane sight, look at 2:26. Whats sitting on top of it? Attenuator?

[Tone Slinger]

Yep, same year as letterman and same killer tone!!! I have not heard a stock plexi sound that fat, warm, and sustainy. I still believe there were some minor tweaks done to that amp that we do not know about. Who knows what configuration 12301 was in 1985....

It does make you wonder about the 12301. Essentially the tone Ed got at these 3 jams is the SAME as he got in the '77 club gigs (12301) . Obviously a vintage strat bridge/hb'er strat and tunomatic stop tail (Destroyer) were being used in '77 and Eds got a Floyd strat here (imo, a Floyd has tonal aspects of both the other bridges). The tone on these 3 jams, I dare say, is about as good as I've heard him get, being even a more 'fat/pregnant with tone' sound than even the '77/'78 era

To me, it seems Ed had either the BEST sounding 100 watter in existance (I dont think thats it) OR, his way of setting the amp up/running it, was unique, cause the circuit of the 12301 is known to be stock (except for a fat cap).

[Tone Slinger]

The 12301 is in plane sight, look at 2:26. Whats sitting on top of it? Attenuator?

EXACTLY, what is that on top of the 12301 ? Is that a scholtz/Rockman power soak. Looks like some kind of load box or something.

[echoplexi1974]

Good catch! I never noticed that box before. It definitely has something to do with the amp. That's were we fellow guitarists put our amp boxes, on top of the amp. That isn't plugged into the front of the amp is it? Hard to tell.

[jape88]

Couple of screen shots of the box before Ed takes the stage...

[echoplexi1974]

120 outlets on front?

[Tone Slinger]

Yep, thats what it looks like. I've never heard a amp/cab (half stack) sound LIKE THAT before. Hard to explain. Reamped rigs (Jnew ) get darn close. David Bray's amps/mods get a similar 3D type bloom in the midrange as well. I definately see how someone could think that Ed's amp was somehow 'different' compared to other 100 watt 12xxx Super Leads.

[Strat78]

Probably a step up & step down transformer like this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Generic-43002-H ... 5653665952

[Tone Slinger]

So, Ed had to bring his English Marshall from 220 to the American 120, THEN, variac down ? Maybe that, in itself, is why Ed's tone seemed to have more edge and tightness, as compared to American voltage Marshalls when ran at the lower voltages ? The step up transformer is an additional circuit. Did he always have to use a step up transformer with that 12xxx ?

[Santino]

Mmmm. Great tone! I like his cabs. Straight from the 1984 tour!

[rgorke]

Geez, Sammy looks like Napoleon Dynamite.

[T.L.]

How can you isolate Ed's rhythm tone when Sammy is playing right along with him?
I would think that just having dual guitars on stage would fatten up the tone.

Great solo, by the way. 'Almost forgot who Jimmy Page was.

[matttornado]

Maybe that box is a 120 to 90 volt transformer instead of the variac? Or maybe eds amp isn't plugged into it at all?