CIRCLE OF TONE. | 6 years ago
We talk about Robert Smith's tone on his birthday.
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Throughout the '80s and '90s, Smith's main pedal setup was comprised of a Boss CH-1 Super Chorus, a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive, a BF-2 Flanger, a PN-2 Tremolo/Pan, and a Jen Crybaby Super Wah pedal, many of which can be seen in thye above image. He's also been spotted using a Digitech Whammy, an EHX Deluxe Memory Man, and a Boss BD-2 Bluesdriver throughout his career.
Live TOTP was a JC60 or 50 amp.
On the second album it was a JC120.
Early tone was a Wem amp with Woolworth Top 20 guitar
Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman on the recording of The Cure's signature anthem 'Friday I'm In Love'
Other gear:
National Newport Val-Pro 88
Schecter ultracure
Volume is just on par with the drums. No cranking due to potential hearing loss.
A forest was recorded on a 32-channel Harrison 24 series desk inside Morgan's Studio One that he recorded the Cure during the late '70s and early '80s, alongside a 24-track Studer A80 and Urei 813 monitors.
Simon Gallup's bass was hooked up to an Ampeg SVT,
Robert Smith's guitar went through a Roland JC120, close-miked with a Shure SM57 while a Neumann U47 was positioned about three feet away. seven flangers running on 'envelope. Tape delays.
Matthieu Hartley played a DI'd Roland SH-2 synth.
Producer notes: Then there was the tape delay, and plenty of it. "Oh, we were really into that," Hedges agrees. "With the machine you'd go into the left, out of the left, and out of the left into the right. The left would then go to the desk and the right would go to the desk, so you'd have two different delays on a stereo machine, and obviously when you spun it you could either have one delay working or both delays or fade between the two. That gave you the effect of it going jang-jang, jang-jang-jang-jang-jang-jang-jang — you could actually have a half-speed delay and then the double-speed one would come through it as you switched the other fader on. I also remember us experimenting with sound on sound on tape delays. There'd be a big rush, a big build-up of sound on top of itself, getting really messy, and that was great, kind of like a reggae thing. Reggae used that quite a lot.
Top of the Pops performance
https://youtu.be/-CtgAgTqx0w
The Robert Palmer incident
https://youtu.be/SXgN-7A1MXM
If you know anything else, let me know in the comments!
