What's a brownsound?

[Number Of The Priest]

Sorry, I didn't grow up in the Van Halen era or anything, but I've heard this term used before but never knew what it meant.

Please, no jokes about anything "brown" spewing forth from your amp, or about how I'm so ignorant, or anything like that. I'd just like a simple answer, please.

I'm sorry that I'm not in the mood for fun and games when posting tonight. Exams are killing me. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Please, no sympathy or pity replies either.

Thanks for your responses. I'll check for them later this weekend. Goodnight.

[the_drip]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Its that crunchy middly sound that is associated with old school Marshalls.

I could care less about brown sound.

[OklaStrat]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Van Halen I has it - it's a crunch with warmth and yes, some mids. It's not scooped to heck.

Pete

[ChickenScratch]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

I describe the sound as "creamy." it's the sound you get when you have just enough distortion to sound fat but if you lighten your attack it cleans up a bit. Listen to some early Van Halen or David Chastain's instrumental albums to get a good idea what it is.

[Hotrodder]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Listen to the first VH album

That is the brown sound... AKA the Holy of Holys, The Holy Grail etc.... It's the sound that spawned millions of posts in newsgroups, email lists, message boards all over the internet.

Some clame you can get it with a SD EVH pickup, some say you can get it with and old low output PAF, some say hook a Variac to a plexi and increase the voltage to get the sound, some say you decrease the voltage. Some say get Jose to mod your Marshall, some say if he does you will never get it. Some say you have to be Eddie, some say you have to have Ted running the boards.

Hotrodder says he dosn't want to sound like Eddie. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Eddie said that he liked his tone to sound like Alex banging on a nice meaty snare...not something too harsh or too muddy, but nice and "brown" like a big ol' log snare.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Thanks for all your responses. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

It's not just the EQ, but the gain as well. It's a mix of preamp and poweramp distortion. You can really hear it on the intro to Mean Streets from Fair Warning, or in the middle/bridge of Panama (just before the hair dryer [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

Newc

[ April 26, 2003, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: Newc ]

[nandrewjackson]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

The origin of the word "brown sound" came from experiments from the US army. They invented ultra low frequency speaker systems that, when turned on at the battlefield would literally make the enemy crap in his pants.

Believe it or not. It's true.

nandrew

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

That's very interesting!! But, wouldn't that make allied soldiers skidmark their pants as well? [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Newc]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

It was first used in the Civil War. The Union Army had the first Bass Cannon.
Here's a pic of it.



Newc

[Swillmaster]

Re: What\'s a brownsound?

Damn yankees! [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]