The Brown sound ?

[Riffmeister]

Guys explain to me in YOUR own words what the Brown sound is to you. I have heard the Van Halen tone and to me live the Brown Sound seems like it would be very high ended by itself.

This search for my ultimate tone is driving me nuts! When I thought I had it, all the sudden when I started playing live, that sound didn't cut through, then my sound had too many highs in it ahh.... just a big mess.

When I listen to my guitar, I like it to have a lot of bottom, but I also want it to scream. Usually to get it to scream , I would end up with too harsh a sound.

I'm confused [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] How much low end do you need or can you have before the frequencys become unaudible from the bass guitar. For now I'm back to the bedroom, but would like to know in the future [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: The Brown sound ?

the "brown" sound is a term that Alex Van Halen used to discribe Eddies tone. What does it mean to me? Listen to VH1 album....to me that is the brown sound in which others try to achieve. On a side note... if that is your bag my VHT Pittbul 50 CL can get pretty damn close to that tone [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Tone is so damn subjective and really it is up to you to find your own tone and voice. Its easier to come up with something you are happy with instead of trying to cop an exact tone of one of you favorite players [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] of course is cool to use them as guideline.

I have found that Bedroom tone and Stage tone a 2 completely different animals, the difference in volume alone causes tonal differences. There many variables here,d the speakers and cabs that you use also are very important, they are different when pushed real hard at high volumes than when your are playing a low volume levels.

Again tone is so subjective and I'm no expert, I do know what I like and how to get there. What works for me and what I like may be totally different than what you like [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] What others do to achieve a good tone (even to my ears) won't always work the same for me with my technique...I do think that the hands have way more to do with tone that people think.

[jgcable]

Re: The Brown sound ?

Here is my description of the brown sound:
Treble: like a Soldano SLO (harsh but in a good way)
Mids: like a Marshall JCM800 (lots of mids)
Bass: like a Mesa Dual Rectifier on the vintage orange channel (big loose bottom)
Gain: not nearly as much as you might think. 20% more than a stock JCM800.
Speakers: high wattage full range (75w and up). I think the low wattage speakers add to much sizzle and cause the amp to lose the brown sound.
How do you get it???
Buy a 5150. If you can't cut through with a 5150 live you have problems.

[Krash]

Re: The Brown sound ?

I can't describe it, but my 50 watt Splawn has it, and then some. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[StukaJU87]

Re: The Brown sound ?

I can't help you with a description of "brown sound", but if you want a description of a "brown stain" I can check my shorts for you. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Krash]

Re: The Brown sound ?

"Brown Sound" is kinda like "MOJO"
You can't really describe it or put a formula on it. If ya could then someone would market it.

[markD]

Re: The Brown sound ?

nah, rub poop on your speakers and you can get the brown sound (or maybe the green sound!!).

seriously, i hear the brown sound as having a very middy crunch from a cranked amp. the closest i can get is by cranking the mids on my rivera to around 7, put the bass on about 4, the treble about 2-3, turn the presence off and put the focus on about 6. i also turn the preamp gain down, put the amp in triode, full power mode and crank that master volume to about 7-8. to me the brown sound comes from hitting the output section harder than the front end.

but, that's the thing about tone...everone hears it differently.

[jazzman]

Re: The Brown sound ?

I can't really explain it but I agree with Van Halen's first album to be a good example of the brown sound. And for your tone, if you're lookin' for fat, big tone that cuts through, I highly recommend the SLO. Only problem is it ain't cheap, But it's worth every penny! The HR 50+ is pretty sweet too.

[Bababueee]

Re: The Brown sound ?

Would someone mind answering an ignorant question? Why is it called the "brown" sound? How was the phrase coined?

[Jim Shine]

Re: The Brown sound ?

Why not wear a brown crown?

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: The Brown sound ?

[ QUOTE ]
Would someone mind answering an ignorant question? Why is it called the "brown" sound? How was the phrase coined?

[/ QUOTE ]

Alex Van Halen's term for Eddies sound....

[jgcable]

Re: The Brown sound ?

It has something to do with the brown M&M's too.

[Lurchhammer]

Re: The Brown sound ?

Eddie on the "Brown Sound": [ QUOTE ]
"There is a difference between being just loud and having what I call a warm, brown sound, which is a toney sound."

"Some people get a sound like an amplified AM radio. I like it to be like a nice home stereo, the difference between tone and no tone."

Eddie Van Halen refers to his guitar tone as the "brown sound." He says it's not yellow, pink, or blue. It's brown. All dirt and molasses. It's not just a tone, but also the incredible mastery of the guitar that Ed displays on each Van Halen track. Actually, the term "brown sound" was originally coined by the Van Halen brothers to describe the sound of Alex's snare. Ed has even said "I want my guitar to sound like Al's snare drum." That doesn't seem so strange compared to the low tech rig that Eddie was working with!



[/ QUOTE ]

Anyway, IMO the "Brown Sound" cannot be duplicated live even by Eddie himself because of the nature of frequencies. On a recording (or playing a guitar by itself in your bedroom at lower volumes) you have access to the entire frequency range of a blank soundscape that you can manipulate with E.Q. The mixing engineer will cut out peaks and valleys of frequencies of each instrument/track and arrange them so everything can be heard clearly.

I remember in one of Eddie's interviews (but I can't find it) that he said "no other producer had given me so much room on the mix"

So live, unless you have a soundman on the board who can duplicate the exact mix (with all of the E.Q. adjustments of the recording Van Halen 1) you'll never hear all of the lush fullness of that magic "Brown Sound" rhythm guitar.

The best that you can hope for live is that your solos will have that tone because you're up in a register that's above the other instruments. Other than that, you just have to fight with your Bass player (turn down his amp or change his E.Q. when he's not looking- after all, like James Hetfield said "bass is meant to be felt, not heard")

My idea of the "Brown Sound" is a huge, full, and harmonicly-rich tone where there is a perfect round-note definition, but also a tight ripping grind of sharp-tooth distortion. Very 3-dimensional! This type of tone makes your playing seem so effortless and greasy.

Which amp will give you this tone? I'm still looking! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]