Check out the newest news, views, lessons and more for Fender lovers -- FenderRocks.com

Nobody · April 8th, 2011, 04:03 PM

This has gotta be one of my all time favorites. Top to bottom this album rocks!

now, i'm pretty sure Billy Duffy is using a Gretsch White Falcon. Does anyone here know anything about the guitars he used and pick ups and so on?

sroux · April 8th, 2011, 04:05 PM

I think he was also using Les Pauls by that point.
A lot of the songs sound more like a Les Paul to me.

Nobody · April 8th, 2011, 04:30 PM

ya i was thinking that also, but his tone is just a bit more woody that the tipical Les Paul. then again with a producer like Rick Ruben (sp?) who knows.

just something about it doesn't feel like a LP / Marshall sound. of course, i really do not know!

his guitar tone just sounds so huge! i dunno... maybe it is a Le Paul

Thunderball · April 8th, 2011, 05:50 PM

Duffy claims the Falcon is on the "Electric" album. But I think he is being disengenuous. He knows he is connected to that Falcon so he likes to say he always used it.

Bottom line is the first recording of the entire "Electric" album (which was scrapped) was all Falcon. You can find songs from that album and you really hear the Falcon. When they re-recorded the album with Rick Rubin in New York the move was to go for an AC/DC clean sound and Duffy was instructed to use the Les Paul. Duffy says the Falcon is on the released album, but it is only scattered here and there. I've read the opening lick of "Fire Woman" is the Falcon.

The Cult's "Love" album and their first album "Dreamtime" is where you hear the Falcon. "Dreamtime" is stock filtertron pickups played through a Roland Jazz Chorus and a Marshall. By the time the "Love" album tour came about Duffy swapped the pickups for some hotter Seymour Duncans. I do believe the "Love" album was recorded with the Falcon's stock filtertrons. I know live for the "Love" tour that guitar was way too hot for it to be just the stock pickups.

I love Duffy's Falcon sound. Love it so much I bought this beauty. The 7593 model -- same one Duffy plays.

Doc Helliday · April 8th, 2011, 06:53 PM

Yeah theres an interview around Electric on youtube where he basically bashes his White Falcon for being too archaic and cumbersome for Rock and Roll.

Doc Helliday · April 8th, 2011, 07:01 PM

Here's the interview

YouTube - THE CULT Interview and music...

Bonedaddy · April 8th, 2011, 08:08 PM

I also read an interview in a guitar magazine (I still have it somewhere) where he said he realized he was fighting a losing battle, and went the Les Paul + Marshall route on Electric.

I'm more of a fan of his earlier tone with the Falcon, but the Electric album and the Les Paul sound good too; albeit in a different way.

Thunderball · April 8th, 2011, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonedaddy

I also read an interview in a guitar magazinewhere he said he realized he was fighting a losing battle,

Yeah, I recall Duffy talking about that, too. One of the battles he was losing had to do with the feedback coming from the Falcon. I know he stuffed it back then but at the levels they began to play he just couldn't tame the feedback.

TV the Wired Turtle · April 8th, 2011, 09:00 PM

why not a Gretsch Penguin? it sticks in my craw even to hear the word gibson.

JohnnyRingo · April 8th, 2011, 10:36 PM

It seems like Mr. Duffy favors a Falcon for a lot of live use on "Wildflower",even having one in the official video,but I've read the entire "Electric" album was done with rented Les Paul & Marshall amps.I like to think at least Wildflower & Lil Devil may have been Gretsch,but I don't know.He was certainly in favor of Les Pauls probably up until the '94 self titled "The Cult" album,but if what Thunderball read was true about the opening lick of "Fire Woman",then this cover of "Sonic Temple" could have a little merit

.

Nobody · April 8th, 2011, 11:17 PM

"it sticks in my craw even to hear the word gibson." - lol

"I like to think at least Wildflower & Lil Devil may have been Gretsch"

- i swear the last bar of the solo in Lil Devil (where it's only guitar) sound more Gretsch like than G****n to me. but ya... who knows!

JohnnyRingo · April 9th, 2011, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nobody

"it sticks in my craw even to hear the word gibson." - lol

"I like to think at least Wildflower & Lil Devil may have been Gretsch"

- i swear the last bar of the solo in Lil Devil (where it's only guitar) sound more Gretsch like than G****n to me. but ya... who knows!

Playing those two songs on my LP was cool for years and I did not think or care much about what was actually used on the recording,but when I played them on my long scale Tenny there seemed to be a certain similarity (more woody?

) that made me suspect a big Gretsch might be involved.Then again,many of my suspicions have ended up being suspect

.

Daktari9 · April 9th, 2011, 03:29 AM

I saw them live in Aus when they toured that album he used the White Falcon for the whole gig.

JohnnyRingo · April 9th, 2011, 05:09 AM

Seems as though there would be some interest by Gibson & Gretsch for a signature model for Billy Duffy,if not already.I've noticed his fondness for the Les Paul Custom,a natural blond seems to stick out if I remember right.Other than some fan video that showed him playing a Fender Strat and Lil Devil video(?) ,I do not recall ever seeing him play anything other than a Falcon or LP Custom.

stevie savage · April 9th, 2011, 08:14 AM

Interesting thread. I often wondered how Geordie gets that huge sound in Killing Joke, that's way heavy sometimes yet he uses a Gibson ES-295 - most definitely not a metal guitar!

Thunderball · April 9th, 2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevie savage

I often wondered how Geordie gets that huge sound in Killing Joke, that's way heavy sometimes yet he uses a Gibson ES-295 - most definitely not a metal guitar!

I can get it on my Falcon and my 5120. The key is heavy reverb and nice amount of chorus. Uncanny how my sound was exactly like Geordie's classic Killing Joke sound (stuff like "Love Like Blood," "Eighties," "Fire Dances"....). Very, very slight dirt (I guess Geordie used heavier distortion on early stuff like "The Wait"), but his classic tone really is a mostly clean sound. Just heavy reverb, chorus, and LOUD, you'll nail it.

araT · April 10th, 2011, 03:07 AM

<3 The Cult, Duffy rocks!

Thunderball & the others are right, "Electric" was mostly Les Paul / Marshall, but there apparently hints of Falcony goodness in there... I do love how he wields that Falcon.

Wulfgang · April 11th, 2011, 01:27 AM

Stevie, my sound is a bit Billy Duffy, Geordie Walker, John McGeoch , Paul Wright & Peter Yates. my setup is basic. Boss flanger, twin chorus & a dd-6 split to a vox head/4x12 & epiphone head/marshall 4x12. with the vox I put a little slapback with chorus, the for the epi a flanger/chorus setting... when I hit the boss twin chorus I get everything from Siouxsie, Christian Death to Sisters of mercy and everything in between.

I would eventually like to replace the epi head with a orange head.

Bonedaddy · April 11th, 2011, 01:30 AM

I can get a good Duffy sound out of my Marshall Haze 40 as well. I use the onboard delay, and run a Janglebox compressor. I can get that nice crispy "Rain" sound pretty well that way. I do prefer Duffy's earlier tone.

Wulfgang · April 11th, 2011, 01:41 AM

Likewise, the tone he gets on ' live at the lyceum ' is wunderbar.. hopefully they will reissue it on dvd soon.