The Velvet Underground, guitar effects?

andershp · Post by **andershp** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 4:58 pm

Hi

Anybody who knows which guitar effects The Velvet Underground used? I know Lou Reed had a VOX Tone Bender, but which one of these did he use?

Thanks

aen · Post by **aen** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:23 pm

I guess I never thought about it, unless they had a "suck the mids and bass out" pedal.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 6:42 pm

i doubt lou reed could even tell you what they used at this point, and sterling morrison certainly can't... all their effects were stolen in 1968 or 69, which contributed to the 'quiet' third album, i know that much.

ac88 · Post by **ac88** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:45 pm

I cannot confirm this, but didn't they use solidstate vox amps for White Light/White Heat? I know they had a sponsorship from vox or something, which would explain the tonebender.

I feel like they probably didn't use many pedals. Its noisy music but its not like you hear very much modulation/delay/tremelo. Just cacophony, guitar "drum rolls".

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:56 pm

stewart wrote: all their effects were stolen in 1968 or 69, which contributed to the 'quiet' third album, i know that much.

Is that true? What's your source, as a mater of interest?

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 8:54 pm

jings, now you're asking. i think it may have been a TV programme, or it could have been a book. i have a memory of mo tucker saying something about it. sorry, not much help! i can have a flick through 'uptight' but i suspect it wasn't that.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:04 pm

Possibly a n00b question, but is there a definitive (or even a good) VU biography? Uptight is the Bockris one, if I remember rightly?

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:20 pm

yeah, i have read another good one but can't for the life of me remember the name. it's out at my parents' house somewhere.

now i think about it, i may have read it in one of those massive mojo magazine articles that run to about 12 pages. it was an album by album breakdown, possibly when the box set came out (quite a few years ago). i might still have it somewhere.

lorez · Post by **lorez** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:28 pm

stewart wrote:yeah, i have read another good one but can't for the life of me remember the name. it's out at my parents' house somewhere.

now i think about it, i may have read it in one of those massive mojo magazine articles that run to about 12 pages. it was an album by album breakdown, possibly when the box set came out (quite a few years ago). i might still have it somewhere.

some of those Mojo features used to be available on their website so might be worth checking that out as well

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:50 am

benecol wrote:
stewart wrote: all their effects were stolen in 1968 or 69, which contributed to the 'quiet' third album, i know that much.
Is that true? What's your source, as a mater of interest?

The Lit. accompaying the 5 disc "everything ever recorded by the VU" set. Pretty exhaustive amount of non-fiction in there, actually.
I really like a lot of that band's work. But most of it sounds SO HORRIBLE. I wish I coudl go back to the 60s and record bands proper.

cobascis · Post by **cobascis** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:42 am

benecol wrote:Possibly a n00b question, but is there a definitive (or even a good) VU biography? Uptight is the Bockris one, if I remember rightly?

Please Kill Me has a pretty extensive section about VU.

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:24 am

Don't think they ever used treble boosters, but a treble booster would get you into VU town.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 8:40 am

aen wrote:
benecol wrote:
stewart wrote: all their effects were stolen in 1968 or 69, which contributed to the 'quiet' third album, i know that much.
Is that true? What's your source, as a mater of interest?

The Lit. accompaying the 5 disc "everything ever recorded by the VU" set. Pretty exhaustive amount of non-fiction in there, actually.
I really like a lot of that band's work. But most of it sounds SO HORRIBLE. I wish I coudl go back to the 60s and record bands proper.

aha, good work. i was racking my brains.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 9:47 am

aen wrote:I guess I never thought about it, unless they had a "suck the mids and bass out" pedal.

Yes, that pedal is called "The 60's".

Bass wasn't invented until Led Zeppelin.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:02 am

In any case, the harsh, abrasive tendencies on the first two records were almost entirely absent on their third album. This resulted in a gentler sound influenced by folk music, prescient of the songwriting style that would form Reed's solo career. Another factor in the change of sound was the band's Vox amplifiers and assorted fuzzboxes being stolen from an airport while they were on tour. In addition, Reed and Morrison had purchased matching Fender 12-string electric guitars. Doug Yule plays down the influence of the new equipment, however.

that last bit ties up with mo tucker's view about reed's songwriting changing, rather than the softening of sound being entirely down to the stolen gear and/or cale's departure.

George · Post by **George** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:02 am

Dave wrote:
aen wrote:I guess I never thought about it, unless they had a "suck the mids and bass out" pedal.
Yes, that pedal is called "The 60's".

Bass wasn't invented until Led Zeppelin.

Jimmy Page was the master of the strangled cat sound.

EDIT: On the albums. Live stuff is fucking awesome sounding.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:12 am

GeorgeF wrote:Jimmy Page was the master of the strangled cat sound.

George · Post by **George** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:15 am

Did you even SEE my edit?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:49 pm

GeorgeF wrote:Did you even SEE my edit?

TOO LATE 'F'! SPACEAMAREENS GUNNA WHUP YR CANDY ASSSSSSSSSSSS

proroby · Post by **proroby** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:42 pm

Lou Reed Gear