Lindsay Buckingham Tone for Rhiannon

[obispojoe]

Looking for some suggestions on where to start to get a good guitar tone match for Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac. I am not very skilled at building a tone from scratch, but I have tried to use various clean tone presents provided by AT5 to start but they sound too "twangy" to me and I couldn't figure out to to kill the twang. Any tips to get started would be appreciated.

[Peter_IK]

There's also a very subtle chorus on the clean guitar tracks on that song. I'd suggest experimenting with the chorus options you have have in AmpliTube 5 as well.

For the main amps, I'm pretty sure Lindsey has used MESA/Boogie for a long while but not sure exactly what he used on this particular song. You may have to compensate for his fingerstyle (even if you are also playing fingerstyle) in my opinion because he has a unique way of doing so and I've heard he chose his gear to compensate for some of the loss of pick attack and for his specific style. He uses Dual Rectifiers more recently with Hiwatt cabinets live. I'd suggest trying tamer settings there, but also more tame MESA amps as well as some of the Fenders for great cleans.

That plus the subtle chorus and any tweaking on the guitar side should get you close.

[carlaz]

I am not an expert on Buckingham, and I don't have a preset for him, but I think (though I'm not sure!) that in the earely/mi-d'70s he was actually using HiWatt amps and cabs; that might be what he used on the eponymous Fleetwod Mac album. Thus, your best bet is probably the Amplitube HiAmp (and matching cab[s]). He subsequently (later '70s?) was using 100w Marshalls; the JH Gold amp model (and perhaps the Satch Green cab) might be the best option here; alternatively, the Brit S100 or even Vintage Metal Lead amp models.

Apparently he also used the guts of a Sony 630 tape recorder as a preamp! You'll just have to experiment with dirt-box models there .... (Though, actually, the SSTE model, which is based on physical hardware that reproduces an EchoPlex could be a possibility; many guitarists in the '70s used the EchoPlex as a pre-amp.). Then he also used a Roland Space Echo; that's in T-Racks, but not AmpliTube. I think that's less of an issue that than amps, though.

Anyway, I'd start with the HiAmp head/cab combination, place all the EQ knobs at 5, the Master up around 2/3 or 3/4, and tweak from there. Try various overdrives (or fuzz?) set modestly or the SSTE/Echoplex before the amp for extra drive.

[Peter_IK]

He's definitely also been using MESA dual recs for a while too though. His overdrive and other pedals are stock Boss/Roland models from what I've seen, so that part should be dead simple.

[obispojoe]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I'll give it a try this weekend and report back. I did do a little research and believe that he was using HiWatt amps and cabs in this period. I also read about the sony tape recorder as a preamp!

[carlaz]

He's definitely also been using MESA dual recs for a while too though. His overdrive and other pedals are stock Boss/Roland models from what I've seen, so that part should be dead simple.

Yes, I think there is a lot of info online about his more recent gear. There are "rig rundowns" from 2012 (https://youtu.be/6-0TzlNQaNc) and 2018 (https://youtu.be/EZeKyKQniVs) on YouTube. As Peter says, AmpliTube is well-equipped with stomps to go with Buckingham's Mesa Dual Rectifier electric rig.

[livesforrap]

Don't forget the slapback delay.

[Peter_IK]

He's definitely also been using MESA dual recs for a while too though. His overdrive and other pedals are stock Boss/Roland models from what I've seen, so that part should be dead simple.

Yes, I think there is a lot of info online about his more recent gear. There are "rig rundowns" from 2012 (https://youtu.be/6-0TzlNQaNc) and 2018 (https://youtu.be/EZeKyKQniVs) on YouTube. As Peter says, AmpliTube is well-equipped with stomps to go with Buckingham's Mesa Dual Rectifier electric rig.

I personally like the MESA heads with Hiwatt cabs sound best, at least when I've seen him and/or watched videos. Probably because it tends to be an overall (and well-executed) attempt to recreate various tones from across his career in a single manageable rig. Edit - and I also really enjoy the heavy use of his Rick Turner guitar, so there's that. Rick's a brilliant luthier - I enjoy sitting on the sidelines while my luthier friend (much newer at it than Rick) and Rick have conversations about the craft.

I also sometimes forget how great AmpliTube's Hiwatt head does on cleans, even just yesterday when testing a new guitar I was going mostly through the Fender models but to be fair I was absolutely looking for that twang which is counter to OP's needs here

[carlaz]

I also sometimes forget how great AmpliTube's Hiwatt head does on cleans

I think people sometimes forget how much clean headroom is available on a Mesa Dual Rectifier, as well, since it has become so closely associated with high-gain metal. It shouldn't really surprise us to find Buckingham using them, I think!

AmpliTube's HiAmp, along with its matching cabs/speakers, is a hidden gem! I've even gotten some gnarly overdriven bass tones out of it.

[obispojoe]

I promised I would report back and here is where I am - I think I have something that is pretty good although I still need to figure out the echo that seems to be added on the solo. I suppose that will need another preset with the echo more prominent.

As suggested I used the HiAmp -normal; Bass 5.0, Treble 3.0, Middle 5, Presence 3, Master Vol 3.5, Normal Vol 2.5, Bright Vol 2.5. In front of amp I added the tube drive. On this pedal, I set level to 9, drive 3, eq low 9, eq hi 0. I also have the SSTE in front with delay set to 240ms, Instr vol 5, echo on, echo vol 1, tape speed low, preamp ep-3, echo repeats 1, rec lvl 5, echo highs vintage.

That gave me something decent, playing with a pick (I know), humbucker bridge pickup with tone rolled off to about midway. For me the next test will be the comparison of how this preset sounds separately through a practice amp, a stage monitor and direct to a PA to see if sculpting the sound using a practice amp was a big mistake. I hope not! Thanks for help to those that made suggestions.

[carlaz]

Additional echo/delay on the solo might well have been added in post-production, and so you might be able to emulate that by adding one of the tape-echo-type units (e.g., the SSTE) near the end of the chain. Worth a try!