Decoding the Eric Johnson Tone. Woodshed Ep. 105 

You're right that nobody but EJ sounds exactly like EJ, but this is the closest I've ever heard anybody get

I have a B.K. Butler drive. I asked them to built it exactly like Eric Johnson's and told them that I would pay more. They said, "No that's okay, we will build it exactly like his even with the same tube inside for no extra charge"...... I have had it for about 12 years. It is one of my most favorite pedals ever. :)

There's no better person to break down the EJ techniques and tone.

The smirk on your face and sparkle in your eyes when you hit the final tone...

Great great playing - you got that magic Cliffs of Dover tone far nicer and closer to the original studio recording than anything I have heard from the man himself in years

One of my all time favorite guitarist

This was amazing!!! Thank you so much, Andy! You absolutely nailed the recreation of his tone, absolutely magical!

Well bloody done Andy, great content. You did a fantastic job replicating that violin tone and had the playing to back it up.

Great woodshed episode, thanks Andy

Love your stuff, Andy…you make it fun, brother!

Great job! Now I'm super excited to see EJ in concert tomorrow night and hear his tone live.

Marshall Superleads were great foundational amps for lots of guitar legends. What separated the different sound of each was the guitar used and effect pedals. Ace Frehley used a LPB-1. Yngwie Malmsteen a DOD 250. Eddie Vanhalen a variac. Randy Rhoads cascaded both half's of the first preamp tube and also used a MXR Distortion Plus. Jimmy Hendrix a Fuzz Face. Etc., etc., etc.!!! Eric Johnson's tone is awesome and he creates great music!! Really cool video

Excellent breakdown! I've been an EJ fan since1980. Thank you Sir!!

Venus Isle is one of my favorite albums from Eric. Great tones and great songs.

Great job Andy!

This is pretty much spot on IMO, as close as you can really get. Amazing.

Absolutely amazing. Hopefully I'll see you in your upcoming Italian clinic tour. Cheers!

Venus Isle is my absolute favorite album from EJ. Outstanding playing and info as usual!

Dude, what an amazing video, made my day.

Totally agree with you that aside from ACL 88, that Venus Isle was the best EJ tone and era! I could never understand why Venus Isle was deemed not as good as Ah Via Musicom by many critics..Solos like 'lonely in the night', 'All about you' and obviously 'Manhattan' are just otherworldly masterpieces....EJ will never be beaten, but I must say you have to be the closest replica I've ever heard!!!... If I closed my eyes and didn't know better I'd totally believe its Eric i'm hearing. Amazing guitar playing brother, absurdly clean technique (you've undeniably done your EJ homework BIG TIME) and a very likeable friendly manner to boot - not least the Southern accent... There's more than a few things you have in common with the master :) Great video

Memory man just went up 6000%! Lol

You truly are incredible Andy. I would say you have 95% of the elusive Johnson tone in this video. That Marshal head sounds amazing. Such a fantastic video!

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing this, dude 👍😉

Really thank you!!!

Great EJ Tone breakdown!

Ive got a Dumble #124 i built, n put a serious trick or 2 in it, W/OD channel NO boost set LOW and shoving the EJ fuzz into a TS-10, its ab INSANE, That has a Intellifex and outboard Dumbleator, ive nailed AVM stuff w/it...

I love those reverb trails really carrying the tone from note to note.

Great video. Don’t know why you haven’t come up in my feed before, but I should see more now that I’ve subscribed. Best of luck on growing this channel Andy. Looking forward to more Woodshed.

Such a great job covering EJ! I think EJ and Andy Timmons have the best tone out there. Actually very close too. Great job Andy!

I am writing this after coming home from an EJ show. Incredible

That amp sounds amazing!

You sound fantastic with that set up! Hopefully everyone understands that being identical to someone else is neither possible, nor the point. This is more than plenty close enough. Glad you got that amp; what a perfect home for a historic peace of gear. Cheers

Looking forward to seeing EJ again for the G3 show next year... mostly recently caught his show in a small venue in San Francisco... what a show! And his bassist Roscoe, amazing! EJ's one of my top players... consider him to be the greatest living player today, after losing Beck and Van Halen! I love many others, with Page & May at the top of the list of favorites... really appreciate your videos... just starting my binging after discovering your channel and music! Hope to see you live some day! 😎🎸🤘

You deserve that Amp! Love the Tones in the Venus Isle & Alien Love Child albums. Great Tones

Yeah, that's really nice! The gear really helps, however, it sounds great because of your technique and touch.

Thank you for sharing this! I owned one of those tube Zendrives and can kick myself for getting rid of it, you have definitely nailed the EJ tone!

That must have been a marvelous time. Thanks for sharing what you learned with us. I recommend trying the J Rockett Clockwork Delay if you have a chance. I really like the preamp, which is always on. I don't know how it compares to the newer DMM though.

Excellent job Andy…I think I nailed EJ’s tone and am pleased with myself, then I come back the next day and say…jeez, that isn’t even close, what was I thinking…anyone else have this problem??

Man I sure want to attend the clinic one of these days.

Brilliant. Do you have a video on automation modes? It's really needed. With practical examples.

Just finished learning Cliffs of Dover, this video helped me a ton to get the right sound out of my amp. Also, I have the same exact chair as you lol

Awesome video, Andy. Thanks for making me add stuff to my gear shopping list LOL

Helps when the guy demonstrating this is one of the best player's in the world...

thanks

You are correct....B.K. Butler Tube Driver with bias control back then. Eric is actually the reason Bret added the bias option pedal. Eric wanted to be able to run the tube hotter or colder to suit what he wanted at the time....per Brett Butler. I don't try to completely copy E.J.'s tone, especially because he has change some things a lot of the last couple of decades, but I picked up the Memory Man, Tube Screamer and Tube Driver with bias control. I've got a bunch of other pedals, but my favorite is the Tube Driver because it REALLY has the smooth violinish distorted feel that E.J. is known for. Thank you, this was a fun and informative video!

Hey andy jeff here again wonderful video love your playing eric is a tough one to nail properly but you did great and on the topic of tone have you played a tube works tube driver or a dallas arbiter fuzz face if so tell me what you think of them anyway great job andy!!!

Hey Andy, awesome video. EJ changed my life after I discovered him way too late. I had already been playing 15ish years, and I often wonder how much more proficient I would be today if I had discovered him sooner. Anyway, Venus Isle is also my favorite lead tone of his - by far. The lead runs in “When the Sun Meets the Sky” is some of the most beautiful guitar work ever recorded, in my opinion. I could be wrong, but I think I read somewhere that he used a Dumble Manzamp preamp with a Dumble Odyssey 200w power amp for much of the leads on that album. That exact EJ-owned set up could be yours - it’s listed on Reverb right now for a measly $400k.

Andy, how about doing a video on ej's clean rhythm tone! In my opinion, his clean rhythm tone was unique among all rock guitarist.

Awesome vid! Andy, you ever hear EJ’s debut ACL ‘84 performance? When he starts rippin on the leads that tone is my fav EJ tone his b string sounds like a ‘69 BOSS 429 doing a burn out! So rippin! Others have said the speaker was blown that gig. Same type of burning rubber sound on studio version Cliffs of Dover literally the 9th note onto the song’s intro when he bends the b string at the 15th fret, listen very closely to the effect that’s happening. I think a lot of folks miss this crucial element of EJ tone. Check it out, revisit them tones and see if you can hear what I’m hearing

Regarding the Super Lead tone settings, while plugged into channel I "Volume I", Eric set the "Volume II" knob at about 7. There is a tonal sweet spot. Try it. It makes a difference.

The magic is in the note choice and playing technique….

Hey Andy! Thanks for another great video. What bridge pickup is in that strat?

Andy... was that you I just saw tonight with the Wallflowers in OCMD? I was so good I teared up a bit on the last three tunes!

Two other components to his tone (timbre, actually,) - one of which many people may know but the other not as much: 1) Red Dunlop Jazz III picks - and yes, the color makes a difference. The red plastic is softer than the black version and yields a warmer attack, vs the black which is stiffer and often has a rougher texture and sounds brighter - so much so that even Dunlop recognized the difference and nicknamed the black version the "Stiffo." EJ has his own signature version now which is ever so slightly thinner than the standard red and more of a matte vs a gloss finish. Eric would also keep the edges smooth and even apply black wet/dry sandpaper to remove any rough edges. 2) GHS Nickel Rocker pure nickel semi-flatwound strings - the strings are smoother sounding with less rasp and string noise but still bright enough for rock guitar; they are also slightly tighter in tension, which adds some definition to chords, even when distorted.

damn youre good at guitar lol , love your truefire lessons im a fan!

Killer as always. Can you show another option using pedals such as your gearbox and anything else hitting the gearbox to get you there. Into a fender type amp.

TPS sent me here. Subscribed.

Ah Andy this was a cool insight. You forgot to mention the most important part of your signal chain…. Your hands! 🙏

Fantastic symbiosis of alchemical factors. Mine is dimarzio low output pickups with a laney Ironheart goodness. Gotta be just right.

You're not EJ, but you could be his brother. 😎Great tone, playing, and recreation. Thanks

Cheers Andy, I'm gonna try and make an approximation patch on my gt-1000 with those tips! Love your stuff you did with Troy Grady and your performances with Uncle Ben Eller.

Closest I’ve been able to get is RC booster with treble off > BB Preamp > EP Boost with knob all the way down > DD2. Had better results on EJ lead with Les Paul bridge PU than Strat. Even sounded decent through DRRI.

Hi Andy/Everyone: In addition to the reverb and delay, I'm definitely hearing some kind of a course effect? What is causing that if he's not using a chorus pedal? You guys hear it or am I crazy? LOL!

Dr Billy ( Greensboro NC ( also owns one of THE best Dumbles on planet earth, Black Crowes recorded w/it) i sold him my Diaz pedals ( i blt for them after Cesar passed) met EJ in Hawaii on vacay ( both stayg at SAME hotel! Dr B bought one of EJs amp AND that RED strat hes holding on Guitar player magazine. My Buddy tech in Winston Salem HAD that Marshall in house to go thru it, i PLAYED it, sounded HIFI 2b honest, it wasnt what i expected, NO harshies at ALL, i have LAOT of pics of that amp guts + another one. EJ is my FAv too, TONES made me go NUTS for what he was doing, and in 85 ! Long Horn guitars in Ft Worth, a kid was playing a vtg strat thru an ORIG rack mount Chandler tube driver into a 50 watt Marsha combo, n was PLAYING some VERY difficult EJ lines n SMOKING it, man il never forget that day, NOR the RED tolex BLACK panel WHITE banana knob PARK amp in the window..:) , When i was w/DiazAMplification, we went to Michael Bretts house in Nashville, n i got ta hang out w/him n his fridge rack of amps, SUPER nice guy, he was digging in his yard when we pulled up lol

I think you pretty much got it man, no because the individual pedals are so expensive is there any way you can show how to get the same tone like out of a line 6 helix or a pod go?

OH crap. I must get the dover drive peddle now. First I bought the Ibanez Ts 808. Then I bought the Bk Butler overdrive. I then got the giggity. Lastly I bought the Octonaut hyperdrive peddle. All those to get close but it always seemed something was missing. Im going broke trying to sound like EJ. At least I do love the hyperdrive peddle for other things besides EJ stuff.

What I have never been able to find is someone able to get Eric's tone using Eric's actual setup. Even James Santiago runs his Tube Driver into the Echoplex, whereas EJ supposedly runs the Echoplex into the Tube driver. Eric says his lead tone goes Guitar -> EP3 -> Tube Driver -> Plexi channels 1 and 2, but I've never heard anyone but him make that signal chain not sound terrible.

that was great!...quick question did you struggle with odd groupings?...I cant seem to get the rhythm even with a metronome lol the metro is making it harder

Wow, incredible playing and tone sounds great! If we're splitting hairs, I think it's perhaps a little bit TOO dark, and perhaps with a little bit too much reverb. I think there's a little bit more "bite" to EJs tone and the reverb on this one pulls it back in the mix a little bit too much - for my taste! But, again, absolutely insane playing and very easy to hear the EJ vibe...

Hey Andy!!! Did EJ use a reissue “Virginia” at the Woodshed? Seems he really stands behind that guitar. I recently bought one.

Hey Andy. Do you know which Overdrive is supposed to take the spot of the bk butler? I have one of those and I'd also be curious about that mixed into the path. Thanks!

Pretty good intro

Id like to hear that amp with no post delay or verb just dry . is that possible to hear just dry ? no efx no boost nothing in front or post just dry...

I wonder if there's any alternative to a deluxe memory man out there for the DMM preamp only? Like, without having to buy an expensive delay pedal, only to leave the blend at zero. I google'd a bit and someone suggested the EHX Analogizer might be similar, but obviously for nailing EJ tone, something similar simply wont do.

❤❤❤

Now for a High Landrons Flange!😈

which speaker do you use for the eric johnson tone

Does that Marshall have a bright cap ? If so , what value ??

You've done a good job showing how Eric builds his "clinic board" (as I think he calls it), but this isn't what he uses for his main tones at his shows or in the studio. That gear is all well-documented. Clinic board below:

I think the addition of the Dover drive here adds slightly too much darkness to the tone. I think I would try cutting less highs from the Dover and maybe try using the tone knob instead 🤷🏻‍♂️

Decoding Erics' tone is awesome...but someone should decode Andy Woods talent! ..one of the greatest for sure!...... Also I bought that carpet and it didn't help!

I read that EJ actually recorded the bulk of this song on an ES-335. Only the intro and ten seconds of the solo use a strat.

Never heard anyone sound that close to Eric, other than Eric. Fantastic :) Does he change anything around when he brings out a Les Paul, SG or other humbucker guitar?

The m****f**** is a national treasure

Andy, how about his ethereal, lush, modulated, clean rythym sound?

Would you ever give tips or advice /feedback to your subscribers playing if we were to either send you or post videos?

Too different from EJ tone, but nobody on youtube managed to nail that Hot Licks instructional tone. And it's not because of the player, it's also we still don't know all the ingredients.

EJ's "Virginia" was made of SPRUCE as verified by Leo Fender and George Fullerton in front of EJ himself. There s another 54 spruce strat in existence, it was at Songbirds. Sassafras is a cheap unendangered wood that is basically worthless, so it's more money in the pockets of companies that use it. EJ is a guitar salesman too

Hi! Are those noiseless pickups?

im new here but have you tried his 335 tone with Manhattan yet?...I use my Gretsch for this one

Eric should play Suhr guitars !

After hearing Timmons, Wood, and James it may be a good idea to add Andy to my name 😅

Hi ANDY!!! Question: Do you have the "brite" cap removed on your channel one or is it still in there?...Is it possible that it was removed BEFORE you acquired that head (because like my older plexi, your EQ would make sense only really if this was the case....Other wise it would be TOO bright no mater what you did,,,and would HAVE TO jumper with the "bassy" channel 2 to be able to get anything usable. Does this make sense to you?

Eric uses a y-cable for inputs i and ii. try that next time and see what you get!

How do we know you're not an AI creation. That tone is too perfect. Hmm... :-)

Sweet Baby Jesus, that is the closest I’ve ever heard anyone get to Eric’s tone. 😮

We painstakingly waited 5 years for that Venus Isle album back in the 90's. Took 5 years to put that Album out, he sure was not prolific like the Beatles were. Chasing perfection does that stuff.

I thought he uses a fuzz. Man another tone hole to fall down into i got a marshall superlead from the last eddie van halen tone chase i went down

I love this but what on earth is sassafras?

Do it with Herbert