To be able to play at his level for such a long time wouldn't be possible with a dude with a bad attitude. People just wouldn't work with him. Also, giving this quality of 'insider' information by a true professional is testament to his personality, The next generation of Tim Pierces are watching this right now.
I really like the idea of finding the optimal sweet spot on each overdrive pedal - what it does best - and then stacking them together “in collaboration” with each other, to craft a composite effect that’s potentially uniquely more than the sum of its individual parts.
In every single interview I've seen they introduce him as the legendary Tim Pierce, he played in hundreds of the most important records during 90s, from Michael Jackson to Santana to Christina Aguilera and a lot more, not mentioning movies and TV shows and still so humble.
Tim, I love your playing... I've been a fan since seeing you live at the USF Sundome in Tampa, Florida with Rick Springfield in the 80's... Instant fan! Being a player myself and on the road at that time with an "A Circuit" cover band (we all have to eat), I was really young at the time... a minor not old enough to play in clubs (alchohol, etc.), so the guys had to lie to get me into clubs legally as a guitarist for that band. I had not seen you live prior to that, and I said, "Oh my God... where did this guy come from, and where did Rick find him?" Between you and RIck, live, I had chills up and down my arms and spine throughout the entire show. I immediately went out and bought everything Rick did that you played on! I still love your playing, but I miss everything about those days... the entire music scene and your playing. Everything was easy-going, fun, not uptight, fresh, and very exciting. Now? Well... not a huge fan of "Alt Rock", etc... not at all as a matter of fact. Rock no longer DRIVES as it did then... kinda' boring in comparison, for me. Sorry to those who disagree... my opinion only! Not trying to offend in any way. You were big, edgy but VERY melodic... your tone was wonderful. When you started Jesse's Girl I flipped over the tone... again big, very chunky and tight, and of course very 80's with your own special twist. My favorite solo -- and they all were, seriously -- but my absolute favorite, believe it or not, was your soloing on "Souls". We used to play that song in the cover band after hearing you live, and I got chills every time I played it. I think I got it note for note... and imagined it being played by you and Rick every time I played it. Chills man, chills! :-P My other absolute favorite was your work on "State of the Heart." Chords, tone, choice of notes made that song what it was. Seriously deep, soulful, heady and an "atmospheric" track... takes me away to this day whenever I hear it. The production on Tao was incredible. Anyway, your tracks on SOTH were phenomenal... all the way around. Tao was a very deep, kinda' dark album... but in a good way. Not depressing... just really deep and thought provoking... musically and lyrically. It would be nice to see/hear you do all of the soloing from "Souls" on your channel sometime... just for old time sake. It would be a thrill all over again. Plus, I could finally see whether I actually played it properly or not, once and for all. :-P So VERY melodic and emotive... perfect for that song... ripping at the same time! Wonderful tone! As I said, I still love your playing, and I miss the 80's Tim Pierce greatly sometimes. I know, things move on and life would get stale if not. But mainly just wanted you to know you were one of my guitar heroes/guitar idols, and you inspired me to go beyond what I even imagined being as a player. The playing you did with Rick was some of the best stuff you've ever done... some of the best stuff ANYONE has ever done! Don't ever be ashamed of your 80's "Rick stuff"... you absolutely rocked, helped make Rick's music what it was at that time, and had a HUGE fan base with all of the players I was exposed to around the nation when I was out gigging for a living. The players who slam the 80's are possibly a bit lazy, and may not have the fortitude to become as good as the greats -- you being one -- from that era. At least that's been my experience with 80's-bashing players today. Nevertheless, so glad you're still around and playing, friend. Thanks much for the massive inspiration, Tim Pierce! BTW... sorry for the "novel"! %-\
Man you've change a lot since starting on You Tube...you were sooo shy at the beginning of your on line presence... Now you're a beast of a presenter ! KUDOS To you sir ! Awesome guitar player!
Tim I just saw you on Rick Beato's channel giving the amazing psy-ops of how to do session work. I'd never really seen or heard that particular kind of insight before, and obviously it delighted Rick as well. "IF YOU'VE WON REALLY BIG ON YOUR MONO TRACK".... "CRISIS IN CONFIDENCE" taking a minute too long to change guitars.... "BEING GRANDFATHERED IN" for the role you were to play for the whole record. ... It's cool seeing you relay the adaptation tricks you went through-- and eventually being able to breeze through those complex latin chords. Subscribed just based on that interview!
don't be fooled by the fake and forced smiles. His facial expressions are the 2nd worse to steve terrberry in the YT guitar world. But if you like watching this guy maybe tinyberries will get you just as excited? maybe...
Yikes! I feel like I just got off the 'Tilt-a-whirl' I'm still processing the amazing tones you revealed with the pedals you featured. Amazing tones, sounds, but also an investment. For me, a dinosaur rocker at 61 years old, I realize I'm behind the technology curve when it comes to pedal effects. Trust me. For an old dog you taught me a new trick. Thank you tim. Always enlightened with your videos. Kurtiss
Tones are what get the player motivated in my humble opinion! Fascinating to see you get such strong and rather defined tones with just a few tricks up the sleeve. Cheers.
It's criminal that Tim doesn't have more subscribers & views. Not only is he a phenomenal guitar talent but he comes across as a genuinely nice guy who clearly knows & loves his craft. I wish I could play my PRS as good as he does.
The better the lick the better the "tone" sounds. The better the player, even better does the tone sound. A lot of legendary licks have been recorded with very modest tone over the years, yet they become so familiar to our ears that we try and match the outdated tone. Perfect "tone" is what guitar players lust for, but what the average listener hardly distinguishes. With that said, I'm always on the lookout for a way to upgrade my pedal board.
The JHS Morning Glory on low gain with bright cut off is *amazing* in front of a lot of other drive pedals, fuzz pedals, and even a Bit Commander! It cuts just the right bass frequencies if you turn the tone up and keep the gain low.
I couldn’t agree more. Tim is a fantastically skilled player who plays with passion and confidence. And... he’s a terrific teacher. I always learn something from watching his clips.
You always make me tense up when you make sudden movements. You don't seem to have a whole lot of room at your workdesk. Guess im afraid you will damage that beauty PRS. Love your videos. I learn alot from you. Thanks a bunch!
Was checking this out for the Super Sweet, which I have & wanted to see how you used it…and was just amazed by the awesome tone of the 3 combined pedals. Nice job on this…
I recently picked up an XTS Imperial. It's now one of my absolute favourites. Sweet spots right through the gain range and the little DYN switch makes it really versatile and easy to match to different amps.
I still can't stop using my 1983 Ibanez SD-9 with the gain rolled all the way down or at 9 o'clock depending on the guitar, Volume maxed of course. Infront I boost that with a Wampler Ego Comp to slightly round the sound and the J. Rockett Holdsworth OD (amazing pedal). The Fat, clean and treble boosts on the Holdsworth gives you different flavors. That's all I need really and it all runs into a Victory V30.
I first saw this idea when Buck Dharma demonstrated his rig on RU-vid and I started using multiple distortion pedals chained together and set at different distortion amounts rather than adjusting just one up and down. Way better having many choices at your feet! You're awesome! Wish there were gigs!
Tim you really are my favorite RU-vid personality. You smile and warmth are crazy contagious, and you put out so much useful, free information. I notice you are using your older PRS, hows the new one treating you? It’s literally the most beautiful guitar I’ve ever seen, looking forward to hearing it more.
Thank you Tim, this was a great visit that did a terrific job illustrating the nuance of this type of tone. Because the instrument is granted a more narrow sonic window when played in a band setting versus when heard as a singular voice, it would be great the hear this style of comparison when the guitar steps forward as the featured voice in a full band mix. All the best bud, thanks again!
Thanks so much Tim. I've been following your great channel and I am learning wonderful things from you. I appreciate you taking the time, effort, and expense to create these gems. A+
This is why there’s a lot of use for pedals like the King of Tone or the Friedman BE-OD. Not quite the same, since one “side” of the pedal isn’t pushing the other, but I like the sound of one pedal pushing another into a clean amp than just one pedal going into a clean amp. An OD going into a clean amp instead of a crunchy amp sounds like a weird layer of dirt just sitting on top of your wound, if that makes sense at all.
What I've done since 1988...finding the sweet spot on my Peaveys or Marshalls, and then using an OD (TS or SD) as a push, and then boosting that with GE7 or even a Crybaby :) Thanks Tim!
This is like the pinnacle of how to from an absolute master. Fascinating and brilliant, but also kind of irrelevant to us mere mortals. But still great stuff Tim.
Thanks very much for a top video and passing on your wee tricks.. you're thoughts on the Humbolt Magellan ( Pete Thorn) demoed one a wee while back. respect to you Tim.
Thank you for all your tips and tricks, man. I seriously appreciate it. You've really expanded my tonal palette and understanding of the instrument I love so dearly.
Thanks Professor Tim..you really help us novice guitar players to get ideas and create new sounds and effects..Thanks for your passion as well and your clarity in speaking in terms we can all understand.
Btw, pedals that are totally overlooked are guitarsystems pedals,like the drive tool jr,treble tool,fuzz tool(jr.),vibe tool ect. Michael Thompson and Sam Vito reviewed them a few years ago, ....pedals that will never leave my board again.
Arghhh,,,just realized I have that mostortion in my box o pedals up on the fourth ledge on the shop...time to pull it out and give it another try. now that I know the sound police will not throw me off the stage for having two pedals between me and the amp...days of old thinking...Thank you Tim Pierce all over again.
It's nice to see the Boss Slicer SL-20 in the background....at least I think it's a Slicer....I bought one myself last year and I really enjoy using it, you don't see many of them around 😎👍
It's always a bit of a battle getting the clarity the grind the push and the eveness to all work together. I have been pondering on the super sweet or the super clean for a while now. Keeping it simple here for a home rig. Guitar into a Keeley 4 knob comp, into a Wampler Equator EQ then into an EHX Soul Food ... to the amp. Time effects in the loop. Great video!
Amazing as always!!! Tim do you use something to eliminate the noise of the pedals? I can hear some noise when you turn on both the MXR booster and the Super Sweet in the last part, but when you play is totally clean!!! Thank you!!!
I really love your channel so much! I'm not even a guitarist but you make such great content and your videos are so fun and informative - great job and thanks!
Great playing brother. I saw you on Rick Beato's channel and had to take a peek. Probably watched about 20 of your uploads by now..and then....I SAY "AND THEN!!!! you mentioned TOY MATINEE and KEVIN GILBERT! ! Dude. ...dude. .. you must tell us more of those sessions and those songs and the people involved. . I mean here I am watching a guy who's obviously a monster totally digging it. And then he mentions offhandedly that he played on one of the greatest "Song Writer" albums I've ever heard. . I played that disc to death from the year came out all the way up to to today. Which of course turned me on to Kevin Gilberts amazing library of unbelievably well-written songs. Just be aware that you having played on that toy matinee album has boosted you right up to the front of one of my favorite guitar players. And did you play on the third matinee album at all?...
Thanks for the great lesson, Tim! I just picked up a Super Sweet, because a friend fell in love with my EP Boost, so I sold it to him. What settings were you using for the external dip switches to get the fat tone with the Super Sweet?
What is the difference/s between the Mostortion and your Nobels, if you don't mind? I'm stacking with made in Taiwan random BD-2 - and its so great - and into a more driven TC Elec MojoMojo for the stacking, but I also have an Ego Mini comp in between them used in more of the Glimore way of slight push/eq more than traditional comp (but by itself, it still does great for the Nile Rogers like things - and helps keep my lower volume home setup feeling more like loud amp in the room (small point to point wired EL84 18w combo with a big, clean transformer - so very high headroom). All of it to say, there is an art to stacking - and it all needs tweaking when changing context (from home tracking to say live jams), of course. Thanks for letting us all so far into your world. Loved your recent show with Rick Beato. Glen Ballard is from my home town and was our hero long before he went off to blow up the world of music. When we heard Man in the Mirror the first time, all of us in the music store thought about retiring from music!! LOL. Love that guy.
Huge fan Tim!! I started doing that with the HX Stomp using 2 distortions and adding the dimension pedal in the mix just a little bit to round it out gets a nice fat sound. Great tones Tim!!
Hey Tim, great video! Bit of a random question, but you seem like a great guy to ask! Do you know of any guitar pedals to replicate the tones in Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow? Specifically 'Today', 'Somebody to Love' and 'White Rabbit'. I have searched all corners of the internet, I have been told an Ampeg Scrambler was used on that album, however that is not the tone I am after. I am not after a fuzz tone. I have also seen that a Vox Tone Bender was used, but again this does not replicate the tones I am specifically after. The best example is in the intro to 'Today', a rather clean tone. Thank you!
I get it ... I chain my Timmy into my King of Tone (hi-gain red side) into my King of Tone (regular yellow side) into my Lovepedal Reverb Deluxe ... each level takes me to a new sweet spot ... My OD / Dist are all on a separate little pedalboard ... Strat/Nocaster/Lp all Custom shops ... Amp is usually a Fender Edge Deluxe going into a waza Craft Tube Amp Expander which goes into a Mojotone ISO single 12" 150 watt Celestion Redback. I just can’t make it better, I’ve tried! FORGOT TO ADD: When stacking OD/Dist pedals ... LESS is MORE ... with regard to how much OD or Distortion you put into the chain! I had to experiment a lot with not only each pedal, but the sequence of each prefered pedal ... (I still haven't tried to insert even another pedal in between the 4 jack model King of Tone pedal). Just another possibility that'll remain a mystery for awhile).
Hi Tim. I agree with the drive stacking approach. I use a TS9 into an MXR IL DIAVOLO into an MXR FET DRIVER. I have an EP Boost at the front of the chain. I can turn that on to address the need of a slight boost and fattening when switching to the bridge pickup. Very effective chain with plenty of variability of the tone and drive characteristic Cheers!
Funny you should drop this. I just put an EP Booster in front of my 1987x reissue and it brought out so much more. I’ve got classic SRV sear on the neck pickup and a nice AC/DC crunch on the bridge humbucker. I feel like a Super Sweet or a TS808 would really make it pop and push me into VH territory.
For those interested, there are about 15 Mostortion pedals available on reverb right now. Mostly in the States but there are a couple available internationally also. They'll run ya about $700. None are mine, just giving yall a heads up.
That solo tone sorta reminded me of the melody and tone of She Said (Beatles). I like. I dont know much about pedals, but recently bought a couple budget guitars, a Boss Katana, and a Zoom G1X Four and I'm having so much fun
I've glossed over some of your videos (simply because there are so many guys out there doing these) but i just caught you on Rick Beato's channel. I realized right away you weren't just some hobby guy...LOL...you're the real deal! Can't wait to dig in to your channel!
I use in this order the Keeley Compressor + into the Keeley Katana Clean Boost into a Keeley Super Phat Mod... if I want heavier I use the first two into an Xotic SL Drive at 18volts for more headroom and it's absolutely brilliant, thanks Tim you should try it 🤘🏻
