Andy Timmons on That Pedal Show

So you guys know what a huge fan of Andy Timmons I am. Daniel at The Gig Rig has started a youtube series called That Pedal Show and his latest installment features Andy Timmons talking about his current state of experimentation. Check it out below




One of the most interesting things to me in this video is that in the beginning he uses the Lonestar's lead sound and then later he uses a Keeley modded Boss Blues Driver, and he sounds almost the same! There are some subtle differences but it really proves the statement Tone is in the Hands. For more about getting Andy's sound check out my post HERE, and for more about my thoughts on the Lonestar my review is HERE. Also give Daniel a follow on youtube as he is a very interesting guy with some serious tone clout.

The Mesa Boogie Lonestar review

A few days ago one of the small guitar shops near me put a couple of pics up on Facebook of some new stuff they had acquired. One of these items was a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Classic Combo. I've been curious about these but never ran across one. I've talked about how much I love Andy Timmons tone and style of playing. And I've owned one of the Mesa Boogie Stiletto's that he uses but I've always wanted to try out a Lonestar so I jumped at the chance to go down and check it out. I grabbed my current favorite guitar and headed to the shop in the middle of the afternoon and spent some time checking it out.

The Mesa Lonestar is similar to the Stiletto in many ways. They are both two channel amps with a dedicated set of knobs for each channel, a master volume and a boost volume. They both have switches on both channels to choose between 100 watts and 50 watts (the newer lonestar's also have a 10 watt setting). You can also choose between a tube rectifier or solid state rectifiers, and there is a variac switch on both amps to help knock the power down and give it a spongier feel. They also are both very demanding amps in that they don't let you hide, every mistake you make is amplified and put in your face and you hear a huge difference depending on which guitar your using. And that is where the similarities end.

In contrast to the Stiletto the Lonestar has an active EQ and sounds great at lower volume.  It was much easier for me to find usable sounds. Channel 1 reminds me of a Blackface Twin while Channel 2 reminded me, surprisingly of a JTM45 type sound. Fender cleans and vintage Marshall in the same amp? yep. The Variac switch makes more of a difference on the Lonestar than the Stiletto. On the Stiletto there was a softening of attack and a slightly looser feel but on the Lonestar the gain gets into tweed type of sponginess. The lead sound was thick and solid. It has a ton of loose low end that can be to much and can get farty sounding if your not careful but pull the bass down (or use a TS type pedal) and you get a thick lower mids that sounds awesome. The gain switch and two gain knobs on the 2nd channel take you from Tweed to MK 1 type gains.

Andy Timmons Lonestar's and Stiletto's

Using the Variac on channel two with the three way switch set to thick and a decent amount of gain rolled in I was able to quickly dial in a sound that covered everything from gorgeous cleans to early Van Halen just by switching pickups and changing from using my fingers lightly to nailing the strings with my pick. This amp is a dynamics players dream. In the Thicker setting it sounds like an early MK 1 which quickly inspired some Santana type runs.

As versatile and easy to use as this amp is it isn't for everyone. I'd really like to try it on a small 4x12 cabinet and see if it tightens up the bottom end and gives it a little more focused sound. It's very low mids heavy and while it certainly has a lot of gain on tap I would never call this a high gain amp in line with a Dual Rectifier. If you want modern metal or even 80's shred keep looking this isn't for you. But if your longing for a variety of vintage voiced amps the Lonestar is certainly worth a listen.

This review is completely unsolicited and any opinion is my own.

Andy Timmons Gear Guide

ADHD's Gear Guides at any Budget. I'm a firm believer that the tone comes from the hands. If your trying to achieve a certain guitar hero's tone it's not enough to have the chops but you've got to get down their style of attack with your picking hand as well. That said every step you take toward finding the right gear is often very inspiring and WILL get you closer to “that” sound. I'm going to break these down into Guitars, Pickups, Pedals and Amps.

Andy Timmons Gear Guide.

Andy Timmons: Tone for Days

Andy Timmons is one of my favorite guitarist. The term “tone is in the hands” is particularly important with Andy. His style of Rock, Jazz and Fusion combined with his stripped down sound focuses on dynamics. Steve Vai said that you can hear the sound of Andy's fingers on the fretboard on the Resolution CD. Andy uses a signature Ibanez guitar with DiMarzio pickups, a few key pedals and has a long history with Mesa Boogie amps. But his real tone comes from his ability to strip away the extra to the basics of what the sound needs.

Guitars – Andy has been using Ibanez guitars since the late 80's in his days with Danger Danger. Ibanez was signing a lot of hot young gunslingers after their success with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. There have been three different signature models and a fourth is on the way.

Ibanez Andy TimmonsSignature Guitar- There are two versions of this guitar which are identical in every way except where they are made. The AT100 made in the Ibanez Japan facility and this Premium model the AT10P. Both Feature his exacting choice of hardware and DiMarzio pickups as well as a copy of his original neck, a little thicker than the standard Ibanez neck it feels much closer to a standard strat neck. 

Ibanez Andy Timmons AT10RP- The same specs as the AT10P but in Classic White with a rosewood fretboard. Andy ask Ibanez to build him this and fans ask about it so much they had to release it as a model. 

Ibanez Andy Timmons AT300- This out of production model features the same specs as the AT100 but with a slightly rounded mahogany body of the SA series and special inlays on the rosewood fretboard.

Fender Standard Strat HSS – This guitar is a great budget alternative to the AT100. With it's alder body, maple fretboard and HSS pickup configuration it's the blueprint the AT100 is built from. Upgrade to Andy's favorite pickups and you have a great mid priced guitar.

Here is a link to a strat ready drop and go pickguard with Andy's pickups 

Pickups- Andy's choice of pickups hasn't changed much over the years. A slightly hot PAF in the bridge and two hum canceling Single coils are where it's at.

AT10P with the AT-1 and Crusiers

DiMarzio AT-1 Humbucker- Custom designed with Andy and DiMarzio it's a well balanced pickup That is a bit hotter than a PAF. Perfect for any kind of Rock.

DiMarzio The Crusier- Andy uses The Crusier Bridge pickups in the neck and middle positions of his AT100 Ibanez. These are voiced similar to normal single coils but without the hum.

Seymour Duncan JB- Before signing a deal with DiMarzio Andy had a JB in the bridge of his Ibanez. It's the worlds most popular aftermarket pickup and sounds very similar to his AT-1 pickup.

Pedals- Andy Timmons pedalboard has changed quite a bit over the years. He loves trying out new pedals and can make just about anything sound like it was sent from heaven.

JHS Andy Timmons Drive- Based on the JHS Angry Charlie the Andy Timmons Drive is a versatile drive pedal which sounds very similar to the lead channel of Andy's Lonestar. It has three distinct voices but lets the character of your playing come through. This with a great analog delay is as close as you'll get to sounding like him. The new AT+ model adds a boost which adds compression and sustain. 

BK Butler Tube Driver- A favorite of players like David Gilmour and Eric Johnson the Tube Driver sounds amazing into a cranked tube amp, but not that great at bedroom levels or in front of solid state or modeling amps. For the time being they are being built by hand by BK Butler himself.

Xotic BB Custom Shop

Xotic BB Preamp Custom Shop- The BB Preamp is another one of Andy's famous overdrives. At one point there was an Andy Timmons Signature version available that had a little more mids in it. This Custom Shop version has a Mid's control knob in it that Andy says you can dial in to sound just like his version. It's a fantastic pedal on any setup.

Xotic SL Drive- I don't know if Andy has used one of these but it works as a great alternative to the Tube Driver in smaller setups. Set up a nice overdriven sound with some delay and play Electric Gypsy.

Vintage Memory Man

Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man- Andy uses two vintage units with slightly offset times to produce a chorusing effect and it sounds amazing. Any good analog delay will work but the EHX analog delays have a certain sound that helps nail the tone.

Electro Harmoix Memory Boy- A nice budget alternative to the Memory Man with a few less bells and whistles. 

Strymon Timeline- A recent addition, the Strymon Timeline is an incredible programmable digital delay. Andy sets it to sound like his Deluxe Memory man. But it's more reliable on tour.

Carl Martin Compressor – Andy has used one of these for a long time and loves it. He uses it to boost the front end of the signal with just a touch of compression.

Carl Martin Andy Timmons Compressor - Andy ask Carl Martin to build him a dual compressor for two different settings. Carl Martin ask Andy if they could release it to the world. 

Visual Sound Comp 66- One of my favorite budget friendly compressor pedals. You can use it as a boost and/or compressor and it has a switchable tone control and Visual Sounds True Tone Buffer built in.

Amps- Andy Timmons has several vintage Marshall's, Vox's and Fender amps at home. But he relies on Mesa Boogie amps in the studio and on the road. I'm pretty sure he has sold more Mesa Boogie amps as an endorser than anyone other than Metallica.

Andy's Lonestar's and Stiletto's

Mesa Boogie Lonestar – Available as a head or combo this amp has a clean Fenderish quality and a beautiful Lead tone. Andy uses the 100 watt version as the core of his tone. To learn more about my thoughts on the Lonestar, check out my review.

Mesa Boogie Stiletto- No longer being produced by Mesa Boogie, this was a two channel amp based on two of Andy's old Marshall's with some Mesa extras added in. They have a fantastic clean tone and take pedals very well. They turn up regularly on ebay but have been replaced in the Mesa line by the Royal Atlantic. To learn more about my thoughts on the Stiletto, check out my review.

Mesa Boogie Transatlantic- Also designed with Andy's input the Transatlantic covers most of the vintage amp categories in a small package making it perfect for small gigs. Look on YouTube for for live clips of Andy playing it. The TA30 includes an effects loop and a little more power.

Egnator Tweaker- When these came out they were all the rage in internet chat rooms and for a good reason. The Tweaker comes in a combo or head and is available in a 15 watts all the way up to an 88 watt. They are well built, flexible, and take pedals well. They also sound good at lower volumes which can't be said about all tube amps.

Obviously there are a lot of alternatives out there but these are a great place to start your tone search.