From issue 338 of Guitarist:
You might think you know country guitar tone. That twangy Telecaster-into-a-Blackface-Fender deal? Well do yourself a favour and listen to the genre's biggest current name: Brad Paisley.
Fans will already know his trademark tones, but our issue 332 cover star's choice of vintage-Vox inspired amps and Celestion alnico speakers adds up to a more gainy, harmonically rich and rocky collection of sounds, compared with classic Bakersfield twang.
An Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer fan of some magnitude, Brad has nevertheless been wanting something more from his mainstay gain stomper. And for that, he turned to highly renowned US high-end stompbox company, Wampler.
Here are five soundclips that pair the Paisley Drive with a Fender Highway 1 Texas Telecaster, an Orange Tiny Terror head and a 1 x 12 cabinet loaded with a Celestion Alnico Blue 12-inch speaker.
We mic'ed the cab with a Shure SM57 and an Electro Harmonix ribbon mic, adding a touch of spring reverb simulation from Apple Logic Pro's Pedalboard plug in. Here we go then…
Reference tone (pedal turned off)
Read the full review in Guitarist issue 338, February 2011. You can buy a single physical copy or subscribe here
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