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Justin Chancellor tone with Darkglass

A

acostaa

Aug 3, 2019
46
84
#1
Hello all,

Hoping to get insight from you all on how to get the closest approximation of Justin Chancellor's tone using Darkglass pedals. I have a few of these pedals. I understand how complex his rig setup is, and I understand that studio processing really alters real-live signal coming from his rig. Given all of this, I would like to know what settings you guys use to arrive his tone. I am completely blown away, for instance, by his tone in the recent promotion video for Adam Jone's signature Gibson guitars and I'm trying to get in the ballpark with no real luck. (bass drops at 5:19). Thanks,

 
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#8
I use the little microtubes X. I feel like it can get pretty close to the rat + clean sound Justin uses. The high and low pass filters make it pretty versatile. Lot of people use the x series pedals for the Dug Pinnick type of sound but you can adjust the filters to get a sound more like JC. My bandmates make comments regularly about my tones sounding like JC. Especially when I'm using the x in combination with delay.
 
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#9
Nephilymbass said:
I use the little microtubes X. I feel like it can get pretty close to the rat + clean sound Justin uses. The high and low pass filters make it pretty versatile. Lot of people use the x series pedals for the Dug Pinnick type of sound but you can adjust the filters to get a sound more like JC. My bandmates make comments regularly about my tones sounding like JC. Especially when I'm using the x in combination with delay.
Click to expand...

Nice, I've been thinking about upgrading and adding a preamp to my board.
 
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#10
acostaa said:
Thanks, JC. That sounds awesome. Could you share your settings on the B3k?
Click to expand...

Im away for a wedding, but this is from that night. Zoom in for settings!

20201112_204739.jpg


FaithNoMan said:
You can hear it's a J bass, but that's not the B3K's fault. I think it sounds just as good in it's own right. If a Wal was going through that pedal, you'd be splitting hairs to judge it against JC's tone.
Click to expand...

Im going to try it with my Musicman this week and see if I can get it a smidge closer.
 
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#12
Honestly man I use DG gear and love it lots but the addition of a rat really helps with this job. There is a super cheap pedal (like $30 delivered) the Black Rat by Mosky that when run at very very low drive/gain is such a critical part of the tone. There is something that a Rat does to the top end that is crucial. If you are keen on getting the JC tone nice and close maybe upgrading to another well known Rat clone or even a modded Rat is great for dialing it in but IMO a rat makes getting the tone so much easier. Stacking the Rat with the DG is very effective for the grindier songs aswell.
 
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#13
A quick note to thank everyone for their insight on this, as well as to share a clip of the tone at which I have arrived using the X7 using the settings on the attached picture. While not particularly close (without bi-amping), I did manage to find the best settings to get in the ballpark. I'm playing through an SVT with Mid-setting 4, Gain=7, B=3, M=8, T=8, Bright and Hi on. Any suggestions on how to get even closer using the X7 would be appreciated. Cheers.


 

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#17
acostaa said:
A quick note to thank everyone for their insight on this, as well as to share a clip of the tone at which I have arrived using the X7 using the settings on the attached picture. While not particularly close (without bi-amping), I did manage to find the best settings to get in the ballpark. I'm playing through an SVT with Mid-setting 4, Gain=7, B=3, M=8, T=8, Bright and Hi on. Any suggestions on how to get even closer using the X7 would be appreciated. Cheers.


Click to expand...


The settings on your X7 look kinda wonky to be honest. You're cutting all the EQ frequencies except the treble. If it's like the Ultra, all those sliders are boost/cut. I would also start with the low and high levels around noon and go from there to balance the sound. At that point you might be able to take the high gain down some or use the small HPF knob to make sure it's only affecting the highest frequencies for that crispy clank zing JC gets. As for the sliders I'd probably cut a little low mids and then slowly boost the others til you hear what sounds good to you.

I can get JC tones with my jazz bass and X7 ultra pretty easily. Your strings also sound kind of dead in that sample. New stainless steel rounds will help with the sound a lot.
 
#18
TheLowDown33 said:
The most faithful recreation of JC's Tool tone I've personally come across was an EBMM Sterling HH with both pickups on, running through a B7K.
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I played in a Tool tribute band for a few years here in Washington State. I always used a G&L L2K and a modded rat. towards the end of that gig I replaced the rat with a B3K and it got very close. Tons of folks commented how good it sounded at almost every show!
 
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#20
opivy3056 said:
The settings on your X7 look kinda wonky to be honest. You're cutting all the EQ frequencies except the treble. If it's like the Ultra, all those sliders are boost/cut. I would also start with the low and high levels around noon and go from there to balance the sound. At that point you might be able to take the high gain down some or use the small HPF knob to make sure it's only affecting the highest frequencies for that crispy clank zing JC gets. As for the sliders I'd probably cut a little low mids and then slowly boost the others til you hear what sounds good to you.

I can get JC tones with my jazz bass and X7 ultra pretty easily. Your strings also sound kind of dead in that sample. New stainless steel rounds will help with the sound a lot.
Click to expand...

Thanks for these suggestions. Yes, I did not set out looking to set the X7 with the settings in this way! After hours of adjusting the knobs and sliders, this is where I arrived. I did of course try more modest adjustments as you recommended, but I still wasn't getting any closer. My filters are set to 11:30 for low and 1'oc on the highs. My impression is that even at the detente, the EQ is not flat, as if it is still boosting some. Thanks again.
 

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