These audio examples accompany my review in SOS January 2024 of the Universal Audio UAFX Lion ’68 Super Lead Amp stompbox.
www.soundonsound.com/reviews/universal-audio-lion-68-super-lead-amp
1. Les Paul Lead
This is the Variac Super Lead model. Speaker cab is the lovely JB|GB model — a 4x12 with two Celestion Greenback speakers and two JBL 120F speakers, both miked separately with Shure SM57s. Channel Volume 1 on about 8 — the effect of Bright cap has all but disappeared by this point —with just a little push from the Boost facility (Volume 2 is off). Tone controls all fully up, Presence at about 5, and plenty of room mic. Les Paul Custom, bridge pickup, obviously — a classic rock lead guitar sound. Sustain for days, but still a sound you can ‘work’: you can make notes spit, crackle or sing according to how you attack them. You can hear the guitar on its own in Example 5.
2. Crunch Chords
The exact same amp and guitar setup as for the Les Paul Lead tone, but with the speaker cab swapped out for Celestion Vintage 30s. Plenty of thump and sizzle, but with a little suck-out in the midrange leaving space for a vocal or other instruments. Hard panned left and right and doubled on both sides, so four in all.
3. Clean Lead
The Super Bass model, paired with a 4x12 of Celestion ‘Greenback’ 30s, dual miked with an SM57 dynamic and a Royer 121 ribbon. Telecaster, neck pickup. Amp Volume 1 is set at 7 (Volume 2 off), but the volume on the guitar is backed off to about halfway, creating a very clean, warm sound. Very little room mic employed, but there’s a bit of plate reverb in the track mix just because you probably wouldn’t use a sound like this without some ambience. A Super Bass will distort very nicely if you hit it a bit harder. Back off the Bass and it makes a fine, sweeter-sounding alternative to a Super Lead.
4. Strat Lead
The Super Lead model (non-Variac) paired with a 4x12 of Celestion 25-Watt Greenbacks, miked with a Beyer 160 ribbon and an SM57 dynamic. Strat, bridge and middle pickup combination. Volume 1 is at 6, with a bit of the darker Volume 2 channel mixed in with a setting of 3. Room mic at 3. Some messy blues playing (it’s allowed in the genre, isn’t it?), but, as in Example 1, the expressiveness of the natural overdrive of non-master volume amps comes through, I hope.
5. Les Paul Lead Isolated
Just the guitar track from Example 1. I’ve left the room sound in as that comes from the pedal itself, but the tiny bit of delay I used just to help it sit in the mix has been removed. No EQ used for the isolated track or in the mix.
6. Strat Lead Isolated
Just the guitar track from Example 4. The room ambience is from the pedal itself, but the delay used in the mix is muted. No EQ used in the mix or isolated track. You can clearly hear the ‘ghost note’ effect in this isolated track — you can hear lots of it if you know what you are listening for, but it is most easily heard during bends as the ghosting pitch changes at the same time as the note. Not to be confused with droning, undamped strings that are just the result of messy playing!
All tracks © Dave Lockwood/JTCGuitar.com (these are tracks composed by me for artists on JTCGuitar.com — re-used with permission).