John Sykes' Legendary Gear Tribute!
John Sykes' Legendary Gear Tribute!
Tanner pays tribute to John Sykes in this week's Roundup! In this special episode of the Weekly Roundup, Tanner pays tribute to legendary guitarist John Sykes by building a custom guitar rig using only gear from the store. From tracking down a Mesa Dual Rectifier and matching it with a Les Paul Custom, to dialing in lush stereo delay, reverb, and chorus effects, Tanner recreates the iconic '80s tone Sykes was known for. Tanner even replicates Sykes’ pick-scraping technique using sandpaper.
Transcription Summary:
In this week's roundup, Tanner honors the late, legendary guitarist John Sykes by building a custom guitar rig using only gear available at the store. Sykes, known for his work with Whitesnake, Blue Murder, Thin Lizzy, and Tigers of Pan Tang, was a major influence on many guitarists, including Zakk Wylde and Metallica. Tanner walks through the process of recreating Sykes’ iconic tone—starting with a black Les Paul (similar to Sykes’ late-70s custom), a Mesa Dual Rectifier amp (a nod to Sykes’ '90s rig), and a Marshall cab. He also layers in chorus, delay, and reverb effects to capture the wide, spacious tone Sykes was known for, experimenting with pedals like the Keeley Halo and Boss Dimension C and JHS Flight Delay. He even goes the extra mile by sanding down his guitar pick to match Sykes’ famously aggressive pick slides.
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