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Thread: Ted Nugent's Amps

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    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Ted Nugent's Amps

    Back in the days before I knew what an idiot Ted Nugent was, I liked him, especially the first three solo albums. Back then when I saw him, he played through a wall of Fenders, which he claimed were all hooked up and playing.

    Does he still play through Fenders? I was listening to a more recent album and his playing sounds like it's going through Marshalls.

    I don't know why I even care, but I've been on a nostalgia trip by listening to Free For All.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member NeoFauve's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Something that loudens riffs in A.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I7o3TxH7o0
    "Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
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    Forum Member chuckocaster's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    last i saw it was peavey, a 5150 or 6550, whatever they call it now.
    "don't worry, i'm a professional!"

  4. #4
    Gravity Jim
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Isn't that The Tone King?

    Well, have you ever seen a picture of them together?

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    Forum Member Erock_Germany's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Back in the day he played the short-lived but brutally loud Super Twin 2x12s. A monster of an amp that sported like 11 tubes, weighed like 100 pounds and was supossed to put out 180 watts.

    To add insult to injury, he had 2x18 extension cabinets underneath.

    All that times three!

    He claims they were daisy chained and that all were running pretty much dimed....jesus, I can not imagine the earth shattering sonic pressure....

    Good thing we learned how to use microphones with small amps and PAs to run sound in big venues....
    "Sorry" - John Belushi as he smashed a guitar in Animal House

  6. #6
    Gravity Jim
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I remember reading somewhere - maybe the Encyclopedia of Rock - that Ted Nugent became famous through sheer persistence; that no matter how badly his work was received, he simply would not go away.

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    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I thought that was only true of him after he had his one hit. Didn't know it was true before.
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    No need to apologize for liking Ted Nugent back in the day. The fact that he's a lunatic doesn't mean "Free For All," "Stranglehold," and "Cat Scratch Fever" are no longer fun to listen to.
    "I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg

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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Just went to his website, seems he's booked more with hunting, and archery than music these days.

  10. #10
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by NeoFauve View Post
    Something that loudens riffs in A.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I7o3TxH7o0
    They're not all in A.

    Hey Baby is in E.
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    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I can't stand Nugent as a person, but I love those albums with Derek St. Holmes, a fantastic singer.

    When I saw him in the 70s, he had those large cabinets, and he was loud.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member ampdan's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps


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    Forum Member FrankJohnson's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    My Friend rob has a Sunn Enforcer - the Ted Nugent Series

    only like 200-300 made

    dont' know how long ted used those
    Kenny Belmont
    >:^{I)>

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    Forum Member juniorspecial's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I remember reading one of those old Guitar Player interviews, back in the day, where he talked on and on about how wonderful he was. I remember it distinctly because he claimed he played so loud at festivals that birds flying in front of his amps would be completely vaporized. They would just disappear, and leave a few fluttering feathers falling through the air.

    I swear, torture would be to be locked in the same room with Ted and his ego...

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    Forum Member NeoFauve's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    A high school friend of mine liked basically three bands/artists, the Nuge, Neil Young and Pink Floyd.

    I wondered if he really paid attention, or he was jusy going along with the stoner crew from Pathmark.
    "Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
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    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by NeoFauve View Post
    A high school friend of mine liked basically three bands/artists, the Nuge, Neil Young and Pink Floyd.

    I wondered if he really paid attention, or he was jusy going along with the stoner crew from Pathmark.
    Just imagine what would happen to his head if he heard this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9d4...eature=related

    I've probably played worse at keg parties.
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    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by Kap'n View Post
    Just imagine what would happen to his head if he heard this:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR9d4...eature=related

    I've probably played worse at keg parties.
    that's $#@% awful
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

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    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by rudutch View Post
    that's $#@% awful
    ZAppa would have called the drum track Xenochrony, even if it wasn't.
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    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiheU...eature=related

    that's what I remember (not in Gemany) but I saw him many times 1976- 1982...

    loud!

    I still think the LP "ted nugent" is a classic
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

  20. #20
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by rudutch View Post
    I still think the LP "ted nugent" is a classic
    Yes it is. Derek was great, as was Cliff Davies. Ted played his best stuff on that album, but in many ways he was the weakest link of the band.
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    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    and it all went down hill from there..
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

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    Forum Member dez's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Ted's an idiot, but he did make some good records in the 70s.

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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Yeah, I liked some of his stuff. It has energy and it was kind of nutty and impressed me as a teenager in the late 70's. Back then I knew and understood hew was a bit off the wall but that was the appealing thing somehow...

    I never really registered how deranged he really was until I saw something about him on TV and his fights with the animal rights groups standing there and plugging his hunting videos with "'Ya gotta kill it before 'ya grill it..."

    Then I realized I had to have been a bit off the wall when I was a teenager but that is actually no secret...

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    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I knew he was crazy. I remember an interview from Creem mag in the 70s. The highlighted text?: "I'd rape (or "kill," I forget which) a nun if she got in my way." Or something equally as vile.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I think if you look at the Cat Scratch Fever cover it says guitar in to marshall, thats it, no FX or something like that.
    P e a c e KYC


    Strat or Tele out of a 5E3 .

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    Forum Member bluespckr's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    For many, many years Ted played a Gibson Byrdland guitar though Fender Dual Showman cabs powered by what looked like Twin Reverb Amps for "heads" (something like four of these huge combos on each side of the stage).

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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I worked at a few Nugent arena shows back in the seventies, and I do recall him using six Super Twins on top of Dual Showman cabs, in a slight semi circle. Just his Byrdland and a curly guitar cable like we all used back in those days.
    All cabs were nicely finished wood, paralleled together and dimed. All of 'em, no dummies. He wore one earplug. We called him Mr. Rude, for his insanely high SPL onstage. It was fun at the time, but thank god those days are over.

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    Forum Member yankeerob's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by bluespckr View Post
    For many, many years Ted played a Gibson Byrdland guitar though Fender Dual Showman cabs powered by what looked like Twin Reverb Amps for "heads" (something like four of these huge combos on each side of the stage).
    Correct - loaded with 15" EV SRO's - and the twins were loaded with 12" SRO's... he had a good deal with the Boys from Buchanan and they stood up well to the abuse by all accounts - the legend says he replaced an average of 1 driver per year over the 3 yrs he used them...

    As previously stated... he used Super Twins later on but had 4 BF Twins on top of 4 DS cabs and had also used a Marshall head with that rig in the later years of TN and the Amboy Dukes era... quite how it was employed I'm not sure but there are enough photo archives that show a Marshall head on top of that 4 amp set-up to suggest it was used somehow...

    That - IMO - was when he was at his peak - before the solo stuff and all the magazine interviews... he's always been an *sshole, people I've met in later life from the Flint/Detroit area have unanimously confirmed this but it hasn't tarnished the memory of seeing him goodness knows how many times - mainly at the Spectrum in Philly but also at MSG a coupla times... another aspect of these tours was his use of a Klipsch sound system that was incredibly efficient - the combination of Twins and that PA meant you heard him loud and clear an I mean really L/C - and I don't remember him hitting a bum note - this of course is tempered by the fact that he wasn't exactly that technical a guitar player - the keys of E and A have already been mentioned but there were a few in B too

    There was a distinct change in both the live and studio sound when he went to the Super Twins and for some stupid reason he went to six ST's when he did... to my ears the sound got thinner and fizzier and I kind lost interest because even thought the songs were already pretty nonsensical - they went from there to unbearably stupid at that point...

    As an aside - the latest from our friend Joel Wheeler at Electricamps is that he's supplied some of his amps for Ted's latest exploits... see http://www.motorcitymadamp.com/... these are built along the lines of Matamps and are - as you might expect - built as well as they look like they are... not exactly sure what the whole rig is but if Joel has anything to do with 'em - they're as per the usual Ted scenario - ridiculously loud
    If I could find a road to get away it wouldn't be too soon....... Shipwreck Moon.......

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    Forum Member rudutch's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    he has 're-invented' himself a few times and seems to be doing well..
    from sellin out big arenas to talk shows to hunting shows.. better than most of his 'peers' from that era
    do I look like I know what I'm doing?

  30. #30
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I'd love to find out that he had a Fender Champ miked behind those stacks.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    He's such a blowhard I'm surprised he needs an amp. Seems like all he's have to do is shove the cord up his ass and open his mouth.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member gooman's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    journey to the center of the mind always stood out to me, great tone and pretty radical for the day.His later stuff got mundane but no more than say judas priest ect. I have respect for the fellow,he has sold a lot more albums than me

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    Forum Member yankeerob's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by Offshore Angler View Post
    He's such a blowhard I'm surprised he needs an amp. Seems like all he's have to do is shove the cord up his ass and open his mouth.
    LMFAO!!! I couldn't have put it any better... and I'm still a fan
    If I could find a road to get away it wouldn't be too soon....... Shipwreck Moon.......

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    Forum Member Cygnus X1's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Great post again Rob.
    I really don't care about artists political rants one way or the other, just don't stop the show to "convert me".
    It always comes up with Ted because he chooses to do so.

    Loved that Amboy Dukes sound, and just about everything with the Byrdland/Fender setup.
    Like AC/DC...plug in and GO.

    Here's something controversial...I think both he and Santana lost a lot of tone when they switched to PRS.

  36. #36
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    I've never been a fan of PRS, although they make some damned fine looking guitars. Santana needs to strap on a LP, and Nugent should go back to the Byrdland or at least to a Les Paul.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  37. #37
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by ch willie View Post
    Santana needs to strap on a LP, and Nugent should go back to the Byrdland or at least to a Les Paul.
    I suspect it's not the instrument, but the artist losing his way, and trying to mix it up to get something going again.
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  38. #38
    Forum Member Rickenjangle's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by Kap'n View Post
    I suspect it's not the instrument, but the artist losing his way, and trying to mix it up to get something going again.
    I like Ted's earlier sound too, and the Byrdland was my favorite of his guitars... but Santana has been playing PRS into a Boogie for a very long time now...I saw photos of him in the early days playing an SG but that was in the 60's, and more than 40 years ago...I don't think you can blame PRS for Santana's tone choices...seems like he only uses the most super-sustaining sounds anymore -- a far cry from the Evil Ways tone, to be sure...

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  39. #39
    Forum Member gooman's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Cygnus I agree with what your saying about these artists that try to shove their political views at you, bonzo in u2 comes to mind as countless others , whats the old saying , shut up and play, dont care about your politics just your music.......... and yes give me a lp,tele,sg or strat and a fender or vox or marshall over a prs and mezaboogies any day

  40. #40
    Forum Member Kap'n's Avatar
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    Re: Ted Nugent's Amps

    Quote Originally Posted by Rickenjangle View Post
    Santana has been playing PRS into a Boogie for a very long time now...I don't think you can blame PRS for Santana's tone choices...seems like he only uses the most super-sustaining sounds anymore -- a far cry from the Evil Ways tone, to be sure...
    I don't think Santana has been interesting since he stopped playing the Yamaha. I don't think the PRS is to blame. I think Carlos' playing has just become dull and predictable and his choice of sound (not the instrument but amp gain) has been more buzzy and compressed.

    Except of course, when he played a Strat on I'm Winning. A return to form.
    Several guitars in different colors
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