Coverdale/Page »Take Me for a Little While« – searching for acoustic intro sound

[Optimist]

Hi there,

can anybody give me some hints how to achieve a similar sound as Jimmy Page in the acoustic (?) intro of that song:

 

 

I have the following:

Helix Floor 3.10 (tried different compressors, choruses, not really coming near)

James Tyler Variax JTV59 (tried acoustic models with Helix, not really coming near)

Fender Nashville Power Tele w/ Fishman piezos (piezo sound comes near with Helix, but not quite well)

Yes, I hear that the guitar track is doubled, but does that make the effect? Think no, just sounds more spacey.

Would I need a »real« acoustic? Don’t think so … this must be somehow achieveable with the above … ;-)

Any suggestions anybody?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

 

 

 

[brue58ski]

4 hours ago, Optimist said:

Hi there,

can anybody give me some hints how to achieve a similar sound as Jimmy Page in the acoustic (?) intro of that song:

 

 

I have the following:

Helix Floor 3.10 (tried different compressors, choruses, not really coming near)

James Tyler Variax JTV59 (tried acoustic models with Helix, not really coming near)

Fender Nashville Power Tele w/ Fishman piezos (piezo sound comes near with Helix, but not quite well)

Yes, I hear that the guitar track is doubled, but does that make the effect? Think no, just sounds more spacey.

Would I need a »real« acoustic? Don’t think so … this must be somehow achieveable with the above … ;-)

Any suggestions anybody?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

 

 

 

 

Some quick suggestions. Go stereo if you aren't already. Try the Double Take effect in Modulation. Yes, I think much of the "effect" is the doubling. Maybe with a little bit of Chorus. When using the Variax (in which the acoustics sound thin and "zingy" to me) try putting the Acoustic Sim from the EQ category but run it parallel. I would suggest using the tone knob but you can't use that parameter in the Helix. If you do when you switch to another patch, the tone parameter will remain where it was at in the previous patch even though it the new patch will reflect the proper tone parameter. If you hit the path's footswitch again it will then change to the proper tone parameter. A lousy work around at best. i do think it has a piezo type sound to it but I could be wrong. Throw the new reverb in there. There's definitely some 'Verb in there.Good Luck.

[Optimist]

Thanks brue58ski, I’ll dive into your suggestions. But I would not use the Double Take but just record an additional guitar track in my DAW (Cubase 11 Pro), which is always better than »artificial« double tracking, right?

BTW … another example of a nearly similar sound ist this (yes, this is obviously electric, and picked not strummed, and a phaser does it’s job here, too) … and one of my favourite all-timers:

 

 

… but on both examples (Page, Hillage), there’s heavy compression used, I presume …

 

Best regards from Munich, Germany

Alex