Eight Miles High and four Ricks - The Byrds Collective

[8mileshigher]

Resurrecting this thread ----- viewtopic.php?f=72&t=396952

Our friends The Byrds Collective have posted a "new edit" version You Tube, of their classic four Ric rendition of Eight Miles High on their web-site

http://thebyrdscollective.com/home/
Check out their website and Enjoy !

There are some great camera close-ups on the guitar solo, and split-screen action, etc.

[Folkie]

Thanks, Rich! That's a killer version of a song I've always found impossible to play!

[jimk]

The Byrds Collective, always a hit with me.
JimK

[Folkie]

JimK,

I was listening to the Byrds Collective's live version of "Eight Miles High" and was wondering how the guitarist got that heavily compressed lead guitar sound. I tend to set the attack knob on my JB2 at about three o'clock (which is almost as high as it goes). When you play the lead lines to "Eight MIles High" do you turn the attack on your Janglebox all the way up? Would a stiff pick be necessary to get that sound?

Robert

[jimk]

JimK,

I was listening to the Byrds Collective's live version of "Eight Miles High" and was wondering how the guitarist got that heavily compressed lead guitar sound. I tend to set the attack knob on my JB2 at about three o'clock (which is almost as high as it goes). When you play the lead lines to "Eight MIles High" do you turn the attack on your Janglebox all the way up? Would a stiff pick be necessary to get that sound?

Robert

I'm using the JB-1 on the neck pick-up, and an old DOD FX80-B compressor on the bridge pick up, running ROS. On the JB I turn up both the gain and attack knobs to about 2:00. On the DOD, I have the Level knob at about 11:00, the Release knob at 2:00 and the Compression knob at 5:00.

I am considering abandoning the DOD-FX80-B, in favor of a JB-2. No matter what I do with the DOD, it doesn't seem to be more than a volume booster.

I have gone back and forth about picks. At first I thought those generic faux tortoise plastic picks (about 0.73mm thick) were pretty good. Lately I've gone back to the Dunlop tortex blue picks (1.0mm), or similar picks.

As far as picks go, it may not matter in the long run. Perhaps more important is pick technique. Think of playing through the string pairs with the pick, rather than just giving a glancing attack; as though you were able to push the pick through the strings, rather than just hitting the surface. Do this both on the down and up strokes.

Hope this helps.
JimK

[Folkie]

JimK,

As always, your words of advice were very helpful. It's been hard for me to modify my picking technique, especially after so many years. But it sounds like your advice to play "through the string pairs" might be the secret behind the sound of at least one classic Rickenbacker 12-string song: R.E.M.'s "Green Grow the Rushes" from "Fables of the Reconstruction." (I know we talked about that song in a previous thread.) You really have to work to get that shimmer, and for me it's much easier to play "through the strings" with a very light pick. I used to use medium gauge faux tortoise shell picks from Rudy's Music Stop in New York, but I now prefer Dunlop .50 mm picks, which are paper thin. I'll keep those Janglebox settings in mind. I would highly recommend purchasing a JB2. It captures the sound of the original but is much more versatile. Of course, if you're willing to wait, you could get yourself one of those Byrds tribute pedals!

Robert

[8mileshigher]

Robert ---- re your inquiry about the Byrds Collective version, I passed the inquiry on to Pat H. and he forwarded back the following response from guitarist Dave re compression used on Eight Miles High to pass on to you-all:

Quote
Thanks so much for your praise for my 8MH work! I feel in some respects unworthy of it, because my solo is only a pale echo of McGuinn's blistering work. As for the compressed sound, I wasn't then and am not now fully satisfied with how it came out, but I'll pass along my stats anyway. I first recorded the solo before I was gifted my Janglebox 2 (by Pat Hayes and "McMark" Miraglia for my birthday last year-- has anyone ever had two better friends?), so my intitial pass on it I used my Vox Tonelab II multi-effects modeler through my Fender Twin Reverb (miked with an SM 57) on a "clean" setting with the compressor turned up about 3/4 full. It game me a lot of that "squashed" sustain you hear on McGuinn's guitar, but the Tonelab is very midrangy and the compressor also had a "clicky" sound which still annoys me a bit. I got my Janglebox II about a week later and went back and tried to re-record the solo using that, run straight into the mixer of my Tascan 2488, but after trying repeatedly I still couldn't get quite the same spontaneous feel as on my original attempt, so I settled for doubling the beginning and end solos with the Janglebox and leaving the middle solo pretty much as is; so the sound you hear is in some cases a blend of the Janglebox and Tonelab compressors, and in some cases the tonelab by itself.

One of these days I'd still like to go back and take another crack at it using a less "clicky" compressor, but what I'd really like to do is record us playing it live, properly mixed.

I'm still fiddling with my guitar sounds a lot, trying to get a series of nice, authentic vintage sounds that I can switch to and from for different songs and guitars (I use 3 different guitars during an average performance -- a Gretsch Tenessean, a Fender B-bender telecaster and of course my beloved '82 Rickenbacker 360/12). Each has a distinct sound and the level output from the pickups of each guitar is drastically different, so I'm trying to keep the levels consistant and the sounds predictable without too much fussing with knobs or switches. It ain't easy. Lately I've taken to completely dialing down the compression on the Tonelab and running the output of the Vox through my Janglebox and on into the amp. The compression is a lot softer and less clicky, but the Janglebox is not exactly a quiet compressor-- it generates a lot of hiss, especially in the Super Jangle setting, so I've probably got to get some kind of noisegate to deal with that. Sheesh.

Anyway, thanks again for your generous praise and I hope this helps!

Unquote

[cedbenson]

I saw the Bryds Collective also doing Eight Miles High and I too was very impressed, especially with the harmonies. I run my custom 360/370 through a black JangleBox I got back in 2009. I've been messing around with the controls a bit lately and have found I get the best Bryds-like sound when I turn my attack all the way up then back it down to maybe 9 or 10. I then turn my guitar almost full volume. As for the JangleBox gain, I turn it up to about 6 but if the sound is too loud or there is buzz, I back the gain down a bit rather than the guitar. I always run in the "bright" position.. With my setup I try to keep the gain near the 4:00 position ... otherwise I get too much buzz. The main thing here is to keep your attack up as high as you can without the sound "clipping". If it clips, back it down a bit. In addition I run my guitar in either full treble or mixed mode (bridge and mid pickups). I get a better attack sound in the full treble position. If you get a good setting you don't need to run your guitar through more than one JangleBox. I am running my guitar into a 1965 Twin Reverb with the bright switch on.

By the way ...there is now a new form of teaching songs that is quite a trip and already too expensive. Try the link below and if you have to, type Eight Miles High in the search box if it isn't already there. i hope it works ....

http://tp.ultimate-guitar.com/b/byrds/e ... nline.html

[Folkie]

Welcome aboard, Edward, and thanks for all the suggestions! Will I have to join (and pay for) Ultimate Guitar to see the Tab Pro for "Eight Miles High"?

[cedbenson]

NoI you get one song for free but if you plan on using it a lot you'll have to pay ... just check the link I put up. I just used Eight Miles High as an example .... I was impressed. They say text tabs are free but I'm not sure if the text tabs are the same as the instructional lesson. It is much easier to learn from the instructional lesson and you can separate the rhythm, bass and lead guitar parts and learn at your own pace which is pretty cool. Furthermore It's good for songs that are difficult such as this Byrd’s' song and is much more accurate and easier to use. The instructional would be great for beginning to intermediate players or for songs that are especially difficult. I'm not sure of the prices but you can check it out at:


http://tp.ultimate-guitar.com/b/byrds/e ... nline.html

Of course this link is for Eight Miles High ... you can probably use any song you'd like but you only get one sample then you have to pay.

[cedbenson]

Excuse me but I wanted to make a correction to one of my above posts. I incorrectly stated:

I've been messing around with the controls a bit lately and have found I get the best Bryds-like sound when I turn my attack all the way up then back it down to maybe 9 or 10.

It should read I turn my attack up all the way up then back it down to about the 3 position. My apologies ....

Ed

[paologregorio]

I've said it before; I think the Byrds Collective's vocals sound better than the original.

[stsang]

Resurrecting this thread ----- viewtopic.php?f=72&t=396952

Our friends The Byrds Collective have posted a "new edit" version You Tube, of their classic four Ric rendition of Eight Miles High on their web-site

http://thebyrdscollective.com/home/
Check out their website and Enjoy !

There are some great camera close-ups on the guitar solo, and split-screen action, etc.

That performance was great! Thanks for posting. FOUR Rics simultaneously!

[cedbenson]

I just listed to the link Greg recently posted to the Byrds Collective website and this time I was amazed. To me, these guys sound better than the Byrds in some ways, and although they may not have written the songs they sure in the hell do a beyond excellent job of sounding like the record especially in their harmonies. One major difference is they sound better in concert than the Byrds did, but I don't want to get too much into that, after all I've heard the members of the Byrds often had problems with Crosby and his outspokenness on stage, but then again so did the Eagles with fruequent argments.

How long have these guys been together, what did they do before and what did each of the members of the group do in the past? Living in Los Angeles I demand to know this !!! Better yet ....maybe I’ll just keep reading ....

Ed

[beatbyrd]

I just listed to the link Greg recently posted to the Byrds Collective website and this time I was amazed. To me, these guys sound better than the Byrds in some ways, and although they may not have written the songs they sure in the hell do a beyond excellent job of sounding like the record especially in their harmonies. One major difference is they sound better in concert than the Byrds did, but I don't want to get too much into that, after all I've heard the members of the Byrds often had problems with Crosby and his outspokenness on stage, but then again so did the Eagles with fruequent argments.

How long have these guys been together, what did they do before and what did each of the members of the group do in the past? Living in Los Angeles I demand to know this !!! Better yet ....maybe I’ll just keep reading ....

Ed

Wellllll, if you show up at SCARF this year, maybe you can meet the band, ask them a zillion questions, or even sit in with them on a few songs. They're a bunch of great guys.