0
Shopping cart
0
Cart is Empty

Dark Tones: Recreating the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ Sound

bridge_of_sighs_effects_pedal_setup — My 'Bridge of Sighs' soundclip settings

Here’s my take on the 1974 studio version of the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ sound using a Tube-Vibe and Tube Drive. To get close to Robin Trower’s smooth, thick tone the Tube Drive is fitted with a 12AV7 in the top right-hand position (the first gain stage) to create a mellow break-up characteristic. I’m using a stock Strat (fitted with 10 gauge strings) -> Tube-Vibe -> Tube Drive -> Deluxe Reverb amp. The amp is close-miked, off-axis (to further mellow the tone) and the middle pickup is selected on the Strat with the volume knob rolled off a little to about 8 o’clock.

Passion over Technique and Gear

Trower achieves a very thick and forboding Strat tone on the Bridge of Sighs album. At this time he’s using relatively light 10 gauge strings in standard tuning (or thereabouts! – later he began using heavier gauges and tuning down a semitone or tone so that he could still do the bends), backs off the guitar volume a little and rolls the treble almost right off at the amp. He’d replaced his 10 x 12″ speaker cabs with Marshall 4 x 12″s for more ‘oomph’ and was using a custom built booster/overdrive, wah-wah and Uni-Vibe. The Uni-Vibe may be first in the signal chain which would further load the guitar pickup to reduce high frequency content, creating a darker tone. But the gear is only details within a grander and more beautiful picture, as his tone comes primarily from his playing technique, attitude and from the message he’s communicating with passion.

Quest for Self-Expression is not Science

His playing is a story steeped heavily in blues influences and draws inpsiration from his hereos, Albert King, B.B. King and Otis Rush who all possessed a masterful vibrato technique. Only later did he begin incorporating the more progressive vocabulary of Hendrix into his playing technique – his roots were firmly in blues. By Bridge of Sighs, Trower had woven these inluences into a relaxed and soulful style based on deep, sustaining bends and fluid legato lines. His gear was a moving target, constantly being modified and tweaked to suit the nuances and feel in his evolving playing style. Many of the sounds heard on studio albums were the result of meticulous construction. Both Hendrix and Trower went through many interations of custom designed electronics to achieve their unique signature sounds as heard on studio albums to find the ‘right’ tonal balance that worked for them at the time. These guys had a voracious appetite for gear, continuously experimenting in their quest for a better vehicle for self-expression. For this reason, I’m convinced you can’t reduce someones tone to terms of the gear they use – there are too many other variables. Great tone is not an exact science, making it difficult, if not impossible to quantify a great players tone, design a circuit, put it a box and sell it. It doesn’t work like that. Put simply, let your ears and fingers tell you what gear works best for you.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_GRECAPTCHA	5 months 27 days	This cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
JSESSIONID		Cookie used to allow the Worldpay payment gateway on the website to function.
machine		Cookie used to allow the Worldpay payment gateway on the website to function.
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
wordpress_logged_in_		Users are those people who have registered an account with the WordPress site. On login, WordPress uses the wordpress_[hash] cookie to store your authentication details. Its use is limited to the Administration Screen area, /wp-admin/ After login, WordPress sets the wordpress_logged_in_[hash] cookie, which indicates when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use. WordPress also sets a few wp-settings-{time}-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface.
wordpress_sec_	1 year	Provide protection against hackers, store account details.
wordpress_test_cookie		Test to see if cookies are enabled.
wp-settings-	1 year	WordPress also sets a few wp-settings-{time}-[UID] cookies. The number on the end is your individual user ID from the users database table. This is used to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_ga	2 years	The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gid	1 day	Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.

Cookie	Duration	Description
mailchimp_landing_site	1 month	This cookie is used to keep track of newsletter sign ups and client emails at checkout, Mailchimp utilises cookies to store information captured from user input for remarketing purposes.
mailchimp_user_email	1 month	This cookie is used to keep track of newsletter sign ups and client emails at checkout, Mailchimp utilises cookies to store information captured from user input for remarketing purposes.
mailchimp_user_previous_email	1 month	This cookie is used to keep track of newsletter sign ups and client emails at checkout, Mailchimp utilises cookies to store information captured from user input for remarketing purposes.
mailchimp.cart.current_email		This cookie is used to keep track of newsletter sign ups and client emails at checkout, Mailchimp utilises cookies to store information captured from user input for remarketing purposes.
mailchimp.cart.previous_email		This cookie is used to keep track of newsletter sign ups and client emails at checkout, Mailchimp utilises cookies to store information captured from user input for remarketing purposes.

Shopping cart

Dark Tones: Recreating the ‘Bridge of Sighs’ Sound