Help me with my tone search

[blanket]

I'm looking for recommendations on how I can get the med/high gain guitar tone from PJ Harvey's Rid of Me album, particularly starting at 2:15 in this song:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClcnhN2pHBc[/youtube]

With YT compression, it may come across as plain-jane distortion, but to my ear it's more open, uncompressed and growly than what I think of as a typical distortion, with some spitty/splatty characteristics I usually attribute more to certain fuzz pedals. Here are some other examples of it from the same album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXJG_mPHsKM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjbTOzXusEE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_WGZ4Fcw90

So my question is, is there a pedal I can get that will approximate this tone? I know humbuckers are part of the equation -- what do I need to consider in terms of amp type and settings?

In terms of a pedal, It would have to have a reasonable amount of tightness in the low end for the palm muting, so I'm not sure a fuzz pedal will do. Maybe a hybrid like the Dr Scientist The Elements or SS/BS Fuck Overdrive? I'm not sure if this recording pre-dated Albini's use of the Harmonic Percolator, but a HP clone would be a possibility, too.

I welcome any suggestions.

Thanks!

[sylnau]

Some type of Muff (I think she have a Big Muff Deluxe).
Those could get close:
-Dr. Scientist, The Elements
-Earthquaker Devices, Hoof
-Blackout Effectors, Musket
-Dwarfcraft Devices, Eau Claire Thunder / Baby Thundaa

You might be interested to visit this link:
http://pedalmaniacs.wordpress.com/category/pj-harvey/

[blanket]

Some type of Muff (I think she have a Big Muff Deluxe).
Those could get close:
-Dr. Scientist, The Elements
-Earthquaker Devices, Hoof
-Blackout Effectors, Musket
-Dwarfcraft Devices, Eau Claire Thunder / Baby Thundaa

You might be interested to visit this link:
http://pedalmaniacs.wordpress.com/category/pj-harvey/

Thanks for the reply.

Would the BM Dlx be tight enough for the palm muting she does? Maybe a green Russian BM, which I gather is voiced more like an open distortion in some ways. Although, the chords played on the album seem to decay more like a distortion than a fuzz.

As for the pedals you recommended, The Elements is definitely one I'm considering. Do you have personal experience with one?

I already have a Hoof (love the clarity and growl, but still too fizzy on the decay and not quite tight enough on the palm muting), and a Musket (too smooth and compressed, no growl or sputter).

[bronzetalon]

Maybe a Blunderbuss would be enough sputter while still being muffy.

[modernage]

Might be a fizzy amp? Distortion+ ? nyc big muff, electric apple? I'm tone deaf tho.

Yeah, I'm kinda hearing that one. Maybe dubkitty or some of our resident D+ gurus can do a tone confirmation. It's been months since I've a D+ in the lineup. I bet a Doomidrive could pull it off.

[sylnau]

Thanks for the reply.

Would the BM Dlx be tight enough for the palm muting she does? Maybe a green Russian BM, which I gather is voiced more like an open distortion in some ways. Although, the chords played on the album seem to decay more like a distortion than a fuzz.

As for the pedals you recommended, The Elements is definitely one I'm considering. Do you have personal experience with one?

I already have a Hoof (love the clarity and growl, but still too fizzy on the decay and not quite tight enough on the palm muting), and a Musket (too smooth and compressed, no growl or sputter).

I have The Elements... I sold all my high gain muff style or distortion pedal since I got it.
Very versatile pedal. You can get close to this sound if you want.
Check my youtube video... link in my signature.

[Birthday Boy]

I'm like 95% sure that's a Dist+. Sounds really similar as people have said and I remember reading she used one back then.

Edit: Awesome record by the way

[blanket]

I'm like 95% sure that's a Dist+. Sounds really similar as people have said and I remember reading she used one back then.

Edit: Awesome record by the way

Thanks for the confirmation.

Would a current production Distortion+ do it, or is that tone particular to a vintage or modded version?

How much of that growly, sputter tone would you attribute to the pedal as opposed to the particular guitar/amp/pu config used?

[Birthday Boy]

A good chunk of it at least I think, I haven't used a Dist+ in a while though. The amp seems to be running a bit hot a lot of the time on that record so that might be a factor, but I don't think there's any major other stuff going on.

I'm not sure about old vs new versions.

[modernage]

In before Dev suggests buying this!

Should be your best bet. Made by the guy that designed the original... or some junk like that. I will say that I did have a newer production MXR, with the LM741, and it did sound pretty sweet. Made me a believer.

[devnulljp]

The Gold Box is a good idea
Doesn't she use mostly Boss pedals though? A DS-1 or something like the old, cheap Ibanez DS10?
Although that sounds a bit like a Rat to me...

Get a Rat anyway, they're awesome.
And the Gold Box. It's awesome too

[Birthday Boy]

I think the DS-1 was later. Don't quote me on it though.

I used the DS-1 someone left at my house years ago today. Even if it's not amazing or anything it really doesn't suck as bad as people say.

[sylnau]

You'll have those sound with The Elements (Dr. Scientist)... Rat, Muff, Distortion, OD, Boost and many more.
It's the most versatile drive pedal that I know of...

[Gearmond]

toanz?

to the damblmobile!