Bolt Thrower IVth Crusade guitar tone

[ProphetOfHatred]

Really bored so yeah, anyone have any idea how to get that sound?

 

[MrNotFlyWhiteGuy]

I know that both guitarists use the same really old rack setups. I like Hughes and kettner for imitating it. that being said, for the most part their absolutely massive and ridiculous sound comes from their writing style.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I'm also curious. Everyone know what they used on the albums released after 4th Crusade, but anything before that seems impossible to find out.

I agree with Fretless that it sounds like a distortion pedal, but not a HM-2.

 

[Albionic]

I love that album

I keep reading they used marshall 9010 power amp (i assume they mean the 9100 is there a 9010?) and a boss gx700 preamp/fx processor.

 

[Ancient]

I remember reading a blog from the drummer (who does their recordings) where he discussed their guitar tones at various stages. For the most part they used rack units either a boss one that I can't remember (for the older stuff) or the ADA MP-1 (for the newer stuff) into 9100 series power amps and then into Marshall 1960 cabs, recorded with 57's. Real basic setup, the big key is the bass tone. I'm not sure what set up they've used but that to me is what gives them that thick growling tone.

If you want a simple single head setup that NAILS the early bolt thrower tone look into a Peavey VTM 120. First time I heard / played through one I was like holy carp this is the Bolt Thrower tone.

 

[Tysonimmortal]

Yeah, and old-school BC Rich guitars with the BOSS and Marshall racks. Their gear list is on their official website. I don't think its changed since the early 90's.

 

[Ancient]

From their website:

THOMSON, Barry
Rank: Guitarist
Equipment: BC Rich Warlock, Jackson Kelly, Boss GX700, Marshall 9040 200w power amp, 4 x Marshall 4x12

WARD, Gavin
Rank: Guitarist
Equipment: BC Rich Virgin/Beast, Boss GX700, Marshall 9040 200w power amp, 4 x Marshall 4x12

BENCH, Jo
Rank: Bassist
Equipment: BC Rich Ironbird, Peavey T-Max, Ibanez Tube Screamer, 2 x Laney 2x15

 

[Albionic]

I read in an interview the bass player used an old marshall jcm 800 guitar head how true that is I don't know

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

From their website:

THOMSON, Barry
Rank: Guitarist
Equipment: BC Rich Warlock, Jackson Kelly, Boss GX700, Marshall 9040 200w power amp, 4 x Marshall 4x12

WARD, Gavin
Rank: Guitarist
Equipment: BC Rich Virgin/Beast, Boss GX700, Marshall 9040 200w power amp, 4 x Marshall 4x12

BENCH, Jo
Rank: Bassist
Equipment: BC Rich Ironbird, Peavey T-Max, Ibanez Tube Screamer, 2 x Laney 2x15

The GX700 was released 3 - 4 years after 4th Crusade, so that isn't it.

 

[Ancient]

The GX700 was released 3 - 4 years after 4th Crusade, so that isn't it.

Valid point, I've had very little luck finding live pics from that era to decipher what they might have been using. I found one pic but all I can see is a marshall logo on rack gear. It's very possible they were using some kind of Marshall rack pre like an ADA MP-1 or maybe even some kind of Peavey rack mount preamp as Jo seems to have used peavey for bass gear for a long long time.

 

[Wookieslayer]

Wouldn't be surprised if they used some ADA MP-1 stuff. When I used to have my ADA Microcab, running my TightMetal into that, it would definitely get me in the ballpark of the 4th Crusade tones.

Though I wouldn't be surprised either if they just used some Marshalls in the studio with a Metal Zone or something like that

 

[Albionic]

heres a link to an interview where jo states he used the jcm 800 on the bass. whether that was on the 4th crusade or not it doesn't say.

Bolt Thrower : Interviews

I'm quite keen to try a gx700 now though

 

[Loomer]

Is it possibly it could be the Boss GL-100? This is just an unsubstantiated, wild guess, mind you.

 

[Ancient]

heres a link to an interview where jo states he used the jcm 800 on the bass. whether that was on the 4th crusade or not it doesn't say.

Bolt Thrower : Interviews

I'm quite keen to try a gx700 now though

I'll have to read that later today, but jcm 800 on bass definitely can sound sick on bass.

Is it possibly it could be the Boss GL-100? This is just an unsubstantiated, wild guess, mind you.

Anything is possible since there's very little documentation available.

 

[ProphetOfHatred]

Yeah anythings possible. I love the tone on the album so much, it is quite similar to a HM-2 but somehow they manage to have way more definition/tightness than any of the notorious HM-2 driven bands.

 

[Ancient]

Well in this video:



They seem to be using JCM 900 or split channel 800 heads, not rack gear. But this is live videos put to a recorded track and in the solo you can hear double tracking. But it also kinda sounds like a good ole boss harmonist pedal which was incorporated into some of their rack gear. So yet again its kinda stumping.

I just went through all the 91-93 era live vids I could find and the stage left guitarist is definitely using Marshall heads, single line of knobs (too many to be a typical 800, looks like a split channel 800 or a 900). The stage right guitarist in some videos uses Marshalls but in other has some weird funky looking side by side rack thing on top of a Marshall stack, and somebody in there has some effects going on so either one of them had pedals or a rack unit.

I still say if you want an easy way to nail the "bolt thrower" tone to me (I may be putting it more akin to their later Mercenary / No Guts No Glory tone) a peavey VTM120 is the way to go. Listen here from 2:06 on, this for sure is a VTM120.

 

[Selvmord]

cant make out much from this pic

 

[Selvmord]

i can also swear to god i read or saw an interview where they said they used Tube Works pedals back in the day.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

cant make out much from this pic

That's the GX700 rig. Basically the same rig they've used since the mid '90s, but still a few years after 4th Crusade.