Richie Sambora Style Tones with the Blackstar Silverline
Richie Sambora was the guitar player for hair metal radio rock machine Bon Jovi. Best known for their sing along anthems like Livin’ on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name and Wanted Dead or Alive, Sambora provided the guitar aerobics on all the bands material from the first album until recently when he departed the group.
In this lesson we’re going to take a look at some Sambora inspired tone using the Blackstar Silverline series. Each of the tones is inspired by a specific period in his career.
Early 80s Bon Jovi
In the bands early stages, they had more of a straight up hard rock sound. This mid pushed, British style rock tone uses the OD1 voice with an EL34 response to create a thick, mid pushed rock tone.
This tone is also accompanied by a spring reverb for space and a subtle chorus for some 80s style guitar thickening.
Download This Patch: http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/site/view.php?id=6391&name=SAMBORA%20ROULETTE
Slippery When Wet Tone
This tone is based on the Slippery When Wet era tone. This is also a big, mid pushed rock tone, but with a little less mids than the previous tone. This tone has more top end bite and while it still uses the OD1/EL34 combo, the ISF has been backed off a little to shift the EQ slightly.
The guitar tones Richie was using at this point were very processed to along with the spring reverb and chorus, add a linear delay for some additional thickening sounds. This adds a short repeat just after what you play to really widen the tone.
Download This Patch: http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/site/view.php?id=6392&name=SAMBORA%20SLIPPERY
New Jersey Tone
By the time the band entered the New Jersey era, Sambora was using a fatter, more focused rock sound. This still uses the pairing of OD1 and EL34 but with more bass and mids and less treble.
Effects wise, you want to keep the same effects in place as the previous tone, but change the Spring reverb to a hall reverb to give that big room sound.
Download This Patch: http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/site/view.php?id=6393&name=SAMBORA%20MEDICINE
These Days Clean Tone
This clean tone is based loosely off the picked clean tone you hear in the track These Days. This is a great starting point to dial in any Sambora style clean. This tone sounds most authentic on the neck pickup of a Strat style guitar, but it will work just as well in any other position.
This pairs the Clean Bright voice with a 6L6 response for a super clean, sparkling American tone.
Sambora often had a little movement to his clean tones so a subtle phaser will help create that movement in the notes. It isn’t a forward sounding phaser, it just sits under what you play and creates some motion. This is also paired with a linear delay providing a quiet, tight repeat and a hall reverb.
Download This Patch: http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/site/view.php?id=6394&name=SAMBORA%20CLEAN
Sambora Solo Album Clean
When Sambora started his solo career he explored a very blues based sound. This clean tone is inspired by the track Stranger in this Town.
It is a Clean Bright tone paired with the EL34 response. The ISF is set at 50% for the perfect US/UK tonal blend. This tone works best on a Strat style guitar in position 4, single coils in the neck and middle position.
Keep the hall reverb here but turn off the delay. Make the reverb big with a lot of decay and crank that chorus up too! You want to hear those notes shimmer.
Download This Patch: http://www.blackstarinsider.co.uk/site/view.php?id=6395&name=SAMBORA%20STRANGER