sex pistols sound on amplitube 4

[leiiton]

hi guys,
which amplitube preset do you think is the closest to the sound of the sex pistols?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqrAPOZxgzU
I think the "amplitube free > styles > rock > crunch rhy 2" sounds very close, any other advise?

[carlaz]

Well, famously, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols had a pretty simple rig: a Les Paul Custom into a a Fender Twin Reverb turned basically all the way up. If that doesn't produce something like the Sex Pistol's guitar tones, probably nothing will!

[somebodyelseuk]

Thing people always misunderstand when trying to emulate a recorded sound is all the other variables in the process.
Steve Jones recorded four or more guitar tracks per song - double tracked and chord inversions, as well as recording the bass guitar parts, which were basically the root notes to the chords he was playing. He was surprisingly good at it - bear in mind he was about 20 with maybe two or three years playing behind him.
That intro alone, you can hear, the bass guitar and the chords played in three different positions on the neck.
Added to which, Steve used a Les Paul Junior and a '56 Les Paul Custom with P90s during recording, as well.
Top and bottom of it is, you won't get the sound he got on the recordings using one guitar...

Then there's what mics were used, what mixing desk, post production eq and compression and all the other sonic influence the gear used had - tape machines etc, etc.

[carlaz]

All good points for recorded guitar sounds. For what it's worth, there's some info on this here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-sex-pistols-anarchy-uk

That article is specifically focused on "Anarchy in the UK", though I believe the standard release of "God Save the Queen" was recorded and mixed in the same place. As some quick notes, the studio (Wessex Studios) had a Cadac desk (I don't know if anyone's made plugin emulations of those) and the interviewees talk about putting KM84 and SM57 mic about 6" from Jones's amp's speakers (I believe Amplitube has emulations of both mics). The tape machine was a 3M M79 (but I've no idea whether anyone specifically emulates that in a plug-in).

Still, an LP-type guitar with P90s into a cranked model of a Fender Twin (model) with a Dynamic 57 and perhaps a Condenser 84, both backed off just a little, a should be a good start. The console and tape would (probably!) both add some saturation and compression; you could try using the Tube Compressor rack unit so that it was just very, very lightly working.