Hi, for years Ive been try ing to create a guitar patch for the lead guitar part of " Whos that Lady" by the Isley brothers, Ive got a Line 6 HX Stomp XL, Ampero stomp MkII and a Line 6 POD express. In the past Ive tried all sorts of different software but just cant get that silky smooth sound thats on the record. Any ideas? I believe he used a Marshall amp and a univibe, poss a Big Muff, its been driving me crazy fo years.

 

Spoiler: ChatGPT ANSWER

The Original Tone Ingredients:
Ernie Isley's tone on that track (from the 1973 3+3 album) is widely believed to involve:

• Fuzz (likely an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi) – Gives that thick, sustaining, violin-like tone.
  
  
• Univibe or similar modulation – Adds a swirling, phasing character to the sound.
  
  
• Marshall or high-headroom amp – Gives the drive room to bloom, but doesn't overcompress.
  
  
• Guitar: Gibson Strat-style – Ernie often used a Strat or custom-built Strat-type guitars with single coils.

What You Can Do with Your Gear:
1. Start with the Big Muff/Fuzz Sound:
Use a Big Muff-style fuzz. In your HX Stomp XL, look for:

• Triangle Fuzz, Arbiter Fuzz, or anything close to a Big Muff clone.
  
  
• Set Sustain high, Tone around 12 o’clock or a bit lower (to tame highs), and Output to match your clean level.

In the Ampero Stomp MKII, try the “Muff Fuzz” or “Vintage Fuzz” and tweak similarly.

2. Univibe/Modulation:
You’ll need a Univibe or Rotary effect placed AFTER the fuzz for the best results (this is key!).

• On HX Stomp: Use UbiVibe, Optical Trem, or Rotary 145.
  • Rate: slow to medium (not too fast!)
    
    
  • Depth: fairly high for that warble
    
    
  • Mix: ~50–70% wet

If your fuzz sounds too harsh, tone down the high end on your amp model or use a slight EQ cut around 3–5kHz.

3. Amp Model:
In the HX Stomp, try:

• Brit Plexi Brt (Marshall Plexi Bright) – the go-to for that classic drive.
  
  
• Settings:
  • Drive: ~3.5–5 (don’t overdo it – fuzz is doing most of the work)
    
    
  • Bass: 3–4
    
    
  • Mid: 6–7
    
    
  • Treble: 4–5
    
    
  • Presence: keep mellow

You can also experiment with the Jazz Rivet (Roland JC-120 style) if you want more headroom and let the fuzz speak clearly, but a Marshall-type amp is closer to Ernie’s original tone.

4. Extra Sweetening (Optional):

• Compressor (in front of fuzz) – light compression can help smooth picking dynamics.
  
  
• Plate Reverb or Room Reverb – subtle ambience adds studio-like space.
  
  
• EQ block – after amp/cab, lightly scoop 2–3 dB around 1.5–2.5kHz if it gets nasal, and maybe boost ~300Hz for body.

Comp (Optional) → Muff Fuzz → Univibe/Rotary → Plexi Amp → 4x12 Greenback Cab → EQ → Reverb

 

Last edited: Apr 30, 2025 at 12:08 PM

AI has let you down here.

 

The secrets behind Ernie Isley’s guitar tone on The Isley Brothers’ That Lady
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/ernie-isley-that-lady-guitar-tone
Hope this helps, there's original gear list in the article.
Basically Fender Twin Reverb, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff fuzz, a Maestro phase shifter and a Strat

 

Last edited: Apr 30, 2025 at 12:09 PM

Yes, @FrankPig, thanks for your keen eye. I'll give it another try; maybe @jefft can help with that.

Spoiler: AI ANSWER

Ernie Isley's iconic lead guitar sound on "Who's That Lady" is a blend of fuzz, phasing, and a clean-yet-singing Stratocaster tone. Many have tried to nail this sound, and while it’s elusive, the original recipe is now well documented.

• 
  
  
  • : 1971 Fender Stratocaster, neck pickup for the lead1.
  • : Early '70s Fender Twin Reverb, Vibrato Channel, Bright on, with moderate settings (Volume: 5, Treble: 7, Middle: 6, Bass: 3)1.
  • :
    • Cry Baby Wah (used for accents, not always engaged)
    • Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, "Ram’s Head" version (Volume: 7, Tone: 8, Sustain: 6)
    • Maestro PS-1A Phase Shifter (set to slow phase)
    • Possible use of a Roger Mayer Octavia (some sources mention it, but the core sound is Muff + Phaser)158.
  • : Likely light gauge (.009–.042 or .010–.038)1.

• The Big Muff provides a thick, singing sustain with smooth clipping.
• The Maestro phase shifter adds a swirling, liquid modulation that’s slower and subtler than a Uni-Vibe.
• The Fender Twin Reverb keeps the tone clean and bright, letting the effects shine without muddying the signal15.

You have a Line 6 HX Stomp XL, Ampero Stomp MkII, and a Line 6 POD Express. Here’s how to approach it, especially with the HX Stomp XL (the most flexible for this):

1.

• 
  
  
  • Use a Fender Twin Reverb or similar clean amp model.
  • Set gain low to medium, keep EQ bright (treble up, bass down), and avoid amp drive.

2.

• 
  
  
  • Use a Big Muff Pi or "Ram’s Head" fuzz model. In HX Stomp, look for "Triangle Fuzz" or "Big Muff" models.
  • Settings: Volume around 7, Tone around 8, Sustain around 6 (adjust to taste for clarity and sustain).

3.

• 
  
  
  • Use a Maestro PS-1A phaser model if available. If not, select a 4-stage phaser with a slow rate.
  • Avoid Uni-Vibe or MXR Phase 90 models-they are too deep or fast. The Maestro is subtler and more liquid15.

4.

• 
  
  
  • Place a Cry Baby wah before fuzz for accent notes, but don’t leave it on for the whole solo.

5.

• 
  
  
  • Wah → Fuzz → Phaser → Amp

6.

• 
  
  
  • Use the neck pickup, tone rolled back slightly (to about 8).
  • Play with a light touch and let notes sustain.
  • Add a touch of reverb for space, but keep it subtle.

text
[Input] → [Wah (optional)] → [Big Muff Fuzz] → [Phaser (slow rate)] → [Fender Twin Reverb Amp/Cab] → [Reverb (light)]

• 
  
  
  • : Use the closest Muff and phaser models, clean Fender amp, and slow phaser rate.
  • : Use the "Phaser" setting in the modulation section (13–15 o’clock on the Mod knob)6. For fuzz, select the most Muff-like distortion. Use the Twin Reverb amp model.

• Avoid overdriving the amp-keep the distortion from the fuzz pedal, not the amp.
• Don’t use a Uni-Vibe or fast phaser; the modulation should be slow and smooth, not warbly or deep15.

• 
  
  
  • Fine-tune phaser speed and depth for a subtle swirl.
  • Adjust fuzz sustain for clarity-too much will get mushy; too little will lose the singing quality.
  • If your fuzz is too harsh, roll back your guitar’s tone knob a touch.

“On ‘That Lady’ there was a Big Muff, a Maestro Phase Shifter, and a Fender Twin. That was pretty much it.”

• 
  
  
  • Ernie Isley, Vintage Guitar Magazine, 20185

With the right fuzz, a slow phaser, and a bright clean amp, you should get very close to that legendary silky, swirling lead tone. The HX Stomp XL will give you the best shot due to its flexible routing and effect models. Good luck-and enjoy chasing that classic sound!

 

Last edited: Apr 30, 2025 at 12:08 PM

its a GIBSON strat, man, don't forget what our master, AI, said

 

I have a similar task, I did a search, but in a different direction and this is what I found:
"Voxengo's equalizer that lets you capture the frequency response of an expensive guitar, save it as a profile, and then automatically apply that profile to a cheaper guitar is called Voxengo CurveEQ .

CurveEQ has spectrum matching technology that lets you analyze and "copy" the frequency balance of one recording (like a high-end guitar) and apply it to another (like a budget guitar). It does this by capturing the spectrum of both sources, matching the spectrum of the cheaper guitar to the reference (the expensive guitar), and then applying the resulting 3 5 6 7 EQ curve.

How it works:

• Record a sample from the expensive guitar and a sample from the cheap guitar.

• Use CurveEQ's "Static & Match" feature to capture the spectrum of both recordings.

• The plugin then calculates the difference and generates an EQ curve that, when applied to the cheap guitar, makes its frequency response sound very similar to that of the expensive guitar.

• You can save and load these profiles for future use 5 7"
/Perplexity.ai/

PS.But I think, before applying an EQ curve, we should saturate our cheap guitar sample as much as possible

 

@FrankPig

A Gibson style Strat has a broken off headstock which is the defining feature of this particular mutant.

 

Albert always forgets to mention Chibsons and Chenders

 

They surely meant this Gibson Strat, right

 

I dug up some more and will try it myself:

https://magenta.withgoogle.com/ddsp-vst