Hey, It's that dude again, Doyle Bramhall II

Doyle Bramhall II
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Doyle Bramhall II




( Yeah, I was surfing youtube and this left hand guitar player kept popping up)-X
Background information
Born December 24, 1968 (1968-12-24) (age 39)
Genre(s) Blues
Blues-rock
Years active 1984 - Present
Associated acts Smokestack
Jimmie Vaughan
Arc Angels
Eric Clapton
Roger Waters
Website www.doylebramhall2nd.com
Doyle Bramhall II (born 24 December 1968) is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and is also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band.


[edit] Biography
Doyle Bramhall II is a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist. He was born in Dallas, Texas and is the son of singer, songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall, who had grown up as a close friend of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan. At age 16, Doyle Bramhall II toured with Jimmie Vaughan's band, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, as second guitarist. Some of Doyle's influences include, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Donny Hathaway, Freddie King, Albert King, Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sly & the Family Stone, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Curtis Mayfield.

In 1992 Doyle formed Arc Angels with Charlie Sexton and Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton (also known as Double Trouble). Doyle and Sexton were only able to work together for one album but it was well received, with several songs receiving heavy rock radio airplay. They went their own ways after the album but have gotten back together and have been playing shows as Arc Angels again in 2006 and 2007.

Doyle released his self-titled debut album on the Geffen label in 1996 with backing support from Wendy and Lisa (Bramhall is married to Wendy's sister, vocalist Susannah Melvoin). In later interviews, he stated his intent with that album to establish himself as more than just a guitar player.

He was later signed to RCA, and released his second album Jellycream in 1999. He appeared on Austin City Limits in an episode shared with Robert Cray that fall. The Jellycream album found its way into the hands of Eric Clapton, who took an interest in his music and attempted to learn "Marry You" and "I Wanna Be" for their inclusion in a collaborative album he was working on with B.B. King, released in 2000 as Riding With The King.[citation needed] Doyle also formed a new band, "Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack," and recorded a new album produced by Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fame. Released in 2001, Welcome marked a renewed focus on guitar.

Doyle's recording relationship with Clapton continued to flourish, and he co-wrote "Superman Inside" for and played guitar on Eric's 2001 solo album, Reptile. He and Smokestack opened for Clapton on his 2001 world tour, and Doyle occasionally joined Eric on stage. By 2004, he was Clapton's second guitarist after Andy Fairweather-Low backed out of the tour. The 2004 tour was Clapton's effort at channeling his hero Robert Johnson and Doyle later admitted that he had never listened to Robert Johnson until getting the gig as Clapton's second guitarist. Doyle also appears with Eric in the 2004 CD/DVD release Sessions for Robert J.

Doyle also played guitar on the 1999-2002 In the Flesh tour (captured on the In the Flesh Live album) by former Pink Floyd leader/bassist Roger Waters.

Previous to that, Doyle also played a much lower key role backing his wife Susannah Melvoin's (who also toured with Waters during the In the Flesh tour as a backing singer) twin sister Wendy Melvoin for her band Girl Bros., and more recently with Wendy and Lisa in the groups Pacifico and Funk Sway. Pacifico consisted of Wendy and Lisa, along with Doyle, Mike Elizondo and Abe Laboriel Jr., and several recordings from a small club tour have surfaced. Funk Sway - Erykah Badu, Wendy and Lisa ?uestlove of The Roots, and Doyle, are featured in the music documentary Before the Music Dies.

As a session guitarist, he has worked with Me'shell Ndegéocello, Sheryl Crow and Susan Tedeschi. He also toured with Eric Clapton as part of his 2006/2007 world tour along with slide guitarist Derek Trucks and he performed at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival at Chicago's Toyota Park.

Of his songwriting, Doyle has said that although the blues is one of his favorite genres, he finds that most of his attempts at bluesy songwriting end up sounding "corny," and his songs always tend to have more of a rock feel.

Doyle usually plays the Fender Stratocaster but will occasionally play some Gibson guitars, either playing on left-handed models or right-handed models upside-down. Doyle plays guitar left-handed but his guitars are strung as if to be played by a right-handed player. In other words, the low E string is at the bottom of his guitar, and the high string at the top. This fact and his unique playing style can be seen clearly in the In the Flesh: Live DVD footage.


[edit] External links

Yngvie Malmsteen (pronounced: coked up German)

http://www.fender.com/yngvie I swear to God this was the link Fender gave Me!
Yngvie, Ya gotta give it up for for Yngvie! His playing uses a lot of arpeggios (a lot of notes quickly, usually going up and down a scale ) its complicated. He was originally known for adapting classical pieces into heavy metal. Obviously huge in Europe I thinks he's German or Bavarian. His first few English Magazine interviews noted Yngwie swore alot and was abrasive, (Maybe it was all that cocaine?) -X .

Oh, Yeah Fender is making an Exact replica of Yngvie's original strat.

No Cream, Sugar?

I saw Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce playing Toads Place in New Haven about 20 years ago, Ginger Baker looked like death then. - X

Ginger Baker Says No More Cream Reunions
Russell Hall 11.20.2008
Cream fans hoping for another reunion by the band had best move on. In an interview with Rhythm magazine, drummer Ginger Baker said the legendary trio will never reform. Baker's comments were published by the webzine, musicradar.com.
“The Albert Hall was great but not the shows we did at Madison Square Garden in New York later that year,” Baker said, when asked if the 2005 reunion shows had met his expectations. "That [the latter shows] was a fucking disaster."
Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows, who was speaking to Baker on behalf of Rhythm, pressed the Cream veteran to elaborate.
"I'd refused to do it first of all,” Baker told Burrows. “It was Eric [Clapton] who phoned me up and convinced me. The reason I didn't want to do it was because of what happened in New York in 1968 when the magic was destroyed. The reason why we broke up in the first place re-emerged on stage at Madison Square.”
Baker continued: “You'll notice I'm talking about Eric in a nice way, but there was another person in the group. It wasn't just a problem with the volume of the bass guitar, it was the problem of being humiliated in front of 20,000 people.

The Gibson Dark Star

I don't know what the future of guitar will be, I'm not sure if I like this, but Gibson has to be acknowledged and praised for inovation. -X

Never before has one guitar been able to produce every imaginable guitar sound.
Chameleon Tone Technology.
Analog or digital, the Gibson Dark Fire gives you an infinite number of tonal possibilities to let you change the tone of the Dark Fire to match your environment. And it begins with a guitar's most basic element — the pickups. The Gibson Dark Fire combines two of Gibson's most popular pickups — the P90h in the neck position and a Burstbucker 3 in the bridge position. Both are capped with new carbon fiber-like pickup covers, impeccably designed to match the Dark Fire's advanced fade.
Acoustic Capability.
The Dark Fire also gives you the ability to adjust and blend the acoustic sound from the piezo bridge pickup with the sound from the guitar's traditional pickups. It does this by utilizing a revolutionary rotary potentiometer which is part of the pickup selector toggle switch. By twisting the switch's head clockwise or counterclockwise, you can blend the piezo acoustic sound from zero percent acoustic sound (100 percent traditional pickups) to 100 percent acoustic sound (no traditional pickups).
Burstbucker 3.
The Burstbucker 3 arrived on the scene in 1990, and — like the Burstbucker 1 and 2 — represents Gibson's drive to capture and recreate the characteristics of the vintage Patent Applied For humbuckers of the late 1950s. On the shop floor of the original Gibson plant in Kalamazoo, Mich., the earliest Gibson PAF humbuckers were wound using imprecise machines, resulting in pickups with varying degrees of output and tone. The Burstbucker line represents those variations, but with some modern appointments. The Burstbucker 3 provides historically accurate PAF tone with two slightly overwound coils, creating a raw, airy tone packed with enough punch to cut through any mix.
Gibson’s New P-90H Pickup
The new P-90H black soapbar pickup is another example of Gibson's drive to stay one step ahead. This new pickup offers all of the soulful, classic tone of Gibson’s legendary P-90 singlecoil pickup, but with none of the 60-cycle hum that usually plagues traditional singlecoil pickups. Gibson’s pioneering engineers were then able to secure all of the P-90’s vintage sonic characteristics, and deliver the same high output and sweet treble response that still makes the P-90 one of the most desirable pickups in the world.
Piezo Bridge Pickup.
The Dark Fire also features a revolutionary Gibson-designed piezo bridge pickup that actually consists of six individual piezo pickups — one for each saddle/string. These piezo pickups go through a studio-quality active amplifier that allows for a stronger and more natural acoustic guitar sound. Combined, the two classic electromagnetic pickups and the piezo bridge pickup are wired in such a way to allow each individual coil to be used in a switching matrix, giving you over 20 separate combinations of tone and an incredible array of tonal possibilities. Tone Potentiometer and CPA.
The Dark Fire's tone potentiometer and CPA have also been redesigned so that turning the tone knob allows a very intuitive and significant change in tone, thus giving you even more ability to dial in your desired tone. This pioneering Gibson circuitry is studio quality with very little noise and/or signal loss, which delivers as much of the guitar's authentic tone as possible.

PerfectSetup™ by PLEK.
Also part of the Dark Fire package is a superfast and comfortable compound radius neck that is rendered to optimum playability with a PerfectSetup™ by the revolutionary, computer-controlled PLEK system, which has been acknowledged as the most precise guitar set-up technology in the world today.
And, It Gets Better...
Additionally, the Dark Fire features improved locking tuners, a Teflon-based frictionless nut, a bridge that locks to the studs and a chambering system that gives each one near-perfect tone, balance and weight. It also makes the Dark Fire one of the best-sustaining Les Pauls ever produced.

beauty & Brains.
The Dark Fire combines the classic Les Paul form with brand new function.
A Real Knock-Out.The design and shape of Gibson's iconic Les Paul is timeless, and needs no real introduction or explanation. It is simply the most recognizable and functional guitar design in the world, and the new Dark Fire takes it to an entirely new level.
Traditional Flowerpot Inlay.Gibson's traditional flowerpot inlay graces the peghead of the Dark Fire. This art nouveau inlay was first used in a similar form on the headstock of the 1911 F4 mandolin, and later on the L5's peghead veneer directly below the Gibson logo. This classic inlay also graces the headstock of several other Gibson models, including the Byrdland, the new Longhorn Double-Cutaway, and several other mandolins, banjos and acoustics.

Classic Block Inlays.The classic block inlays found on the Dark Fire remain one of the most distinguishable features of many traditional Gibson models, including the ES-335s of the early 1960s and today's Flying V Custom. On the Dark Fire, the block inlays are made from acrylic and given a unique, carbon-fiber look for an ultra-modern appearance. They are inserted into the fingerboard using a process that eliminates all gaps and doesn't require the use of fillers. The result is a fingerboard that plays as fast and smooth as it looks.

The Dark Fire Finish.Each of the Gibson Dark Fire Limited Edition First Run guitars features a dramatic Dark Fire nitrocellulose finish created especially for this exclusive run. It is one of the most striking finishes ever to leave a Gibson factory and is achieved by combining the time-tested techniques of applying a standard nitro finish with several new procedures that help bring out the natural beauty of the wood. The result is a stunning, deep gloss color that naturally highlights each piece of wood's distinctive grain patterns. The mahogany back and neck of the Dark Fire are given a satin finish, while the top and peghead face are sprayed with a gloss finish.
Dual Black Binding.The body is also bound with dual black binding, which accents the Dark Fire's exclusive finish perfectly and provides both the protection and beauty of traditional Gibson binding. The process of applying the body binding to the Dark Fire is the same process employed by Gibson craftsmen for over 100 years. And while some question the value of adding binding to a guitar, Gibson believes it to be an essential part of is rich guitar-making history, and a vital design element that adds elegance and helps protects the edges of the body.
Chambered Mahogany Body.Next is the Dark Fire's chambered mahogany body, which helps deliver near-perfect tone, balance and weight. One of the ways the expert craftsmen at Gibson achieve this equilibrium is by carving carefully mapped-out chambers in the solid mahogany backs of the Dark Fire using a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router before the maple top is glued on. The positioning of the routes were first established after careful examination of the resonant characteristics of the Les Paul. Gibson approached this process with the awareness that every change to the formula would have repercussions on the instrument's sound. The results are comfortable, lightweight guitars that are acoustically louder, with increased sustain and resonance.
Finishing Touches.Other exclusive design elements limited to the Dark Fire are a distinct nut made from a special Teflon-based material that allows for smoother and faster tuning action, a truss rod cover made from anodized aluminum, black top hat volume and tone knobs with chrome inserts, and a super fast and comfortable asymmetrical neck profile design with Gibson's PerfectSetup TM,, which is made possible by the revolutionary computer-controlled PLEK system, acknowledged as the most precise guitar set-up technology in the industry.

The Science of Sound.
Tone meets innovation in this incredible marriage of Chameleon Tone Technology and second generation Robot Guitar technology.
Chameleon Tone Technology.The original Robot Guitar took the guitar world by storm when it was first introduced in December '07, but the new Dark Fire from Gibson is simply the most advanced guitar system ever developed. In fact, many of the technological advances on the Dark Fire were virtually inconceivable just a few years ago. The new Dark Fire is a virtual upgrade in every respect. The powerhead tuners, the tuning brain, the battery functions, and even the unprecedented sonic capabilities of a fully digital guitar and Chameleon Tone Technology. Imagine the ability to change your guitar's tone to better match your environment. Everything is here to give you a new, stunning level of tonal and functional freedom that allows you the uninhibited release of your creative potential.

500 Tunings from a Single Battery Charge.The Dark Fire's battery system and power circuit have also been significantly improved to last nearly twice as long, even with the guitar's enhanced performance. You can now expect nearly 500 tunings from a single charge. As an added plus, you can also play the Dark Fire while the battery system is being charged.
Guitar Rig 3 Is Part of the Dark Fire Package.In addition to the RIP itself, each guitar comes with easy-to-install software with pro-quality low-latency driver to process the Dark Fire through a well-stocked library of effects , all of which is packaged with a Gibson-modified version of the popular Guitar Rig 3 processing software. Through the RIP's connection capabilities you can route these effects to your live outputs, your recorded outputs, or both. Tap into Guitar Rig 3's versatile selection of effects box, amplifier and speaker emulations, and instantly achieve the most desired guitar tones in the history of popular music. Naturally, Dark Fire owners will also be able to connect to the internet through their RIPs to download firmware updates, along with upgraded functions and software features, as they become available from Gibson.

Master Control Knob.The key to controlling the powerful functions of the Dark Fire is the Master Control Knob (MCK), which has been completely redesigned with much improved ergonomics and a sophisticated full color matrix display featuring LEDs and high-tech light pipe technology, all to deliver a more powerful and easier to see visual display under any light condition. In addition to the MCK's top mounted display, LED-lit symbols now adorn its outer edge, which blend with the color of the knob so that they're only visible when lit. The Dark Fire's new MCK also controls the ability to change pickups and coils, allowing you the ability to adjust tone and tunings automatically and simultaneously , even several times during the same song.
Let it RIP.The Robot Interface Pack (RIP) is the Dark Fire's conduit for Chameleon Tone Technology and staggering tonal versatility. Whether you're using it in a live setting or in the comfort of your home, the Dark Fire's RIP lets you realize the full potential of Chameleon Tone Technology, and achieving every sonic landscape imaginable. The RIP's front panel carries a single 1/4-inch stereo input for the Dark Fire, a 1/8-inch headphone out with level control and a pilot light, which changes from dim blue to bright blue when the Dark Fire input is detected. The rear panel carries two balanced 1/4-inch line outs, a FireWire connector to link to your PC or laptop and a hex connector that carries the outputs of each string and a composite piezo output. An optional adaptor provides easy connection from this hex output to popular MIDI guitar interfaces such as those made by Roland and Axon, or allows you to divide out the six individual signals to their own balanced one-quarter inch connectors. There's also a 12-volt DC connector for the RIP's power supply, which both powers the RIP itself and recharges the Dark Fire's battery when required.
The RIP can act as a connecting point between any guitar and your computer-based recording or sound processing system, its built-in hex decoder circuitry comes to life when the Dark Fire is plugged in. Of course, you can also use the RIP to connect to your favorite digital audio workstation, but you don't even need to be in possession of such a system to begin making the most of the Dark Fire's digital capabilities.
Fully Upgradable, Always Cutting Edge.The Dark Fire you purchase today is designed to remain current with any upcoming developments from Gibson; the electronics can be removed from the guitar quickly and easily, and new electronics installed should the time come to upgrade to a future generation of Robot technology, or to change your pickups out of personal preference. The well-crafted, Les Paul-based core of the instrument retains its integrity whatever electronics you use with it, and therefore will retain its value whatever is done to alter its technological functions.
Faster, Lighter, Smaller Powerhead Tuners.The redesigned powerhead tuners on the Dark Fire are significantly smaller and lighter, and more in line with the size and weight of conventional tuners. They're also radically faster. You can now access any preset tuning in less than one second, which means you can realistically change tunings in the middle of a song, if needed. What's more, the tuners are now automatically engaged to operate both electronically or individually by hand.

Dark Fire-Specific Audio Equipment Coming.Gibson is already developing a range of audio equipment designed specifically to work with your new Dark Fire, some of which is already scheduled for release in early 2009, including a small transmitter module designed to work with Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing you the ability to connect wirelessly to your computer or laptop.
Upgrade Your Original Robot.These incredible advances are not limited to owners of the new Gibson Dark Fire. Gibson players who bought the original Robot will soon be offered an opportunity to upgrade their Robot’s self-tuning technology to the new and improved self-tuning technology found on the Dark Fire. In just a few months, an upgrade kit will be made available at a price significantly lower than its standard retail price – reaffirming Gibson's aim is to keep all Robot products current and cutting edge, for all Gibson customers.

Carbon/Silicone

Tom Petty use to be in Mudcrutch

MUDCRUTCH TO RELEASE LIVE EP, EXTENDED PLAY LIVE, ON NOVEMBER 11 THE STORY OF MUDCRUTCH DOCUMENTARY TO AIR ON VH1 CLASSIC BEGINNING NOVEMBER 11
MUDCRUTCH TO RELEASE LIVE EP, EXTENDED PLAY LIVE, ON NOVEMBER 11 Mudcrutch will release a live EP entitled Extended Play Live on Reprise Records on November 11, 2008.Extended Play Live features four tracks recorded during the band's 2008 tour of intimate California venues. These were fantastic shows and the band really stretched out at times, particularly on extended versions of Crystal River. The epic April 28 version of Crystal River from the Troubadour is fifteen minutes long and is included on the EP, as well as choice live versions of The Wrong Thing To Do, Bootleg Flyer, and Jerry Lee Lewis' High School Confidential.All four tracks on the EP are currently streaming exclusively at http://tk.publicaster.com/DC/ctr.aspx?6C6164=33373033313139&736272=280545&747970=6874&66=30.Extended Play Live will be released digitally, on compact disc, and on 180 Gram High Performance Vinyl. The vinyl edition includes a full dynamic range audiophile CD made from the same uncompressed stereo masters as the vinyl pressing. Both the vinyl and the accompanying audiophile CD present the music without the noticeable “loudness” that befalls many mixes of songs intended to be listened to digitally. When presented in their full dynamic range the quieter parts of the songs are quieter and the louder parts are louder, just as originally performed.Extended Play Live Track Listing:1. The Wrong Thing To Do (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008) 2. Bootleg Flyer (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008) 3. Crystal River (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, April 28, 2008) 4. High School Confidential (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, May 2, 2008)
CLICK HERE TO PREORDER EXTENDED PLAY LIVE
THE STORY OF MUDCRUTCH DOCUMENTARY TO AIR ON VH1 CLASSIC BEGINNING NOVEMBER 11VH1 Classic will premiere The Story Of Mudcrutch on November 11 at 8pm EST/PST. Produced by Peter Bogdanovich, this special documentary tells the story of Mudcrutch from their days playing at Dub's in Gainesville, FL to their 2007 reunion and features footage of the band playing tracks from their debut LP in their clubhouse rehearsal space.The Mudcrutch documentary will re-air on VH1 Classic at the following times:November 11, 11pm EST/PSTNovember 14, 1am EST/PST (late night Thursday 11/13, technically Friday morning 11/14)November 14, 4pm EST/PSTNovember 16, 10pm EST/PST
GREAT LIMITED TIME DEALS ON 2008 HEARTBREAKERS TOUR MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE STORE Select items that were onsale at tour dates this summer are now available at highly discounted prices in the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers store! Items currently discounted include several of the most popular T-Shirts from the tour.CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE STORE

David Gilmore of Pink Floyd

If there was ever a master of guitar tone, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s name would have to be among those at the top of the list. Gilmour’s tone changes all the time, but it always seems to fit the album or song he is working on.

Gilmour uses many different guitars, including a few Gibson Les Pauls, but it’s his use of the rest of his gear that’s really astounding. By looking at his rig, you might think there isn’t an effect he hasn’t or wouldn’t use.

That’s okay, because he uses them in the right way. Far too many guitarists add effects on top of one another with no regard for the overall sound.

Gilmour was a fan of Hiwatt amps, which give you a very nice, clean sound, but can also crank out a high gain tone, especially with a screamer or other overdrive effect in the signal chain.

The pedals he used were plentiful and included a Big Muff, Phase 90, Chorus, Dynacomp, Digital Delay, Uni-Vibe, Wah, Fuzz Face and several Pete Cornish pedals and boards.

Knowing what Gilmour played and being able to replicate his sound are two very different things. His tone is a mix of effects, amps, guitars and a lot of engineering behind the scenes. I love the way he isn’t afraid to try anything, but it makes it a bit more difficult for us to duplicate on our home computers.

With that in mind, I decided to make an all-purpose Gilmour tone. This will allow you to play many of his high-gain riffs and, by turning off the screamer, play some of the softer tunes as well.



In Guitar Rig 3, I used the High White amp ― which is Native Instruments’ model of the Hiwatt ― a Screamer, Delay and Studio Reverb. With the right settings on the amp, you can actually have a nice high-gain and cleanish sound without having to make too many adjustments.

For the amp I used these settings: Master 9; Normal 8; Brill 9; Bass 5; Middle 7; Treble 6; and Presence 7. I adjusted the mic slider on the cabinet to 80 percent on mic A. The Dry/Air mix is at 4.77 and the master volume on the cab is at -19db.

If you give it a strum, you should hear a little bit of crunch, but while picking, the sound should be pretty clean. Now let’s crunch it up a bit.

Adding to the Gilmour tone, I put in a Screamer with the Volume 3; Tone 8 and Drive 10. We need to crank the Screamer a little bit here in order to tackle songs like “In the Flesh,” but do it in a way that’s not going to ruin any clean sounds we may want.

Gilmour has some masterful delay in his songs. I chose the Delay Man with the Dry/Wet setting at 56 percent Dry. That’s quite a bit, but it will work with songs like “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.” Other delay settings are Time 1/8; Feedback 52%; and Depth 52%.

The final effect I added was a little bit of Studio Reverb. There is no need to go overboard with this one at all. I put this in just to enhance what was already going on in the signal chain, not to overpower anything. Reverb Mix is 20%; Bright 6%; and Room Size is 6%.

That should be enough to get you going with an all purpose David Gilmour tone. To play any clean parts, you’ll need to turn off the Screamer, but other than that you’re good to go.

Jimmy Page!

There’s no greater icon of late ’60s and early ’70s British blues-rock tone than Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist with Led Zeppelin. From huge and gutsy to atmospheric and mellow, from a ominous rhythm-guitar crunch tone to soaring, wailing lead, Page’s sonic palette was every bit as broad as his chops were versatile. Any player who stamps his signature so indelibly into the annals of rock tone becomes extremely influential to others seeking to make a big sound in their own playing, and the visual that persists alongside that sonic imprint is of Jimmy Page strutting an arena stage with a sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard or EDS-1275 Double-Neck in front of a pair of roaring Marshall amp stacks. And live, this is indeed how a major part of the tone was generated. In the studio, however, there was often a whole lot more going on—or a whole lot less—and running out to duplicate the Page live rig might not get you very close to sounding like the Page of “Dazed and Confused”, “Communication Breakdown”, “Ramble On”, or “Whole Lotta Love”.
For one thing, his use of the Les Paul and EDS-1275 weren’t exclusive, but that isn’t such a big secret: live performance photos and film footage often show him breaking out a Fender Telecaster or a Danelectro DC model, although they doesn’t reveal the whole story—that Page also used a Tele for many of the recorded tracks on the earlier Led Zeppelin albums, as well as for the famous solo in “Stairway to Heaven”.
More shrouded in myth is Jimmy Page’s amp of choice, for the seminal first two Zep albums in particular. Or to put a firmer finger on it, Page’s early recording amp is more of a mystery within a riddle within an enigma—not only is this studio rig a far cry from the big Marshalls he used live, whatever it actually was remains shadowy and elusive to this day. In the first installment of Myth Busters I opened by admitting that the memories of many of the personnel on hand at ground-breaking recording sessions of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s are understandably a little shady here in 2008 (hell, I can’t even remember everything I was up to in the early ’90s), and we have to add to that the compounding factor that formative artists might not be entirely keen to reveal their signature tones. Crafting your own sound—and thereby standing out from the crowd—is a big part of the game, and dropping every Tom, Dick, and Mary an easy clue to copping your tone isn’t in the best interest of any guitarist who wants their playing to remain distinctive and instantly recognizable.
The mystery part of that early Page studio amp is that, rather than recording with a Marshall head and cab, the Zep guitarist purportedly used a much smaller tube amp, and one that was also far cheaper and more mundane. The riddle within that mystery is… which one? It’s fairly widely reported that Page used a small to medium-sized amp made by the Valco company of Chicago, possibly a combo sold under the Supro brand name. One tributary of this legend holds that it was a Supro Thunderbolt (and amp, it so happens, that’s also associated with Jimi Hendix’s recording career). This combo had a single 15-inch Jensen speaker and a pair of 6L6GC tubes in the output stage, but put out far less volume than higher-end amps using similar tubes, probably something more in the 25-watt range rather than the 45 or 50 watts that a similarly equipped Fender Super Reverb produced, for example.
The mere implication that Page used a late ’50s or early ’60s Thunderbolt has sent the prices of these amps soaring on the vintage market from just a couple hundred bucks a few years ago to well over a grand, and upwards of two, in recent sales. And that’s without any absolute verification that this was indeed “the Jimmy Page studio amp” of legend. At the time, Valco used the same handful of circuits in a range of amplifiers manufactured not only for Supro, but also for National, Airline, Gretsch, Harmony and others. To compound the confusion, Jimmy Page himself has stated in numerous interviews that he used to own “as many as 50” small Valco amps back in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and the studios he recorded in no doubt would have had a few of their own in the gear closet. A very different amp from the Thunderbolt was donated by Page to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, OH, a smaller Valco-made combo with rare and unusual 6973 output tubes. These tubes, and the smaller speaker, make such amps sound quite different from each other, so did Page use the Thunderbolt, the 6973-equipped amp, or maybe both?
The enigma within all of this is… it doesn’t really matter! Jimmy Page himself hasn’t been willing to put the mystery to rest yet, and perhaps he isn’t even sure of the truth himself at this point. Or there’s a very good chance (far more likely than not, I’d guess) that he used more than one amp during the recording of each and every Led Zeppelin album. Never mind. Get your hands on any of these old Valco-made amps, crank them up—perhaps with a booster pedal in front—and it’s easy to convince yourself that they sound exactly like the soaring, toothsome lead tone on “Communication Breakdown”. Or plug into an old Fender Champ or Danelectro 1482, or a new Gibson GA-5 Les Paul Junior or Epiphone Valve Junior, close your eyes, and apply the appropriate Page-esque riffs, and you might easily believe any of those is channeling the quirky, toneful Valco mojo. As for the truth, we will probably never know.

Myth Busters: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Massive Tone

Okay, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone was massive. There’s no myth there. But an entire industry has practically grown up around assisting players in replicating that monster of a sound, and I’d like to invest an installment of Myth Busters to look at what you can achieve in this realm, and what you can’t.

As with most legendary players, the ingredients of SRV’s sound can be broken down into three categories: guitars, amps, and pedals. In his case, this represents a descending order of the intensity with which his gear is analyzed. Let’s take one chunk at a time, analyze some of the little myths that surround them, and see where it gets us.

SRV played several guitars throughout his career, but far and away his favorite and the most played was the one he called “Number One,” which was purchased in the mid 1970s at Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music Store in Austin, Texas. This guitar is often described as being a 1959 Fender Stratocaster with a slab rosewood fingerboard, a reference that has helped to give Strats of this vintage an extra cache on the collector’s market. Even though Vaughan himself referred to it as such on occasions, both the neck and body of this famous battered Stratocaster were from 1962, and were dated as such in the neck pocket and on the end of the neck respectively, as testified to by long-time SRV guitar tech Rene Martinez in occasional interviews. The pickups themselves, however, were indeed dated 1959, although whether they were replacements or just a stock set that Fender was late in taking off the shelf to join up with the ’62 neck and body is not entirely clear. Does the guitar’s precise vintage matter? Not a whole lot. Regardless of SRV’s connection a 1959 Stratocaster retains a certain collector’s appeal because it demarks the first year of the rosewood fingerboard, but so-called “slab” rosewood fingerboards (thicker boards, with a flat bottom, rather than the thinner “veneer” boards that followed) were still being used into 1962 — and Fender neck profiles varied quite a bit anyway — so Strats from 1959 and 1962 might not be radically different, from the average player’s perspective.

In any case, “Number One” was far from original, and if not for its SRV associations would have become the type of vintage guitar that collector’s turn their noses up at. Vaughan preferred Dunlop jumbo frets on his guitars, and this Strat had been refretted with them so many times (due to the extreme use it experienced) that the upper reaches of the fingerboard were migrating from the original 7 1/4” to a flatter 9” radius (as measured and reported by luthier and writer Dan Erlewine in The Guitar Player Repair Guide). This is another alteration that would send a collector running, but the flatter radius actually would have made it easier to bend strings without choking out on the curve of the vintage-spec board.

Much is made, too, of the left-handed vibrato tailpiece that was fitted to “Number One” in Vaughan’s early ownership of the guitar, and the fact that this replicated the action of the right handed vibrato tailpiece on the Stratocaster’s played by Jimi Hendrix, who was much admired by Vaughan. The modification certainly makes for a slightly different feeling vibrato unit, but we have it on good authority that this change was actually more random than calculated. It’s Rene Martinez again who tells us that, in fact, that the left-handed vibrato was the only one in stock when the original needed to be replaced.

Also, the black three-ply pickguard — with reflective stickers — was definitely a replacement, although prior to the recording of the Texas Flood album SRV was pictured with his “Number One” Strat still with its original white pickguard. It’s also worth noting that yet another black replacement ’guard, a full new set of gold-plated hardware, and a replacement neck were all installed on “Number One” around 1990, the neck in particular being just too worn out to be refretted yet again.

A lot is also made of the fact that SRV used very large strings, usually gauged .013 to .058, and certainly bigger strings do transmit a bigger signal through the pickups. Note, however, that Jimi Hendrix used a relatively thin .009 set, but he didn’t sound small by any standards. Also, Vaughan tuned down a half-step to Eb, and lessening the strings’ tension to that extent equates to a playing feel of a string gauge lighter, roughly speaking.

Was there magic in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Number One Stratocaster? He clearly loved it himself, but he sounded just as much like SRV when it still had the white pickguard and right-handed vibrato in the late ’70s, or the entirely new neck in 1990. So maybe it was his amp(s) that made all the difference?

In the early days, Vaughan played mostly ’60s or early ’70s Fender tube amps, usually two at a time, and rotated between Vibroverbs, Twin Reverbs, and Super Reverbs. At some point he also acquired a 100-watt Marshall Town & Country 2x12 combo and often subbed that into the pair. You can already hear a big sound brewing, but however you mix and match the amplifier contingent he always sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughan.

His legendary amp excesses set in during the recording of In Step, when — according to amp tech Cesar Diaz — as many as 32 amps were up and running around the studio, used in varying combinations on different tracks. Among these, in addition to those already listed, were a 150-watt Dumble Steel String Singer, a vintage 1959 Fender tweed Bassman, and a pair of massive 200-watt Marshal Major stacks. Fans have gone to great lengths to obtain that huge and driven — yet perplexingly clear — SRV amp tone, and I know plenty who have constructed some complex and expensive multi-amp rigs to do so, but before you set out to nail that In Step tone for yourself, consider the possible permutations of those 32 amps … and the fact that no one really knows anymore which ones, or how many, were used on which tracks. There are plenty of reports of Vaughan being invited up on stage with other players and using their guitar and single amp, and ripping it up — and sounding just like SRV in the process.

Vaughan also dabbled with a range of pedals, but his mainstay for overdrive was an Ibanez Tube Screamer. The original TS-808 Tube Screamer has become a major collector’s item, and a good one can fetch upwards of $500 on the vintage market. Thanks to SRV? Not necessarily … having started with the desirable but less precious TS-9, he was using an entirely mundane TS-10 by the end of his career, and you can pick up an original example of that one for under $100 if you keep your eyes peeled. They are decent sounding overdrive pedals, but no great mystery or rarity, and many players feel the template has been far surpassed by plenty of newer makes and models anyway.

Add it all up, and however massive SRV’s tone — and it undeniably was — this cornucopia of elements and ingredients shows you there’s no clear gear-based magic to the formula. The man played hard and he played well, and a big, big sound came out.

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