@robertdee David Gilmore is a very "expressive" player. Earlier in this thread we discussed the merits of the "super-shredder" types - who certainly have their merits. It takes skill and practice to play all those notes at machine gun tempo. There's no doubt about that. I've heard it said that David Gilmore does more with a single note than most players do in an entire song. Any player can bend a note, but it's really not as simple as that. Many really waaaaay over-do it. Gilmore combines taste, touch and tone like few others. He puts a lot of emotion into those bends -- to the point where the listener can feel and understand what he's playing (talking) about. I don't think there is a way to determine any actual "world's greatest guitarist", but if someone opines that in their mind David Gilmore is the greatest ... it'd be a hard argument to counter.
@rusty Well I hadn't thought the Planet Music poll placed Gilmore as the best guitarists. I've seen Gilmore say in interviews that he can't play as fast as some other known guitarists but as you pointed out, speed isn't what decides comparing players.
The Comfortably Numb solo was voted by this poll as the greatest rock solo. I'm sure others would complain "Eruption" by Van Halen should be the one. But not to me. It is fun and interesting but it doesn't move my soul like Duane and Dickey do on certain solos on Fillmore East and Eat A Peach.
Gilmore is worth over $220 million. Well more than Eddie Van Halen was at his death. But like speed, that isn't a good yard stick either. And the it varies from person to person. Heavy Metal magazine probably wouldn't choose the Comfortabily Numb solo as tops. But to me it certainly is one of the best.
How about this one!? I love those "squeak" notes his hits. It's a little trick you do with the pick on the string to get that I think.
@rusty Warren Haynes isn't in the same league for this music as David Gilmore and likely will never be as rich and famous. But check out the solo over at the end of this version of Comfortably Numb. Warren is so versatile and such a student of the great players. I'm deeply impressed with Warren Haynes over and over!
@rusty You are right on about Warren!! Here is Gilmore with such a fantastic tone! And Tim Renwick has a great tone too! I remember Tim in Clapton's band some years ago.
Pink Floyd was such a polished, professional operation.
These profiles are from an excellent book by Dave Hunter mainly showcasing the Les Pauls played by famous musicians. Unfortunately it is Out of Print now so has gotten expensive.
Probably not anything new here to ABB gear nerds but thought some might find it interesting. Click on the image and you shuld be able to blow it up to read the text.
Not a guitar but pedals have become an essential part of latter day guitar players rigs. Back in Duane's day there were only a handful of pedals, like a fuzz and Wah Wah, but today there are hundreds of effect pedals to choose from.
The Klon Centaur is one of the most coveted pedals by musicians but since production was discontinued back in 2006 used copies have soared in price and sellers are asking several thousand dollars for them.
I never tried an original but I did buy a clone version from a seller in China that got rave reviews for $50.
I will say it does help overdrive the front end of my Fender 1975 Deluxe Reverb so I can get that overdrive sound at lower volume but I have no idea how it compares with the original and I am not a good enough guitarist to get the most out of the pedal but is is fun to fool around with.
@bill_graham The guitar Dickey has in the upper right should be the Les Paul Dickey played on Fillmore East. Dickey gave it to Dan Toler in 1978 or 9 but in the 2000s Toler sold it to a collector. I think that is the guitar.
And Dickey's favorite Les Paul is the 1957 Goldtop that turned an ugly greenish color while it sat in the Hall of Fame in Cleveland. When Dickey got it back it was so ugly he stripped it down to the wood and painted it red with a pickguard. Apparently it didn't have a pickguard when Dickey bought it at a New York City pawn shop. Part of choosing red is because people used to ask him where is his RED guitar Charlie Daniels sung about.
@bill_graham The guitar Dickey has in the upper right should be the Les Paul Dickey played on Fillmore East. Dickey gave it to Dan Toler in 1978 or 9 but in the 2000s Toler sold it to a collector. I think that is the guitar.
I don't believe it is the FE LP. That is a photo of Dickey's 1959 LP sunburst that Kunio Kushida now owns (he's a big ABB fan and has played at a few GABBA Fests)
The Fillmore East LP that Dickey played on Fillmore East (and eventually gifted to Dan Toler) is a '58 and started life as a gold top. You can tell because the binding is asymmetrical:
@porkchopbob Yes I can see that now. No it's not the same one. I was disappointed with Danny for selling the Fillmore Les Paul especially since it was a gift. But as I think back now, maybe it was necessary. He may have needed the money and eventually had to face a terrible disease!!
It had a tone a unlike Dickey's Goldie Goldtop. I remember reading years ago now that you mention it that it originally was a Goldtop. Dickey's solo on Liz Reed on At Fillmore East to me, is one of the greatest electric guitar solos in rock history. It is emotional and magical. And that Les Paul is sounding so fine!!!
@bill_graham The guitar Dickey has in the upper right should be the Les Paul Dickey played on Fillmore East. Dickey gave it to Dan Toler in 1978 or 9 but in the 2000s Toler sold it to a collector. I think that is the guitar.
I don't believe it is the FE LP. That is a photo of Dickey's 1959 LP sunburst that Kunio Kushida now owns (he's a big ABB fan and has played at a few GABBA Fests)
The Fillmore East LP that Dickey played on Fillmore East (and eventually gifted to Dan Toler) is a '58 and started life as a gold top. You can tell because the binding is asymmetrical:
@bill_graham Johnny only uses the Gibson Firebird for slide. I didn't know that.
Also his main ax was a Lazer guitar. I saw Johnny once and that must have been the guitar without a headstock. Likes it because it sounds like a Fender but plays like a Gibson.
Kinda down the middle then. Paul Reed Smith had that in mind with his early guitars but I think that was sound only. Don't know how they play.
@bill_graham Well Sonny is playing a Valvebucker Tele style in the ad.
Vacuum tube radio in my first car, a 1950 Plymouth, sounded Rich and full. But you would be half way to your destination before it came on. Had a long warm up time.
@bill_graham Well Sonny is playing a Valvebucker Tele style in the ad.
Vacuum tube radio in my first car, a 1950 Plymouth, sounded Rich and full. But you would be half way to your destination before it came on. Had a long warm up time.
Yeah active pickups are nothing new as EMG makes them and they are popular with heavy metal and thrash guitarists. Zakk Wilde of Ozzy and Black Label Society, and who played one concert with the ABB, swears by them. The ones from EMG are solid state and there is a little door on the plastic backplate for the volume/ tone controls cavity for a Les Paul where you insert a 9V battery to power the pickups.
I always appreciated Derek's lack of pedals. Nothing against them if that's your thing (an electric guitar is already a distorted sound and most amps have some built-in reverb effects) but I've played with guitarists who fuss with their pedals more than their guitar, or show up to a jam with a huge pedal board. Kind of overkill.
@porkchopbob Pedals are like MSG - they're for flavor and (IMO) should be used sparingly. Some forms or genres REQUIRE them, though. There is a good band here where I live who play mostly 80's rock music (Flock of Seagulls, U2, A-ha, etc.). I've mentioned before that the bands/music from this era took influence from the synth/Prog bands that came just before them. One of the guitarists uses a pedal that produces organ sounds! It's not my taste or style, but you wouldn't be able to come close to the recorded sounds of these songs without this enhancement. I've seen some great players who have nothing between the guitar and amp but a cable. Not even a tuner!
@rusty yeah, like I said, nothing against them - if you want a crunch at an indoor volume you'll likely need one (I use a Boss overdrive on my Princeton).
Like I said, it's not like the electric guitar is some pure musical instrument - it's already distorted - and lots of musicians have found some really cool sounds that aren't even guitar-ish using pedals. But sometimes it gets ridiculous when a guitarist has 35 pedals on their board to play "Stormy Monday".
@bill_graham The Gibson Moderne. You don't see many of these. Looks like it couldn't make up its mind to be a Flying V or an Explorer! 😉 I think some of these Gibsons are uglier than a mud fence!
Check out this tricked out SG! Billy said he bought it then had a man who modifies guitars trick it out including some cool changes and flashes on the body.
Tony Bennett, now in his 90's, broke down and cried when his son told him Amy had died. Tony said she had something unique in her singing he hadn't heard in a voice in a long time!
