Episode 5 - DeLeonomics, Small vs Big Amps & G.E Whiz
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2020
- Hey folks, today's (rather lengthy) episode continues with the 'underrated players' theme... I wanted to give a nod to, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating rock guitar players around, Dean Deleo. Also, how you can utilise open strings to create massive sounding chords and dynamically unique single-note lines. I also wanted to address a question I got regarding the use of small amps & cabinets vs larger ones. Lastly, another nod to one of my all-time favourites, the inimitable G.E. Smith. Stay tuned to find out why I rank him so highly!
Listen to 'Incense, Herbs & Oils' here: bit.ly/2BMxD5w
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Thanks as always for the support, I'll see you in the next one!
Cheers,
Jack
Great playing Jack, and a really good shout on Dean DeLeo. He's such a unique and tasteful player, great songwriter and killer solo's too!
0:02 seemed really proud of yourself that you played that chord.
when your day is shit Jack uploads video and you smile again!
Glad to be of service! Sorry you had a shit day prior to it!
Dean is the easily the most creative guitarist to come out of the entire grunge sound.
Amazing to hear your views on this material. Loving these vids x
Thank you for pulling apart the mystic veil of distortion level and using the proper guitar, amp and pedal combinations to obtain one's OWN voice. Thank you! Definitely informative.
Thanks for the comment - I agree, it’s very important. Understanding the dynamics of different instruments are the biggest key to sounding like yourself.
Excellent stuff Jack.
Thanks Steve! 🙏
I love being a Gibson les paul std owner as you get access to this stuff “yeah a strat could do it but a gibbo is the quintessential rock guitar”
Here’s an idea of video for you Jack. Pretty standard, but here it is. You seem to have a number of guitars. How about introducing them along with how you came about to own them (if that’s not too personal)? 🤗
literally the first thing i heard was dancing days haha
Great lesson Jack... more about Dean's playing would be awesome. Some of his soloing is also way out there.
Nice vid Jack. Totally agree on Dean DeLeo (his brother is no slouch on bass and songwriting either). Great tone with the LP. How about a dB meter in the background so we can get an idea on how high you're cranking things.
G. E. Smith is an amazing guitarist. I came to know about him via the Vintage Guitar channel years ago. Will definitely check out the album.
G.E is the man!
Hi Jack, great video. Peach is my local store and bought a couple of guitars from there, glad to see you have your own channel. One topic I’d be very interested in hearing from you about it practise, how did you practise when learning? Did you learn from playing songs or did you learn techniques? I’m always interested in hearing how accomplished players got to where they are, I am constantly trying to refine my practise regime and try and mix up learning new songs, riffs, solos with learning techniques or bits of theory. Hope you get time to shoot a video about this topic, all the best.
I’m old dude, I was way into them in the 90’s! Love the deceptive complexity in their music
Sounds really great Jack, thought the exact same about dancing days! Off topic but the Badger 35 is my favourite amp too. I tried a hedgehog and if didn't pair well with me due to it not reacting to the guitar volume control at all! That's too important to me
Awesome! Please make Dean DeLeo Tale of Two Tones
As someone roughly my age, I find your playing very inspiring Jack. I was stuck in a hard rock/metal rut for years and Greg Koch and yourself have provided me many interesting new avenues to explore. Cheers 🍺🎸🎶
Thanks man! Very kind 👍
Oz Noy is another player worth checking out
Thank you for covering Deleo following my comment 😀
Excellent as always Jack! Would you mind telling me what song that Manic Street Preachers riff is from? I feel like i've heard it before, just can't put my finger on it.
Get into Ty Tabor. Also the most criminally underrated guitarist pretty much ever, the venerable Brian Tatler from Diamond Head..."Canterbury" in particular.
One of the most influential and important guitarists of my playing. People tell me all the time that they hear him in my playing, and if you deep dive into his influences one he has cited is Jimmy Page, and you can hear that in every STP album other than their first album. He shows his Ace Frehley influence on that one. However, no matter the influences, I can always tell it's Dean DeLeo playing, because he has a style all of his own.
didnt know he loves stp but it sounds in his demoz
This may sound crazy Jack, but I have an EVH cab with 2 Vintage 30’s. I gutted the wiring and connector. I put 2 jacks for the speakers and ran each to each speaker. That way I can plug in and just use 1 speaker. Being that I use a Mesa Mk. V, I have 2 x 8 ohm outputs, I can just use one or both and run them into cab, with 1 or 2 cables. The EVH cabs use 8 ohm speakers wired for 16 ohm. Maybe I need to look into a switch to run a single cable and full cab with 1 or 2 speakers at once. That is what I really like big modern amps, tons of different outputs so there are crazy options.
Just one additional comment about cab's directionality, not so much the big amp vs. small amp debate, but indirectly related. One day, about a year ago, having some downtime between teaching at the ICMP in London, I spent an hour playing (one of my S-type guitars) through three separate rigs: 1. a Marshall 100-w head + matching 412 cab; 2. a Vox AC30 and 3: a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III. The Vox AC30 is a classic and legendary combo, so what can I say? Its 30-w rating, with 2 x 12 speakers means it's more than loud enough for most situations and, as you surely would know, The Shadows, The Beatles, Bryan Adams and, perhaps most famously, Brian May have all used them for classic recordings and world-famous live events. (Brian May bought one because that's what one of his heroes, Rory Gallagher, used).
As an aside, some people have suggested that The Shadows initially used two AC15s side by side, but when I interviewed Bruce Welch for Guitar Interactive magazine he denied that, saying that, although they recorded at Abbey Road Studios with AC15s (one each), it was most definitely AC30s on stage (he said it was only to hear themselves playing above the girls screaming, it had nothing to do with tone or headroom!). I later interviewed Hank Marvin and he said it was his favourite amp ever, but he had to use a Fender Stratocaster with the Vox amplifier to create his sound, which was hugely influential on a generation of British guitarists and beyond.
FYI, I was the Vox demonstrator for KORG UK 2007-2009 and, apart from the trade demo's, they loaned me several amps and the AC30HW with 2 Celestion Blue (ALNiCo loudspeakers) was (is) one of the best guitar sounds I've ever experienced; and the AC15 (with a single Blue speaker) is perhaps the ultimate 15-w amp - which many others have copied or used as a basis for their own designs.
The Marshall half-stack sounded, well, exactly what you'd expect... I'm not a metal player by any means but I grew up listening to Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix etc., so I love heavy/classic rock. Anyway, the Marshall shook the room like no other rig can; however, a full stack, i.e., 2 x 412 cabs, would quite likely blow the windows out! BUT.... If I stood to the side of the stage (maybe about 10 feet away, where the bass player might be standing) the closed-back 412 cab was not very loud at all: it was muddy and indistinct sounding as there was hardly any dispersion: the majority of the sound energy was "beamed" forwards at a surprisingly acute angle. Of course if you stood in front of it, maybe 20-40 feet away, it was rock/metal heaven (with that chunky thud and kick that only a 412 cab, or two, can generate).
The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III, a single 12" speaker, open-backed combo, sounded beautiful everywhere in the room - it's what I'd call an indoor/club amp. It sounded crisp and clean with that unmistakable Fender sparkle and shimmer; and, being a 40-w model (unusually, fitted with a pair of 6L6s, not 6V6s as vintage/Tweed Deluxes used to be and reissues still are) it's quite powerful: plenty loud enough anywhere out in the area where the audience would be sitting or standing.
As you explained in your video, a smaller combo, especially one with a single 12" speaker, can be tilted backwards (aiming at the ceiling or the guitar player's head or anywhere in between) and it can be angled sideways, parallel to the floor or tilted up. Like you say, it's a very flexible set-up, so it it's definitely the most practical sound solution for many gigging situations. Remember, the open-back cabinet dissipates sound from the rear as well as the front of course, which means it can be heard quite well by the drummer, the bass player and the rest of the ensemble, although in some scenarios, e.g. orchestral or theatre productions - of which I've done many - the other members of the ensemble, and most importantly, the main artist you're working for, might not wish to hear the electric guitar too loudly, which would therefore require very precise angling of the loudspeaker.
For blues, country, pop and funk, maybe even jazz, I'd definitely be happiest using the Fender combo, as many pro guitarists are. The Vox is classic for a reason. The Marshall is classic for a different reason.
For those about to rock - you, Jack? - we salute you!
Hey Jack.. live the STP licks!! 100w Amps at home home are fine but that might start a discussion of attenuators and load boxes vs noise complaints or not having neighbours... I personally have an UA OX to keep the wife, kids & neighbours happy 👍
Thanks Chris - I actually agree about using attenuators and such, I do that myself, though it is a constant frustration not to be able to open the amps up properly, as moving air is such a big part of the feel. Smaller amps don’t feel as neutered for playing at home, but it’s all a matter of taste and feel 👍
Jack Griffiths I totally agree... it sanitises the “experience” of playing guitar & the feedback you get from moving air... keep the content coming I appreciate things are getting busy again though 👍
Anybody interested go listen to the new Trip the Witch album with Dean and Tom Bukovac. Probably 40 full listens already and still counting. Amazing writing I’m fortunate to have found a gem
Joe Perry is certainly not underrated but Brad Whitford is and they are the reason Dean Deleo plays and writes the way he does. If you haven't already, you should listen to all of Aerosmith TOYS IN THE ATTIC and ROCKS for the originators of those type of chord voicings.
Agreed, the first four Aerosmith albums in particular are fantastic!
Jack Griffiths I knew you knew.😜
Great playing as ever. If you want to hear more chordal twists similar to what you have described here, check out Ty Tabor's majestic playing with Kings X. It was Phil Hilborne who turned me onto this awesome band.
Thanks Lee! Yes, I’m not too familiar with King’s X, but the stuff I’ve heard is very interesting indeed.
@@jackgriffithsmusic The two albums I first listened by Kings X were Faith, Hope & Love and Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. I remember Phil Hilborne telling me that Ty Tybor was using a Yamaha guitar (a higher-end Pacifica?) in the early 90s and, unusually for a rock guitarist, a solid-state amplifier, the Gibson Lab Series L5, which B B King famously used. Like you say in your video, it's usually crucial that you reduce the gain, if only by turning down the guitar's Volume control, when playing complex chords, or even just Sus 2 chords or m7#5 chords (or, as a synonym, Major Add9, 1st inversion) like the one you played in your video; however, Ty seems to be using a massive amount of gain, yet he manages to sound defined and articulate, which Phil Hilborne said was a rare feat indeed.
Speaking for myself, although my Mesa/Boogie MkIII Simulclass is in another league and offers supreme touch-sensitivity, I occasionally use a digital modeller - I don't know if you've had a chance to check out my Tone Comparisons video? - and I specifically wanted to demonstrate how successful, or not, they are at cleaning up the sound when using a high-gain preset. The ZOOM G3 is not very good in that respect (with most high-gain models it just creates a quieter version of the distorted sound for the most part, although the Fender Tweed Deluxe and Vibrolux models are actually quite convincing), whereas the Vox ToneLab ST, having A-B'd them often in the past - I wasn't using an A-B box for my casual demo - is far more convincing: the sound cleans up really well from the guitar's Volume control, just like with a boutique valve amp. However, I wasn't 100% satisfied with what I heard in evidence in the recording, so I've just installed a brand new 12AX7A valve in the ToneLab ST, which I'm hoping will give it a new lease of life. I also need to reduce the bass on one of my lead/solo patches (it sounded good for single-note soloing, but much too flabby for thicker sounding chord fragments: Larry Carlton would always reduce the bass setting on his Boogie for all of his session work, stressing that too much bass on the electric guitar can so easily ruin an otherwise great sounding mix). Anyway, if I may, I'll send you a demo of my readjusted ToneLab tones, including an Allen Hinds-inspired one, in the near future.
that little chromatic riff around the 0:20 is that in the song? subtle yet really cool
OMG I love STP! I can’t believe you know this. Who plays chords like this in rock songs?!? One of my all time fav bands. Paige is all over DeLeo’s riffs
Nice talk, great sound but please try to balance the volume of your guitar and voice in future videos. I had to constantly turn the volume up when you spoke and turn it down when you played.
If there's one flaw with Jack's video's is exactly this. Nothing that a good mic can't solve... and maybe a boom.
Contrary to popular belief most of these songs, iconic riffs along with all the tasty jazzy chords are all courtesy of Robert DeLeo. The bass player and the older brother of Dean.
The open string inclusion sounds like piano voicings, which is good. I do that frequently, but not really "knowing" what I'm doing.
I can tell you get the underrated guitarist thing,so that being so PLEASE CHECK OUT A BRITISH GUY CALLED BILL NELSON, he was the front man for the 70s rock band BE BOP DELUXE HIS GUITAR OF CHOICE WAS A GIBSON 355 sunburst and I would urge you to listen to tracks…..sister seagull, and adventures in a Yorkshire landscape has a solo that still gives me chills to this day, they were pretty regular visitors to the old grey whistle test studios, and played a great deal by the awesome John peel…….please check him out he is amazing.
Pretty sure the demo you're referring to is of Way Huge Pork Loin.
That first riff is by Eric Kretz 😂. Everyone is a guitar player on STP
I find myself when I’m playing always searching for that wall of sound feel. 4x12’s all the way for me! I am the only guitar player.
Hey Jack, love your playing. Ive been following you since you did the John mayer video for Peach. What pickups are in your Les Paul? Thanks, man.
Thanks for the support Patrick! They’re Bare Knuckle Stormy Monday pickups.
@@jackgriffithsmusic Just stumbled upon this channel. I have the exact same LP (tobacco burst 1980) and added Bare Knuckle The Mule Pickups!
For more of that open-string(s)-ringing-out-over-shifting-chords stuff, check out Pete Townsend's guitar playing with the Who and his solo work. And for acoustic guitar ideas (often in indecipherable tunings), check out Joni Mitchell. One of the most magical examples of such harmony is Christopher Cross's 'Sailing' - ua-cam.com/video/VzgQoGvSKA4/v-deo.html
Do you have a treble bleed cap on that Les Paul? The top stays very clear when you roll the volume down.
No treble bleed, just really good pots & caps and 50s wiring!
Learnt a lot from your non lesson ...😁
That's TONE. You should write in the description your gear for the episode, that pedal show style!
Thank you, sir! Good idea, I’ll do that. 👍
@@jackgriffithsmusic First thoughts after a minute of listening:
* DeLeo was one of the best guitarists of the 90s.
* How is he making all that noise?
Can you go over your chain/recording stuff after the speaker?
Yeah please do, indeed, I dont see it.
I don’t think people realize how complicated his chord voicings are.
Can you make the videos a bit louder? 🤩
G E "Whiz"?
In your defense Jack.....were you born yet when they were contemporary?😁
Underrated is the wrong word. To be underrated means that many think you suck. Nobody thinks Dean sucks. Maybe underappreciated, but not underrated.
The open string inclusion sounds like piano voicings, which is good. I do that frequently, but not really "knowing" what I'm doing.
The open string inclusion sounds like piano voicings, which is good. I do that frequently, but not really "knowing" what I'm doing.