Tommy Emmanuel Spills the Beans to Tony Polecastro!
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
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How Tommy Emmanuel Checks Out Guitars
Hey guys, Tony Polecastro here from The Acoustic Letter and Tony’s Acoustic Challenge, and today is a great day. We have Tommy Emmanuel here in the studio. He just got done with a soundcheck, he’s playing up the street, and he took some time out for us to come and chat some guitar, so we are going to chat guitar.
Tommy Emmanuel: Our favorite subject.
Tony Polecastro: Our favorite subject.
Tommy Emmanuel: Exactly.
Tony Polecastro: To be quite honest with you, it was very cool. We went over to soundcheck, and I walked in and you were in back playing one of Kevin Kopp’s guitars, a local builder.
Tommy Emmanuel: Yeah. I love Kevin’s guitars.
Tony Polecastro: Immediately … They’re fantastic.
Tommy Emmanuel: They are.
Tony Polecastro: Immediately, I noticed you were holding the guitar, you were playing it, but you weren’t just playing, you were digging in. You were checking it out.
Tommy Emmanuel :Oh, absolutely.
Tony Polecastro: You were giving it the run-through.
Tommy Emmanuel :Whenever I play a guitar, especially one that I’m interested in, if a guitar has a good sound, has a good feel to it, then I’ll want to play it for a while, you know? I don’t want to just pick it up and go, “Oh yeah, it sounds good,” and move on. I want to get to know this baby.
Tony Polecastro: Absolutely, absolutely.
Tommy Emmanuel :The same as your D35 here. That’s a great sounding Martin.
Tony Polecastro: Thank you.
Tommy Emmanuel: I could play that thing all day.
Tony Polecastro: We can negotiate. Also, our viewers, we’ve had some questions, speaking of guitars. We’ve had some questions about Maton guitars, and that is your primary stage instrument.
Tommy Emmanuel Talks About Maton Guitars
Tommy Emmanuel :It is, yeah. I’ve been playing Maton guitars since 1960, which is a long time. My first real good guitar was a Maton. It was electric, a solid body, called a Master Sound. I didn’t really get into acoustics until later on. I started on the electric guitar, and then I moved to the acoustic later on in life. The guitars that I travel with, that I play all my concerts with, this is my main one here. It’s called a EBG808, and it has the Ap5 pickup system in it, which is everything on board here. Six individual piezos here, and a microphone. I’ve done a bit of hot rodding here, as you can see, I’ve got a little gaff tape holding stuff in here, but I wanted to get the mic free of the body and just hanging in mid air, so I’m pointing like that. That’s what I did there.
I did it in a bit of a hurry the other day before I left to go on tour, so it’s holding together with gaff, but normally the Maton comes with a microphone, and it goes up inside a piece of foam, foam rubber stuff, and it just sits there like that. It’s a beautiful placement. This particular model, which I have 2 of these on the road, this is an indigenous Australian maple called a Queensland Maple. It’s a mahogany neck, and a spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, and saddle. These guitars are really well-made. This is a custom shop model, made by a guy named Andy Allen. It’s got a good acoustice sound.
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He means it. He really does. I first heard him play back in the early 90's when he was playing Pubs and so on here in Oz. It was at a ski resort, we were all having a few after a day out and on comes a guy named who? Tommy who? Literally that was what we thought. He set up brought out all his gear blah blah. Noisy crowded bar full of skiiers after a hard day at it. He introduced himself. Ignored mostly. Started to play and within 30 seconds the place was still and silent. Just unbelievable. I met him in a lift in Canberra after we went to show a few years back. Just a bloody lovely, humble bloke. Can't wait to see him again.
I met Tommy Emmanuel after I left one of his shows in the uk . I walked out of the show amazed . I walked out towards the doors to the car park and there was the man himself standing right there in front of me with his daughter . I can honestly say the man is an absolute gent . Real nice guy .
Tommy makes me proud to be an Aussie...every time I see one of his shows I am always astounded...thankyou.😊
I was attending university on Broadway in Sydney in 1981...a band called Goldrush played every Tuesday night at the Civic Hotel nearby. The lead guitarist was Phil Emmanuel...his brother Tommy was the drummer. And they were awesome. Very proud of Tommys achievements.
A professional performs at a professional level at all times. Never "hal fassed." That's Tommy.
Not just an extraordinary musician. A wonderful human being.
Tommy's playing may be hard to copy but this interview shows that his words of wisdom are applicable to all of us mere mortals. Excellent interview!
been playing the guitar for 40 years, but tommy emmanuel is the BEAST!
as a Swiss first and then Australian, whenever I listen to Tommy Emmanuel's music and interviews, the no nonsense trait of this true blue Aussie bloke comes through. Amazing player, seemingly very approachable guy, he is a Down Under treasure, a true national treasure.
Well said.
His crowd pleasing never comes across as arrogance. He expends energy in his service to delight the audience. The epitome of “The entertainer” I am inspired to humbly serve the song.
how did you not just hug him after that. I love Tommy Emmanuel he is awesome... so down to earth.
I was lucky enough to do the light show for Mr. Emmanuel when he played at the Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium. I had not hear of him before that, and his skill level and ability to get the audience engaged was eye opening. Just amazing.
Saw him in Salt Lake City when I was 16-ish. My teacher showed me his UA-cam videos and got me tickets to his show and that’s one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. I’m not a concert person, but getting to sit in a more intimate concert setting in an old historic theatre, and just listen to the music was ethereal.
10:31 Tommy looked me right in the eyes and SAID MY NAME
Sir Tommy is very very generous here, he indeed spill the beans. Man, we're so lucky. He's always been 'my' #1 fingerstyle player in the world. Indeed a good person. Very rare to find these days.
You just got to love Tommy he is grounded and talks common sense and comes over as such a nice bloke, no one else in the music industry has impressed me more.
This is one of the best interviews I’ve watched in a long time. Tommy’s willingness to share his style, tone setup, stage presence and everything else in this video shows that he serves the instrument. We all hear about serving the song. The way he seems to share everything he knows and has experienced with whoever asks him, makes him the most well regarded acoustic player today. Great video my friend!
Tommy is truly one of the good guys.......a guitar player's friend, an inspiration, a humble gentleman who gives it all for an interview, sound check, a performance. He is without a doubt, the greatest living acoustic finger style player on the planet. Hope he lives forever. Tony, after watching this interview, I immediately subscribed to your channel knowing the best is yet to come.
He has that typical Aussie down to earth attitude. Re his advice on what is the best guitar and strings, I was given the same advice when I was younger and that was "whatever works for you.." Best advice ever when it comes to choosing your musical equipment.
thats true , he is the one
Wow, so well said and many thanks for it Bob.
I second that.
Tommy Emmanuel is a living treasure.
Everyone LOVES Tommy Emmanuel !!! He is Amazing !!! He is so good at what he does !!! Amazing person and musician !!!
Our great Tommy caused a big shake all over the world with his guitar!
Lived in Oz for a few years and have seen Tommy in concert. This was a wonderful engagement with him and very informative and enjoyable. I'm jealous of both of them, to have spent time with each other, doing guitar geek stuff.
Tommy is amazing, and this is a really great interview. Tommy must be the most “customer focused” musician ever. He seriously care about his audience. No arrogance, just pure good intensions. Its really special. No wonder that people from all over the world loves and respect him - not only because he is a master on guitar but also because he is a wonderful humble human being. Live forever, dont over work yourself :-)
Awesome! I caught Tommy’s show several years ago in Montgomery, Alabama, and was fortunate enough to go backstage and meet him! What an incredible man-an unforgettable show! I can’t wait to see him again! 👍
Tommy is great because he truely believes that what was he is doing is entertaining, and he has fun doing it. Can get more simple, true, and pure as that.
Fantastic interview! Tommy speaks about the brilliance of it at 5 minutes in...thinking like a band. Boy does he ever do it beautifully. He always has a friendly demeanor and such a great attitude that isn't boastful.
I watched Tommy and his brother Phil play for many years 70's and 80's in Australia - they were so good together. BUT, most importantly there was this competitive thing going in both to be better all the time. Tommy is an entertainer and damn good song, groove man. Tommy is the reason I play guitar. And I play a Maton electric/acoustic. Very good interview. Very Aussie humour.
Tommy is simply the pinnacle of the word “showman”.
Even Elvis needed backing guys.
I'm a sax player, but I really loved this interview!
A great interview! Tommy is always inspirational to this day. Still remember the first live show I ever saw as a kid (apart from my Dad's country band), my Dad took me to see Tommy Emmanuel play with his band in the late 80's. Basically It was awesome and blew my mind, and I started playing guitar at age 10 because of it. He's such a Legend and worthy of every accolade there is. Legend!
Fantastic interview with some wonderful advice. I love Tommy and consider him one of the world's finest guitarists.
I was at his gig in Shanghai at JZ festival - outstanding! So much entertaining and brilliant performance, the greatest acoustic guitar player I’ve ever heard!
Really enjoyed the interview. Not ashamed to say that I wasn't familiar with Tommy Emmanuel, but will definitely be checking out his work now. Thanks for having him and expanding my awareness.
Tommy Emmanuel is a genius, I think we know that :) But props to Tony Polecastro! It's a great interview :)
Thank u very much for this video. Big respect from Croatia!!!😊
I remember seeing Tommy years ago back in the early 70s at a place called 'The Roxy' at Taylor's Square in Sydney. We were both about 17. Only a few people there but he was playing some incredible stuff. Stefan Grossman etc. I had only been playing guitar for about 2 years at that stage and I'd never heard anything like him. A few years later I saw him playing at 'The Journey's End' in Woolloomooloo in Sydney Australia. He was a great player then but also an entertainer. He's a very funny guy.
Tommy is such a lovely guy, if you go to a gig, never be afraid to approach him. The next time I see him I will thank him for designing the Maton808TE it has given almost 10 years of live acoustic euphoria. It is the best guitar for live gigs. I love my Martins but live the Maton is the boss.
What a Master Tommy Emanuel is.
DEFINITELY!!!
Please spell the name right
Perhaps he is, although he's not in Tommy Emmanuel's league.
What a top man Tommy is! Personable, intelligent, articulate, interesting, charming and completely real with no airs or graces. Oh, and a wonderful and inventive musician.
I only recently discovered Tommy Emmanuel. His "Live! at the Ryman" album is one of my all time favorites. It was fun to find this interview.
TE is an Australian legend ... thanks mate!
Wow... Awesome interview and what a great Musician and real deal attitude.
GREAT,... interview. There's Only ONE Tommy Emmanuel!
Yes sir!
A true gentleman and,as a performer, exudes such joy and enthusiasm in his playing. I've enjoyed a live show once and am happy to say I j u st snagged tickets to another show.
Great interview! Tommy is a world treasure and a world class entertainer. This was a great interview of him!!!
greatest human being on earth
I love how Tommy talks. Always concrete answers
I truly like the wisdom of Tommy. He is a roll model for me. Keep the good way to life in general. Tank's for the good intervew with him.
"You're not playing to an audience full of musicians!" Exactly Tommy!
I remember playing with my band, and several others at a benefit concert. Some of the best bands/musicians in the area played. One particular gent got on stage w/ a washboard & boom-box. He did his simple thing... brought the house down, and got a standing ovation! I looked over at my puzzled bandmates, and said, "There's a lesson here my friends..... People just want to be entertained."
I bet there are a lot of musicians in the audience, who have come to see the Master.
If you are talking about Tommy? I would imagine so. If you are talking about what I experienced, about what Tommy said? I guess people are easily satisfied.
your band sounds like a dreary goddamn place
@Nobby Heads That's because everyone feels sorry for the bass player.
Awesome. Looking forward to Tommy's concert in Indy.
Tommy is truly a guitar treasure. And seems like an amazing dude as well!
Tommy giving great advice!
Best TE interview ever...what an inspiration and a great guy! Thanks Tony!
This!...was pure gold. Thank you so much guys. Two men I admire greatly. What a wonderful talk. Damn..I feel emotional right now and I have a new love for my humble Simon&Patrick(Godin)
Tommy is a very special fantastic player , top in what he does.... a band in one man!,
truly awesome interview
Outstanding!!
Thanks, that was treat! Tommy is such a treasure as a player and a person.
TE so honest and humble with an amazing work ethic..Inspirational
What a great human being.!
And of course the most amazing guitar player on this planet.!
I love how Tommy has no pretence. Just loves music and wants to share it with everyone. Legend.
out standing , out standing , out standing , out standing. waooooooooooooooooo! how many? out standing! Tony out standing!👍
This interview is very educational.. great job Tony!
the end of the interview was the best...great advice,...thank you Tommy!
WOW, Tommy guitar sound GREATTT for such a small body guitar
There's a tremendous difference between Knowledge and Wisdom - Tommy has a tremendous amount of Knowledge but it his Experience that offers us Infinite Wisdom. When I listen to Tommy Interviews I say to myself, "Listen well Lil' Grasshoppah" ... just Listen.
Tommy is so amazing humble and inspiring. His passion for playing music has never waned after all these years. I never get tired of watching him play. Possibly one of the best fingerstyle players to walk the earth.
Wowwww great interview. This is inspiring for a guitar player. Tommy is a sound man (pun intended!!)
Emmanuel has the fucking deepest well of any player in any genre I have see. He just has endless everything
Gotta love Tommy! Always an inspiration and yup...brilliant entertainer.....
Tommy is amazing and one of the greates artists and a lot of what he is saying is true. I have heard him more than a dozend times playing live. In this interview he is full of praise of his soundguy - a friend told me he would also work for acts like Aerosmith etc and this might be true, cause in the last 3 year I never witnessed a good FOH sound during TEs gigs in Germany. Most of the time it was very boomy and much to loud. What a pitty cause I was at shows of TE when he had a wonderful sound, balanced and very dynamic. I would love to mix TE some day, just to hear him with a good FOH sound!
It's Christmas each time i reopen this video. Great gift, Thank You so Much.
I really like Tommy Emmanuel. I am very influenced by his work as a musician and I also agree with him about "being yourself". He is pretty genuine. Nowadays I miss a lot of an attitude like his in other artists/musicians... Also it is very easy to get lost in the actual music scenario with a bunch of new instruments, new effects and new music styles/songs/videos everyday. At the same time it's very hard to discover your "unique" way of playing the guitar because there's a ton of new information every minute over the internet that could influence you in a good or bad way. That being said, and despite of everything, I do think that finding your "unique" way of playing is an infinite and challenging pursuing, like "playing well" is another too. But we are very lucky to get some of wisdom from a great musician like him... It's very enlightening!
If I could reach only 10% of what Tommy reached, I'll be extremely happy in my music career. Thanks for every single note that you have played Tommy! Very inspiring! Great interview!
Both of you plays amazingly. One of the best interview sessions. I love Tommy Emmanuel. He's the man.
Best acoustic guitarist of all time...my opinion of course :)
Nope. It's a fact.
hes top 7 for sure
he is amazing, but leo kottke is my top.
Reiley Williams leo is incredible:)
THE GREAT ALL AROUND GUITARIST
CHET ATKINS....NO ONE COMES CLOSE
great guitar player but a bit of a circus act
i'll always remember the tips given...thank you TE and TP either...osom as always!!
That is a fantastic interview. Easy going and full of fun and enthusiasm. I have seen Tommy live and he always puts on an incredible faultless performance. Amazing. Thanks Tony.
First, and off topic, looks like you've been spending some time at the gym Tony. Great!
Your vids always manage to constantly surprise us with unexpected li'l gems like this one. Heck, I've been satisfied just watching your guitar reviews (which typically result in a severe case of GAS and ... near poverty!), so this outstanding interview was, well ... outstanding!
Thanks for all of the ALs and TAC.
I watch Tony Polecastro playing and my jaw drops; Tony watches Tommy Emmanuel playing and his jaw drops...
What a real person Tommy is; humble and shares with everyone. And Tony, nice beard!
Thank you Tommy for your honesty..so totally refreshing! You are an AMAZING WORLD CLASS GUITARIST and PERFORMER!
This is inspiring... wonderful video. Thanks Tommy and Tony.
i absolutely love your channel. Been practicing along every single video you make. You're truly an inspiration, I hope you'll keep uploading.
This interview is a killer. Been a fan of Tommy for years.
You are a true treasure Tommy
Great interview and Tommy makes you so motivated to play better.....
Great interview Tony! Tommy is the master...
Yes yes yes !!!!!
Such a nice man and ambassador for guitar playing....
SUPER SHOW! Thanks Much Tony! You Guys are a geeks Lovelys! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
My fave part is from 16:30 :) "I'm a drummer who plays the guitar" hahah
Listening and watching Tommy Emmanuel makes me want to throw my guitar away! He is just remarkably great!
Positive energy
Outstanding!
Incredible dexterity.
Excellent interview. Extraordinary man. Thanks.
Such an amazing guy Tommy!
The complete gentleman. 😎
What Tommy said about choosing the perfect guitar couldn't be more true. I have a $600 acoustic that I loved until found an Epiphone at a yardsale for $50 and no guitar since has felt better to me.
I totally agree! I have a few high end Taylors and other assorted pieces....but almost all of my writing has been on my S101 that I got when I was 15.
Tommy is touring New Zealand this September 2017 . Get your ticket
before they sell out. He is playing smaller venues so you will be up
close and personal.
Tommy feels every note and nuance !