Museeip Posted December 10, 2005 Share Posted December 10, 2005 I was just listening to ZZ Top's First Album and loving it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caprae Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Raise your children and spoil your grandchildren. Spoil your children and raise your grandchildren. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 WEll I AGREE on Billy's tone as being a consistant wonderful thing! And I still do not understand why EVH did what he did to his tone. Ya I know all the theories, ala, old Marshalls, the voltage differences the hot preamping the wear and tear on the old circuts etc. BUT NOT buying any of those ideas...WHY ..because we all know that with his resources IF he wanted to have old Marshalls on stage in great performance condition HE COULD HAVE THEM and LOTS of them in reserve!!! why NOT? dont know why but it certainly isn't lack of available funds is it? http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Billy's tone flies in the face of the string guage argument. I found out right here from 'Zan that he uses 8s. I've known for years that he uses a coin for a pick. He also uses a whack of guitars and amps, and always delivers killer tone. As for EVH, if he treats manufacturers the same way he bulldozes band members, we'll see his sound change again and again, as these relationships keep falling by the wayside, and we have seen his endorsements change a lot. Dunno how a legit guitar icon like Sammy could strip off his instrument and just do vocals. Was EVH somehow threatened by Sammy's guitar prowess? I've always admired Eddie's playing, but he seems to have a ruthlessness about him that I can see established players being put off by. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tone Taster Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Maybe Sammy has a better tone and doesn't want to play through 5150's perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Originally posted by Caputo: Maybe Sammy has a better tone and doesn't want to play through 5150's perhaps? Can't blame him there. My first dance with a 5150 was less than impressive. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Hagar can be a masterful player,when he's not messing around! I saw him with his own band at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, and he was great, then three days later I saw him in Chicago again with a Rick Derringer walk on! (dunno why Rick was in town?) but anyway, what a thing to see and hear! those two guys just totally tore up the place one driving the other and Hagar went stellar!!! as did Rick of coarse!! http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCustom Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I've been listening to that ZZ Top first album for over thirty years in various incarnations (vinyl, 8-track, cassete, CD, MP3). They've always had great tone. Although when it was first released I don't remember the name being that. I think it was just called "ZZ Top". I wish I still had the vinyl version. Billy's use of the Marshall Lead 12 in his rack is why I still have a couple of them. It's the best sounding SS amp I've ever heard. I believe he used it a good bit on the Afterburner album. I spent a lot of time trying to duplicate the various tones Billy's put out over the years. I've never heard him play anything that didn't have a killer tone. If anything, ZZ Top always sounded even better live. Born on the Bayou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 I have somewhere a tape of us doing Gimmie All Your Lovin' when I was with Clutch... I used my old Marshall if I can find the tape I'll put it up on SoundClick an see if ya like that tone. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCustom Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Originally posted by ellwood: Hagar can be a masterful player,when he's not messing around! I saw him with his own band at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, and he was great, then three days later I saw him in Chicago again with a Rick Derringer walk on! (dunno why Rick was in town?) but anyway, what a thing to see and hear! those two guys just totally tore up the place one driving the other and Hagar went stellar!!! as did Rick of coarse!! Sammy's always been a singer first. Even back when he joined up with Ronnie Montrose, he was the singer and didn't play much, if any, guitar. There's not a lot of room for a second guitar when Eddie's playing. Sammy did play some but not a lot. He put out an entire album in short order after he left Van Halen. It was probably because they didn't use anything he wrote. I'm also thinking that's what caused the schism and got him ejected. I never really felt that Sammy belonged with Van Halen. It always seemed like a clash of styles that Sammy shoe-horned himself into. It probably caused a lot of tension. Sammy is a good guitarist. But his style and EVHs just don't seem to overlap much. Did you guys know that Sammy is nearly 60? He sure doesn't look it. I wonder if the age difference had anything to do with him leaving Van Halen, too. You'd also think that EVH could put whatever he wanted on the stage for his tone. Maybe the tone he has now is what he wants. He's always been a little "different". Born on the Bayou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Billy Gibbons is a GOD!! I think he is one of the coolest bluesy rock players ever. He often gets overshadowed by other guys like Clapton or Hendrix but he is right up there. As for EVH, he really hasn't done much cool stuff since Roth left. I always hear the same BS licks over and over. Not even a glimmer of his former self. Old solos like 'So this is Love', Outta Love, I'm the One, Drop Dead Legs, had SOO much to offer. It is like he threw every cool old lick he ever came up with out the window and VOWED never to play like that again after Sammy joined. Me and my buddies who play guitar refer to the 'new' eddie since Sammy has been playing with them as 'shobiz eddie' cuz of that shobiz lick he always plays at the end of ANY solo or song. You know the one from the end of Hot for Teacher. EVH worst solo -- Dreams http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Sorry for ripping on EVH, he is my hero. Billy Gibbons is a tone king tho. One of those guys that always sounds like himself. I have also heard that he uses .008. That is a total trip considering how much tone he has. EVH uses .009 and uses thin picks too and he sounded gigantic!! Guess string guage doesn't matter. I use .010 on my electric because otherwise I would want a custom set and that is too big a pain in teh ass. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Both Billy and Eddie are big time tone gods and players i dig very much. funny how Billy can use those thin strings. one thing is he has used low tunings alot, XXX has some major detuning to fatten it up. Ed had tuned to e flat for years as well. someting tells me he has used standard tuning lately but i am not sure. i absolutely love ZZTop. and VanHalen. i think the main thing with Sammy is that he is so melodic in his vocals that it gives Ed less room for being himself. Ed used to show up with stuff Alex and him had worked out and all Dave had to do was find something to fit. different process, different sound. who knows. Billy Eddie http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=193274 rock it, i will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Billy Gibbons rocks! In case no one else had mentioned it already, I'm sure most of you know that Jimi Hendrix once mentioned that Billy Gibbons was his favorite guitar player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted December 11, 2005 Share Posted December 11, 2005 Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreibel Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 YES! ZZ Top were a major jones for me even before I began to play guitar - I'd hear Billy's side-of-the-pick chirps in La Grange and it'd be instant air guitar. Tres Hombres is a killer album for distorted and crunchy blues tone, all the songs smoke. But I also love Deguello for its 180 degree turn into killer clean tone and some interesting fuzztone textures. I'm glad to see that the Chrome Smoke & BBQ box set and the recent Best Of 2-fer went back to the original mixes and not that fakey overreverbed and overcompressed "remixes" the original catalogue suffered when it went to CD. Hey Billy, if you're reading this, I hope you re-issue the entire catalogue with the original restored mixes, and include the Mexican meal centrefold on the Tres Hombres reissue They always had the coolest guitars - I'd love to own Billy's Custom Shop Esquire with the inlaid "Think Buck Owens" on the neck (and likewise Dusty's matching CS '51 Precision with "And Chanel No. 5") As for Sammy - he did do some interesting work on the Montrose album. That smoking slide work on Bad Motor Scooter?. Sammy on a Gibson Korina lap steel..... "I used to be "with it", but then they changed what "it" was! Now what I'm with isn't "it", and what is "it" is weird and scary to me. IT'LL HAPPEN TO YOU!" - Grampa Simpson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Well SoundClick finally let me upload that ZZ Top tune... this was with my old 800 Series Marshall using the ES-335 I tracked the support parts and then put the lead over it..its file name Topzzdemo on SoundClick... http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Sounds great Lee, very much like Billy Gibbons. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Museeip Posted December 12, 2005 Author Share Posted December 12, 2005 Yeah, sounds good Lee. I've always wanted to cover "just got paid"! Not sure how Sammy got in a here, but I'll agree that the Montrose album rocks! Vocals and guitar. I think Sammy was cool before Van Halen, And Van Halen ruled before they got him. They got together and everything went to crap. It's the curse of Roth. Never fire David!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar55 Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Have you guys listed to ZZ Top's latest, "Mescalero"? It's a great album that includes a hidden track of them doing "As TIme Goes By" from Casablanca. Very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Originally posted by ellwood: Well SoundClick finally let me upload that ZZ Top tune... this was with my old 800 Series Marshall using the ES-335 I tracked the support parts and then put the lead over it..its file name Topzzdemo on SoundClick... I'm listening to it right now. Before seeing this particular post, I was thinking "That's Lee's 335". At least I still have my ear. Good Stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Originally posted by Museeip: Yeah, sounds good Lee. I've always wanted to cover "just got paid"! I love that tune! Some nice Texas-style chicken-pickin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Originally posted by KPB: Originally posted by ellwood: Well SoundClick finally let me upload that ZZ Top tune... this was with my old 800 Series Marshall using the ES-335 I tracked the support parts and then put the lead over it..its file name Topzzdemo on SoundClick... I'm listening to it right now. Before seeing this particular post, I was thinking "That's Lee's 335". At least I still have my ear. Good Stuff. Yep! that's my "OLD GUY" I got another track of "Cat Scratch Fever" using it and it makes the tune sound right I think. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Ah, "Cat Scratch Fever"! A Motown standard for sure. I always loved the line: "I can make a pussy purr with the stroke of my hand". Classic, perverted, Ted. I'd like to hear that track sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 12, 2005 Share Posted December 12, 2005 Originally posted by KPB: Ah, "Cat Scratch Fever"! A Motown standard for sure. I always loved the line: "I can make a pussy purr with the stroke of my hand". Classic, perverted, Ted. I'd like to hear that track sometime. Ya it's a must do in MoTown! Ok I'll put it up on SoundClick and take a listen. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 KPB ok I just put it up on SoundClick..file name is KAT for KPB... hope ya like it http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Lee, Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted December 13, 2005 Share Posted December 13, 2005 Lee, Didn't have time this morning to say any more than a quick thanks. Again, thanks for the Nugent cover link. Very nice. Like you, I must have played that tune a million times in my days living in MI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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