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Clean players who use Les Pauls

roadrunner

Active member
Joined
Aug 25, 2001
Messages
6,835
OK, "some" being the key word here. It sure sounded like you were saying it was a common thing. I don't think it was.

And who DID play guitar on "3 O'clock Blues"? Newborn?

Yup, I certainly didn't say "all" the time. Once you get used to hearing that sound, the direct sound, go back into your T-Bone catalog, and BB's (and a lot of other blues and R&B guys as well) too... and listen for it. That'll give you an idea of how common, or un-common, it was.

Yes, Calvin Newborn on guitar.


Some problems with this.

Feedback and bleed from the the control room speaker into B's vocal mic and most studios had 4 channel boards. How could that have been done?

Feedback, not so much. Bleed, yes... it's the bleed that makes the whole thing stick together. That's why those old records sounded so good, the bleed. Later on, with multi-tracking... that's when the recordings began to sound sterile, nobody playing in a room together. The Beatles and the Stones for example, they and their producers, understood how important it was to track as much of the song live, with all the band playing at once, so the song was "of a piece" instead of "made of pieces."

As far as bleed goes, certain types of mics have null sides that cancel sound. Not all the sound but enough, if you know how place them to keep the bleed down.
Sometimes the whole idea IS to capture the bleed. Check out this track from JD's record... that's one mic, the vocal mic (an old RCA 77) in the room, with everyone playing live.
Scroll down to "What's On Your Mind", click it, then scroll back up to start the mp3 player.
http://simotheband.bandcamp.com/album/simo


Maybe Buddy Whittington answered my question. Looks like the Motown guys and Jamerson went direct into the board.......:hmm

http://faac.us/adf/messages/131452/155100.html?1191305122

I love how someone in that thread makes it sound like the Beatles invented recording direct. Wonder if that guy ever heard of Les Paul??:rofl

Yeah, Motown guitars and Jamerson's bass... straight in.

And bass players have been playing fliptops for decades to get Jamerson's sound. Well, if it sounds right it is right. Right?

Right.

Yup, B-15, or a B-18 live. Keyword, "live."
 

chuckNC

New member
Joined
Apr 24, 2012
Messages
1,261
Yup, B-15, or a B-18 live. Keyword, "live."
I am not arguing here. I'd be outgunned big time if I were!:laugh2: Just making a cheap-seats observation. I don't know that many bass players are familiar with Jamerson's live tone. I'd say they are thinking of his tone on record in most cases. But I can't argue with a P-Bass with flats into a B15 or B18. Who would want to? It would be un uh mer ican! Besides, knowing Igor used a fliptop on gigs is reason enough to put it on the Cool Gear List.

This thread has derailed in a delightful way, I'm both happy and ashamed to say.
 

mistersnappy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
Messages
7,321
You've never heard me, but, I love the sound of mine thru my '63 Vibroverb reissue on about 3-4. :hee
 

bluesky636

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2014
Messages
656
Doc Watson, long ago!

Who'd a thunk it:

Doc_Lespaul.JPG
 

chuckNC

New member
Joined
Apr 24, 2012
Messages
1,261
I believe that is Bruce Conte playing his all-hog '57 Goldtop. But I agree he gets a great tone -- and he knows how to use it.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
There's a cat named Elliot Easton that gets some pretty amazing clean sounds..... Just sayin' !
 

Fornax

Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2011
Messages
57
Old thread, but I am playing thru a Deluxe 5e3 copy. Oh boy! Nice tones.
 

Cranknfrank

Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
64
I've been using my '11 Paul as my workhorse guitar playing in a classic rock band, formally being a Fender player. I am struck on how beautiful the clean tones can be if the amp is up to the task, e.g. Fender twin. The LP design is, by accident or genius, a best of both worlds, straddling clean and dirty timbres. Why don't I hear a lot of players using the LP for clean stuff?

Topic for discussion:

Let's highlight popular players who have used Les Pauls as a clean, undistorted instrument.

I'll start with:

1. Les Paul
2. Jerry Garcia
Don't know if he has been mentioned........Robben Ford.
 

Goldtopboy57

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2022
Messages
4
Phil Keaggy, especially in the middle position. Pinky finger volume swell master on his cherry sunburst Les Paul.
 
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