Which Bursts have "Hollow" tone?

[55Custom]

Hollow tone, has been described in other threads as having somewhat scooped mids. So I'm looking for examples of Bursts with that sound on CD or tone clips.

 

[DrewB]

"Tears" on the Stone Roses album Second Coming.

 

[roadrunner]

For starters:

Duane's tone on "Live at the Fillmore East." His solo on "Stormy Monday" is a textbook example of the "hollow", "crying" tone.

Bloomfield's tone on "Super Session."

... many more, those came to mind first.

 

[marshall1987]

For starters:

Duane's tone on "Live at the Fillmore East." His solo on "Stormy Monday" is a textbook example of the "hollow", "crying" tone.

Bloomfield's tone on "Super Session."

... many more, those came to mind first.

Agree. Duane Allman's tone on that recording is textbook hollow PAF tone. I love this tone. I believe some folks also refer to this tone as PAF "Quack". This is defined as when trebles mask other tones when the string is picked. There is a very good article on PAF pickups and replicas in the March 2005 issue of Vintage Guitar magazine (see "Humbucker Turns 50").

 

[GeetarGoul]

ZZ Top sizzles with all kinds of hollow tones.

 

[shuie]

Is 'Hollow' tone some kind of new ebay buzzword or have you guys actually ever heard this term used to describe guitar tone before? Does a Cloud 9 have 'Hollow' tone? Seems like it should

 

[Tom Wittrock]

Is 'Hollow' tone some kind of new ebay buzzword or have you guys actually ever heard this term used to describe guitar tone before?

:hmm



Somebody is bound to have used that term in a number of ways over the last few hundred years, to describe some variety of guitar tone. Surely jazzers have for decades. :spabout

The Allman Bros example cited above is achievable with most vintage humbucker LPs [Standards]. :tw59

 

[J.D.]

Slash's "Sweet Child 'o Mine" tone is what I think of as the hollow, woody tone, among the others listed.

 

[porterburst]

Duane and Dicky, and almost any Paul Kossoff.

 

[rays44]

Great magnet flip and hollow tones all over "Blues For Greenie".
ZZ's "Blue Jean Blues" is as hollow as an empty airplane hanger.

 

[pilotlight]

Point noted about the plethora of tone "adjectives". However, the "hollow" tone is commonly attributed to PAF standards. It's that undeniable reedy tone that has a wood/earthy foundation with just the right bite. I think it conjures an image of a hollowbody when you blindly hear it - hence "hollow tone". God, I love that #@!$ing tone!!! :yah

 

[TM1]

Duane's tone on the Fillmore recordings were not typical PAF. That guitar (The Cherryburst) had very over-wound pickups and were not stock PAF's by any means. Jim Wagner could give you the exact details on that pair of pickups.
Basically they were pickups that Duane had rewound that were in his Goldtop. When he got the Cherryburst, Joe Dan and Reddog swapped out the pickups from the G.T. into the C.B. Those pickups are still in the Cherryburst to this day. The Goldtop has the set that was originally in the Cherryburst.
That set of pickups not only did the Fillmore stuff (with exception of the June `71 recordings) but also did Layla and Idlewild South. I'd say a big part of the tone was Duane's fingers/touch and the wood of the guitar.

 

[marshall1987]

Duane's tone on the Fillmore recordings were not typical PAF. That guitar (The Cherryburst) had very over-wound pickups and were not stock PAF's by any means. Jim Wagner could give you the exact details on that pair of pickups.
Basically they were pickups that Duane had rewound that were in his Goldtop. When he got the Cherryburst, Joe Dan and Reddog swapped out the pickups from the G.T. into the C.B. Those pickups are still in the Cherryburst to this day. The Goldtop has the set that was originally in the Cherryburst.
That set of pickups not only did the Fillmore stuff (with exception of the June `71 recordings) but also did Layla and Idlewild South. I'd say a big part of the tone was Duane's fingers/touch and the wood of the guitar.

Perhaps so, but typical examples of original PAFs usually exhibit the tone characteristic known as "quack", especially when installed in Les Pauls.

 

[58burst]

In my experience burst's, and 50's LP's in general, fall in to a spectrum of tone in each instrument due primarily to the wood. Some examples are more brash and forward, especially in the upper mids and lower treble frequencies, and on the other hand some are more recessive in the mids, with an overall sweeter, more "scooped" tone. You can tell this easily by playing the guitars acoustically.

I consider those in the latter direction, more scooped and "sweet", to have a "hollow" sound, and especially a hollow feel as you play them. I personally prefer guitars that respond like this. My '58 is very much in this direction- many years ago I owned a '56 conversion that was the most "hollow" playing LP I've personally experienced-

This "hollowness" is very noticeably when you tap your fingernails on the back of the neck- some LP's sound literally much more hollow than others when you do this, as if they were hollowed out-

 

[TM1]

Perhaps so, but typical examples of original PAFs usually exhibit the tone characteristic known as "quack", especially when installed in Les Pauls.

I know that. Duane's had more of a nasal quality. I own and have owned many PAF's and have played a number of Fifties Standards and Goldtops. I'm very familiar with the sound as it's etched into my inner soundfile. It's the greatest tone around.

 

[Mathijs]

Slash's "Sweet Child 'o Mine" tone is what I think of as the hollow, woody tone, among the others listed.

As this tone was achieved by a 1987 LP Standard with SD Alnico Pro II humbuckers, I guess this then is a cheap way of getting real Burts tone for a beer price!

But serious: to me, the best ever recorded Burst tone is Mick Taylor on Sway from Sticky Fingers.

Mathijs

 

[J.D.]

As this tone was achieved by a 1987 LP Standard with SD Alnico Pro II humbuckers, I guess this then is a cheap way of getting real Burts tone for a beer price!

I thought that was recorded with the Chris Derrig (commonly referred to as the "Max") LP copy(?)

 

[zorglub!]

I thought that was recorded with the Chris Derrig (commonly referred to as the "Max") LP copy(?)

I am not sure Max has anything to do with Derrig, apart from the fact that they both built replicas... :wah

 

[WordMan]

To me, the best ever recorded Burst tone is Mick Taylor on Sway from Sticky Fingers.

Mathijs

I was gonna ask about Mick - the first clip that comes to mind is the slide lead on All Down the Line off Exile - when Mick kicks in with that slide lick, it just sounds like a wah pedal with no wah or something - really "hollow" or quacky. I assume that is what the OP is trying to describe.

I will have to go back and listen to my Fillmore East CD for an explicit comparison to what I hear on All Down the Line...

 

[J.D.]

Correct, it was commonly (incorrectly) referred to as a "Max" when it was in fact built by Derrig. Regardless, it was supposedly built with really old wood and by most accounts was/is an incredible sounding guitar.