One of the most well known guitar legends is undoubtedly Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. If you don't know who he is, you've really missed out on a large portion of rock history & need to get on YouTube or Napster and give ZZ Top & Gibbons a listen. One of the things that's most asked about Gibbons is how he gets his unique sound. His guitar has a very dry tone that is unique & helps create ZZ Top's unique sound.
While his tone is stuff of legends, and may remain his secret forever, Billy has used a bevy of amps, effects & guitars to produce this unique sound. Back in the day, Gibbons was most well known for playing his '59 Les Paul Standard, named Pearly Gates. You can hear him playing it on songs such as "La Grange", "Tush", "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers", as well as many others. He uses a heavy set of strings on this guitar (.011-.052) & actually uses a quarter as his pick of choice. In addition to his Paul, he is also well known for using Dean guitars, most notably the furry ones that he's known for spinning around in his music videos. You can hear him play a Dean Z on tracks from the '80s like "Gimmie All Your Lovin'" and "Sharp Dressed Man".
In more recent years, Gibbons has been known for playing a wider range of guitars. He's been seen playing a '55 Les Paul, with a P-90 in the neck, as well as a '60 Gretsch Bo Diddley on ZZ Top's album "Rhythmeen". Gibbons is also no stranger to Fender's axes. He's been seen playing the classic Stratocaster, Telecaster, Esquire, Teisco Del Ray, Chiquita travel guitar and Jaguar, just to name a few. Also, he's been playing a Mark Erlewine custom guitar since the '80s.
As for effects, Gibbons is well known for using a variety of strange effects. He's been seen with vintage wahs, flangers, harmonizier, MXR Pitch Transposer and a Roland chorus, just to name a few. One effect that I've seen him use and think he's used to an amazing end is the Bixonic Expandora fuzzbox.
Billy's choice of amps is also well rounded and includes a custom Rio Grande 125-watt tube amp, a '66 Marshall Plexi, Scholz Rockman, various Fender amps, and a Marshall JMP-1 tube preamp with Peavey's TubeFex. Onstage, Gibbons runs his sound through Orange 4x12 cabinets to create his stage sound. In the mid-'80s, however, this was not his preferred onstage setup. He is most famous for his use of the "Amp Cabin", of his own design, which were walls of Marshall and Fender amps, facing inward on each other, with a mic in the center. He roofed his cabin and used the setup to create a sound that's truly unique.
While Gibbons continues to create a unique and one of a kind sound through his setups, he's been no stranger to experimentation and variety in his setups. I don't know exactly how he gets his tone, and may never for that matter, but one thing I do know is that he's used his expertise to create some of the most unique sounds in the history of Rock and Roll.
John T Halbert is a writer who publishes on subjects of self help and human ability. His studies include the human body and mind and the innate abilities that lie within. He recently helped publish a series of websites about the Schwinn 431 Elliptical and Elliptical Exercise Equipment.
One of the most well-known guitars in the world is called “The Fool.” The original was a one of a kind special guitar featuring unique artwork. It was completely hand painted, and the image painted on the guitar’s body was based on art commissioned by George Harrison, a member of The Beatles. The original artwork was done as a mural on the wall of their Apple Boutique. Later, the mural was recreated on one of Harrison’s guitars, which he then gave to his friend Eric Clapton. Clapton played the guitar for years, but it eventually became the properly of Todd Rundgren, another famous player.
Today, guitarists can get their own replica of The Fool from Vintage. This guitar, model number VS6MRF, looks amazing because each and every one of them is hand painted with oil paint. The guitar is more than just for looks, though. It sounds exactly as a guitar made in the 1960s would, and it features everything a great guitar needs. It has a mahogany body and neck which features 22 pearloid crown inlays. The fingerboard is made out of rosewood, and the guitar features 22 frets. This relic guitar uses Wilkinson Deluxe tuners, a Tune-O-Matic bridge, Wilkinson Double Coil pickups, and has two volume and two tone controls in addition to a three way toggle switch. But let’s face it—if you’re purchasing this guitar, you’re really wanting it for its amazing artwork. Read more
I have a bit of an interesting situation here. Whenever I plug in my bass guitar (Dean Edge), turn the guitar's volume up all the way, set the thing on my bed, and walk up to my amp, I can faintly here music, and its always the same station, no matter what I do. the only way to make it stop, is to practice my guitar, or turn the amplifier off. On a rare occasion, the same thing happens with my electric guitar, which is an vintage Fender Telecaster.
a similar thing can sometimes happen with telephones (the old landline style) if you cross wires or don't hook things up properly. You can faintly hear a radio station through your phone.
you can hook up dental braces to a speaker and you might hear a radio station too. lol
Funk-Impro with Pick - Part III - Fender Telecaster Bass
The Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster takes the best of old and new Fender craftsmanship to create a fantastic guitar built for the serious player! Visually very accurate to the look of a '52 Telecaster, it has a list of sought-after Custom Shop upgrades to make any Tele player drool. It's got a top-of-the-line thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that ages quickly and beautifully as well as letting the natural tone of the wood shine. The neck has been streamlined for smooth playability with a satin-finish back, 9.5" fingerboard radius, and medium-jumbo frets. The three brass saddles on the vintage-style Tele bridge are compensated to allow for more accurate intonation. And a Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini-Humbucker at the neck and a custom-wound Tele bridge pickup deliver the hot tones called for in modern music.The rest of its features are true-blue '52 Tele, like the American Vintage model it's based on: a premium ash body, one-piece maple neck with U-shape profile, Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners, a one-ply black pickguard, and chrome hardware.The U.S. Vintage Hot Rod Series from Fender offers new instruments with specs, looks and features that make them feel as if you were the third owner of a vintage instrument. Here's your chance to own that beautiful player's guitar, but in brand new shape and freshly set-up from the Fender factory!
Additional Resources for: Fender Telecaster Hot Rod
Can someone tell me the advatages of a Fender Stratocaster as opposed to the Telecaster, Jaguar or Jazzmaster?
More specifically, the Vintage Hot Rod '57 Stratocaster.
Why are the features of the Stratocaster better than the similar models (Telecaster, Jaguar, Jazzmaster)
Thanks.
Here's that main advantages/disadvantages to all of them (except the Jaguar). I own several of each of them.
Stratocaster
Pros: 3 pickups (standard) as opposed to 2 pickups in the others (standard). These means you can get more tonal variety from the Stratocaster. There are several replacement parts for the Stratocaster as well as custom parts for easy modification. The value of a Stratocaster holds very well, and older ones are worth much much more than the Jazz or the Tele.
Cons: Everyone has one, AKA you don't stand out much. The tone can be compressed, thin, and too quacky for some types of music. Occasionally the treble can overwhelm the mids and the lows. The 5 way toggle switch and the volume knobs get in the way of strumming waaaay too often.
Telecaster:
Pros: Very bright clear sound, not compressed. Several custom and replacement parts. Volume knob and pickup switch are in perfect spots and don't get in the way. Very versatile guitar tone for several musical styles. There exists a semi-hollow version (thinline telecaster).
Cons: Too much treble sometimes. Only 2 pickups on standard models. A lot of models have really really thick necks, and it makes it hard to play fast sometimes. (There are models with small necks too though).
Jazzmaster:
Pros: Very full sound and tone due to the soapbar type pickups. Not too much treble not too much bass. Rhythm circuit and lead circuit switchable. Unique looks, you stand out a little bit because you have a different guitar. Tons of tone options due to different circuits.
Cons: Some people get confused with the available circuit switching. The bridge is horrid on the American models (the Mexican classic player series has a good bridge though). Hard to set up and intonate, and stay that way. Doesn't hold value as well as the Strat and the Tele.
All in all my recommendation would depend on what type of music you want to play.
If you want a solid blues guitar that can do good classic rock, and pop fairly well then look at the Strat.
The Telecaster is going to be the pick for country or treble oriented classic rock. If you snag a telecaster deluxe with the humbuckers you can play heavier rock, alternative, and with the right pedals maybe even some metal.
The Jazzmaster is my favorite and makes a perfect guitar for indie rock, alternative, and surf. The Jazz has the most balanced sound out of all of them and is easily adapted to all types of music.
I have the hot rod 57, and I love it for a clear bright sound perfectly suited for classic rock tones and rockabilly. The pickups are a little hotter than a standard Stratocaster. The pickups make the drive channels on amps sound creamy. however, before making a final decision I would seriously compare the 57 strat with a classic player jazzmaster. The jazzmaster will cost you a little less, and you just might be pleasantly surprised.
In the spirit of the original, the Fender American Vintage 62 Telecaster Custom guitar has a C-shaped maple neck with a 7.25-radius rosewood fingerboard. It also features a pair of 62 Custom Tele single-coil pickups, a vintage Tele bridge with threa...
The semi-hollow mahogany or ash body makes it easy on the shoulder and gives it sustain that can go forever. Special features include Schaller vintage "F" machine heads, nickel silver frets, Vintage Tele pickups, 3-saddle string-thru-body bridge, and an authentic '69-style pickguard.
The James Burton Standard Telecaster guitar pays homage to the great guitarist, with features including a custom-shaped neck with satin finish vintage tint, a six-saddle bridge and Texas Tele pickups. Alder body Maple neck, 60's U shape Maple finge...
The double-bound alder body and multi-ply pickguard that dressed up the '62 Telecaster(R) guitar distinguished it from its Butterscotch predecessor. And rosewood, originally introduced for cosmetic reasons because maple was prone to showing wear, quickly grew in popularity with the warmth it added to the classic Telecaster(R) tone. In the spirit of the original, the American Vintage 62 Telecaster(R) Custom guitar has a C-shaped maple neck with a 7.25"-radius rosewood fingerboard. It also features a pair of '62 Custom Tele(TM) single-coil pickups, a vintage Tele(TM) bridge with threaded steel saddles, and the original Tele(TM) circuit with three-position switch. Pickups - Two 62 Tele(TM) Custom Single-Coil Pickups (Neck & Bridge) Controls - Master Volume, Master Tone Pickup Switching - 3-Position Blade- Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Neck Pickup with Tone Control (Bright Vintage Circuit), Position 3. Neck Pickup with No Tone Control (Dark Vintage Circuit) Bridge - Original Vintage Tele(TM) Bridge with 3 Threaded Steel Saddles Machine Heads - Fender/Gotoh Vintage Style Tuning Machines Hardware - Nickel/Chrome Pickguard - 3-Ply Mint Green Scale Length - 25.5 (648 mm) Width at Nut - 1.650 (42 mm) Unique Features - Bound Top and Back, Top Hat Switch Tip, C Shape Maple Neck, Synthetic Bone Nut Strings - Fender(R) Super 250R, Nickel Plated Steel, Gauges - (.010,. 013,. 017,. 026,. 036,. 046), P/N 073-0250-006 Accessories - Deluxe Brown Hardshell Case, Strap, Cable, Ash Tray Bridge Cover
The Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster takes the best of old and new Fender craftsmanship to create a fantastic guitar built for the serious player! Visually very accurate to the look of a '52 Telecaster, it has a list of sought-after Custom Shop upgrades to make any Tele player drool. It's got a top-of-the-line thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer finish that ages quickly and beautifully as well as letting the natural tone of the wood shine. The neck has been streamlined for smooth playability with a satin-finish back, 9.5" fingerboard radius, and medium-jumbo frets. The three brass saddles on the vintage-style Tele bridge are compensated to allow for more accurate intonation. And a Seymour Duncan Vintage Mini-Humbucker at the neck and a custom-wound Tele bridge pickup deliver the hot tones called for in modern music.The rest of its features are true-blue '52 Tele, like the American Vintage model it's based on: a premium ash body, one-piece maple neck with U-shape profile, Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuners, a one-ply black pickguard, and chrome hardware.The U.S. Vintage Hot Rod Series from Fender offers new instruments with specs, looks and features that make them feel as if you were the third owner of a vintage instrument. Here's your chance to own that beautiful player's guitar, but in brand new shape and freshly set-up from the Fender factory!
Additional Resources for: 52 Fender Telecaster Hot Rod
telecaster or the stratocaster???
im torn between these two guitars, which one should i get? which do you like better and why?
I have both guitars. I prefer the Strat because it has the twang bar that I use alot. The Tele sounds great if you don't use the twang bar. If I had to pick one it would be the Strat.
Fender Vintage Hot Rod '52 Telecaster & Vox AC30C2 Combo
Fender started to produce the Stratocaster or Strat in the spring of 1954.
The earlier vintage 1954 Strats, are slightly different than later 1954 Strats. Some of the most obvious noticeable traits of the very first production are:
o Serial number are on the plastic tremolo cover plate instead of the metal neck plate.
o The Bakelite knobs are a slightly different shape, with smaller "skirts".
o The Strat case is shaped like the guitar (known as a "poodle" case) instead of center pocket rectangular tweed.
Early Strats are made from one piece Ash bodies which make the weight of the guitar to be medium to light, which is fairly rare. Generally 1954 models tend to be heavy. Ash bodies were used on Fender Strats until mid-1956, when Fender switched to Alder (for all colors except Blond).
In addition, Fender finished the sunburst Ash bodies slightly different than how they finished Alder sunburst bodies, so the overall look of the sunburst from those years are slightly different. Fender didn't always put a body date in the pot of the Stratocaster. Sometimes it's in the middle pickup route on the front of the body. By the early 1960's, body dates were no longer stamped on the serial number. It is very rare to find any Fender with a body date from the 60's in the electrical pot.
Fender maintained putting dates on the neck until about 1970, but the signing of the neck by the craftsmen stopped around 1955 or 1956, so if you see initials or signatures you will be aware of how old the strat might be.
There should be "nail holes" in the Strat body. Nails were used to hold the body when it was being painted. A finish nail is driven into the body at four positions to act as "feet" to elevate the body during finish spraying, to allow it to dry without touching the table. Later the nails are removed and discarded. The four nail holes should always be evident and NOT filled with paint! If the nail holes are missing or have paint in them, the body was refinished. Fender used this nail technique until about late 1964.
Underneath the single layer pick guard. All white single layer Fender pick guards from 1954 to 1959 were made from a new material (at that time) called ABS or vinyl. These pick guards are not Bakelite! (Though the knobs and pickup covers are often called "Bakelite", they are actually polystyrene). The small aluminum shielding plate under the pots and switch increased in size and decreased in thickness in 1959.
On the back of the peg head there is a tooling hole underneath the tuners, between the "G" and the "D" tuner. This hole was used when the neck was made. Fender maintained this tooling hole until the late 1960'.
The back tremolo cover plate has string access holes that are round. Starting in early 1955, these holes changed to an oblong shape. This allowed the strings to be changed easier with this cover in place.
The Stratocaster tremolo as used from 1954 to early 1971. The bridge saddles are stamped "PAT. PEND." opposed to reissue Strat saddles which are stamped "FENDER FENDER" instead.
Fender's Vintage Modified Strat HSS incorporates the chop-shop look and hot output black bobbin humbucking pickup slammed into the traditional Stratocaster platform. The body is made of Indian Red Cedar and features two Duncan Design SC-102 Stack pi...
The Electric guitar hasn't been around nearly as long as the Acoustic and Classical guitars. In fact, the Electric guitar was created just 70 years ago (the 1930s) by Adolph Rickenbacker. Since that time, the Electric guitar has greatly evolved to the where it is today. In this article, we'll go over the history of the Electric guitar.
The History
Guitars, or similar instruments, have been around for thousands of years. The Electric guitar was first manufactured in the 1930s by Rickenbacker. Original Electric guitars used tungsten pickups. Pickups basically convert the vibration of the strings into electrical current, which is then fed into the amplifier to produce the sound.
The very earliest Electric guitars featured smaller soundholes in the body. These guitars are known as semi-hollow body Electric guitars and still are somewhat popular today, mainly due to the fact that they are flexible guitars.
However, with the use of pickups, it was possible to create guitars without soundholes (like the Acoustic and Classical guitars have) that still had the ability to be heard, if plugged into amplifiers. These guitars are called solid body Electric guitars.
The Electric guitar's popularity began to increase during the Big Band era of the '30s and 40s. Due to the loudness of the brass sections in jazz orchestras, it was necessary to have guitars that could be heard above the sections. Electric guitars, with the ability to be plugged into amplifiers, filled this void.
The Electric guitar that is most prevalent today is the solid body Electric guitar. The solid body guitar was created by musician and inventor Les Paul in 1941. It is a guitar made of solid wood with no soundholes. The original solid body guitar created by Paul was very plain--it was a simple rectangular block of wood connected to a neck with six steel strings. Les Paul's original solid body guitar shape has, of course, changed from the original rectangular shape to the more rounded shape Les Paul guitars have today.
During the 1950s, Gibson introduced Les Paul's invention to the world. The Gibson Les Paul, as it was and still is called, quickly became a very popular Electric guitar. It has remained the most popular guitar for 50 years.
Around the same period of time, another inventor named Leo Fender came up with a solid body Electric guitar of his own. In the late 1940s, Fender introduced the Fender Broadcaster Electric guitar. The Broadcaster, which was renamed the Stratocaster, was officially introduced to the public in 1954. The Strat, as it is now known, was a very different guitar in comparison to the Les Paul. It had a different shape, different hardware and was significantly lighter. Fender's Stratocaster Electric guitar is the second most popular guitar in the world, second to only the Les Paul.
Over the years, other companies, such as Ibanez, Jackson, Paul Reed Smith, ESP and Yamaha have all produced solid body Electric guitars of their own. However, most Electric guitars still feature the familiar shape of a Les Paul or Strat guitar.
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One of the most popular instruments in history, our Fender® Stratocaster® guitar is certainly the most imitated electric guitar ever. 1957 was a landmark year for the instrument, evolving from its early incarnations into an archetype - and the high point of the era of the maple neck Strat® guitar. Original detailing includes an alder body (except ash on White Blonde), our unique '57/'62 pickups, three-way switching (five-way switch kit included), beveled pickup magnets, ashtray bridge cover, and single-ply pickguard.AccessoriesCase/Gig Bag : Vintage Tweed CaseStrings : Super 250R, NPS, (.010-.046 Gauge)Control Knobs : Aged White KnobsBodyBody Shape : Stratocaster®ElectronicsBridge Pickup : American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil PickupBridge Pickup : American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil PickupBridge Pickup : American Vintage Strat® Single-Coil PickupPickup Configuration : S/S/SPickup Switching : 3-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Middle Pickup, Position 3. Neck PickupSpecial Electronics : 5-Way Switch Upgrade (Included in Kit)HardwareBridge : American Vintage Synchronized TremoloBridge Cover/Tailpiece : Includes Chrome Bridge CoverHardware : ChromeStraplocks : Vintage Style Strap ButtonsString Nut : Synthetic Bone NutSwitch Tip : Aged White Switch TipTremolo Arm/Handle : American Vintage Tremolo ArmTuning Machines : Vintage Style Tuning MachinesNeckFretboard Radius : 7.25" Radius (184 mm)Fretboard : MapleFret Size : Vintage Style FretsNeck Material : Maple NeckNeck Plate : Vintage Style 4 BoltNeck Shape : "V" ShapeNumber of Frets : 21Nut Width : 1.650? (42 mm)Position Inlays : Black Dot Position InlaysScale Length : 25.5" (648mm)Truss Rod Nut : Original Truss Rod Nut
I'm looking to buy, and honestly I can't tell what's special about the Fender Stratocaster, and the Fender AMERICAN Stratocaster. Besides the American being 400 more... also:
A Gibson SG and a Gibson Vintage SG
Stratocaster and an older model of one (like a 50s reissue)
I know people think Gibson is better than Epiphone, but is the difference really big enough to spend 2,000 dollars on?
Just bear in mind that the quality of the wood of any vintage instrument is what makes the value of the guitar or bass.
When you buy a vintage, the wood has been aged naturally and with time, these vintage instruments get better and better in sound as the years pass. Also, the value goes up over the years. As for sound, their is a big difference and the hardware is not the same either as well as the pickups.
Even if you buy a re-issue, it still remains a re-issue. Epiphone guitars sound great but don't have the fatt clean sound of their original counterpart as well as the durability. You get what you pay for.
Fender stratocaster are made in Mexico and trust me, the quality is no way near any American made models . The fingerboard is super smooth on the American models whereas on the Mexican models, the frets are rough on the edges and the fingerboard is not as responsive.
Gibson SG Vintage have that dark Ozzy osbourne sound as compared to the newer models which lack presence.
Lastly, the difference is not $2000 between any SG or between a real SG and a Les Paul. If you want the rock osund or blues sound, Gibson is for you. Fenders, on the other hand are nice for guitar Sweeps (arpeggios) and have a cleaner sound with less bottom.
FENDER STRATOCASTER 57 vintage re-issue HOT ROD jamming
The original was a one of a kind special guitar featuring unique artwork. It was completely hand painted, and the image painted on the guitar’s body was based on art commissioned by George Harrison, a member of The Beatles. The original artwork was done as a mural on the wall of their Apple Boutique. Later, the mural was recreated on one of Harrison’s guitars, which he then gave to his friend Eric Clapton. Clapton played the guitar for years, but it eventually became the properly of Todd Rundgren, another famous player.
