SRV's wonkiest tone. What a classic.

I've never understood what people hear in his playing.

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niki you are a farking genius. Others, thanks for the contributiions. Thumbs up. Yuse folks are hip.

There is in this opinion, SO much smoke / mirrors / dust-throwing-bones casting-tea leaves-entrails-reading-eye of newt and hair of toad in this whole materials-tone thing...especially regarding solidboby guitars...

...in this whole greater gutarists' community, it's positively amazing.

'Betcha there is nowheres near 1% the amont of this flavour of materials-affecting-tone on all the violin-voila-hammered dulcimer-bouzouki-cello-shamisen-koto-saxaphone-French Horn-Sousaphone-Vibes forums combined.

Well, I get it, I think - they're responding to its raw, masculine, animalistic quality, that "balls-to-the-wall" attitude and the whole playing-through-the pain mythology and the macho "13 gauge strings" legend, all of which is going to appeal in a big way to people who describe their guitars in terms of weaponry - but I don't like it.

I've spent too many years chasing subtlety to get into it, and I usually don't like the sound of his guitar. EVen he played some things that had some real taste, but of all his solos, the one that really gets to me is on a Jennifer Warnes record of Leonard Cohen songs.

I've always admired him for his energy and emotion. Other's have told me called me crazy because they didn't hear it though. Guess it's just another two way street kinda thing

I can attest to that!

I work with a lot of non-rock musicians... sax and trumpet jazz cats, symphony string and woodwind players. These people are very attuned to the things that really make a huge difference in the sound of their instruments - strings, reeds, and so on - but even more so to the fact that how they play makes the biggest difference.

If you told a cellist that he or she need a lot of cellos to "cover the bases," they'd look at you like you were nuts.

Hamms i fully understand and appreciate that my tastes differ from yours. That said i didnt pay too much attention to SRV, texas flood and his cover of little wing were enough to put me off. I promise that if YOU (and no one else) recommends me some of his stuff that has a catchy verse/chorus/middle8 , I'll give it another go. Long solos bore me, so please dont point me to them ones.
It worked with floyd, i can enjoy their short songs now.

Slapchop please tell me the title of that song so i can get a ear to it.

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"First We Take Manhattan" from the Jennifer Warnes album Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, produced in collaboration with Cohen and featuring some of the very best arranging and production on any pop record ever. SRV's soloing on that track is a model of economy, and bristles with restrained power. Makes the ahir stand up on my neck every time I hear it. Here's a link to a 99-cent download at Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/lvfgcf

it's also available at iTunes Store, if you prefer. Same price. But you should buy the whole album. I already own it and I'm thinking of buying it again just for the 20th Anniversary bonus tracks.

Gents, you have got to be kidding!

My old dad's a violin nut and the world of fiddles is stuffed with guys going on all day long about possible formulas of old varnish, the exact locations that trees came from, did Stradavarius obtain timber that had been sitting in the mud in the Venetian lagoon for years... yadda yadda yadda. They have whole books and magazines devoted to it.

'Cept on top of all the stuff we bellyache over they have "science" to argue about too. Spectrascopic analysis of varnish solids, dendrochronology, chemical examination of glues - and rather fundamental questions of whether a given instrument that they are worrying over is actually 250 years old or not...

'Course, the classical world is full of people who DON'T worry about all that nonsense as well. Just as the electric guitar world is. Believe it or not, I've actually met good players who don't care whether a Fender is made in Mexico or America. Some of them didn't even know there was more than one factory...!

Cheers - C

ROck or classical, of this I am certain: the more one gets obsessed with the minutiae of the instruments, the further one gets from making music.

That's my observation and I'm standing by it.

Absolutely right!

Cheers - C

Oh, too easy!

The proof is that all the time I've frittered away chatting about this guff on this website is time I haven't spent practicing and improving upon my less than spectacular instrumental skills.

And for sure I'm not the only one!

- C

Niki I'm not too sure if I can recommend anything that'll really sway your opinion. I know when it comes to me anyways it really has to hit me to get me to switch sides, but i'll throw a couple out that i enjoy. No rare songs or anything, you may have very well heard all of them already . In case you haven't...

Life by the Drop - Emotional, not a long song
Scuttle Buttin - Quick one, high energy
Empty Arms - Catchy, but may be getting into the longer songs you said you didn't like
Life Without You - Soulful..kind of a hendrixy vibe and the long solo is at the end if you want to skip it

Like i promised i'll find em and bombard myself with them. After all its a win or no lose situation. Either they do the trick or we all carry on as normal.

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