barrymclark Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Given my penchant for pre-rock, Freddie King is definitely on my radar. Looking at some of the gear he used, my affinity for the GA40 (or modern variants such as the GA40RVT) makes a bit more sense. He played an early LP with P90s and then moved to the ES345 into his old GA40. So.... how cool is that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horace Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Not sure where I saw it but I know I've seen a picture of him using a Fender Super Reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 And Slammer just posted a Gibson GA40 for less than $600 he saw on an ad, but honestly I think many of these musicians only traveled with their guitars and a pedal or two. Most of the time, they just used whatever was available to rent or what the venue had on hand... The exact amp really doesn't matter, how they adjust their setup for it does... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 And Slammer just posted a Gibson GA40 for less than 600 he saw on an ad' date=' but honestly I think many of these musicians only traveled with their guitars and a pedal or two. Most of the time, they just used whatever was available to rent or what the venue had on hand... The exact amp really doesn\'t matter, how they adjust their setup for it does...[/quote'] You are right and you should know by now I don\'t blow in the trend-wind. I will say that on amps in general, there is a tone you can\'t shake with all the knobs in the world. Can you pick out an amp on a recording? No. But when you hear something similar, you are drawn to it. Just an interesting connection and possibly why I hold the opinion that the GA40 is one of the finest tube amps I have ever heard. Only one I would say holds a candle to my Cube or JC tonewise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 And Slammer just posted a Gibson GA40 for less than $600 he saw on an ad, but honestly I think many of these musicians only traveled with their guitars and a pedal or two. Most of the time, they just used whatever was available to rent or what the venue had on hand... The exact amp really doesn't matter, how they adjust their setup for it does... ...and one day I will probably own one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 You are right and you should know by now I don\'t blow in the trend-wind. I will say that on amps in general, there is a tone you can\'t shake with all the knobs in the world. Can you pick out an amp on a recording? No. But when you hear something similar, you are drawn to it. Just an interesting connection and possibly why I hold the opinion that the GA40 is one of the finest tube amps I have ever heard. Only one I would say holds a candle to my Cube or JC tonewise. You can sometimes pick out a guitar though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 You can sometimes pick out a guitar though! The only ones I have been half decent at picking out were the Teles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 The only ones I have been half decent at picking out were the Teles. I can usually pick out a strat and a les paul. Sometimes a hollow body/semi-hollow body. Depends on the gain/distortion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pressure Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Freddie King's 2nd guitar player used a Rickenbacker, those 50's and 60's greats created their sounds with what they had or could borrow. And as far as the pedals they used it's easy, there weren't any until 1962 when the Gibson Maestro Fuzztone, a true tone modification pedal was sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zguitar71 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 If you want the later raw cranked sound he had in the early 70's and late 60's then a black or silver face fender is you ticket. He played with metal finger picks that helped get that searing tone with the amp turn all the way up and no effects. Classic blues method of playing. He used supers and even the super 6 but I can get a very close to that tone with my 2 x10 silver face champ turned up ( all 3 knobs all the way) and the 150 gt on the bridge pickup. He used the big amps in big concerts so of you go with the super type of amp you will be LOUD but with tens most of the black and silvers can get that type of tone. If you want the older tone then maybe the old Gibson is the way to go but I am not very familiar with that. I alway thought they were more like the tweed amps in tone but again I really do not know much in that area. His tone in the early days is much different though so they are two different roads to go down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Freddie King's 2nd guitar player used a Rickenbacker, those 50's and 60's greats created their sounds with what they had or could borrow. And as far as the pedals they used it's easy, there weren't any until 1962 when the Gibson Maestro Fuzztone, a true tone modification pedal was sold. I was thinking of a Fuzz Face, Univibe, and Wah... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 If you want the later raw cranked sound he had in the early 70's and late 60's then a black or silver face fender is you ticket. He played with metal finger picks that helped get that searing tone with the amp turn all the way up and no effects. Classic blues method of playing. He used supers and even the super 6 but I can get a very close to that tone with my 2 x10 silver face champ turned up ( all 3 knobs all the way) and the 150 gt on the bridge pickup. He used the big amps in big concerts so of you go with the super type of amp you will be LOUD but with tens most of the black and silvers can get that type of tone. If you want the older tone then maybe the old Gibson is the way to go but I am not very familiar with that. I alway thought they were more like the tweed amps in tone but again I really do not know much in that area. His tone in the early days is much different though so they are two different roads to go down. To my ears, the Gibsons were a bit creamier than the Tweeds. Definitely in the ballpark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueox Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 "Freddie King's 2nd guitar player used a Rickenbacker, those 50's and 60's greats created their sounds with what they had or could borrow.And as far as the pedals they used it's easy, there weren't any until 1962 when the Gibson Maestro Fuzztone, a true tone modification pedal was sold." Yes, the Fuzztone was the first, and as you say, the blues guys did not rely on pedals. Freddie King was a great originator of the high-powered blues sound. Luckily, there are several good videos available of Freddie King playing his Gibson ES=355 onstage giving us a taste of what he was about. As far as amps go, many artists did travel with their own because they needed that Twin Reverb or Quad Reverb for their sound, and they couldn't count on getting one at their destination. I remember George Benson playing here, but he could not get the sound he wanted on the Peavey amp they gave him for the show, as he kept tweaking it all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HRB853370 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 And Slammer just posted a Gibson GA40 for less than $600 he saw on an ad, but honestly I think many of these musicians only traveled with their guitars and a pedal or two. Most of the time, they just used whatever was available to rent or what the venue had on hand... The exact amp really doesn't matter, how they adjust their setup for it does... You are right and you should know by now I don\'t blow in the trend-wind. I will say that on amps in general, there is a tone you can\'t shake with all the knobs in the world. Can you pick out an amp on a recording? No. But when you hear something similar, you are drawn to it. Just an interesting connection and possibly why I hold the opinion that the GA40 is one of the finest tube amps I have ever heard. Only one I would say holds a candle to my Cube or JC tonewise. I love my hand-wired GA40. It can do anything I ask for. And for around $600 on the used market, they are an absolute steal. There was just two of them at Music Go Round in Liburn GA, one still left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 I love my hand-wired GA40. It can do anything I ask for. And for around 600 on the used market' date=' they are an absolute steal. There was just two of them at Music Go Round in Liburn GA, one still left.[/quote'] If I could free it up... I\'d have one. But... I am pretty happy with the JC. Not real NEED to get it. Guitars, however..... Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I take a KBP.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuz Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 The sound I usually associate with Freddy King is a Super Reverb. Not doubting that he didn't use other amps, but pictures I have seen, and the songs that I have/listen to, have been with the Super Reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Which those amps today I think are unnessecary since the age of PA systems and monitors.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 I take a KBP.... Yep, I hope to add another to the collection at some point. Maybe something really clean this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 You should try out his Red Rocket... Pretty sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 looks like a SF super reverb here....boogie funk!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBWID1ygQbo&feature=related I think this must have been an answer to John Lee Hooker's boogie chillin' ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 looks like a SF super reverb here....boogie funk!! Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBWID1ygQbo&feature=related I think this must have been an answer to John Lee Hooker\'s boogie chillin\' ? Yeah, his later years. Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjsanders Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 xlnt. that guy on B3 is Deacon Jones. i had the occasional pleasure to back Deac on bass some in the late '80's-early '90's. he was Freddie's last organ player and had lotsa fun stories about the man & the bus & cetera. anyway, Freddie didn't seem to sweat gear much. liked a particular type of guitar or two (that beautiful goldtop, the 345, sometimes a Fender). Deac didn't recall particular amps but there was a high-powered SS-type... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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