Sonic Boom: The Guitar Gods Thread

[KRYPTON INC.]

The front man brings the charisma. The bass player drives the groove. The drummer is pulsing the heartbeat.

But the person playing lead guitar holds a special place in the audience's mind. Sybolically warrior, mage and of coures... bard. The various virtuoso players from Rock 'n' Roll, Country, Blue Grass, Folk, Metal, Blues and Soul music often capture the fans' imaginations. And the sound of the electric guitar in particular revolutionized popular music and produced names known far and wide: Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Angus Young, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Brian May, Slash and Stevie Ray Vaughan to list notables from the past... But also talent from today with the likes of Gary Clark jr. and Christone Kingfish Ingram.

This is the thread for discussion of the guitar greats, past and present of note and to trade music and musical reccomendations. If these genres aren't yet your cup of tea, give them a try and broaden your horizons.




Let there be sound
There was sound
Let there be light
There was light
Let there be drums
There was drums
Let there be guitar
There was guitar
Oh, Let there be rock
And it came to pass
That rock 'n' roll was born
All across the land every rockin' band
Was blowing up a storm
And the guitar man got famous
The businessman got rich
And in every bar there was a super star
With a seven year itch
There were fifteen million fingers
Learning how to play
And you could hear the fingers picking
And this is what they had to say
Let there be light
Sound
Drums
Guitar
Let there be rock

Spoiler

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

So with us all having a lot of time on our hands at home lately, for whatever reason I've been doing a real dive on SRV.

I'm a big old school rock guy but I have to admit, Stevie Ray Vaughan was someone I slept on for most of my teens, and even then I let my skewed sense of what music was at the time to allow me to not dig as deep as I should have. I knew of him and couldn't knock the music I had heard, Radio charters like Tightrope, Crossfire, Cold Shot, Look At Little Sister, Pride And Joy etc. but never took the time to get into him. He passed in 1990 and I think my first real exposure to him was in late 1993 when a local PBS station broadcast a concert recorded in Austin in 1989. I think it was for their Austin City Limits series. I liked what I heard so much I made sure to remember when there was a rebroadcast later in the week and recorded it to VHS tape. The show was great, SRV and the band was in fine form and being a classic rock head even then I was blown away by how good his version of Hendrix's Voodoo Chile was. I held onto that VHS for a bit, probably a few months... But then I probably recorded over it with like an X-Files episode (Yeah... I recoreded them each week... I'm a nerd. Duh.) and that put SRV a bit into the back of my mind. This was a pre-internet era so it took more effort to track down stuff and for whatever reason I let Vaughan's work go for a long time and just vaguely remembered that he was incredibly well regarded as a guitarist and stage performer.


Don't ask me why but I got a bug up my ass to listen to some SRV live stuff, even managed to see most of the concert I had taped as a teen. This coincided with what seems to be a re-discovery of him by the younger generation. From my POV I think there is a groundswell building now with a critical mass reached that I am thinking that the GOAT title usually handed to Hendrix in conversations with Rock and Blues fans is going to shift to SRV sooner than later. A wonderfully fun time waster to see Youtuber reactions to SRV live performances where he shows off how masterful he is with actions both amazing and casual.

Anyone who is not familiar with SRV, or is maybe only familiar with his somewhat neutered radio hits should check out YouTube for any of his collected live performances, both with and without his usual backing duo of Double Trouble.

A small selection from Shout Factory and his official YouTube:

Spoiler: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Voodoo Chile (Live From Austin, TX)

Spoiler: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood - A Celebration of Blues and Soul

Spoiler: Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble - Look At Little Sister (Live)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Page's work is some of my most favorite Rock material of all time. I think time has shown us that one of the biggest contributing factors to the rise and success of Led Zeppelin was Page's sense of production combined with his god level six string manipulation.

I like that Page, like so many guitarists that can combine theory with improvisation, could give you both a note for note recreation of the sound off the album or literally give you a different interpretation each night of a performance of the same song.

An example I always like to share is the solo in Thank You. Thank You is a fantastic Zep song and for good reason it's a go to wedding song, it's soulful and heartfelt love song with Zep at the height of their powers.

The solo in the album release is a melodic and even soothing aucoustic guitar ramble that Page probably came up with in his sleep but is still beyond beautiful. Zep did a BBC Session and did Thank You in the mix and wow... Page goes for an electric sound there and that along with the power of his licks brings the song to another level.

Spoiler: Led Zeppelin - Thank You (Official Audio/Album Version)

Spoiler: Thank You (1/4/71 Paris Theatre) (2016 Remaster)

(Also... Let's not sleep on Bonzo in the Paris show either. The compliment of his drums is perfect for Jimmy's power Blues solo.)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

For those looking for more modern performers in the grand tradition of Hendrix and SRV, look no further than Gary Clark jr.




I love his reaction and look on his face when told what Clapton said about his talent.

Spoiler: 1:42 / 9:30 When My Train Pulls In (Live)

Spoiler: Come Together (Live)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

A living legend and cultural treasure to the United States, I think old Willie Nelson never gets props for his impeccable craftsmanship on the six string. His "phraseology" as it were is great, adding just the right amount of gritty yet melodic sounds to his songs. His on stage companion Trigger jr. is up there with many famous guitarists' named instruments like B.B. King's Lucille.

Spoiler: Whiskey River (Live)

Spoiler: Stay A Little Longer (Live)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Someone that has universal respect and who has played with them all practically, Ronnie Wood's career is a virtual road map of the journey of rock music from the 1960's on. Best known for his time with The Rolling Stones, I happen to feel his work with Rod Stewart and The Faces is underrated generally speaking.

Spoiler: The Faces- Stay With Me

Spoiler: Rod Stewart- Every Picture Tells A Story

Spoiler: The Faces- Miss Judy's Farm

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I ain't gonna lie... There's just something about Jack White's overall presence, his personal fashion style his oozing of "indie cred"... That just pisses me off for some reason and I find that this preciousness detracts from my ability to enjoy his work completely... ALMOST.

Cuz that pasty white mofo has the chops on top of chops and he has done all he can for over a decade to keep the fires of Rock burning. Around the release of White Blood Cells, White Stripes played the Coney Island Sirens show. My friend Matt was visiting NYC and he with two female friends decided we were gonna walk the boardwalk, go to the NYC Aquarium in Coney Island and then check the Siren fest. I had heard the name The White Stripes before but never listened to one song, no had any interest since I knew nothing about them or the scene they came from in Detroit. Upon approaching the area that was the venue for musicians I was struck at just how powerful and loud the band on stage was before I could see them. And once I got closer I could make out only two figures on the stage. Meg and Jack. They played their hearts out and made me take notice for sure. Love them or hate them, the White Stripes with Jack as the driving force, kept guitar driven rock alive for just a bit longer in the early 2000's. The persona might be gratingly twee for me but there's no doubt White's dedication to his art and that he can mix it up with just about any musical legend.

Spoiler: The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (Official Music Video)

Spoiler: Icky Thump

Spoiler: Fell In Love WIth A Girl

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Bonnie Raitt has been kicking around the music scene probably longer than most browsing the web have been alive. She was a mostly underrated gem until the late 80's and early 90's. Her style could be described as laid back yet still precise and even fierce when she wants to. I think in terms of visibility she's faded to a degree, almost back to where she was before her coming out party period. But in terms of performers that have paid their dues and done all the hard knocking flight time of mastering their craft and instrument, Bonnie Rait should be in any conversation about accomplished guitarists.

Spoiler: Bonnie Raitt - Thing Called Love

Spoiler: Bonnie Raitt - Something To Talk About (Official Video)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Politics, Rap, Funk, Hard Rock... That and so much more is what comes to mind when the name Tom Morrello comes up. A performer that has taken his art to the limits of what can even come close to being called "traditional" he blends the energy and percussive power of Hip Hop with the tone of Metal while being as rythmic and bopping as any funk groove. Best known of course for the band Rage Against The Machine, he's also responsible for the sound of Audioslave and is a pinch hit go to guy whenever some other artist wants to bring that sonic fury and funk.

Spoiler: Audioslave's AMAZING Live Debut in New York City

Spoiler: Rage Against The Machine - Testify (Live At Finsbury Park, London, 2010)

Spoiler: Knife Party & Tom Morello - Battle Sirens (Live Version)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

@DKDetective any one to suggest?

 

[DKDetective]

@DKDetective any one to suggest?

Thanks for starting this thread!

Ohhhhh yesss, if you don't mind, I will happily do some lengthy posts on some of my favs this weekend. First, I gotta cover off my number 1, Slow Hand, Mr. Eric Patrick Clapton.

Also, Freddie King, BB King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green (please see my tribute post to his recent passing that no one probably read), Mick Taylor, Pete Townshend (probably the only rock songwriter to stand toe-to-toe with Lennon-McCartney, amazing composer, extremely underrated guitarist), Paul Kossoff, David Gilmore, Duane Allman, The Reverend Billy Gibbons, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks...

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Thanks for starting this thread!

Ohhhhh yesss, if you don't mind, I will happily do some lengthy posts on some of my favs this weekend. First, I gotta cover off my number 1, Slow Hand, Mr. Eric Patrick Clapton.

Also, Freddie King, BB King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green (please see my tribute post to his recent passing that no one probably read), Mick Taylor, Pete Townshend (probably the only rock songwriter to stand toe-to-toe with Lennon-McCartney, amazing composer, extremely underrated guitarist), Paul Kossoff, David Gilmore, Duane Allman, The Reverend Billy Gibbons, Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks...

Those are a murderer's row of the greats.





PS, loving the Townsend love. As huge as The Who are I am sensing a bit of a wilting of their influence and presence in pop culture. Stones keep making plays, good or bad, to market themselves. The Beatles are a force unto themselves. Zep is still making converts online today. But I feel Pete, Keith, Roger and John are getting lost a bit.

 

[DKDetective]

Eric Patrick Clapton, "Slow Hand", The Artist Formerly Known as God:

Quite literally, Clapton is the man who invented the sound of electric lead guitar as we know it. A Blues purist, in spring 1965, he left his band The Yardbirds because they were selling out and instead joined a little known purist blues band, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Upon joining the band Clapton bought a little know discontinued guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Standard, to be like his idol, blues great, Freddie King. He combined it with an amplifier from a small local manufacturer, Jim Marshall, which he discovered would distort and produce amazing sustain when he turned it up. The rest is history... When the Beatles were recording jangly early ditties like Help!, Clapton was recording stuff like this:

Clapton's playing with Mayall inspired British youths in 1965/66 to spray paint "Clapton is God" on wall around London.

He would leave Mayall to found Cream, where he would duel with Hendrix for the title of greatest guitarist of all time in the late 60s. Regardless, whose side you are on, it clear that the friendly rivalry between the two helped push both to greater heights. In keeping with Clapton's hardcore devotion to the blues, the peak of his pyrotechnic skills on guitar would be immortalized with Cream's incendiary cover of an old Robert Johnson blues standard, Crossroads:

After Cream's implosion, Clapton would found his own band, Derek and the Domino's, in which he would record his magnum opus Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs:

Uncomfortable with his former stardom as a blues-rock guitar god and inspired by the work of the The Band, after Layla, Clapton would gravitate more to lighter singer-songwriter music as a solo recording artist. However, he could still tear it up live:


In particular, in the 90s, after the death of his son Connor, Clapton re-explored his original passion for the blues with the album, From the Candle, pulling out his trusty Gibsons from the Cream days for some Freddie King covers:


Even in his 70s now, the guy can still play:

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Clapton aged like fine wine for sure.

If I gotta make a strange comparison between Clapton and Hendrix it would be to overlay another "rivalry" (really most of the time this is about fan opinion after all. The creators and performers we fight over are often appreciative of their fellow artists more than competative... Mostly. ), one from classic film musicals.

Clapton is Fred Astaire. Hendrix was Gene Kelly.

 

[DKDetective]

Clapton aged like fine wine for sure.

If I gotta make a strange comparison between Clapton and Hendrix it would be to overlay another "rivalry" (really most of the time this is about fan opinion after all. The creators and performers we fight over are often appreciative of their fellow artists more than competative... Mostly. ), one from classic film musicals.

Clapton is Fred Astaire. Hendrix was Gene Kelly.

In this case, there was some real rivalry. There are lots of great stories about it. Like how the first time they jammed together, Clapton stopped playing and walked off the stage and even considered giving up the guitar. However, they were great friends shortly thereafter and it was a friendly rivalry.

To be honest, I don't know a ton about Astaire and Kelly. I'm fascinated by the comparison... Would you mind explaining it due to my ignorance?

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

In this case, there was some real rivalry. There are lots of great stories about it. Like how the first time they jammed together, Clapton stopped playing and walked off the stage and even considered giving up the guitar. However, they were great friends shortly thereafter and it was a friendly rivalry.

To be honest, I don't know a ton about Astaire and Kelly. I'm fascinated by the comparison... Would you mind explaining it due to my ignorance?

Astaire's style was about smoothness, energy yes, but a dapper sense of making it look easy even when the routine or sequence filmed was bonkers, he did it without breaking a sweat. He glides, period. Twinkle toes was never more appropriate.


Gene Kelly was no less a master of dance but it was athletic, acrobatic even. Kelly is swooping around the set, high kicks, even doing some parkour style jumps and runs and he wants you to notice what he's doing, that he's putting that effort in. Fred might do something like the inverted room trick which was done with a specially designed set. Cool, sure. Gene is like, "Hey... I wonder if I could do a tap dance scene in roller skates?"

Both have the timing and flow a dancer of that era's musicals needed to be a stand out, a star, but the expression of that flow and coordination is different. There's even a simple difference in the way both usually dressed/were costumed. Kelly has a super hero body. The clothing tended to be more form fitting to emphasize his athleticism I think. Astaire was more often than not in some for or another, "dapper". Kelly danced in three piece suits too from time to time but compared to Astaire's wardrobe, one was more basic shall we say?














And just to be thorough... The two of them togehter:





Sooooooooooo...

To my layman's ears and somewhat in the know of classic rock... Clapton is Astaire. Amazing, tight, technical brilliance with style and soul as well. Hendrix was Kelly. Going to the edge, using spectacle to grab your attention, spectacle that needed to have a masters hand to pull off in the first place.


I'm sorry I took this off into a strange direction.

Can't help it. Grew up in a house where I was just as likely to hear Bowie's "Let's Dance" along with "Fania All Stars", CCR (My mom went through their greatest hits album like tissue paper.), the Stones, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Streisend and then catch West Side Story or Singin' In The Rain on the classic movie channel or some such.

(PS: In getting into SRV I learned about his work with Bowie.)

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

The band that after decades the majority of the world just said "Wait... I guess we all do like them?", AC/DC has run the gammut in terms of the reaction they produce in fans, critics and the general public. They've been condemned by religious leaders and parents groups and thought of as the dirty little brother to the bands like Zep and the Stones who dominated when they were coming up. Nowadays you are just as likely to hear someone call the band lazy and generic corporate rock. I'm not gonna get into all that but suffice to say that during this trajectory from scrappy insolence that rattles the bluehairs to modern audiences saying that their brand of music is toothless and calculated, one thing has remained consistently praised, and that's the blaring sounds of power and fury that come out of Angus Young's Gibson SG. I guess even I think that Angus sticks to a winning formula. And... It is a winner. A raw and driving sound that evokes the time of Chuck Berry for sure, which is actuallly when Rock was it's most "danerous", when society itself was taking a stand against "devil music". An energizer bunny of performer Angus' stage presence belies his stature but beyond just his amazing musicality he has almost front man levels of charisma.








Now... Among AC/DC aficionado there is a public schism between those who are loyal to the memory of original frontman Bon Scott and long time lead singer Brian Johnson. I happen to know someone that was a huge fan in her youth who could not continue after Scott's death and replacement. Also, some are weary of how since the bands growing fame the down and dirty "pub band" side has been left to wither as they ty to write yet another anthemic hit in the mold of Back In Black or Thunderstruck. I for one love almost all of it. I love me some Johnson songs and I love me some early Scott stuff. I do think that more people should be exposed to the amazing pre-Johnson songs which lacks nothing in terms of rifftasticness (Trademark) from Angus in his more raw state then, but also the sly delivery of the lyrics by Bon.

Spoiler: AC/DC - Riff Raff (Filmed April 30, 1978)

Spoiler: AC/DC - Bad Boy Boogie (Apollo Theatre, Glasgow, April 1978)

Spoiler: AC/DC- Gimme a Bullet

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Rich Beato's YouTube channel is a haven for Rock, Blues and Country fans looking for interesting analysis and content about music. There's a lot of inside baseball that, frankly, does go over the heads of laymen fans like myself (I don't read music, play an instrument or am well versed in musical theory...) but his breakdowns are still engaging and interesting. One doesn't have to agree with his conclusions to see he has a base level of knowledge worth respecting.

Here he goes into the sound of Jimmi Hendrix's chords from Purple Haze.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Happy Birthday SRV:




EVERYONE needs to see this performance. The chops and charisma on display is truly cosmic tier.

And when you listen, give props to Double Trouble who provide the ride for Stevie to build upon for this masterpiece. That bass and drums is pure funky groove.

 

[DKDetective]

Rick Beato's YouTube channel is a haven for Rock, Blues and Country fans looking for interesting analysis and content about music. There's a lot of inside baseball that, frankly, does go over the heads of laymen fans like myself (I don't read music, play an instrument or am well versed in musical theory...) but his breakdowns are still engaging and interesting. One doesn't have to agree with his conclusions to see he has a base level of knowledge worth respecting.

Here he goes into the sound of Jimmi Hendrix's chords from Purple Haze.

Yeah, I love Rick! I find his guitar/song countdowns don't give Clapton and the other British blues guys enough respect, but he is still a fountain of knowledge. His recent, What Makes This Song Great, about The Who's Love, Reign O'er Me is excellent:

Here is some Townshend love for ya! Also, if anyone wants to truly understand Townshend's singular brilliance as a composer, producer and guitarist, just listen to the demo Pete put together by himself to show the band:

And then the final song:

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

@DKDetective

WOW.

Just, wow. I had never heard that demo version before. I feel like when I first listened to the alternate verse version of Who Are You? only more so since it has such big differences while being so much like the album cut.

Townsend is of course killing it with his choices for the solo but can we talk about those raw vocals? They make this a tear jerker of a song where Roger I think emphasizes yearning more I would say. Here the sadness just got to me.

Thank you so much for exposing me to this. I LOVE stuff like this. Like hearing the first cut of Ramble On it's always fascinating to see different takes on classics but also see the development process and the choices made to shape the songs for release.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Duane Allman is the great pinch hitter of Classic Rock. Another tale of an artist gone too soon, Allman was a talent that was looked on with respect and great affection by those in the music industry of his day. Those that know of the name but little else will probably only be aware of the Allman Brothers Band. But Allman was also a collaborator with many other names of the late 1960's. As so many, inspired by the sound of greats like B.B. King, Duane and his brother Gregg soon became obsessed with the sound of the Blues and would find his talent in demand eventually. Dead at only 24 his work left behind is a virtual walk through an average day of listening to the radio in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Spoiler: Aretha Franklin- The Weight

Spoiler: Aretha Franklin- Son Of A Preacher Man

Spoiler: Wilson Pickett- Hey Jude

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and recording artist. She attained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic accompaniment that was a precursor of rock and roll. She was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll audiences, later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the Godmother of rock and roll". She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians, including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Tharpe was a pioneer in her guitar technique; she was among the first popular recording artists to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar, presaging the rise of electric blues. Her guitar playing technique had a profound influence on the development of British blues in the 1960s; in particular a European tour with Muddy Waters in 1964 with a stop in Manchester on 7 May is cited by prominent British guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Keith Richards.


Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of "light" in the "darkness" of nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel, beginning in 1938 with the recording "Rock Me" and with her 1939 hit "This Train". Her unique music left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists such as Ira Tucker, Sr., of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music.

Spoiler: Sister Rosetta Tharpe- That's All

Spoiler: Sister Rosetta Tharpe-"Didn't It Rain?" Live 1964

 

[DKDetective]

Duane Allman is the great pinch hitter of Classic Rock. Another tale of an artist gone too soon, Allman was a talent that was looked on with respect and great affection by those in the music industry of his day. Those that know of the name but little else will probably only be aware of the Allman Brothers Band. But Allman was also a collaborator with many other names of the late 1960's. As so many, inspired by the sound of greats like B.B. King, Duane and his brother Gregg soon became obsessed with the sound of the Blues and would find his talent in demand eventually. Dead at only 24 his work left behind is a virtual walk through an average day of listening to the radio in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Spoiler: Aretha Franklin- The Weight

Spoiler: Aretha Franklin- Son Of A Preacher Man

Spoiler: Wilson Pickett- Hey Jude

You cannot talk about Duane without posting this:


Or the fact that he sat in on all of Derek and the Dominos' recording sessions for Layla and other Assorted Love Songs, and that half of the guitar greatness of that album is due to Duane. As with Hendrix, Clapton brought his A-game to the album because he and Duane pushed each other to greater creativity. As much as I love the Derek and the Dominos "In Concert" live album, you can tell they were diminished without Duane as can be heard when he sat in with them in Tampa:

 

[DKDetective]

So a couple of funny stories about Joe Walsh. We will get to his guitar playing in a bit, but almost as important to the history of rock music as his own playing was his ability to connect his famous peers with the right gear - gear that they did not even know they wanted or needed.

In 1968 and early 1969, Jimmy Page was playing his old Fender Telecaster from his Yardbirds-days with his new band Led Zeppelin:

Originally developed as a country and western guitar by Leo Fender, the Telecaster's core tone was bright and twangy. Not what you would expect of the band that would come to define 70s hard rock and arguably give rise to heavy metal music. Joe decided Jimmy needed a new guitar. He just so happened to have a 1959 Les Paul Standard (a "Burst", the same type of thick, heavy sounding guitar that Eric Clapton had invented rock lead guitar on 4 years earlier) that he had recently had the neck shaved down on. Joe didn't like the feel of the new neck, but he thought Jimmy might... The rest is history:

As Jimmy himself puts it:

“It’s hypothetical, but I may not have come up with the riff of Whole Lotta Love on the Telecaster,” Jimmy said when we discussed his Burst. “That fat sound you’re working with, you are inspired – well, I am – and I know other people are, by instruments, the sound of the instruments. And then they’re playing something they haven’t played before and it’s really user-friendly, and suddenly they’ve got some sort of riff, which is peculiar to that moment. I’m not saying that’s the first thing I played on it, but it was to come. I always knew the Les Paul was a really user-friendly guitar over, say, a Strat or something like that. It’s really sympatico. So many things start singing, you know? Really singing.”

After the release of the Who's critically acclaimed 1969 rock opera, Tommy, Pete Townshend was under a lot of pressure to top it. He had also reached the limits of what he could do with his current Gibson SG Junior and HiWatt setup. Once again, his friend Joe Walsh thought he could help. So Joe brought him a 1959 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins, an Edwards Pedal Steel volume pedal, and an old 1959 Fender Tweed Bandmaster amplifier.

To put it mildly, a Gretsch 6120 is not what comes to mind when you think of a hard rocking 1970s rock guitar:

However, you put in the hands of Pete Townshend and combine it with a Fender Bandmaster and a Edwards volume pedal, and you get this:

From 1970 to this very day, the Gretsch into the Edwards pedal and Fender Bandmaster has been Pete's primary electric guitar set up for recording. It was used for all classic 70s Who albums from Who's Next to Who Are You.

The story as told by Pete:

PT: I never really got into old guitars until Joe Walsh (James Gang) rang me up one night and said, “I’ve got something for you,” because we buy one another presents. He buys me old concert amps and I buy him synthesizers and we have become very good friends. Anyway, he said, “I’ve got something for you,” and I said “What?” and he said, “A 1957 Gretsch.”

GP: Chet Atkins type?
PT: Right, with real f-holes. I said, “Great, cheers, man,” and it turned out to be a real knockout. I was being polite. I opened the case and it was bright orange and I thought, “Ugh! It’s horrible, I hate it.” I went home and went into my studio and plugged it in and it totally wrecked me out, it’s the best guitar I’ve got now. It’s the Chet Atkins model, with double pickups, f-holes and single cut-away.

GP: Doesn’t it have a mellow sound, though; it doesn’t “chunck”, does it?
PT: Oh, I used that guitar on every track on Who’s Next, it’s the best guitar I’ve ever had. It won’t stay in tune on stage but if it did, I would use it. It’s the finest guitar I’ve ever owned, it’s the loudest guitar I’ve ever owned. It is so loud, man, it whips any pickup that I’ve ever come across. It’s maybe six or seven times louder than anything I’ve come across. If I plugged it in my amp tonight, normally I’d be working on volume 6 or 7, but I would work this guitar on 1.

Thank you, Joe Walsh, guitar whisperer and gear guru!