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Post by real oldster on Oct 1, 2006 3:44:39 GMT -7
How would you gearheads imagine you could best approximate Trower's huge Bridge of Sighs sound with equipment available today?
;D
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Post by James on Oct 1, 2006 8:49:07 GMT -7
My fulltone mini deja vibe nails it.
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Post by real oldster on Oct 2, 2006 7:27:49 GMT -7
The Deja gets the vibe sound (when he uses it) but there's much more to Trower's sound, which is still there when he doesn't use the vibe.
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 2, 2006 9:21:51 GMT -7
Yep for sure, it would be easy to over simplify something that seems kind of simple. I think obviously the vibe figures in heavily, and while i think theres better vibes out there than the deja, i have to say that when i had deja Serial # 80 or 90 something ( the old silver box ) it did the best trower ive gotten. Not so good hendrix. Trowers vibe sound to me is phasey-er on the bridge of sighs album than a lot of other artists vibe tracks. Maybe placement in the chain? studio? not sure, but also he seemed to use almost always that intermediate wah position for all his solos, and the wah almost seems boosted or something. Any body know what drive device trower used circa Bridge of sighs?? ( 73-74' ) It does sound like he recorded at extreme volumes tho, and i think thats part of the equation, but it definately doesnt sound like a fuzzface.
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Post by Curt on Oct 2, 2006 11:30:29 GMT -7
I cheese my way in with a Phase 90 barely on and the BD-2.......
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Post by billyguitar on Oct 2, 2006 12:01:25 GMT -7
I sat about 20' in front of the stage when Trower was touring the Bridge of Sighs album. Two full Marshall stacks. When that Rotovibe would sweep thru it's lower ranges the whole place resonated. It was super-bad!
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Post by RC on Oct 2, 2006 12:28:12 GMT -7
I just saw Robin Trower about two weeks ago. He was playing at an old refurbished warehouse that held about a 1000 down in the industrial section of Seattle. Telemanic you nailed it, live anyway. He played an absolutely killer version of Sighs. All he used was a Vibe, a Fulltone Wah and his Marshall cranked to 11. It's the only venue around here were you can get away with that kind of ear bleeding volume anymore. Its so rare to hear and feel a big amp pushed to that point of out of control distortion and then see someone like Trower just eat it up but thats were the magic comes from live anyway.
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Post by dock66 on Oct 2, 2006 13:11:47 GMT -7
Robin Trower uses a number of fulltone pedals .I believe that he uses alot of his Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah,Fulltone Deja Vibe,and Fulltone FD -2 with his modified Marshalls for his signature tone.
dock66
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Post by tjstrat on Oct 2, 2006 14:39:08 GMT -7
I was too young to care, and just a brand new guitaris then, but I remember walking into Chicago's Auditorium Theater in April of '74 when Trower opened for King Crimson, and Trower had already begun and was well into the title track of the new album... The lobby of the Auditorium just thrummed with the power of "Bridge"... Loud as h3ll even outside the hall, and a few moments later when we'd found our seats and they played a bone crushing "Day of the Eagle" I was SO hooked. All I saw was the double stack of Marshalls and the sound was immense. Even though Crimson's "Starless and Bible Black" material was devastating once they took the stage(a band that can open with "The Great Deceiver" and then just build from there is a HARD band to top), I left with Trower having completely transported me.
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Post by James on Oct 2, 2006 16:24:46 GMT -7
........Yesterday I bought his live DVD and I just finally watched it! Ouch! What a great DVD. I love guys like Trower who took some of the Jimi vibe and then turned it into their own thing. It's the first time I viewed his playing. I bet his tone is WAYHUGE in a big concert hall.
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Post by real oldster on Oct 2, 2006 21:39:37 GMT -7
I saw RT about March '75 at UC Santa Barbara, front and center. Seems he had the whole stage filled with stacks. Wall-to-wall Marshalls. I'm not sure but I thought he had 8x12s not 4x12s. He also had a mess of pedals. No brands I recognized. Mostly it sounded like a big, BIG push. To this day it was the loudest thing I've ever experienced. Miscellaneous: He played one song each on the neck and bridge p'ups, the rest of the concert on the middle p'up. Did I mention he was LOUD?
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 3, 2006 13:37:16 GMT -7
Ditto on the live volume! I saw him at the santa monica civic center in i think about 77' or 78' ?, ( lots of substances back then! ). I was unfortunately WAY back and couldnt see sh@t! for gear other than amps. But was it loud!! I remember him just a bit stationary tho, .dont think he ever moved from his one foot on the wah, and kinda hunched over the guitar, but man it was cool. Saw him some years later at a converted old movie theatre in Goshen, Indiana! 1985, and it was just as cool, just didnt care for that album much. One or two standout tracks. He was one of three that really moved me in the direction i liked best, Trower, Frank Marino, And Randy Hansen! Anyone ever have the good fortune to see this guy? I saw him several times back in the late 70's into earlie 80's, Whoa! Hendrix tribute like ive never seen ANYONE EVER pull off. Absolutely on fire, wild man on stage. Flipping rolling, hanging off of balconies upside down, all while playing incredibly. No empty showmanship, this guy can tear it up, and he conjured sounds that ive still never heard reproduced live.
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Post by Curt on Oct 3, 2006 13:55:36 GMT -7
Well..never saw Trower live, but the disc "The Essential Robin Trower" see's real regular time in the dash.
Like a Rollin' Stoned......yawl
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Post by billyguitar on Oct 3, 2006 14:06:51 GMT -7
I saw Randy Hansen once or twice, not sure. He really did do a good Hendrix show. Started off with the stage covered in low foq. As he did a hammer-on he lifted the guitar neck up out of the fog and then stood up. It was a cool effect.
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Post by real oldster on Oct 3, 2006 14:13:20 GMT -7
Yeah, saw Randy Hansen at the Greek Theater in the 70's. It was fun, I guess. That was before wireless so he had a 100' cord so he could leave the stage, climb the sound towers, etc. I'd have to call it empty showmanship. The person with me said, "His ego knows no bounds!"
Gear-wise I think he used a single 50 watt stack.
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 3, 2006 16:38:29 GMT -7
Well, guess id have to respectfully disagree with ya on that oldster, as far as it being "empty showmanship". Sure the guy is full of showmanship, & himself, and maybe some folks just want the playing, period, or dont give any props to someone doing a Hendrix copy act, But i'd challenge anybody to play those songs with the intensity as well as accuracy, and uh,... showmanship,.... not to mention that he pulled it all off effort-less-ly, while doing all his antics. The only thing i could critisize him on would be the originality. After all, it was someone elses music. But, ... you have to remeber that this is what he was trying to do, put on a "show", theatrics and all!! I judge somebody based on how well they do what it is that they are doing. Whether or not i happen to (like), what they're doing is a different topic. As far as facility, and technique, ..... he's got it! If anyone knows of a better, more entertaining, Hendrix tribute show, Let me know, id be happy to seek it out for fun!
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Post by real oldster on Oct 4, 2006 6:33:15 GMT -7
Hansen did a fine Hendrix impression. It was at the point where he said, "Can I do some of my own stuff?" that the zip went out of it and the "empty showmanship" took over. His own stuff consisted of interminable, uninteresting jams highlighted by a lot of just running around. But the Jimi stuff was cool. I heard he played with Mitch Mitchell at one time. That must have been a dream come true for RH.
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 4, 2006 11:59:10 GMT -7
Gotcha! Yeah i missed his own stuff, but i DID hear it fell pretty flat! Its funny how such an otherwise talented guy would be left with not much with out the artist he was copying,......well, tributing would be a kinder word. I normally get REAL board REAL fast watching tributes, but i gotta admit he was cool to watch for the whole up from the grave Jimi thing! Too bad he couldnt snap out and find his own thing. Never too late tho, i suppose.
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Post by real oldster on Oct 4, 2006 13:58:45 GMT -7
I once read that Francis Ford Coppolla tapped Hansen to make Jimi-like guitar feedback and divebomb noises for Apocalypse Now. A nice gig. ;D
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Post by T-R☼CK ♫ on Oct 4, 2006 15:27:33 GMT -7
How would you gearheads imagine you could best approximate Trower's huge Bridge of Sighs sound with equipment available today? ;D One of this year's (2006) Guitar Player's (Or was it last year??...Hmmmm... Sometimer's hit me again) did an article with Trower where he answered gear questions....I think albumn by albumn...I'll try to find it..... Good question tho.....
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Post by Telemanic on Oct 4, 2006 15:48:34 GMT -7
Please do try to find that, id be interested in particularly the B.o.S.'s era! Mucho thanx,
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Post by real oldster on Oct 5, 2006 3:20:43 GMT -7
There was another LP, called In City Dreams that was completely different from Bridge of Sighs but had many interesting guitar FX sounds. He even played acoustic!
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