Jeff Beck interviews with Gibson and Fender

Two official videos of Jeff Beck interviews with Fender and Gibson, Jeff Beck played a Gibson Les Paul in his early career (the most famous the Oxblood Les Paul, a sprayed Goldtop), and later switched to mainly Telecaster's and Stratocasters.

The Gibson video is relatively new, dated 01.28.2009. Jeff played the 1954 Oxblood Les Paul in the early 70s, and on the Blow By Blow album. Listen to Jeff Beck describe - in his own words - what it was like growing up in such a timeless period in music history, and why the Les Paul played such an important role during those early days of the British Invasion.

The second video is a interview by Fender, titled "Jeff Beck 'Esquire' Fender interview". It starts of by showing clips of with the guys at Fender Custom shop working on Jeff's battered Telecaster. Jeff Beck then talks about his first guitar, and guitars used when touring with the Yardbirds. He then goes on with stories of his Fender Telecaster, Jimi Hendrix, and why he loves Stratocasters.

Jeff Beck the legend, master of both Gibson's and Fender's. Enjoy the videos!

source: http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Gibson-Interview-Jeff-Beck/

source: fendermusical

Eric Clapton interview on his Gibson 1964 SG Fools Guitar

Eric Clapton's distinctive legendary psychedelic Gibson 1964 SG named "The Fool" guitar. Below is a clip of Eric Clapton talking about the volume and tone knobs etc.

I also found a good article about the guitar from an old "Guitarist Magazine" here it is....

PLAYING THE FOOL

There can be few more evocative guitars than the multicoloured Gibson SG used by Eric Clapton in Cream. And when it was teamed with a brace of 100-watt Marshallstacks, the results were ear boggling...

Words Neville Marten

As if Gibson's twin-horned SG wasn't striking enough to look at, in 1967 Eric Clapton decided that the one he had needed a bit of visual enhancement. This was the summer of love, of psychedelia and of mind-expanding drugs. What's more, a new kid had arrived on Eric's block, in the shape of a skinny black guy from Seattle who wore women's blouses and played mean guitar himself. Clapton, still basking in the glory of his 'God' tag, wasn't going to be outdone on any front (although in hindsight his ensuing Afro hairdo may well have been a style statement too far).

Almost certainly a cherry model - only a very few were made in other colours at that time - Eric gave his SG to The Beatles' Dutch artist friends, Simon Posthuma and Marijka Koger, part of a collective known as The Fool. Together they decorated the instrument in rainbow colours, with a naked nymph, clouds, moons and stars gracing the front. The back was a simpler affair, a glowing sun and rippling echoes of the SG's horns making their way up to the headstock.

All in all it was an impressive feat and strangley suited the style of the guitar - especially where the rainbow curls into the guitar's top horn. The colours look quite muted today, although early photos show a bright and vibrant guitar.

Eric's SG was a 1964 model, still very much in the vein of the earlier 'Les Paul' SGs but with an extra scratchplate screw and the long Deluxe Vibrola system replacing the earlier model's unsatisfactory sideways operated vibrato. Clapton retained the Vibrola, but after the paint job its faceplate was never replaced and Eric kept the arm out of harm's way, pointing backwards.

Pickups were patent number humbuckers, the legendary PAF or 'patent applied for' units having given way to these around 1962. The tuners, which would originally have been plastic buttoned Klusons, were replaced with Grover 'kidney bean' types, deemed more accurate and reliable.

Eric recorded with this instrument from Cream's highly regarded Disraeli Gears album onwards, and on live shows until the group disbanded in 1968. It had a sweeter, more open sound than the Les Pauls he'd favoured until Cream's early days, and it was on this guitar that he famously demonstrated how to achieve his then trademark 'woman' tone, with the volume control full up and the tone backed right off. Check out Disraeli Gears tracks SWLABR and We're Going Wrong to hear this sound played on this guitar.

After Cream folded, and while doing a session for George Harrison's Apple signing Jackie Lomax, Eric lent the guitar to the singer and never saw it again. Lomax later sold it to guitarist, and producer of Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell album, Todd Rundgren.

The famous guitar is now owned by Hard Rock Cafe and has been spotted in seven of the company;s burger joints around the USA. An inauspicious end for one of rock's greatest ever musical icons, perhaps, but let's thank God that its sounds are preserved on some of the most influential recordings of all time.

source: Guitarist

Magazine Issue 263 May 2005

Heres another good link I found on the Fool guitar and Eric Clapton's Gear check out LegendaryTone.com

And heres the clip.... enjoy

Seymour Duncan - Working on Eric Clapton's "Blackie"

Press conference of some kind with Seymour Duncan talking about what he done to Eric Claptons guitar "Blackie". I didn't understand a word of it, but I think you guitar techs will appreciate the clip.


Clip taken from premierguitar.com's youtube, here's there description
"Seymour Duncan shares his experience of working on "Blackie" and how different tolerance potentiometers change a guitar's tone."

Kirk Hammett interview and his guitars

Kirk Hammett from Metallica and his tech goes through some of his guitar collection. The video shows a Kirk Hammett interview talking about his guitar such as, the spider guitar and caution ESP guitars, his tech says he goes through 30-40 in a tour, lol. Kirk like other guitarists love to smash guitars during a gig for entertainment value, he actually repairs and changes parts of the guitar he smashes to smash the following night. Other guitars featured are Kirks Mummy guitar, Luigi guitar, and ESP transparent guitar which can be filled with liquid.

Video of Bumblefoot and Line 6 Vetta II

Bumble foot (Ron Thal) guitarist with the new Guns N' Roses talks about part of his rig when touring with Guns. He uses a Line 6 Vetta II. He goes through the basic sounds, such as clean "Fender" sound, chunky Marshall sounds, and bluesy JCM 800. Bumblefoot then demostrates some of the other effects he likes such as auto wah, reverse delay.


For more information on Vetta II and Line products check out www.line6.com/vettaii

and for more on bumblefoot's gear check out http://www.bumblefoot.com/gear.php

Mark Knopfler on Fender Stratocaster's

Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits talking about why he loves the Fender Stratocaster while he holds his original 1954. He explains how he uses the tremolo/whammy bar for vibrato. I also added a clip of how Knopfler developed his fingerstyle picking techniques he made famous with his tunes with Dire Straits. Enjoy!

Yngwie Malmsteen demostrates BOSS Noise Suppressor NS-2

Yngwie demonstrates how he uses the Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor to reduce the hissing when he turns on his overdrive pedal, on his Marshall MG30DFX. Does anyone know what overdrive pedal he's using?

Vintage Guitars -Larry DiMarzio's Vintage Guitar Collection - Gibson Les Paul, Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster

Larry DiMarzio famous for his pickups talks about his most valuable guitars. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul, 1960 Fender Stratocaster, and 1951 Fender Telecaster.


Larry Dimarzio explains how the 1959 Gibson Les Paul was the model which defined what we know a Les Paul is now, Gibson finally got it right in every way, from the tone and volume knobs, double humbuckers, and kneck, even the way material the the way the humbuckers were wired.


The 1960 Fender Stratcaster in mint condition from Larry Dimarzios collection. He talks about the "more dynamic cuts" of the body, and the general properties which gave the stratocaster its sound and versatility which moulded the sound of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.


Larry Dimarzios original Vintage 1959 Gibson Les Paul




Larry Dimarzios original vintage 1960 Fender Statocaster




Larry Dimarzio's original vintage 1951 Fender Telecaster

1959 Gibson Les Paul - why its so great

Guitar legends talk about the 1959 Gibson Les Paul, including Thin Lizzy, and Slash. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul's became the image of rock guitar legends such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), famous for it's Sunburst and flame, only 16000 made.

Brian May and his famous homemade guitar

Brian May's famous tone and his unique custom guitar he made with his dad out of scrap wood. He made his own pickups, body and neck. The guitar now know as the Red Special.

Heres a clip from 1992 from a TV show, Brian May talks about how he made his guitar, Red Special.