What was Leslie West Using in Mountain
RonSonic
The other night I'm with some friends from the local high-snoot audio club
and we're listening to Mountain Live through like a$10,000 stereo system,
nothing could save the record mastering, but.....
The guitar tones were as sweet and excellent as ever - a true master. And
yes it's from the fingers, of course a nice old plank of mahogany with a
P90 don't hurt. But what was the amp. People have suggested different
things, but no agreement. The name West comes up, but I've never seen or
heard of one anywhere else, and can't imagine that with a celebrity user
like that it wouldn't get noticed.
Any info would help.
ROn
Tremolux
MWS2468
saw him with Jack Bruce in '71.
:)
Blkrckt
this time (28 years!) that the first four notes in "Mississippi Queen" are as
powerful as any recorded.> But what was the amp. People have suggested
different
steve...@my-dejanews.com
mws...@aol.com (MWS2468) wrote:
> West was known to use Stramp amps. I believe he had two Stramp stacks when I
> saw him with Jack Bruce in '71.
I stand corrected -it was Strammp amps. Pls ignore my earlier post about West.
Stamp rang a bell. It sticks out in my mind as our little gearhead group had
never heard of the amp and it was shocking to hear of a Guitar Hero do a high
profile Bill Graham show with anything but the standard Marshall, Hi-Watt or
Fender stuff. Strammps, don't they (or a company with a similar name) make an
overdrive box thats used by some pretty gfood players? Any info and opinions
appreciated.
Steve
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steve...@my-dejanews.com
Hate to say it but my friend saw him at Winnterland SF in around 70-71. All
the guitar players in high school would get together to exchange gear info
when a Jeff Beck, early Fleetood Mac or any of the Heavy Guitar Bands came to
town and someone saw the show. My friend said Leslie was using (if memory
serves) a German amp stack backline called a West.( I don't know how my
friend determined they were German) Leslie may have just changed cosmetics,
who knows? Next question (after confirming the P-90 LP Jr.) was how did the
amps sound? He said Great. Just like Leslie West. Like great Marshalls.
There's an old story about Leslie either or selling or buying a back line of
huge Sunns during a transaction with Hendix in the late 60's.
For what it's worth.
Admiral Ballsy
"RonSonic" <rba...@gte.net> wrote:
>
>
> The other night I'm with some friends from the local high-snoot audio club
> and we're listening to Mountain Live through like a$10,000 stereo system,
> nothing could save the record mastering, but.....
>
> The guitar tones were as sweet and excellent as ever - a true master. And
> yes it's from the fingers, of course a nice old plank of mahogany with a
> P90 don't hurt. But what was the amp. People have suggested different
> things, but no agreement. The name West comes up, but I've never seen or
> heard of one anywhere else, and can't imagine that with a celebrity user
> like that it wouldn't get noticed.
>
> Any info would help.
>
> ROn
>
I don't know about that album, but Mountain were big Sunn users. Leslie
claimed to play the early, pre-SS Coliseum heads.
Danny Russell
plug-in modules, however the difficulty of figuring out what he was
using for a backline was the logistical problem of actually seeing
around him ya know. -Danny
RonSonic
Danny Russell <*NOSPAM*bl...@flash.net> wrote in article
<35EEEF...@flash.net>...
Maybe that explains the answers. :) Pretty clear the guy could squeeze
tone out of a plastic ukelele if it came to it. Be interesting to come
across any of those amps he had and give em a try.
Thanks to everyone who answered - appreciate it.
The Electra deal was pretty obviously for the cash - hell I had one too,
but what were ya gonna do in an era when even the US made stuff sucked.
ROn
ark
>In article <6sl3s4$j61$2...@news-1.news.gte.net>,
> "RonSonic" <rba...@gte.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> The other night I'm with some friends from the local high-snoot audio club
>> and we're listening to Mountain Live through like a$10,000 stereo system,
>> nothing could save the record mastering, but.....
>>
>> The guitar tones were as sweet and excellent as ever - a true master. And
>> yes it's from the fingers, of course a nice old plank of mahogany with a
>> P90 don't hurt. But what was the amp. People have suggested different
>> things, but no agreement. The name West comes up, but I've never seen or
>> heard of one anywhere else, and can't imagine that with a celebrity user
>> like that it wouldn't get noticed.
>>
>> Any info would help.
>>
>> ROn
>
>Hate to say it but my friend saw him at Winnterland SF in around 70-71. All
>the guitar players in high school would get together to exchange gear info
>when a Jeff Beck, early Fleetood Mac or any of the Heavy Guitar Bands came to
>town and someone saw the show. My friend said Leslie was using (if memory
>serves) a German amp stack backline called a West.( I don't know how my
>friend determined they were German) Leslie may have just changed cosmetics,
>who knows? Next question (after confirming the P-90 LP Jr.)
He was playing a melody maker(!), not an LP Junior when I saw him.
Al
TimTube
writes:
>
>I stand corrected -it was Strammp amps. Pls ignore my earlier post about
>West.
>Stamp rang a bell. It sticks out in my mind as our little gearhead group had
>never heard of the amp and it was shocking to hear of a Guitar Hero do a high
>profile Bill Graham show with anything but the standard Marshall, Hi-Watt or
>Fender stuff. Strammps, don't they (or a company with a similar name) make
>an
>overdrive box thats used by some pretty gfood players? Any info and opinions
>appreciated.
>Steve
>
>
I've never been inside a Stramp, but I believe I saw a schematic that looked
very much like a tweed Bassman w/ EL34s... They are a very pricey piece when
the do pop up. Made in Germany and supposedly built like a brick shithouse. I
saw Rory Galagher using them in about '76 or '77.
Tim
A great amp can make a lousy guitar sound great.
A lousy amp will make a great guitar sound lousy.
profrets
>> West was known to use Stramp amps. I believe he had two Stramp stacks
when I
>> saw him with Jack Bruce in '71.
>
West.
>Stamp rang a bell. It sticks out in my mind as our little gearhead group
had
>never heard of the amp and it was shocking to hear of a Guitar Hero do a
high
>profile Bill Graham show with anything but the standard Marshall, Hi-Watt
or
>Fender stuff. Strammps, don't they (or a company with a similar name) make
an
>overdrive box thats used by some pretty gfood players? Any info and
opinions
>appreciated.
>Steve
You are thinking of Stamps Amplification, they make a pedal that competes
with the Fulldrive. They are in LA, his name is Robert Stamps, he used to
have his shop next to Norm's Rare Guitars, now he is in Sherman Oaks.
r...@profrets.com
profrets
album cover is Mountain's Sunn setup. He did use the Stramps, Paul
Patronete, GM at GT, has one of them (he alleges). I saw him twice in the
last 2 years at House of Blues in LA, the first time he had the rack thing
(not visible but audible) and two Marshall stacks, the second time he had
two VHT halfstacks along with the Marshalls, you could definitely hear the
KT-88's in the VHT's. The first time, his playing was great, but he could
not summon the lung power to phrase his vocals correctly. He even asked some
kid smoking a cigar to put it out as it was choking him. The second time,
after the no smoking law had passed, he was screaming his head off.
r...@profrets.com
Scott McKnight
>Danny Russell <*NOSPAM*bl...@flash.net> wrote in article
><35EEEF...@flash.net>...
>> Leslie West always used wierd stuff like the Electra guitars with the
>> plug-in modules, however the difficulty of figuring out what he was
>> using for a backline was the logistical problem of actually seeing
>> around him ya know. -Danny
SNIP
>The Electra deal was pretty obviously for the cash - hell I had one too,
>but what were ya gonna do in an era when even the US made stuff sucked.
I saw Leslie West play on the Quad at GW University (Wash DC) in the
early 80s. He was using an Electra (Elektra?) at the time. At the
end of the show he stood up and smashed it on the concrete stage floor
and pitched it onto the lip of the stage. If I had been a little
quicker I could have walked away with the body, including pickups,
pots, sound modules, etc. This may offer some insight into his
feeling about those guitars.
BTW Corky Laing was playing at this show. He had a cast on. I think
it was his right arm but I don't recall for sure.
-Scott McKnight
Blues4U76
The Wild West Show approx. 1972-73. This was when he had Mitch Ryder singing
lead vocals. He had a wall of Sunn cabs at that time. Also, interesting...was
this was the period when Leslie threw his guitar down during the show and shot
it with a pistol. Only to be slightly upstaged when Corky Laing set his drums
on fire. Classic 70's show...Rock & Roll!
steve...@my-dejanews.com
opinion), which would you recommed, a Stamps or Fulltone, for smooth
overdriven power section type saturation? Violinish. I can't afford a CAE
preamp. I use a Marshall 30th anniversary combo-one of the original blue
ones, so there are a lot of starting points for me tone wise. I'm using a G
and L Strat with fairly hot blade humbuckers.
If I'm looking the wrong direction or whatever just tell me so. The OD
channel on the amp is pretty good, I'm just always looking for tone. I use a
Chandler but which I like but I know ther's something better. I've had a Klon
for a couple of years, can't seem to find a place for it. I saw an ad with
Coco Montoya endorsing the Stamps box. I've heard him with John Mayall and it
was a very good tone, Fender Amp and a pedal. Replacement P/u's in the strat.
Dunno what kind. Any opinons appreciated. A lot of these boxes are not easily
located around here so I'm just trying to get input before I really begin a
search. Thanx Steve
> or
> >Fender stuff. Strammps, don't they (or a company with a similar name) make
> an
> >overdrive box thats used by some pretty gfood players? Any info and
> opinions
> >appreciated.
> >Steve
>
> You are thinking of Stamps Amplification, they make a pedal that competes
> with the Fulldrive. They are in LA, his name is Robert Stamps, he used to
> have his shop next to Norm's Rare Guitars, now he is in Sherman Oaks.
> r...@profrets.com
>
>
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profrets
steve...@my-dejanews.com wrote in message
<6sqpco$ebo$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>Thanks for the info, I'm always looking for good OD boxes. (In your humble
>opinion), which would you recommed, a Stamps or Fulltone, for smooth
>overdriven power section type saturation? Violinish. I can't afford a CAE
>preamp. I use a Marshall 30th anniversary combo-one of the original blue
>ones, so there are a lot of starting points for me tone wise. I'm using a G
>and L Strat with fairly hot blade humbuckers.
>
>If I'm looking the wrong direction or whatever just tell me so. The OD
>channel on the amp is pretty good, I'm just always looking for tone. I use
a
>Chandler but which I like but I know ther's something better. I've had a
Klon
>for a couple of years, can't seem to find a place for it. I saw an ad with
>Coco Montoya endorsing the Stamps box. I've heard him with John Mayall and
it
>was a very good tone, Fender Amp and a pedal. Replacement P/u's in the
strat.
>Dunno what kind. Any opinons appreciated. A lot of these boxes are not
easily
>located around here so I'm just trying to get input before I really begin a
>search. Thanx Steve
I like the Fulldrive better, but I think they are both worth auditioning. My
favorite pedal is a Marshall Guv'nor, but I don't play out, so this limits
the depth of my experience with the device.
r...@profrets.com