Grant Green Tone

charlieguitar

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Jun 27, 2013, 6:33:24 PM6/27/13

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This is a recording of Grant back when he was playing a Strat. As there is no great difference in his sound from that time to his later efforts it makes one wonder why guys who crave that sound don't just pick up a strat rather than look for old 330's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfX3gElIK58&list=PLe5Nz0K9KAOJoiVgcIJUeau3hN6rKVBvI

Charlie

rpjazzguitar

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Jun 27, 2013, 6:44:59 PM6/27/13

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Could be simply for looks, but if there's a musical reason it might be that the upper register of the 330 would have a little more power than a Strat.

David J. Littleboy

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Jun 27, 2013, 7:14:05 PM6/27/13

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"charlieguitar" wrote in message
news:0521d4f8-7621-416a...@googlegroups.com...

Huh? There's a world of difference in his tone between this and his later
work, e.g. the Standards album and the complete quartets CD.

--
David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

charlieguitar

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Jun 27, 2013, 8:02:23 PM6/27/13

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It sounds pretty close to me, I'll have to listen to them side by side. I used to go and hear Grant at Count Basie's way back and in there at that time his guitar sound had none of the crispness that is usually associated with his style. He was playing what I think was a D'Angelico with the pickup built into the pickguard through an Ampeg piggy back. It's possible that some of the later recordings were made with him using that guitar.
Charlie

charlieguitar

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Jun 27, 2013, 8:03:24 PM6/27/13

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On Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:44:59 PM UTC-4, rpjazzguitar wrote:
> Could be simply for looks, but if there's a musical reason it might be that the upper register of the 330 would have a little more power than a Strat.

Possibly....Charlie

thomas

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Jun 27, 2013, 10:13:09 PM6/27/13

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On Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:33:24 PM UTC-4, charlieguitar wrote:
> This is a recording of Grant back when he was playing a Strat. As there is no great difference in his sound from that time to his later efforts it makes one wonder why guys who crave that sound don't just pick up a strat rather than look for old 330's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfX3gElIK58&list=PLe5Nz0K9KAOJoiVgcIJUeau3hN6rKVBvI
>
>
>
> Charlie

How did you learn it was a strat on this record?

It does seem to lack some of the fullness of his later records. Rudy Gelder's amp and engineering might be a significant factor too, besides the guitar.

charlieguitar

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Jun 28, 2013, 12:34:45 AM6/28/13

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charlieguitar

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Jun 28, 2013, 12:39:43 AM6/28/13

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On Thursday, June 27, 2013 10:13:09 PM UTC-4, thomas wrote:

I remember reading that Grant played a Strat in St.Louis and didn't switch to a 330 until he got to NY.The picture seems to confirm this. Charlie

Mitch

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Jun 28, 2013, 7:05:54 AM6/28/13

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On Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:33:24 PM UTC-4, charlieguitar wrote:

> This is a recording of Grant back when he was playing a Strat. As there is no great difference in his sound from that time to his later efforts it makes one wonder why guys who crave that sound don't just pick up a strat rather than look for old 330's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfX3gElIK58&list=PLe5Nz0K9KAOJoiVgcIJUeau3hN6rKVBvI
>
>
>
> Charlie

Hi All,
Sometimes the photo doesn't align exactly with the recording for one reason or another. Sometimes it's from a different gig, it's a borrowed guitar, or whatever. 'Just something to keep in mind...
Mitch

Mitch

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Jun 28, 2013, 7:15:29 AM6/28/13

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If it was a non-cutaway archtop you saw him with he was probably playing his old Epiphone. Late in his career he often played a D'Aquisto New Yorker. But I think most folks associate his tone with that ES-330.

thomas

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Jun 28, 2013, 10:40:33 AM6/28/13

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Sorry, I didn't notice the photo and wouldn't have recognized it as GG. The tone does sound strat-ish.

TD

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Jun 28, 2013, 1:14:35 PM6/28/13

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I remember when Jimmy D'Aquisto was making Grant's New Yorker.

david...@gmail.com

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Jul 17, 2013, 6:30:20 PM7/17/13

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On Thursday, June 27, 2013 3:33:24 PM UTC-7, charlieguitar wrote:
> This is a recording of Grant back when he was playing a Strat. As there is no great difference in his sound from that time to his later efforts it makes one wonder why guys who crave that sound don't just pick up a strat rather than look for old 330's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfX3gElIK58&list=PLe5Nz0K9KAOJoiVgcIJUeau3hN6rKVBvI
>
>
>
> Charlie

After reading this post, I received the disc. There are shots of them at the gig, and he's playing the 330, and it sure sounds like a hollowbody, not a strat on the disc. Very swingin' stuff, and Grant at this time is arguably at his peak, in terms of fluidity and earthiness. And the live recording really capture it, in decent fidelity. Thanks for the tip!