george benson vintage tone

[whiskey02]

My ear has always assumed that GB's guitar has the action set as absolutely low as possible.

[gianluca]

My ear has always assumed that GB's guitar has the action set as absolutely low as possible.

I don't know: maybe that's true for latest years; but on his early recordings, I hear heavy strings, medium pick and pretty high action...

[Greentone]

By the way, GB sounds great on his D'Angelico on "Shadow." That's a neat clip.

[rolandspacey]

It's less to do with his gear, set-up, strings etc and more to do with the way he holds the pick, which is referred to as "Benson picking". I spent a year changing my picking style to Benson picking after my teacher introduced me to it. People are amazed by the tone it produces and think it's something special about my guitar - it's not.

There are a few videos and lessons around that talk about it, but frankly, unless someone experienced can show you, there's going to be years of guess work to get it right.

Basically, you hold the pick edge-on to the strings, rather than flat against the strings. To do this, you position the pick between the tip of your thumb and the inside of your first finger (this is really hard to explain, but not so hard to do). The thumb is kept straight. This dramatically changes the tone: much darker, mellow, and huge improvement in articulation.

It takes a while to get used to it, but once you do, I doubt you'll ever go back. Not only is the tone better, but I found it to be a much more natural way to pick, more in line with how the mechanics of your hand works. Not only do I now pick more cleanly and accurately, but also an immediate increase in picking speed.

Have a close look at some of his videos and you'll see he holds the pick this way. The Australian jazz guitarist, Carl Dewhurst also picks this way, and he's a master of technique. He told me he switched to Benson picking after working as a professional for 20 years, completely relearning how to pick and transforming his playing.

Good luck.

[GNAPPI]

Only someone like GB could wear a strap like that, well Elton John could too but he can't carry a piano nor does he play the guitar.

[Easy2grasp]

George Benson's Secret Weapon

[Greentone]

Benson sure could get a LOT of money for that 'burst Les Paul today. Latest it was made was '60. It's in perfect shape, there, too. Worth a fortune today.