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Nice Stringswinger!
Yep, all sound great and tone is in the hands more than anything else. But don't tell me that, I need to keep believing I need to buy more guitars. As I said before, seems almost every recording I hear of him no matter what he's playing I think to myself, now THAT is THE ultimate jazz guitar tone! Later in Kenny's case I guess he decided, "once you go Super 400 you never go back"
Gimme a Super 400 I'll bet you I won't sound like him I'll sure enjoy trying though!
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04-20-2019 09:13 PM
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How about some Kenny Burrell Super 400 tone:
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That's IT! Sounds so damn good! Does it get any better?? Seriously!
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It does not get any better, just different.
Originally Posted by Gitpicker
When I first heard Kenny Burrell, I liked him. His muscular tone and liberal use of blue notes spoke to me. I think the first album of his that I bought was "Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane"
In my younger days, I thought other players who played more notes were the "better" players. With age (maturity?) I have come to realize that Kenny always played the "right" notes and never any more than was necessary.
I own a Super 400 because of him (though I will never sound like him....and that is OK, I would rather sound like me). I have seen Kenny live many, many times (I am glad I did as I think his public performance days are over).
I believe that a thousand years from now (assuming we humans do not go extinct through sheer stupidity) Jazz will survive and a handful of jazz guitarists will be remembered. Kenny Burrell will surely be among them. And when most of the Asian made archtops of today have long been relegated to the dustbin of history, the Gibson Super 400 will still be cherished and venerated. As it should be.
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
So cool Marc. I got Best of Kenny Burrell when I was 15. I only saw him twice. Once in 2000 (I think) and he was just killing it. Totally in command and kicking ass. When I saw him again 5 or 6 years later he was great but already a bit "tired in the hands" for lack of a better term and I say that with all the love I can muster. It was a great show but not close to the energy of the first one.
I wish I had seen him more but am grateful for the couple times I saw him. Both concerts were at Yoshis Oakland.
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Originally Posted by Stringswinger
This was mt exact experience as a young player.
I remember my teacher asking me what guitar players I liked. I think I said Wes, Martino, Pass, Kessel, etc.
He asked what about Kenny and,I said I liked him, but the others a bit more.
Like SS, it took a few yrs for me to truly appreciate Kenny's style, it doesn't have to be a million note solo to say something and say it beautifully
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I used to love going to Yoshi's! I lived in Oakland in the 80's when Yoshi's was at the original location in Berkeley! Originally Posted by Gitpicker
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I like players who can do both. When I 1st heard Randy Rhoads I heard meaningful melody encased in 100's of 64th notes. Then Eddie Van Halen blew me away even further. But I always loved the feel that Carlos Santana had. Originally Posted by wintermoon
Basically it left me with an opinion that for me, a great player can do it all. I look for complexity in things my hero's play. A triplet is easy. But when a player talks to you by stringing 4 of them together to tell a story, that is special. Kenny can do that. He is a virtuoso. He can do it all. And the sound his big ass hands can coax out of any guitar? Priceless.
But Dougie, you have that special gift too. It is so nice to see one of the up and coming stars of the Jazz Guitar world be honest and open about their hero's. Some day in the future, young guitarists will saying the same things about you Doug.
Joe D
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To me the key thing is that these great players are able to say what they want to say on the guitar without any technical obstacles stopping them. The fast/slow part has to do with what they want to say. If Kenny Burrell wanted to say something musically that requires a Jimmy Raney style 16 measure stretch of 8th notes at a high tempo, he could do it. The guitar is not an obstacle to the masters. They have reached a point where their technique is transparent to their musical ideas.
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I fully agree. Too many guitarists can play really fast but have little to say. I prefer Kenny Burrell's recordings from the mid 60s. The 'Tender Gender' album from that period is still my favourite jazz guitar vinyl album (Chess records). I don't know what guitar he is using. Originally Posted by lawson-stone
Speaking about favourite things, here is a recording from that same Chess period, which shows he always has something to say, whether playing slow or fast.
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By chance has anyone seen the interview with Kenny (maybe it was a CBS or PBS news bit) where he’s playing in a small club with a Super 400 and a Zoller floating pickup? I’d come across it on youTube awhile back but can’t seem to find it anymore....
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I wonder if he still owns the sunburst L5 c with the cc pickup also the blond L5 with the florentine cutaway that Gibson made for him? ( also with Charlie Christian Pickup) he recorded midnight blue with that guitar..I think he said he used a Gibson amp..later on he’s seen on a tv special with a blue florentine cutaway Gibson L5 ,looked like it had a slightly thinner body with 2 built in humbucking pickups..I.never saw him play that one again..the blonde d’angeLico he used in the late 60s was later refinished to sunburst by luthier carlo greco..i think that guitar was purchased by a collector and lives under glass in Japan..when i first saw him live, he was using a super 400c with a large humbucking sized pickup...gorgeous big beautiful sounding guitar..didn’t look vintage either..just a good quality late model guitar..he owns 2 super 400 ces guitars, both were serviced by carlo greco,one has a master volume installed near the cutaway.
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He had the best tone of all!!! My #1 favorite jazz guitar tone
can't come close to affording any of those guitars
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True, and conversely, I've met many a moron who detested jazz. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Is that conversely or is it reiterating? Originally Posted by teleman3726
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I think what teleman meant to say was that he has met many a jazz player who detested morons. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
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Hey now, I resemble that remark! Originally Posted by FourOnSix
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Vinny,
Please show some compassion my friend. "...these people bounce around in there car to blaring hostile lyric rap" are probably deaf from listening to it from inside of a small steel box loaded with multiple 12" speakers and 15" subwoofer powered by 200 watt output amps cranked to the max. When my turbo diesel 3/4 ton pickup shakes when they're behind or besides me in traffic, i expect that they can no longer hear, and only feel the throbbing air pressure!
Cheers!??
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Sometimes a car drives slowly by on the street, and my bedroom walls shake from the bass, and pictures on the walls rattle. I am always thankful that I'm not in the car.
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Just 'cause I wanna:
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I couldn't find the one thing I was looking for in this thread.
On the inside cover of KB, recorded in 1956, he has what looks like an ES175N with a cable going in into the strap-button. There's also some sort of control box on the tailpiece with two big knobs and, frustratingly, his arm is in the way of the rest of the guitar.
Does anyone know if all that relates to a floating pickup?
TIA
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You mean KB Blues? I found only this pic from the net. (Turned the black and blue to black and white: ) Originally Posted by Daddy Dom
The two knobs in the box could be tightening bolts too, not pot hats? Then there seems to be some material around the strings between tail piece and the bridge damping the vibrations. Hmm!
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Yes, something, probably a piece of cloth, is underneath the strings behind the bridge, presumably to damp sympathetic vibrations. The box on the tailpiece appears to have an inline output jack. I don't know what that's about. There are normal volume and tone controls in the top, so I don't know why a floating pickup or second output would be needed, but I suppose it's possible that a second pickup was added, or the wiring otherwise altered. There just isn't enough shown for me to make an educated guess.
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Originally Posted by Herbie
You mean KB Blues? I found only this pic from the net. (Turned the black and blue to black and white: )
The two knobs in the box could be tightening bolts too, not pot hats? Then there seems to be some material around the strings between tail piece and the bridge damping the vibrations. Hmm!
No, the self-titled one with the Warhol cover. Same guitar though and without the padding material. So yeah!
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Kinda funny to me when its a Gibson with a thinly carved top everyones plotzing over how how responsive it is with rich overtones but if its a Heritage its a problem because of feedback. All carved 17" archtops feedback through a tube amp, Some prefer the tone of the big Gibsons, Some (like me) prefer the tone of a Heritage. When I listen to KB Im hearing him not the guitar, Same with JS or any of the other icons of guitar. Ren would likely know what the deal was with the low E you could ask him through Heritage. Not to mention that was a poor recording in a less then optimal space so who knows what it actually sounded like. Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
just my 2 cents
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