-
-
04-14-2025 05:39 PM
-
Reading the thread title I was certain it was gonna be a video from Sco's days with Billy Cobham back in the 1970s...that's the last time I can recall seeing him play a Gibson.
But after so many years as a diehard Ibanez endorser/user, I wonder what made him play a Gibson in 2025? I fear it may have been something catastrophic like Airline Lost My Guitar En Route To Budapest.
-
Weird! I hope he gets back to his trustee Ibanez asap. The Gibson ain't cutting it.
-
He sounded better on the Ibanez faux Tele a few years back when the old AS200 was in drydock for repairs. I mean, he's still Sco no matter what guitar he's holding. But the tone of this one is underwhelming.
-
I suppose even Sco can have a little bit of an off-day when wrestling with unfamiliar gear. We're just not used to seeing it.
-
just can't get into scofield's playing
went to see him in Glasgow thirty years ago - found it hard to sit through the gig
i bet i dislike him for exactly the reasons his fans dig him - because he plays with a rock-guitar sensibility
can anyone recommend a recording which is more jazz than rock?
-
Swallow Tales is very ‘jazz’, the trio sticks largely to swing rhythms throughout, and it’s all Steve Swallow tunes.
Swallow Tales (John Scofield album) - Wikipedia
-
Swallow Tales is a good album.
Originally Posted by grahambop
Here is Scofield and Swallow playing Away, which is one of the tunes they play on that album. He's playing a Gibson ES-330 on this one.
-
Works for Me (Brad Mehldau on piano) Originally Posted by Groyniad
En Route (trio live)
Both from early-mid 00s
neither are ‘straight ahead’ but a bit closer than other Sco offerings
-
Yep that's why we like him. Originally Posted by Groyniad
-
I had some old gear to get rid of recently, so I part-exchanged it for a new guitar. Didn’t want another archtop (already got a 175), and I’ve been getting more into guys like Sco, Adam Rogers etc. recently, so I got an Ibanez semi-hollow (AS93) and threw in a Rat pedal just for fun. I put .011s and a plain G on the guitar. Lots of fun to play, great sustain and it really responds well to left-hand legato, vibrato, string bends etc. I can see why Sco likes this kind of setup for his playing style.
-
One of the youtube comments from someone who was at the gig says the airline lost his Ibanez. Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
-
Maybe he just can't play "jazz" Originally Posted by Groyniad
He told me a story of an incident that vexed and annoyed him. He had just played a performance in Japan and an enthusiastic fan caught him backstage. He had a bunch of records to sign and he was obviously a fan. He asked Sco "I love your music. You play so many styles. Can you play jazz?"
What do you say to that?
-
Sounds like Sco’ !
And I am in minority who likes the sound of him on a Gibson more than the Ibanez (and I don’t like the Tele)
-
I think a lot from last 10-15 years are much more jazz than rock... or it is blues... or it is country... or... it is Sco Originally Posted by Groyniad
with Sco I do not really see where the border is. His identity and personality are so strong in music that I cannot really say if what he plays is jazz or rock.
What I like more in these last years that his rhythm section is not that rock-like structured as it was before... very flexible flowing combos.. he plays also a bit less flashy and together it opens a new dimension.
-
Great live record, always enjoyed it since first heard it in the interview... such a personal, intricate and soulful interaction. Originally Posted by supersoul
I love bass + guitar duets. I could not see Sco with Dave Holland when they were on tour, maybe they will do a duo album yet?
-
For me, it doesn't matter what guitar Scofield plays on - it matters how he plays.
He is a giant of jazz guitar.
This is on Gibson:
Last edited by kris; 04-15-2025 at 11:01 AM.
-
I really like the record of gospel he did with John Cleary
-
only concert i ever walked out of healthily was him with MMW...and it was free. Originally Posted by Groyniad
-
Scofield is never going to sound like a classic straightahead Charlie-Christian-derived player, but if you want something a little less rock/groove oriented there's plenty of it.
The albums with Joe Lovano (off the top of my head, "Grace Under Pressure", "What We Do", and "Meant to Be") are great. There's also "Quiet" (all nylon string) with a big band. Groovelation is a bit more toward the rock end of the spectrum than these, but it's a great swinging record. The most "straightahead" thing I've heard him do is a Jay McShann album called "Last of the Blue Devils (I think it might be his first recording).
I saw him use both the Ibanez and a 335 once way back (ca. 2000 IIRC). It was kind of strange -- the 335 sounded great, a classic, "flute-y" warm neck pickup sound, but he clearly didn't like it. The whole time he was playing it he was kind of grimacing, fiddling with knobs, tuning, and just generally not looking happy with it. He only played it for a tune or two and went straight back to the Ibanez.
-
Originally Posted by Groyniad
-
Sco is a true fusion player. His guitar playing is rock/distortion based rather than a clean archtop sound. His lines are guitaristic rather than horn like. I have seen him several times over the years and I own a few of his albums. IMO, he sounds like SCO no matter what guitar he plays. And he is a giant of jazz guitar whether you like his flavor of jazz guitar or not.
Thanks for posting Kris. Great stuff.
-
yea even tho I’m not a fan there’s a lot in his playing I respect and admire big time. One of the most fearless musicians I can think of off the top of my head. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
-
I mean, what is fusion? To me the fusion was defined by guys like Larry Coryell, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, even Frank Gambale (who I actually dig very much). Not exactly swinging guys. Sco can actually swing, he can play with bop rhythm section and swing like a mofo. His 'rock' influence is in his tone. Which sets him apart from thousand of 'clean archtop into polytone' jazz players, that make me yawn personally. Sco is a legit jazz player, and a rock star!
-
Fusion is like Blue Matter.
What he plays with Steve Swallow for instance seems like jazz to me, even though it's on electric instruments.
It's not just instruments, also feel, the way the group works.
Sco tonally sounds a bit like a horn to me. Distortion allows you to lean into that. And it's not like he's using a saturated lead tone like Gambale or someone.
Reply With Quote
Replacement tuners - 18:1 or 21:1?
Today, 03:11 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos