Kenny Burrell on Wes Montgomery

[neatomic]

"I was very close to Wes and his brothers. I met Wes when I was a teenager in Detroit. He and his friends used to drive from Indianapolis to hear me play"

"I was working at the time, at the Village Vanguard I think, so I was using my L-5, but always had a couple other electrics, and so I let him have my L-7 for his first record (The Wes Montgomery Trio). I think he used my Fender Deluxe."

from great vintage guitar mag kb interview-

Kenny Burrell |

much more good stuff..great read!!

cheers

[wolflen]

there are players..and then there is Kenny Burrell..a class act for decades and beyond...

[Greentone]

The tone on the first album is great...pure Wes. KB's L7, eh? I'd always imagined it was his ES-175, but I think I can hear that it is a carved, 25-1/5" scale guitar. Wes' attack is so strong that a guitar set up for KB really bottoms out under the onslaught, no?

[Flat]

Anyone know much about Kenny's L7? Cut or non-cut? With a Dearmond?

[neatomic]

here's good bit about reeves sound studio in nyc where wes cut that lp!..in the middle of the night!!

from Reeves Sound Studios NYC (1933 ? 197X) | Preservation Sound

Riverside founder/producer Orrin Keepnews -
"Not long after (1954), we made a long-term deal for a studio that was of great value to us.. (We) had become aware of Reeves Sound Studios in the East 40s. It was a big room—although easily brought down by screens and baffles to the small-group size we basically needed. The studio was used primarily for radio jingles and other advertising agency work. That meant it was rarely in use after daytime working hours. They agreed to give us almost unlimited time for a very low annual flat fee, provided our recording was basically done at night. It was a real meeting of needs. That low studio rate, and the quite reasonable union scale rates in that far-off deflationary period, made it possible for us to do a lot of recording with very little cash, which was a pretty essential factor in the early growth of Riverside.”


cheers

[neatomic]

kb-




deep cut- hah


cheers

[Flat]

Thanks, neatomic! Do you think that is "the" L7? With the fingers tailpiece and the inset buckers? I didn't know Gibson did that.

Do you think that would that be a mod KB undertook himself? Cutting into a "future vintage" L7? Some cats would scream at him for that these days!

[Marty Grass]

Thanks for the interesting info.

Those guys would have sounded great regardless of their gear.

When I think of the greatest electric players of all time, Wes and Jimi are on the list. I wish they would have taken better care of themselves.

Jimi said Kenny Burrell was the guy he wanted to be able to play like. Kenny has outlived Jimi by a factor of almost 3 and Wes by a factor of almost 2, and he's still blowing sweet.

[Flat]

Maybe this? With a CC?



The Gibson Super 400 has been your trademark guitar for many years. When did you first begin playing one, and what attracted you?


It was probably in the late 1960s. I’d been using a D’Angelico New Yorker, which was the same size as a Super 400 (18″ body). I like that body size – and where my elbow rests. What I like about the Super 400 (CES) is the humbucking pickup. I originally used the Charlie Christian bar pickup; that’s what I had in my L-5 and L-7 guitars [in the late ’50s/early ’60s]. But the humbuckers had no noise and worked better, especially when I had to turn up the volume with people like Jimmy Smith. They are more “utilitarian,” if you will. I prefer the Super 400 model with two humbuckers and a Florentine cutaway. With that cutaway, I can get my whole hand up there.

Kenny Burrell |

[Little Jay]

Maybe this? With a CC?



The Gibson Super 400 has been your trademark guitar for many years. When did you first begin playing one, and what attracted you?


It was probably in the late 1960s. I’d been using a D’Angelico New Yorker, which was the same size as a Super 400 (18″ body). I like that body size – and where my elbow rests. What I like about the Super 400 (CES) is the humbucking pickup. I originally used the Charlie Christian bar pickup; that’s what I had in my L-5 and L-7 guitars [in the late ’50s/early ’60s]. But the humbuckers had no noise and worked better, especially when I had to turn up the volume with people like Jimmy Smith. They are more “utilitarian,” if you will. I prefer the Super 400 model with two humbuckers and a Florentine cutaway. With that cutaway, I can get my whole hand up there.

Kenny Burrell |

That looks like an early 175 with a P90. I think it's the same as this one:
(seems like the bridge pickup was added later, as the second set of knobs and the switch are not in the usual positions for factory double pu 175)

[Flat]

Yeah, it does look a little small for an L7. I bet you're right, Jay.

[jazzkenny]

I think it could be this one:

[Flat]

Now that looks like an L7! (or L7-C, if they designated the C back when).

Thanks for the photo, jazzkenny!

And it appears to be a Charlie Christian pickup. I'll have to listen to Wes' first album again with the CC in mind. Not sure I could hear a difference--I'm so programmed to assume Wes was all humbucker.

But like Marty said, they'd sound good on just about anything. I've probably spent more time today just wondering about that guitar than either of those cats ever did. What a geek.

[daveg]

dg

[wintermoon]

I think it could be this one:

hard to figure that one out. likely another custom guitar that he ordered, like the L-5 w/Christian pickup he had.
peghead is an L-7 and has walnut stained sides like an L-7, but block inlaid board like an L-5
wonder what the second pickup is [must have one as there's a switch]

[Flat]

Good eyes, wintermoon! The headstock looks like my '45 L7. But I didn't even notice the switch!

Hmmm. Curious and curiouser...

[jazzkenny]

Wes with "the" guitar during the session:

[Flat]

That's interesting, jazzkenny. Thanks. A switch...but it looks like there's only one pickup. Probably a custom job like wintermoon suggested?

It does suggest that first album was recorded with a CC though, not a bucker. Hmm. How about that?

[pubylakeg]

It's funny, cause KB doesn't discuss gear much in interviews, and he obviously settled on particular instruments at a certain point in his career, but it would seem Kenny must have been quite fussy about his guitars, judging by the number of alterations/customisations he made to his gear, particularly in the earlier years.

[neatomic]

kb discusses his guitars in the vintage guitar interview i linked in op...he says his L-7 had a cc...

i'd imagine the added switch is an on/off..as some gretsch guitars had...the cc being a noisy pickup, kb probably wanted to be able to just switch it off when not playing


cheers

[Greentone]

The main thing I notice when Wes plays Kenny ' s guitar is that the action is set up for a guy with a lighter touch...KB...not WM. No complaint. I like Wes's tone on the Trio album. However, he bottoms out the action --string slap against the neck--more than on his own guitars. It sounds good though. I really like the tone through the Tweed Deluxe--way 50s.

[Marty Grass]

That's interesting, jazzkenny. Thanks. A switch...but it looks like there's only one pickup. Probably a custom job like wintermoon suggested?

It does suggest that first album was recorded with a CC though, not a bucker. Hmm. How about that?

Is the toggle a kill switch? It can't have a second circuit like a Jazzmaster or, God forbid, a Gretsch.