Grant Green playing a Gibson Les Paul

[David B]

I just received a copy of Bobby Hutcherson's 'The Kicker'. This is part of Blue Note's Tone Poet reissue programme and so comes in a very nice gatefold cover with session photographs inside.
The photograph of Grant Green clearly shows him playing a Gibson Les Paul.
The session was 29 December 1963.
I've not seen Green on a Les Paul before and can't find any more photographs. Most photographs of him from this period have him on the ES-330.

[wintermoon]

that's interesting. I've had the Grant Green LP of the same name forever and just listened to Bobby's.
You can tell it's not the 330 on that one but it's still Grant. I'm not sure I'd have noticed if it wasn't pointed out.
great tune btw, we haven't played it in quite awhile, might be time to revisit it.

[jazzshrink]

No mention of the LP in this interesting video. They do show him with a Stratocaster, though.

[supersoul]

I had to check out the album, and like wintermoon said, I could hear a difference but I'm not sure I would've noticed if it hadn't been pointed out. It shows just how much of his sound was in his hands.

[pauln]

If you look carefully it appears he may have the bridge pickup selected, possibly the 'tween with the paper match (bridge plus middle position before the 5-way selector), tone does not sound as sharp as modern lone bridge, but Strat strings in '50 were bigger back then.

The tip on the PU selector on Strats back then was neither the modern pointy cone nor the older rounded edged and tip cone (pair shaped), but was fatter and bit more symmetrical... like this, if you are having trouble finding it in the photo.

[ModesSchmodes]

Keep in mind that the photographs in the Tone Poet gatefolds are not necessarily from the actual session all the time. Donald Byrd's Byrd in Flight has the same picture of Duke Pearson for example:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/14...g?v=1600820262

[AllanAllen]

Could be as simple as he broke a string and time is money in the studio so he picked up whatever guitar was there.

[D'Aquisto Fan]

That's a very expensive LP now!

[mr. beaumont]

Maybe 330 in the shop?

Grant definitely played a Strat in StL. When he got to NYC, he felt he needed a "serious" guitar, so he got the 330.

I'd like to know where that Les Paul came from though...and yeah, photos don't always line up with the session on Blue Note, but Grant's tone IS a little different on that record...

At any rate, great music.

[ccroft]

After reading this I compared his sound on Solid to Kicker. 'The Kicker' is on both. Hutcherson's is faster. I thought if anything, the version on Solid sounded more LP like. My road-worn ears probably can't be trusted. I do know sound engineers can't be trusted.

Maybe he was just checking one out that happened to be around and decided, like some of us here, that it's just too damn heavy. Hence the 330.

Will we ever know...

[Bobby Timmons]

Sounds good. I listened to the whole album. I wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't pointed out but it does sound more direct. I'm a fan of solid bodies. Everything doesn't have to be hollow bodies. It also doesn't always have to be a gd tele either if it's a solid body!

[Lionelsax]

This is the Stratocaster...

I think it is, it sounds like flatwounds.

[Lionelsax]

Well, it's a guitar, saying it matters a lot because it means it doesn't.

[JazzIsGood]

Amazing how his unique style comes through no matter what guitar he plays.