The Awesomeness of Jimi Hendrix

[MJtheIndicator]

The issue isn't with the genius of Lifeson, the trio comparison in the context of rhythm sections Mitch/Noel vs. Neil/Geddy isn't so on point, we could debate whether or not Jimi laid back as much as Alex, but its obvious Hendrix was driving everyone else. A more contextual comparison of rhythm section would be Jack Bruce/Ginger Baker. For me this is where it gets tricky, who's drving that trio? I want to say Ginger, but deep down I know there is an equal playing field.

As much as it pains me to admit... I feel Alex Lifeson is the weakest musician in Rush and I apoligize for my opinion, I know its not nice to say of Alex Lifeson, but as weak links go at least he's better than Noel Redding on his instrument. Besides, who is frothing to learn Lifeson solos in 2015, when its the trademark Rush interplay and counterpoint thats more fun to replicate (its prog rock c'mon). For me Rush is about the passages, the parts case in point YYZ - it was written without Alex. Listen to it with that in mind and you will hear the melodic guitar as almost an afterthought. The bridge flurries are weak and the solo borders on pretentious McLaughlin nonsense, I can't think of an aloof calculated solo from Jimi off hand.

 

[Jellyfish]

 

[noyd666]

 

[noyd666]

GOT LUCKY LAST NIGHT RATTLING AROUND THE CHANNELS AND FOUND = AUTOBIOGRAPY OF HENDRIX TOLD IN HIS OWN WORDS WITH UNSEEN FOOTAGE TO TELL THE STORY OF REMARKABLE LIFE. WAS HEADLINED JIMI HENDRIX: VOODOO CHILD. I SEE HE SAID HIS FIRST SONG HE SUNG IN WAS HEY JOE. WAS SOME OLD TOP SHOTS OF THE STARS OF THE DAY. RECKONS THERE WAS A FEW BUSTED TEETH LAYING AROUND THE STAGES.

 

[thatonedude]

was always partial to this myself

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjts4JMIwgQyOGncBEXig6iOej899O-Bm

 

[BoldAsLove]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdya-VDdBiA

Every time I hear this solo the hair on my neck stands up, I get whole body chills, and my heart races. EVERY TIME. I've heard it several hundred times, if not thousands, and never get any other reaction to it. Jimi could connect with people through his instrument. Not many are capable of doing that.

^^^^ aloof, calculated solos. That's a perfect description of many guitarists!

I love his instrumental works. Here's one of my favorite from Woodstock:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11mym_hendrix-jam-back-at-the-house_music

The breakdown-then-build bridge is exhilarating

 

[MJtheIndicator]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdya-VDdBiA

Every time I hear this solo the hair on my neck stands up, I get whole body chills, and my heart races. EVERY TIME. I've heard it several hundred times, if not thousands, and never get any other reaction to it. Jimi could connect with people through his instrument. Not many are capable of doing that.

^^^^ aloof, calculated solos. That's a perfect description of many guitarists!

I love his instrumental works. Here's one of my favorite from Woodstock:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11mym_hendrix-jam-back-at-the-house_music

The breakdown-then-build bridge is exhilarating

I've always wondered if its the octavia throwing overtones towards the end or if he drops his tone knob, kills me that its off camera. I've always done it with tone drop+octavia, but I understand where you're coming from with this extended solo, a study in virtuosity.

 

[BoldAsLove]

I know what you mean. It sounds to me like he goes to the neck pickup for a bar, then throws the octavia on for that epic legato phrase. Those 55hz cones he was using at the Fillmore East were pretty thick sounding. Amazing tone on his bridge pickup in that setup, it's fun to try to emulate with the Uni-Vibe.

 

[MJtheIndicator]

I know what you mean. It sounds to me like he goes to the neck pickup for a bar, then throws the octavia on for that epic legato phrase. Those 55hz cones he was using at the Fillmore East were pretty thick sounding. Amazing tone on his bridge pickup in that setup, it's fun to try to emulate with the Uni-Vibe.

I don't hear selector pop at the switch, its smooth like a tone roll off; keeping in mind the black beauty was only a year old at that point. And yes assuming he made the shift to G12H Celestions, further assuming he was at 16ohm, I would venture to guess he split his slant cabs to 75hz and straight cabs to 55hz. Then again I'm not too sure if Marshall was shipping straight cabs with the bass cones ad infinitum, something tells me more straight cabs were shipped with 75hz at the 16ohm rating considering how pricey it would be then for a full stack and how obnoxious it would be for club gigs. I prefer a straight in half config, but the 55hz cone is too flabby by itself, the dust caps then were small. I don't think they realized the design flaw till '78 with the increase to 65 watts, but there is something to be said for the pre-rola paper.

As much as I adore greenbacks, creambacks and the blackbacks the latter being what I assume I hear on Funkadelic, Van Halen and possibly even Chicago recordings, I grew up on G12T-75 so my ear is sensitive to its flat response (ala Silver Jubilee), they are actually beautiful if you can push them with a Major or something above 150 watts. Incidentally it tripped me out a little bit when I learned Jimi was into the Chicago Transit Authority.

 

[BoldAsLove]

Yeah I think you're right!

It's too hollow sounding to be just from the neck pickup.

I forgot how uncertain his setup that night was. You're probably right about the speakers too, it was rumored he loved plugging into Billy's Super Bass during this era, but he probably also had a Super Lead and possibly even his black flag JTM 45/100 on stage. And then you can't forget how much could have been from Eddie Kramer's doing. Reminds me of debating the lineage of OG Kush. I get somewhat close with this:

1969 Harmony H54-1 Rocket (NV 10 NT 10 BV 7 BT 5) > BYOC wah > Fulltone Ultimate Octave circuit > Sweet Sound Ultra-Vibe > ZVEX Box of Rock circuit > Marshall Super JH100 > 4 x 12 slant w/ 2 Scumback H55 & 2 Scumback H75 in x pattern

Never been a fan of the G12T-75, but I haven't heard it driven by 150w either

 

[MJtheIndicator]

Marshall Super JH100

Never been a fan of the G12T-75, but I haven't heard it driven by 150w either

Some days I regret the entire boutique amp community. I blame them for killing extended production of the JH100, if not for the sake of Jimi's legacy as regards amplifiers, but more for the fact that its probably the best clean circuit Marshall ever produced barring the Silver Jubilee.

I believe Frusciante might be driving G12T-75 speakers with his Major, you would hear it in the woofy darker end of his tone, but I'm just fueling conjecture now.

A modified super lead with military transformer pushing 165 watts wide open thru G12T-75 is less spikey than a major due to the pig's hybrid nature. Regardless its nutty loud and I never did it for more than one song at a time, the last time I did it the dust cap caved in and that's a huge cap. Cabinet combustion is a hell of a drug.

Regarding the Gypsys rig, I'm of the mind it might be relative to the amps used at Isle of Wight which you get a better look at.

 

[BoldAsLove]

Yeah, that feeling of speaker breakup in your loins is a rush man! Nobody else in the band is interested in it though lol. Maybe a band of guitarists though...

True about the production, I was lucky to get a hold of one. It's a great amp for sure. The clarity and complexity of the breakup on 10 is great, handles analog boosts with grace, and with a small roll on the volume pot you're right in pick attack dynamic breakup heaven. Love the kt66s. Those with DIY aptitude can buy kits and guides to build them for a bit more than cost. Where there's a will...

Strat > germanium transistor Fuzz Face > JH100 nails this all day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmclMPL4eQw

Damn that would be some amazing volume in your mod Super Lead! Thankfully I've never blown a cap. Was it worth it though?

Isle of Wight has a sharper high end to my ears, but a lot of people agree with you.

 

[MJtheIndicator]

I took the caved cap celestion and threw it in a randall bass cube it gets a cleaner bassman like tone, kinda like Eddie Hazel's Musicman. Some of the closest Hendrix tone I have ran across is a guitarist on youtube who used a modded '61 [?] bassman, his renditions aren't that lame either.

 

[mofeta]

I've always wondered if its the octavia throwing overtones towards the end or if he drops his tone knob, kills me that its off camera. I've always done it with tone drop+octavia,...

I don't hear selector pop at the switch, its smooth like a tone roll off...

Yeah, all you can see is the shadow of his head on the cabs next to Buddy's kit lol! Anyway I've always thought it was the way he used the wah. A lot of times he would use it as a tone control and just leave it on in one spot without rocking it (or barely moving it in a very subtle not-wah sounding way). The part you are talking about I think he is going back and forth with the call and response, with one phrase wah closed all the way, then the response with it all the way open. That last shift to all the way open is pretty pronounced, I don't know that he didn't do something else there too.

Incidentally it tripped me out a little bit when I learned Jimi was into the Chicago Transit Authority.

Terry Kath was a total badass guitarist. There is a vid on the Tube of him in '67 or '68 playing "I'm A Man" where he does scratch rythyms insanely fast, like the 32nd note strum that Guthrie does. At times his single note stuff was mind-blowing too, most non-players don't even know its guitar. In fact I've pointed out lines in Chicago songs to my player buddies before, songs they've heard a million times before, that they couldn't believe they had been missing.

 

[Jellyfish]

Chicago opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience when they played in Indianapolis. Some people have said Chicago blew the Jimi Hendrix Experience off the stage, which is kind of possible, because: 1. Chicago was a big band with a bunch of horns, Terry Kath on guitar, everything, and 2. People in Indiana weren't that "experienced" in 1968 as they became later.

Indianapolis 1968

 

[MJtheIndicator]

Chicago opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience when they played in Indianapolis. Some people have said Chicago blew the Jimi Hendrix Experience off the stage, which is kind of possible, because: 1. Chicago was a big band with a bunch of horns, Terry Kath on guitar, everything, and 2. People in Indiana weren't that "experienced" in 1968 as they became later.

Indianapolis 1968
View Image

Makes me wonder what the first concert with an olympic white was. And does anyone happen to know what Jimi's earliest dated stratocaster was?

 

[MJtheIndicator]

Terry Kath was a total badass guitarist. There is a vid on the Tube of him in '67 or '68 playing "I'm A Man" where he does scratch rythyms insanely fast, like the 32nd note strum that Guthrie does. At times his single note stuff was mind-blowing too, most non-players don't even know its guitar. In fact I've pointed out lines in Chicago songs to my player buddies before, songs they've heard a million times before, that they couldn't believe they had been missing.

I'm a pathetic guitar nerd, I was into Chicago, UFO, Rainbow, Rush etc., before I knew of Jimi. In 1982 when I asked my guitar tutor about the poster he had, I think it was Newport '69 [?] and Jimi had the guitar behind his back protruding between his legs. Him and all the other teachers giggled at me when I asked and told me to go get Are You Experienced? I finally found the poster 8 years later wandering Telegraph in Berkeley.

 

[Betterhaff]

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/myth-busters-jimi-hendrix.aspx

 

[MJtheIndicator]

http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/myth-busters-jimi-hendrix.aspx

I would agree nothing pre-cbs, but i could swear i've seen him with a tobacco maple cap, probably Ron or Keith's though.

 

[noyd666]

nashville