Roy Buchanan Tone - Who's Got It?

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

Thats the same thing i was telling people after i played Nancy! ("transistor radio
sounding bridge and FM Stereo sounding neck")

you can really hear it happen after 4:00 min into that clip I posted above.

Big John and I were talking amps some time ago, and he had a wonderful discription of Roy's tone through a Vibrolux: "... it does have that certain dirty sound that is so pure it is almost clean".

There's no better way to discribe it IMHO.

[HighTower]

It's called style and timing, different with everyone, just as any woman can tell you about another man's love making. Roy was Roy. Period. No pickup is going to make you sound like Roy, as if it were a magic bean.

[castpolymer]

I was not in search of a " Magic Roy Bean." I was interested in finding out what pickups & amps Mr. Buchanan used. Many great, positive replies were posted by folks genuinely interested in pursuing a good conversation about a great Tele player.

[HighTower]

Please accept my apologies; I have a tendency to get blunt and it was not directed to you personally; or about your legitimate question. Roy is an inspiration to us all and I wish you well and capturing that "sound".

[Don Mare]

wanting Roys Nancy tone is no different then, lets say

wanting or buying a amp / pedals / pickups / cords / picks that somebody famous or inspiring is already using - seems to me were all wired to purchase things because of these
things.
Every guitar magazine since I was a kid has been full of ads with a Rock Star holding a product .
Were programed from the very start to buy things that people better then us use..
we do it for lots of reasons, Quality of the product is a good one - because hey if it was good enough for a so-in-so it has to be good enough for me -- pretty much how we all ended up ditching that first guitar we ever owned and worked our way up to the big brands.

what has always tripped me out is when other players start actually worrying one of us is really thinking that a pickup or amp or pedal is going to make us sound and play like the artist who influenced the purchase... as if they saving the buyer from grief or some huge disappointment???? I know everyone here is much smarter then that but yet I still see it take place - especially true in a EVH or Roy Buchanan gear thread. I personally know all the fellows here at the TDPRI are smart people and its been that way along time here..
I don't think theres one member here that would seriously think if he bought a EVH pickup that he would play like EVH on the spot or like ROY.
but both those sounds were very good ones - nice to own and really nice to try different stuff with - IE other amps or pedals to see what else they can coax out of the pickup.

and if in the mood play some EVH or Roy Buchanan and see just how convincingly close your capable of getting -- its fun -- and I don't think any one has to worry about some guy only playing in that style and playing just those songs or writing other songs just like it - and perhaps never finding his own tone or own style - or does that person need protected or something?-- just from testing it all out for himself...etc..

lets not forget SRV, seems to me he spawned about 4 or 5 successful acts after he sadly passed away..

Kenny Wayne
Johnny Lang
Indigenous
Cory Stevens

to name a few..
what if someone talked those guys out of trying to cop SRV's style and groove and tone etc.. would they be household names? most likely not!!!

Cheers
Don Mare

[HighTower]

Don,
I'm new here and did not mean to offend anyone. I hope the apology lent a chill factor as I meant no harm.. Personally the PU's are the next item I want, to change my tone on a work in progress and maybe you can help. I like the sound of the stock neck p/u but the bridge seems wanting. Not to stray off topic so I want to ask if there is a video on the net of Roy doing his ad for the Fritz Bros. Bluesmaster which WAS recorded just before his passing?

[olewichita]

Originally Posted by Bob Davis

I also agree with Don that the stories about Nancys' pickups being stolen or tampered with were a story started by Roy himself. As Tom Zito told me once "Roy was the worlds' biggest fibber". The record companies talked Roy into experimenting with other brands and styles of guitars. Bob D.

hey bob,

what do you think? i don't really agree with don's story of the record company wanting to retire 2324... maybe arif mardin suggested that roy should use some different guitars in the studio during the atlantic years but beyond that? after all this is when he first retired 2324...

in many of the fine roy interviews you have given me roy just states he was tired of bringing 2324 on the road... some attempts to steal it had been made... too many refrets... he also states in an interview he just wanted to try something different and mess with a strat for a while... he got tired of hearing the same old sound night after night... he also brought another real blackguard on the road regularly... as on live in japan... that's not 2324 but it still sounds 100% like roy...

roy retired 2324 in the late 70s well before alligator, around the time he had been canned by atlantic... during the atlantic years he used different guitars on studio recordings but live almost always played 2324... on the polydor recordings he used at least 3 different blackguards and 2 whiteguards... this is by his own admission as well... *fib alert?!!!*

for a while in the 82/83 he used a 52 RI as well... this was all before alligator... i believe roy considered bringing 2324 out of retirement for the first alligator record but iglauer suggested/insisted that he shouldn't... but prior to that nancy had been well retired on and off for years... john gossage once told me in an e-mail why roy retired 2324 but i lost the e-mail and i don't want to paraphrase him...

roy claimed in several interviews he used the delay to try another sound on the alligator record suggested by bruce iglauer but live only to thicken up the tone as he was now mainly playing as a trio without keys... (btw, not a good choice roy... get 2324 out here right now!)

that said i have a set of don mare's and they are the closest thing to "that" sound i've ever heard... XLNT pups...

tj

[Don Mare]

I'm a good listener - I love hearing all the stories - and I've learned not to really settle on one! LOL.. same as when I was after Nancys pickups - I've changed specs three times running now - I do believe I finally got it 100% correct - the bridge is way lower then any Tele has ever been - thats about as much as I can say without giving the spec away to other makers.

Goes to show you about Roys "fibs" - it's like the boy who cried wolf in a way - now hes gone were all left with with seven versions of the same topics that come up often... -
but I do know this there are a few guys here at the TDPRI that are well connected to all things Roy Buchanan !!! If theres ever any very accurate info on Roy Buchanan these guys will find it! - not me - I just say what I know or once knew "at the time" and I'll eat my words gladly or change my pickup set specs to get to the correct ones etc.. - I've learned to be open about these things because --- well for one its fun -- and for two it is important to allot of players to get correct info and product etc..!

Originally Posted by HighTower

Don,
I'm new here and did not mean to offend anyone. I hope the apology lent a chill factor as I meant no harm.. Personally the PU's are the next item I want, to change my tone on a work in progress and maybe you can help. I like the sound of the stock neck p/u but the bridge seems wanting. Not to stray off topic so I want to ask if there is a video on the net of Roy doing his ad for the Fritz Bros. Bluesmaster which WAS recorded just before his passing?

I don't think anyone was actually offended here? but what the heck I hope I did not offend anyone too! he-he

Try a www.youtube.com - search "Roy Buchanan Fritz" that should bring it up..

I played those Fritz / Buchanan models at NAMM 2007 - they were very nice!
Rodger wanted to make me one - I never did get the $$$ up though, oh well


heres the fritz clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRxCRaJzLtg

[olewichita]

btw, i do agree 2324 is the sound... my babe is not exactly my favorite roy record but his tone on that record is XLNT and it's good ole 2324... tj

[Don Mare]

I did not realize just how hard it is on youtube to actually find the Nancy Guitar Clips
the first two pages are all other Teles - it would be hard for those newer fans of Roys to find any Nancy clips there! -

so heres all the Nancy Clips on youtube I could find, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVQQXEm7mg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7OIWEUw-AQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdE0nSCvvrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isImiXhCosk

[MatteusNova]

A few "speculations" on Roy by Jim. Fun to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBmg_g6ksbQ

[DMace]

Is it me, or do some people here take things a little too seriously?? It's just guitars and pickups, already. Some people get a kick out of seeking out pickups that approximate the pickups of their favorite players. If it makes them happy and does no harm to others, who cares? This is supposed to be about fun, not business.

[crawdad]

Don--I like what you are saying about gear and players. I had been playing for maybe thirty years before I realized that there are a lot more players that don't gig than there are those that do. A lot of guys play at home for fun or get a jam going from time to time with friends.

My point is that, all too often, we hear that "you have to have your own sound, or style--your own voice." Well, its kind of impossible not to, right? And those folks that play guitar for their own fun and amusement might be totally happy trying to nail Roy's tone with a Tele and a Vibrolux. If that's all they ever did, more power to 'em. Music should be about having fun and doing what you want. If they are after a Roy or EHV trip, let them have that joy. Music as a hobby is fantastic. I have lots of students who use it to relax, entertain themselves and get their minds somewhere else. Its all good.

I know you do a real credible take on Roy's thing when you want. I can do it too. But neither of us will ever BE Roy or sound exactly like him. Sometimes it is just fun to try and nail that beautiful tone and touch. It is satisfying on some kind of level. Other guys have done the same thing with SRV or the hot guitarist du jour. Ain't nothing new, is it? It sells a lot of gear.

How about this Line 6 Toneport thing where you can download artist patches and jam along to their songs? There's lots of player's having fun with that. Its not wrong. Neither is having a totally unique voice on the guitar. I think you and I agree that there is room for both.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by DMace

Is it me, or do some people here take things a little too seriously??

I, for one, am thankful that there are those who take "things" seriously, so that I can learn more about my favorite subjects.

I've always been very passionate about my "hobbies", and I constantly want to learn more about the subjects of my passion.

So thank you Tjarko, Bob Davis and Don Mare (and others) who also have a passion, and are always ready to share your knowledge with us ...

Originally Posted by DMace

This is supposed to be about fun, not business.

It is fun, even if it's only guitars and pickups!

[andrewr]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

I did not realize just how hard it is on youtube to actually find the Nancy Guitar Clips
the first two pages are all other Teles - it would be hard for those newer fans of Roys to find any Nancy clips there! -

so heres all the Nancy Clips on youtube I could find, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVQQXEm7mg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7OIWEUw-AQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdE0nSCvvrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isImiXhCosk

Thanks for posting those Don

I just got into RB recently, and all the clips I'd found were 60's-types (and all I've got is a Baja and a CIJ 52 re-issue at the moment ). All this recent talk of Nancy cheered me up (as did the pictures in the CD sleeve of the 1st & 2nd albums when they arrived a few weeks back).

I'll watch them when I get home.

[DMace]

Originally Posted by Telemarkman

I, for one, am thankful that there are those who take "things" seriously, so that I can learn more about my favorite subjects.

I've always been very passionate about my "hobbies", and I constantly want to learn more about the subjects of my passion.

So thank you Tjarko, Bob Davis and Don Mare (and others) who also have a passion, and are always ready to share your knowledge with us ...



It is fun, even if it's only guitars and pickups!

Yeah, but there's a distinction between taking your playing and gear seriously, and coming down on someone else for their preferences or interests, ie., buying pickups that sound like 'Nancy'. That was my only point.

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by DMace

Yeah, but there's a distinction between taking your playing and gear seriously, and coming down on someone else for their preferences or interests, ie., buying pickups that sound like 'Nancy'. That was my only point.

We can certainly agree on that!

[DMace]

Originally Posted by Telemarkman

We can certainly agree on that!

Right on!

[Big Tony]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

Rockplast should be the Guild with EMG's

There's your answer.

(Where's Maestrovert, when you need him! )

/ Tony

[Telemarkman]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

I did not realize just how hard it is on youtube to actually find the Nancy Guitar Clips
the first two pages are all other Teles - it would be hard for those newer fans of Roys to find any Nancy clips there! -

so heres all the Nancy Clips on youtube I could find, enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVQQXEm7mg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7OIWEUw-AQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdE0nSCvvrg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isImiXhCosk

I've always thought he played Nancy on this one, but of course I could be wrong ... Hard to see if it's got a hole in the headstock though ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuKJRV8w-r0