help needed identifying a tele - Robbie Robertson (of The Band) - Page 3

Elliot Easton · April 24th, 2008, 03:35 PM

Dude, the primary tone-shaping advice is at the end of your wrists. I'm starting to think that this is one big wind-up. You have gotten detailed explanations from some very patient and knowledgeable people and you don't seem to want to hear the answers. I'm done. This has to be either a goof or, well I don't want to insult anyone so I'll just leave it at that.

adambet2 · April 24th, 2008, 03:53 PM

why would i waste my time and everyone else's asking a lot of questions about Robbie Robertson if I didn't genuinely want to know the answers? That would be stupid and totally pointless. Anyway, thanks for the help.

shoretyus · April 24th, 2008, 04:21 PM

Drive 14 hrs east of you and play my 66 Tele with a humbucker and see if you can nail it.

Telemarkman · April 24th, 2008, 04:23 PM

I'm sure you're seriously interested adambet2, but I don't think there are any better answers than the ones you've already got ...

FatTeleTom · April 24th, 2008, 04:24 PM

I think you just need a good-sounding Tele. If you want one that looks like one of Robbie's, that's OK too, but just play some and find a good one.

If you want a specific suggestion, and your budget allows, get a Fender Custom Shop Nocaster. I've tried a few, and everyone I've played has sounded spectacular. If it were me, I'd get one with the 9.5" radius, but that's a matter of preference. You can also get them with a humbucker in the neck if you want.

Plug that Nocaster into something like a Fender Bassman reissue (or any clean up with a good overdrive pedal for a mild grind), and you're there.

FatTeleTom · April 24th, 2008, 04:29 PM

I should add that my Glendale Tele (TDPRI giveaway prize guitar from a couple years ago), which is designed roughly around 60s specs (I think), but with Fender Nocaster (i.e. circa 1950-51 pickups) can nail Robbie tones, at least to the best of my abilities.

One of the first things I did when I got the guitar put together was play the intro to The Weight. I just about wet myself over how good it sounded.

Like I say, get a good-sounding Tele with a neck profile and frets that work for you. The rest is in the fingers.

62_Inca_Esquire · April 24th, 2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adambet2

I agree that he sounds the same on different guitars, but that doesn't mean that the tone is the same. It isn't just his playing that I like, it's the tone. I've studied his technique, and now I want to get a tele to get as close to the tone as I can.

Well...I tried to help.

As mentioned..you'll need to buy the proper amps, guitars, microphones, cables, mixing board, etc, etc to get the sounds...oh, and you'll need to buy Robbies' hands.

Anyway, best of luck. Your answers to at least get the "vibe" were in the beginning of the thread...whether you choose to accept them or not.

62_Inca_Esquire · April 24th, 2008, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

Dude, the primary tone-shaping advice is at the end of your wrists.

Ah Hell...what do you know about TONE ???

Elliot Easton · April 24th, 2008, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 62_Inca_Esquire

Ah Hell...what do you know about TONE ???

Well, I know when to come in out of the rain!

adambet2 · April 24th, 2008, 09:26 PM

ok, thanks, i'll look through the posts again and gather some info. a few more questions though (sorry)... what are the differences of a '50s reissue and '60s? how does the ash body of the '50s reissue differ from the alder body of the '60s? i also noticed the bridge saddles are not quite the same.

Elliot Easton · April 24th, 2008, 10:40 PM

Here's my final bit of advice: if all this minutiae is really that important to you, why not go on Amazon.com, where you can order any one of several excellent books about the Fender Telecaster? You can learn it's history. You can look up the timeline when certain specs changed and find all of your answers in black and white. (and color)

geardaddy · April 24th, 2008, 11:03 PM

Just get a nice Tele that you're comfortable with and study his style, attack and phrasing.

i've spent many hours playing (well, approximating, anyway) robbie's parts while cranking the guitars kissing and the contemporary fix bootleg...that record (and tour) is absolutely the rawest, baddest rock 'n' roll i've ever heard...

(and one of my favorite things in all the world is watching bob and robbie playing acoustic in that hotel room...beautiful stuff...)

it's very cool to see you posting so much around here, by the way, but i fear that between you and cesar rosas, there isn't a single cool lefty guitar available in the greater L.A. area...

back in '85, my friend and i drove down from bakersfield to hunt for my first guitar, and we were told by no less than three shops (in the 'guitar center' neighborhood) that cesar rosas routinely went around and snatched up all the cool lefties...

anyway, i can't really hold it against him (or you, if you're as voracious a collector as he is), but i wasn't happy about it that day...i'd do the same, if i could afford it, and i can only imagine the lefty treasures in your music rooms...

finally, i'd be remiss if i didn't tell you how much i drool over this baby; i'm gonna try to save up for one, but i don't really know if it will ever happen...we shall see, but it's an absolutely gorgeous signature guitar (is it sacrilege to posts these pics?)...

(edit: pics from gbase )

Elliot Easton · April 24th, 2008, 11:19 PM

thanks, gear daddy, I'm glad you dig my signature model! bob and robbie playing acoustics in the hotel room-you've gotta be talking about 'eat the document'! good to see a fellow lefty around here!

nosuch · April 25th, 2008, 12:59 AM

IMHO the choice of maple or rosewood is a matter of feel, too. I have the impression that with a maple neck, my left hand is sweating much more, especially with the MIM maple neck, which is finished in Poly, while the rosewood caps seem to absorb some of the sweat.
There is a difference in sound, but I agree that the player makes much more difference. get a decent tele with decent pickups, a comfortable weight and a neck that feels good for you and you'll be able to sound like robbie, mike bloomfield, steve cropper etc. pp. if you play like them. they all basically used the same instrument. I mean, a telecaster is so open in sound, it is a guitar that really allows the player to sound like himself (every good guitar will do). so IMO ist's more a question of quality than of details in the particular guitar. you just have to like it and fell comfortable and then chop away. and a tele that feels good for mister robertson does not necessarily feel good for you. eventually a good tele may enable you to sound like you.
;-)

geardaddy · April 25th, 2008, 01:03 AM

Get this DVD ..... Jim Weider demonstrats the styles of many of the greats, including Robbie Robertson:http://www.amazon.com/DVD-Get-That-C...8938127&sr=1-1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

on that note, homespun video has instructional dvd's featuring both rick danko and levon helm , though levon's seems to be unavailable (out-of-print?)...

i have the danko dvd, and i think it's a must for fans of the band...it's a real hoot, and taught me a lot about that old-time rock 'n' roll...

i've yet to get hold of levon's tape, but trust me, i will!

(levon helm, garth hudson, jay farrar - my 1976 takamine 360S-LH)

nosuch · April 25th, 2008, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adambet2

how does the ash body of the '50s reissue differ from the alder body of the '60s? i also noticed the bridge saddles are not quite the same.

well, the ash body is made of ash and the alder body ...

the 60's saddes are threaded, the 50's are not.

in the end, you have to try what feels right for you.

geardaddy · April 25th, 2008, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

thanks, gear daddy, I'm glad you dig my signature model! bob and robbie playing acoustics in the hotel room-you've gotta be talking about 'eat the document'! good to see a fellow lefty around here!

yes, indeed, and the bootleg of which i spoke eventually saw official release as part of dylan's bootleg series:

by the way, i seem to remember seeing a couple(?) of custom shop teles of yours on ebay...what gives? (no need to explain; just thought i'd mention that, as i'm gen'rally aware of every lefty tele on that site...)

nosuch · April 25th, 2008, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adambet2

the price on the '60s reissue is very good, right within my price range. i couldn't afford a 5 grand guitar just yet. i think i'd prefer the rosewood fretboard, as it wouldn't show wear like a maple would.

so can anyone help identify that humbucker he's using?

you talk about the mim 60s classic?
good guitar for the price.
I've seen decent samples out there. however the quality range is wide. I've seen two guitars with the bridge mounted way off center. try to get a good one and you'll be OK. same for the 50s.

Robbie sure must have used a gibson pu - which still is a good choice. but there are a lot of decent copies on the market so you'll sure find something to fit in your budget. you'll have to do some woodwork to mount the humbucker.

Elliot Easton · April 25th, 2008, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nosuch

you just have to like it and fell comfortable and then chop away. and a tele that feels good for mister robertson does not necessarily feel good for you. eventually a good tele may enable you to sound like you.
;-)

....and isn't that really the whole point? You have your influences, you absorb them, and then just forget all of it and play. Hopefully what comes out is you!

nosuch · April 25th, 2008, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elliot Easton

....and isn't that really the whole point? You have your influences, you absorb them, and then just forget all of it and play. Hopefully what comes out is you!

TRUE

BTW: looking at the video showing mr. robertson with dylan in the hotelroom I finally realized how a cool sound is made. It's not the guitar, not the fingers, not the amp. sunglasses, that's the key!

Elliot Easton · April 25th, 2008, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geardaddy

by the way, i seem to remember seeing a couple(?) of custom shop teles of yours on ebay...what gives? (no need to explain; just thought i'd mention that, as i'm gen'rally aware of every lefty tele on that site...)

I don't mind answering your question at all. From time to time I will "prune" my collection and get rid of stuff that I don't play for whatever reason. In the case of those, I've got a wonderful collection of Telecasters, and those were not among my favorites, so I hardly ever played them. Nothing at all wrong with 'em, just stuff like the neck profile being a bit to big for me and stuff like that. You know how it is, being a lefty-you sometimes have to order a guitar sight unseen, wait 6 months or more to get it, and then 5 minutes after opening the case, you realize that it's just not for you. Just a matter of preference, not the quality of them. They were killer guitars and I'm sure that the guys who bought them were thrilled with them-I just happen to have a bunch of others that I prefer...

Elliot Easton · April 25th, 2008, 02:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nosuch

TRUE

BTW: looking at the video showing mr. robertson with dylan in the hotelroom I finally realized how a cool sound is made. It's not the guitar, not the fingers, not the amp. sunglasses, that's the key!

Absolutely! All the 'best' people wear Wayfarers!

April 24th, 2008, 03:35 PM	#81 (permalink)
Elliot Easton Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 387	Dude, the primary tone-shaping advice is at the end of your wrists. I'm starting to think that this is one big wind-up. You have gotten detailed explanations from some very patient and knowledgeable people and you don't seem to want to hear the answers. I'm done. This has to be either a goof or, well I don't want to insult anyone so I'll just leave it at that. __________________ *It's impossible to tell lies on a Telecaster!*

April 24th, 2008, 10:40 PM	#91 (permalink)
Elliot Easton Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 387	Here's my final bit of advice: if all this minutiae is really that important to you, why not go on Amazon.com, where you can order any one of several excellent books about the Fender Telecaster? You can learn it's history. You can look up the timeline when certain specs changed and find all of your answers in black and white. (and color) __________________ *It's impossible to tell lies on a Telecaster!*

April 24th, 2008, 11:03 PM	#92 (permalink)
geardaddy Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: san francisco Posts: 266	*Just get a nice Tele that you're comfortable with and study his style, attack and phrasing.* i've spent many hours playing (well, approximating, anyway) robbie's parts while cranking the *guitars kissing and the contemporary fix* bootleg...that record (and tour) is absolutely the rawest, baddest rock 'n' roll i've ever heard... (and one of my favorite things in all the world is watching bob and robbie playing acoustic in that hotel room...beautiful stuff...) it's very cool to see you posting so much around here, by the way, but i fear that between you and cesar rosas, there isn't a single cool lefty guitar available in the greater L.A. area... back in '85, my friend and i drove down from bakersfield to hunt for my first guitar, and we were told by no less than three shops (in the 'guitar center' neighborhood) that cesar rosas routinely went around and snatched up all the cool lefties... anyway, i can't really hold it against him (or you, if you're as voracious a collector as he is), but i wasn't happy about it that day...i'd do the same, if i could afford it, and i can only imagine the lefty treasures in your music rooms... finally, i'd be remiss if i didn't tell you how much i drool over this baby; i'm gonna try to save up for one, but i don't really know if it will ever happen...we shall see, but it's an absolutely gorgeous signature guitar (is it sacrilege to posts these pics?)... (edit: pics from gbase ) __________________ switchin' it over to AM, searchin' for a truer sound... Last edited by geardaddy : April 27th, 2008 at 03:15 AM.

April 24th, 2008, 11:19 PM	#93 (permalink)
Elliot Easton Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 387	thanks, gear daddy, I'm glad you dig my signature model! bob and robbie playing acoustics in the hotel room-you've gotta be talking about 'eat the document'! good to see a fellow lefty around here! __________________ *It's impossible to tell lies on a Telecaster!*

April 25th, 2008, 12:59 AM	#94 (permalink)
nosuch Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cologne Age: 41 Posts: 149	IMHO the choice of maple or rosewood is a matter of feel, too. I have the impression that with a maple neck, my left hand is sweating much more, especially with the MIM maple neck, which is finished in Poly, while the rosewood caps seem to absorb some of the sweat. There is a difference in sound, but I agree that the player makes much more difference. get a decent tele with decent pickups, a comfortable weight and a neck that feels good for you and you'll be able to sound like robbie, mike bloomfield, steve cropper etc. pp. if you play like them. they all basically used the same instrument. I mean, a telecaster is so open in sound, it is a guitar that really allows the player to sound like himself (every good guitar will do). so IMO ist's more a question of quality than of details in the particular guitar. you just have to like it and fell comfortable and then chop away. and a tele that feels good for mister robertson does not necessarily feel good for you. eventually a good tele may enable you to sound like you. ;-) __________________ "Kunst ist schön, macht aber viel Arbeit." (Karl Valentin)

April 24th, 2008, 03:53 PM	#82 (permalink)
adambet2 TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: chicago Age: 19 Posts: 33	why would i waste my time and everyone else's asking a lot of questions about Robbie Robertson if I didn't genuinely want to know the answers? That would be stupid and totally pointless. Anyway, thanks for the help.

April 24th, 2008, 04:21 PM	#83 (permalink)
shoretyus Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: canada Posts: 272	Drive 14 hrs east of you and play my 66 Tele with a humbucker and see if you can nail it.

April 24th, 2008, 04:23 PM	#84 (permalink)
Telemarkman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Age: 61 Posts: 3,841	I'm sure you're seriously interested adambet2, but I don't think there are any better answers than the ones you've already got ...

April 24th, 2008, 04:24 PM	#85 (permalink)
FatTeleTom Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Evanston Age: 40 Posts: 167 3 Photos	I think you just need a good-sounding Tele. If you want one that looks like one of Robbie's, that's OK too, but just play some and find a good one. If you want a specific suggestion, and your budget allows, get a Fender Custom Shop Nocaster. I've tried a few, and everyone I've played has sounded spectacular. If it were me, I'd get one with the 9.5" radius, but that's a matter of preference. You can also get them with a humbucker in the neck if you want. Plug that Nocaster into something like a Fender Bassman reissue (or any clean up with a good overdrive pedal for a mild grind), and you're there.

April 24th, 2008, 04:29 PM	#86 (permalink)
FatTeleTom Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Evanston Age: 40 Posts: 167 3 Photos	I should add that my Glendale Tele (TDPRI giveaway prize guitar from a couple years ago), which is designed roughly around 60s specs (I think), but with Fender Nocaster (i.e. circa 1950-51 pickups) can nail Robbie tones, at least to the best of my abilities. One of the first things I did when I got the guitar put together was play the intro to The Weight. I just about wet myself over how good it sounded. Like I say, get a good-sounding Tele with a neck profile and frets that work for you. The rest is in the fingers.

April 24th, 2008, 09:26 PM	#90 (permalink)
adambet2 TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: chicago Age: 19 Posts: 33	ok, thanks, i'll look through the posts again and gather some info. a few more questions though (sorry)... what are the differences of a '50s reissue and '60s? how does the ash body of the '50s reissue differ from the alder body of the '60s? i also noticed the bridge saddles are not quite the same.

April 25th, 2008, 01:03 AM	#95 (permalink)
geardaddy Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: san francisco Posts: 266	Get this DVD ..... Jim Weider demonstrats the styles of many of the greats, including Robbie Robertson:http://www.amazon.com/DVD-Get-That-C...8938127&sr=1-1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- on that note, homespun video has instructional dvd's featuring both rick danko and levon helm , though levon's seems to be unavailable (out-of-print?)... i have the danko dvd, and i think it's a must for fans of *the band*...it's a real hoot, and taught me a lot about that old-time rock 'n' roll... i've yet to get hold of levon's tape, but trust me, i will! (levon helm, garth hudson, jay farrar - my 1976 takamine 360S-LH) __________________ switchin' it over to AM, searchin' for a truer sound...