Mike Bloomfield gear

[Dazed and Confused]

Im thinking its a Tele, but what gear did MB use on the first Paul Butterfield album?

Ive got my Mojo Working, etc. Ive fallen in love with that song and its tone. It sounds like a very tubey kind of amp on breakup on the neck pup.

[JBandtheSalts]

yeah, its an early 60s tele thats plugged directly into a prototype gretsch amp. Bloomfield said the production amps didnt sound anything like the one he used, so on stage youll usually find him playing through a fender twin or two.

[AZMIKE]

Interesting about the prototype Gretsch on the first Butterfield album. I had always heard it was his humbucker-equipped tele through a Guild amp on that one. I think I actually read that in an old issue of Guitar Player if memory serves, but it doesn't always.

The East/West album was supposedly P90-equipped Les Paul into a twin, and the Electric Flag album was Les Paul burst with humbuckers into a twin. After that, I remember seeing pictures with strats, teles, and one of those silver-black Les Paul customs (on the cover of GP).

Mike

[zombywoof]

Yup, definitely a rosewood board Tele. Pretty much stuck with them until he picked up the LP.
Bloomfield stated in an interview he used as prototype Guild Thunderbid amp on the 1st Butterfield LP.
On stage he used Twin Reverbs (owned three nade in different years).

[jpkusa]

Bloomfield speaks:
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

[tiktok]

If you're interested in Bloomfield, be sure and hunt down a copy of the Ed Ward bio, "Michael Bloomfield: The Rise And Fall Of An American Guitar Hero".

As far as his gear, like others have said: rosewood board Tele, P-90 Les Paul, and then the sunburst Les Paul he got from Dan Erlewine. I'd never heard about the Gretsch amp, but all the later pictures I've seen of him playing are through Twin Reverbs.

[crawdad]

I've always assumed it was stock Tele on the first Butterfield album. The interviews seem to indicate that Bloomfield didn't do any mods to his guitars and the album pics, as I recall showed a stock Tele. Sure sounds like it--and that Guild amp is WORKIN!

jpkusa--Thank you so much for the links. I was surprised to see how much my thoughts and Mike's aligned about players, amps and guitars.

[Dazed and Confused]

So what kind of amp should I use to try to get a tone like that?

Bassman, Twin Reverb, AC30?

[jpkusa]

Originally Posted by Dazed and Confused

So what kind of amp should I use to try to get a tone like that?

Bassman, Twin Reverb, AC30?

Well, for one thing, I think Bloomfield had the stock vintage wiring on his tele, meaning position 3 was bridge pup, position 2 was neck pup, and position 1 was neck pup with the dark cap on it and no tone control. If you listen to "Got My Mojo Working" on the first Butterfield record, the intro lick sounds to me like the neck pup with the tone wide open, and then when the vocal comes in he flips to the dark cap position for rhythm. Then when that killer solo comes up it sounds to me like he flips all the way back to the bridge with the tone wide open for that incredible twang. I've never read that he used that setup, but he was not known to mod his guitars, and that was the stock vintage wiring for 50's and 60's Teles if I'm not mistaken. That's what it sounds like his wiring setup was to me.

As far as the amp goes, I have no idea how to help with that. In photos from the Highway 61 Revisited sessions, he appears to be using a Twin or Pro Reverb or something, if I remember correctly. His tone on that album is very similar to the Guild amp on the Butterfield record, but still different. My best guess would be to track down a Guild Thunderbird (I've seen them on Ebay), and start from there.

Crawdad, that's a great website, huh? Bloomfield actually wrote a book in the 70's called "Me & Big Joe", about a week he spent with the old bluesman Big Joe Williams. It's a fantastic little book; he only had a few published. I had it, and now I can't find it. If I do, I'm going to scan it and send it to that website so they can post it up there, too.

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by Dazed and Confused

So what kind of amp should I use to try to get a tone like that?... Bassman, Twin Reverb, AC30?

I'd think about using a smaller amp with a simple circuit and overdriving the doo-dah out of it. ;-) Something like a Deluxe 5E3 clone could work well, for instance, or a little Silvertone 1472. But really, almost any small tube amp that you could really crank ought to do it. Best of luck, CS

[crawdad]

jpkusa--I really liked that Bloomfield interview! It showed how bright he really was. Most people don't know he was a good acoustic and piano player too. Not to mention a musicologist specializing in the blues.

I dug out my Essential Mike Bloomfield CD and listened again last night and was really struck by the passion and intensity in his playing--he was an emotional master. My first impressions of Mike will always be the first Butterfield album and Dylan's Highway 61, but I also loved the Electric Flag too. His tone on the cuts from the live Supersession at the Fillmore is breathtaking.

[Kerry Vance]

I've been a Mike Bloomfield fan since the first Buttterfield album was released and consider him to be one of my biggest influences. I was always aware when he changed equipment, but it never really mattered much to me because I always thought he sounded great regardless. All serious Bloomfield fans should have these three in their collections: Nick Gravenites' record/CD My Labors, Bloomfield's It's Not Killing Me and Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West.

Kerry

[Turtletwang]

I used to have a record called "Golden Butter" by the Butterfield Blues Band. On the cover art, Bloomfield is playing a white Tele. On the inside, there's a live band shot and he's playing a LP goldtop through a fender amp. I haven't listened to it in years, but I remember the playing was nice and raw Chicago style blues! Does anyone know if this record is available on CD?

[zombywoof]

Originally Posted by Kerry Vance

I've been a Mike Bloomfield fan since the first Buttterfield album was released and consider him to be one of my biggest influences. I was always aware when he changed equipment, but it never really mattered much to me because I always thought he sounded great regardless. All serious Bloomfield fans should have these three in their collections: Nick Gravenites' record/CD My Labors, Bloomfield's It's Not Killing Me and Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West.

Kerry

I would add "Stepping Out" to the list. It is a boot with several early Butterfield shows including the entire '65 Newport show in as good a quality as I have heard.

[Geo]

Here's a clip of Bob Dylan at Newport '65 with Mike backing.
Mike is only shown briefly but you will see the Tele.
The tune is "Maggie's Farm".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxJFsyR85o

[crawdad]

While watching they Dylan clip, I saw this with Mike and the Electric Flag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smRXn...elated&search=

[Geo]

That Electric Flag "Wine" is a good one. Noticed a pick
lodged in the 1st fret strings. Didn't seem to bother anything.
This one and the others listed are pretty good.
These are from a PBS show that was think done after
the Muddy Waters and Friends "Fathers and Sons" LP which
Mike played on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItFjYzAgtiI

[jpkusa]

Originally Posted by crawdad

While watching they Dylan clip, I saw this with Mike and the Electric Flag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smRXn...elated&search=

The first time I saw that Dylan clip a few years back, I became convinced that the reason the folkies booed was not because it was Dylan going electric, but because of how loud and manic Bloomfield's Tele playing was!

[Geo]

jpkusa,
That thought crossed my mind the 1st time I saw it also.
It was pretty stout for a audience used to mainly acoustic music.