John Fogerty CCR guitar tone lousy?

[brookdalebill]

You’re right!
No wonder that stuff didn’t sell.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Who are we to judge his sound?
Sounds good to me and millions who bought his albums

I think I learned the basics for my own (later) blues, R&B, rockabilly stylings...
( subliminally, just as a kid listener- not playing guitar yet...)
....and use of distortion and effects ( Tremolo and slapback) from literally one source- what John did on CCR's Cosmo's Factory.

- a treasure of maybe not virtuoso, but solid guitar playing and taste.

 

[Blrfl]

After reading through this, I'd like to hear OP's cover of a CCR tune with "better" tone.

 

[brrobert]

An interesting thing about his Ric 325 is that he put a Gibson humbucker in the bridge... I read once that he used mostly Gibsons in the studio-- including an ES 175 that was stolen and replaced by a Les Paul

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

After reading through this, I'd like to hear OP's cover of a CCR tune with "better" tone.

Thats the whole point. I think every cover band has done Green River, Born on the Bayou and others. And I firmly believe if John had recorded this stuff with a Tweed Deluxe, or a Harvard (Like Cropper on Green Onions) the sound would have been better.

I give all credit to John for his playing, singing and writing. He is a dang legend. But yes, I get a better guitar tone when playing his songs live, let alone in a studio. In fact, if he went in and rerecorded those parts today, using his more current gear, it would sound much better.

 

[Alex W]

I like Fogerty's playing and raw sound. It's highly unusual for me to listen to a good performance and think that the guitar needs to be EQ'd differently. The only one that comes to mind is Bob Mould's guitar sounds on Husker Du records, which sounds pretty bad to my ear. But CCR recordings sound great to me. Fogerty has a nice touch on the guitar.

 

[burntfrijoles]

I've always thought his tones fit the music. The swampy tremolo, the "dirty country" sound, etc. It's raw, simple, earthy and I like it.

I can't imagine hearing anything different on Fortunate Son, Green River, etc.

It's like listening to Otis Rush or Magic Sam on those old Chess and Cobra records. Those recordings and the resulting tones would surely be better today, but I like that it just the way they are.

 

[kuch]

 

[OmegaWoods]

The tone was/is part of the vibe of the band. There's no mistaking it. There's something fresh, exhilarating and raw about grabbing a guitar, plugging in, diming the amp and playing what you feel. Fogerty did that really, really well.

No one would confuse him with Joe Pass but that's what makes the guitar such a special, broad-ranging instrument.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I think people who did not grow up with this Music when it was new have no idea what they are talking about.

My 2 cents.

Most of their (CCR’s) catalog was recorded before I was born and while I was an infant/toddler…and I love their music.

In fact, a good percentage of my favorite music was outside of “my time”…I couldn’t have heard it first-hand.

If somebody doesn’t like something, that’s ok. That doesn’t make them wrong.

I hate Styx and Yes.

 

[Blrfl]

Thats the whole point. I think every cover band has done Green River, Born on the Bayou and others. And I firmly believe if John had recorded this stuff with a Tweed Deluxe, or a Harvard (Like Cropper on Green Onions) the sound would have been better.

Yes, but he didn't and the song is what it is.

For all either of us know, changing that one variable might have made enough of a difference to make River or Bayou turn out like Sinister Purpose or Penthouse Pauper: tracks on the same albums that rarely get mentioned. The tone on those two cuts is closer to Green Onions than it is to CCR's hits.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I was in a band with a guy who had painstakingly crafted “His Tone”…

He obsessed over every transistor, potentiometer, tube, IC chip and capacitor in his chain—pedals, pickups, tone woods, speakers (even blending different types of speakers)…

He spent hours (and subsequently, weeks) tweaking every knob, setting and setup, in order to craft everything perfectly…

He had some type of theory that the pedals being in too-close proximity to one another would negatively affect their sound, so he had a six-foot-long 2x8 that he attached his pedals to, keeping about 6” in between each pedal (using longer patch cables, which “also affected ‘His Tone’ in a positive manner…” <—his words, not mine).

Since the electromagnetic field generated by a wall wart/power supply would affect “His Tone”, he would only run his pedals using batteries…

He also thought the thicker wood used for this pedalplank pedalboard would make his rig sound more resonant than my “inferior” Furman SPB-8’s Plexiglas (I think…?) base.

He spent (literally) months of time and tens of thousands of dollars rolling through different stuff, until he’d perfected “His Tone”.

And the Lord proclaimed that “His Tone” was Epic, so sayeth one, so sayeth them all…and it was—he sounded great!

The angels sang, the prophets prophesied, there was a bumper crop of grain, all the animals reproduced and gave the sweetest milk…several women spontaneously got pregnant due to hearing “His Tone…”; (most of those pregnancies produced twins and triplets).

It was the Chuck Norris of Tone.

…And the first time we rehearsed, “His Tone” disappeared in the mix because he forgot about the second guitarist, the bassist, the vocals and drums.

He was confused, then frustrated, then furious that I, with my piecemeal “inferior” rig (yeah, right!) could be heard more clearly and fitting into the mix properly, since I was adjusting and playing to the song, the room and the other instruments instead of worrying about My Tone.

Without the other instruments, my tone wasn’t bad (I sounded just like me), but it wasn’t Epic…

I was willing to tweak my settings or turn on or turn off a pedal or change guitars…so I might not be Epic, but I could be heard because I wasn’t phase-cancelling with other frequencies.

He tried to cure this by turning up louder, which made him…louder, but still not heard. It was just a roar of sounds, no articulate notes or music.

 

[Alex W]

Reminds of the quote, "Short tenon, long tenon... once the drummer kicks in nobody cares."

 

[rand z]

Recording techniques: i.e., amps; guitars; microphones; patch cords; overdubbing; click tracks; etc., have come a long way since 1969.

I believe peeps here are unconsciously comparing them to today's standards.

I mean in 1969 recording engineers were crudely splicing tape with a razor blade and re-assembling it into complete tracks??!!

I don't see any relevant/accurate way to compare Fogerty's tone in 1969, to anything we are hearing, currently.

imo.

 

[Twang Deluxe]

I dig CCR. I mean its all there. Good songs, American rhythm and blues based sound with an iconic vocalist.

The guitar tone...just not there for me. Listening to Suzie Q on a good stereo makes it even harder for me.

The EQ is right. The pickups are ehhh...ok. in a mix it kinda works. But truthfully, I think it sucks.

Just my 2 cents.

I always loved the guitar sound on Suzie Q

 

[Papanate]

It was what it was - it fit the mix or they fit the mix to the guitars and vocals - the Drummer and Bass player were superb and form a rock solid rhythm for Fogerty -the drums were the right tone and the bass players tone worked with the drums and guitars - And his brother blended in his tone as well - what's not to love about it all?

 

[THX1123]

Recording techniques: i.e., amps; guitars; microphones; patch cords; overdubbing; click tracks; etc., have come a long way since 1969.

I believe peeps here are unconsciously comparing them to today's standards.

I mean in 1969 recording engineers were crudely splicing tape with a razor blade and re-assembling it into complete tracks??!!

I don't see any relevant/accurate way to compare Fogerty's tone in 1969, to anything we are hearing, currently.

imo.

This. Context. Zeitgeist. Technology.

Applying 2023 ears and standards to CCR recordings is like saying the 1972 Dolphins sucked compared to the current team, or that the 1966 England side were amateurs compared to today's teams and players.

 

[black_doug]

Almost 100 posts and I would say we have a consensus. The answer to the OP’s question is no.

 

[lowatter]

Something else comes to mind regarding CCR and the era they thrived in. They were young men carving a mark in this world and worked with the equipment they had at their disposal. Also, producers and sound engineers they were tied to would have some input on their tone and overall sound. I think all and all they were a great band and Johns an incredibly talented singer/song writer/guitarist/performer.

 

[MilwMark]

Man, I think that is one of his BEST solos! That song is about angry revolution, and he plays the perfect building, simple, angry solo. A nice, tight, bluesy Clapton solo just wouldn't fit the song IMOH.

And the guitar tones on this (and other) CCR songs are just perfect to me. Like someone else said- they're burned into the collective memory of generations of classic rock listeners. That tone IS CCR.

Not that familiar with CCR or this song. But agree the solo fits really well. But then, to me, the last thing this world needs is ANOTHER Clapton or Hendrix style solo . . .