Forgery tone in heard it through the grapevine.

[Grandfunkfan]

Does anyone have any idea how John Forgerty gets that tone on the solo from Heard it through the grapevine? Sounds like a tele or a strat on the neck pickup above the 12th fret, but there's definitely something else going on.

 

[MontanaTele]

Don't know what he used on the album. He was playing a Les Paul Custom or a Rickenbacker back then, but I could get it on a 335 into a '66 Bassman chassis in a 2-10 cabinet, no pedals. He was also using Kustom amps live.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Does anyone have any idea how John Forgerty gets that tone on the solo from Heard it through the grapevine? Sounds like a tele or a strat on the neck pickup a a above the 12th fret, but there's definitely something else going on.

I could be wrong ( this recall is a longtime ago, maybe GP magazine?)
but I thought for ' Grapevine ' that Fogerty used his black Les Paul, tuned down a whole step, and is playing in E ( so actually pitch is D), and using a cranked Fender Pro Reverb
> there is NO WAY I would just make this up, but maybe I am....

* regardless, Cosmos Factory absolutely grooves with tasty guitar style, all over!

 

[John C]

I don't think Fogerty had any Fenders at that point in time; just the LP Customs and the Rickenbacker 325s. Ric 325s are VERY short-scale guitars - 21" scale - so that might have something to do with that sound. At some point his Ric was stolen and he had an LP Custom shortened to that scale length.

I could be wrong ( this recall is a longtime ago, maybe GP magazine?)
but I thought for ' Grapevine ' that Fogerty used his black Les Paul, tuned down a whole step, and is playing in E ( so actually pitch is D), and using a cranked Fender Pro Reverb
> there is NO WAY I would just make this up, but maybe I am....

* regardless, Cosmos Factory absolutely grooves with tasty guitar style, all over!

I am trying to remember - I had a Guitar Player from 1985 (when Centerfield came out) and he did talk about both that album and some classic CCR songs but I don't remember what he said regarding "I heard It Through The Grapevine".

I do remember that he said he stayed away from Fenders back in the CCR days because he felt he had small hands and he identified the short-scale Fenders too much with surf music. But he had come around to using them during the 70s and early 80s, and at that point in time he was using a custom Strat-type and Tele-type built by Philip Kubiki.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

I figured it was something beyond the norm. I can get close with a strat neck pickup through a Peavey Delta blues right on the verge of break up, but there is something other worldly about the tone he gets on on that tune. Probably a little studio wizardry too. For sure a bunch of talent.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

Pardon my lack of sophistication as it pertains to scale length, but it sounds like shorter scale length equals less string tension and that effects tone? Might work out for me, I'm waiting on an Epi 335 which is shorter scale than my strats.

 

[archetype]

I could be wrong ( this recall is a longtime ago, maybe GP magazine?)
but I thought for ' Grapevine ' that Fogerty used his black Les Paul, tuned down a whole step, and is playing in E ( so actually pitch is D), and using a cranked Fender Pro Reverb
> there is NO WAY I would just make this up, but maybe I am....

* regardless, Cosmos Factory absolutely grooves with tasty guitar style, all over!

That was a fine guitar album. Also, a good example of open-sounding arrangements and recording with "space" in them instead of a slab of sound.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

Don't know what he used on the album. He was playing a Les Paul Custom or a Rickenbacker back then, but I could get it on a 335 into a '66 Bassman chassis in a 2-10 cabinet, no pedals. He was also using Kustom amps live.

Don't know if you saw my second post, but by chance I'm waiting on an Epi 335 right now. Probably get here in the next 2 weeks. I'm assuming you get that tone with the neck pickup? Never occured to me that you could get that greasy tone with humbuckers. All I've ever owned are strats and teles. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

That was a fine guitar album. Also, a good example of open-sounding arrangements and recording with "space" in them instead of a slab of sound.

It wasn't immediately, as I wasn't even playing guitar yet, when I got this album ( for me early '70's), but I must have absorbed the guitsr playing, and 'bookmatked' for later...

The blues phrasing, rockabilly licks, use of slapback echo, tremolo- I feel like so much of what I do, is right there!
He was basic, but beyond solid as a rock!

 

[Vibroluxer]

Pardon my lack of sophistication as it pertains to scale length, but it sounds like shorter scale length equals less string tension and that effects tone? Might work out for me, I'm waiting on an Epi 335 which is shorter scale than my strats.

Exactly!! I had a Ric 325 and being such a short scale the strings were very loose. Coupled with a heavy hand and I had trouble fretting a chord and it being in tune. Invariably one of my heavy handed fingers would slightly push out on a string as I was pressing down and bam! An out of tune chord. That was a difficult guitar for me to play.

 

[Grandfunkfan]

Now I know why I like playing so much around the 12th and 14th fret. It's the loosest place on the fret board. I think I'm going to like this shorter scale deal. I'll just have to ease back on the iron grip.

 

[Wrighty]

Don't know what he used on the album. He was playing a Les Paul Custom or a Rickenbacker back then, but I could get it on a 335 into a '66 Bassman chassis in a 2-10 cabinet, no pedals. He was also using Kustom amps live.

Does anyone have any idea how John Forgerty gets that tone on the solo from Heard it through the grapevine? Sounds like a tele or a strat on the neck pickup above the 12th fret, but there's definitely something else going on.

Does anyone have any idea how John Forgerty gets that tone on the solo from Heard it through the grapevine? Sounds like a tele or a strat on the neck pickup above the 12th fret, but there's definitely something else going on.

None at all, but I love(ed) all of his tones and his playing / technique. Badmoon Rising was my first ‘oh, wow’ song that started my interest in guitar. I was 14 at the time, just starting out playing drums. Most of the kids at school were into Deep Purple and the like and dismissed CCR as not cool (or whatever you were supposed to be back then) pop music. I didn’t care!

 

[Fenderdad1950]

He is known for playing thru an old tweed Fender Baseman like Clapton does. But the magic is in his fingers

 

[vjf1968]

I don't think Fogerty had any Fenders at that point in time; just the LP Customs and the Rickenbacker 325s. Ric 325s are VERY short-scale guitars - 21" scale - so that might have something to do with that sound. At some point his Ric was stolen and he had an LP Custom shortened to that scale length.



I am trying to remember - I had a Guitar Player from 1985 (when Centerfield came out) and he did talk about both that album and some classic CCR songs but I don't remember what he said regarding "I heard It Through The Grapevine".

I do remember that he said he stayed away from Fenders back in the CCR days because he felt he had small hands and he identified the short-scale Fenders too much with surf music. But he had come around to using them during the 70s and early 80s, and at that point in time he was using a custom Strat-type and Tele-type built by Philip Kubiki.

The Ric wasn't stolen, he gave it to a kid and a few years ago his wife bought from Norm's Rare Guitars as a present for Fogerty so he has it back. I think its the Les Paul on "Grapevine" but hard to say. The Ric has a Gibson humbucker pickup in the bridge which was probably installed in 68 or 69. I just watched an Ed Sullivan performance and the humbucker is there.

 

[John C]

The Ric wasn't stolen, he gave it to a kid and a few years ago his wife bought from Norm's Rare Guitars as a present for Fogerty so he has it back. I think its the Les Paul on "Grapevine" but hard to say. The Ric has a Gibson humbucker pickup in the bridge which was probably installed in 68 or 69. I just watched an Ed Sullivan performance and the humbucker is there.

Ah; bad memory on my part, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Crobbins]

 

[IronSchef]

so, the mispelling in the title - "Forgery Tone" ... a Freudian Slip? a clever pun? just a typo?

Fogerty WAS sued by his old band for plagerizing his OWN song (Run through the jungle) when he released "old man down the road" -- he DID win the lawsuit

 

[Crobbins]

Les Paul custom through a Kustom amp.

 

[wabashslim]

He used the Ric for the distorted stuff & the black LP for the Cleans - Proud Mary, Lodi, etc, both studio & live. But Grapevine is absolutely LP.

 

[archetype]

It wasn't immediately, as I wasn't even playing guitar yet, when I got this album ( for me early '70's), but I must have absorbed the guitsr playing, and 'bookmatked' for later...

The blues phrasing, rockabilly licks, use of slapback echo, tremolo- I feel like so much of what I do, is right there!
He was basic, but beyond solid as a rock!

Yep. Elvin and Johnny Vernazza, together. Their version of The Temptations' My Girl is one of the most joyous treatments I've heard.

Elvin and Johnny are still doin' it, separately.