Mick T's Solo - "Can't you hear me knocking" Tone

That album didn't have Wood on it. He wasn't yet in the Stones then. He was still playing with Rod Stewart and the Faces. It was Keef and Mick Taylor. The solo at the end is Mick Taylor on a Les Paul, and it could be an Ampeg V4, 'cause the Stones were using those around that time, at least live.

 

Just thinking as Mick T. was getting into Santana - so I'm thinking it's a Gibson neck humbucker ( he played SG/Les Paul/ ES-335 or similar) into a cranked Twin Reverb ( pre-Santana/ Boogie era)

- it just has that presence that says 'this is coming from volume' - not a cranked small amp

- it's just a guess, plus it's Mick's and amazing vibrato which helps create the tone
tone-
You hear a similar tone a few years later on "Time Waits For No One"

 

He used a VT40 (he still does today) or a GU12 quite a bit in the studio...and a LP or SG. When I use that combination, it nails that tone.

 

Info: VT40 preamp is very much like an SVT.

 

Yep, when I saw Santana at the Fillmore during the Abraxas/Santana III era, the first time before Neal Schon had joined the band, and the second time with him, Carlos used two Twins stacked one on top of another. That's how he got that sweet, sweet Samba Pa Ti tone. I much preferred his sound then to his later Mesa Boogie tones.

 

Love the tones here

 

Taylor was interveiwed by GP magazine back at the dawn of man (I know, I was there and read it). IIRC, he used a Gibson ES-345 stereo into a SF Twin Reverb for that solo.

 

That's what I read, too.

 

As an aside, for years I was a true RS nut about their gear, particularly the MT era. I've never seen a pic with KR or MT playing an ES-345. However, there ARE a few photos of both (usually MT) playing a mid-sixties ES-355. Maybe that's what he meant when asked by the interviewer.

Unknown by buddyboy posted Nov 29, 2020 at 9:39 AM

 

I know this may sound like pure delusion here but once again ( something to do on a Sunday AM) I kind of hit this tone pretty well with my new Roland Micro Cube amp-
(it's just really fun to screw around with this thing at home between gigs- I did a similar thing getting some Cream and EC/Layla album Strat sounds)

Anyway, I used my neck pickup ( lipstick) on my Danelectro, using the ' Classic Stack' ( Marshall) model, Gain at 1:00 clock, and the Spring Reverb ( it's digital).setting- any with the 25" scale of the Dano ( for good bending/vibrato) the sounds was pretty authentic-on a teeny scale.

What's cool about the Micro, is ( not talking Reverb here) is it just gives you a lot of sustain clean or dirty.
So you add the Gain from the model+ Reverb, and this sound ( whisper quiet volume, for now) just comes out.

* just commenting about a fun little amp

Edit: If you want to hear Mick Taylor just in 'blues control' as a kid, you have to get Bluesbreakers " Crusade" album- Mick was just incredible here.