Dual Q's...Beach Boy content inside

[Fenderman1991]

So in Boston last weekend I got this live Beach Boys CD which is fab. It got me thinking, do any of you guy's like them? But more so, do any of you fans know Carl's rig? My first guess whas Fender. But I'm talking pedals too...delay, chorus, trem? Dirt?

 

Secondly, on an unrelated note,

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=2826779&MyToken=1466459d-f3eb-482f-9abe-f6c5508159bd

 

On their song Rainy Day Girl, I love that tone. Is gt's kinda Beach Boys-ish, but my question was the guitar on the left, not the one with trem. Is there any chorus going on there, or is it just really clean? I love it.

 

thanks

[Phil O'Keefe]

I'm a huge Beach Boys fan... IMO, Brian Wilson, flawed and scarred though he is, will go down as one of the top American composers and producer / arrangers of the 20th century. The man's music is brilliant.

 

As far as Carl's rig, I know they had a Fender endorsement back in the early 60s, but later concert footage showed him playing a Gibson ES a lot of the time. I imagine that like many of us, he had a lot of stuff in his gear collection to choose from.

[Fenderman1991]

Yeah, I could picture him using Fender's. As you said, some of the youtubes I've seen show him with his Gibson too...

 

Yeah, Brian is truly great. Even now, half deaf and all. I saw him, what was it...2 years ago? Great show. Might not please the people who love agreat stage show, he usually sits behind his piano the whole time, but if you really like the music, it's deffinately worth seeing.

 

Good Vibrations is one of my faves...great psychadelic feel.

[pepperduck]

Pet Sounds is one of my favorite albums of ever. Its just so perfect. It gives me the chills every time I hear something new, which is every time that I listen to it.

 

I have no Idea about their gear though. Sounds like they did use a lot of single coil guitars though. Maybe something with lipsticks in it.

[anglerfish]

I have always been a huge fan of the Beach Boys. But I don't know much about their equipment.

 

The Explorers Club "Freedom Wind" album manages to a take a lot of the good things about the Beach Boys and essentially copy them without pissing me off too much. The finally re-released Dennis Wilson "Pacific Ocean Blue" album is very nice listening as well.

[SonicVI]

I think he used Fender amps exclusively. I'd say the 4 main guitars I identify with Carl are the white Fender Jaguar and fireburst Rickenbacker 12-string (model 330/12 I think, he later had a signature Ric) from the early 60's, a blonde telecaster with Bigsby in the late 60's, and a sunburst 12-string Epiphone Riviera in the 70's.

[Phil O'Keefe]

BTW, they didn't play on most of their recordings - while they were out on tour, Brian was back in LA doing recordings with "the wrecking crew" for the albums, and then when the boys got back, they'd do the vocals...

 

There are some exceptions, such as "Carl's Big Chance", but most of the guitars on records were session cats.

[dparr]

I think he used Fender amps exclusively. I'd say the 4 main guitars I identify with Carl are the white Fender Jaguar and fireburst Rickenbacker 12-string (model 330/12 I think, he later had a signature Ric) from the early 60's , a blonde telecaster with Bigsby in the late 60's, and a sunburst 12-string Epiphone Riviera in the 70's.

 

 

Carl Wilson Signature Rickenbacker

 

[Fenderman1991]

I'm lovin it.

[dparr]

This interview has a lot of great info about Carl's gear:

 

First appeared in Guitar One magazine, November 2001 issue.

 

Full interview: http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/billyhinsche/story4.html

 

CARL WILSON INTERVIEW

 

BH: Did Fender eventually endorse you?

 

CW: Yes. After the group got real popular, Fender asked us to endorse their instruments. I think the deal was they'd give them to you then you'd let them print ads and stuff like that. This was around 1962.

 

BH: Have you endorsed any other make of guitar?

 

CW: I don't think so.

 

BH: What combination of guitar and amp did you use in the early to mid-'60s?

 

CW: It was a Stratocaster and a [Fender] Dual Showman.

 

BH: What other guitars did you own at that time?

 

CW: I had a Fender Jaguar for a while.

 

BH: What kind of strings were you using?

 

CW: Heavy. I think they were Fender. Then I switched to Ernie Ball medium gauge in the mid '60s. As the years have gone on, I started to play regular Slinkys. That's what I use now, but I'd like to switch to a lighter string for more flexibility and ease in playing.

 

BH: Can you describe how you achieved the studio sound that you got on the early Beach Boys' albums?

 

CW: We had an amp in the studio just so I could listen to it. This was before people started using the cue system so much. The cue system allowed everything to come back through the earphones. Anyway, I would use an amp and a direct box. Almost all the guitar sounds were done through the direct box to the mixing console except for "Little Honda" or one of those tunes where Brian [Wilson] wanted a buzzy, distorted guitar sound --- then we'd use an amp and just crank it. That was before they had pre-amp and the master volume.

 

BH: Do you prefer to use an amp or go direct?

 

CW: I like a combination.

 

BH: How did your guitar sound change in the '70s? What guitars were you using then?

 

CW: Around 1970, a friend came over and brought a blonde 335 Gibson. He sold it to me for $300 and it was probably the best buy I ever made. It was a Custom and it was several years old at the time I bought it. I'm still using it.

 

BH: I know you use at least three or four guitars on stage. Can you name them and some of the songs you use them on?

 

CW: Sure. I use an Epiphone 12-string for "California Girls" and "Sloop John B." or songs where there is an ostenato, or a guitar figure that goes all the way through it, or just for that sound. I use the 335 for the early Beach Boys things like "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Surfin' U.S.A."

 

BH: What guitars did you previously use on stage?

 

CW: I have a Stratocaster which was the first one made after the prototype. I used to use it on "Help Me Rhonda." I used your 6-string Epiphone Sheraton for a while ["The Beach Boys In Concert" 1972 album]. Around 1967-68, I got into the [Fender] Telecaster with a Bigsby unit. It was sort of a hot item for Fender at the time.

 

BH: What guitars do you currently have in your collection?

 

CW: A sunburst Gibson Epiphone 12-string, a yellow Fender Stratocaster [named "Old Yeller"], a natural Gibson 335 with a Bigsby tailpiece, a red Epiphone 12-string, a white Fender Stratocaster, a black Les Paul, a sunburst Les Paul, a red Gibson 335, a tobacco sunburst Epiphone 12-string, an acoustic Martin Bicentennial D-76 [stolen from the Beach Boys' warehouse], a yellow Fender Telecaster, a blonde Fender Stratocaster, a red Baldwin 12-string, an acoustic Martin D-41, a jumbo Gibson J-200 and a Les Paul Jr.

 

BH: What is your most prized guitar or guitars?

 

CW: The Strat is probably my most prized guitar. The 335 is great for a rhythm guitar and yet it is a little bit easier to play than the Strat when it comes to doing any leads, but the sound isn't as good.

 

BH: What kind of amp are you currently using?

 

CW: Now I'm using a Mitchell. Another great amp is the Fender twin reverb.

 

BH: What settings do you use on your amp?

 

CW: Usually the volume is about half way at 5 and the tone is between 6 and 7, depending on the guitar. I like the middle right up close to 10. I like the bass up pretty high too, and the pre-amp is usually between 3 and 4. Then, if I want to get a real loud sound, a real --- you know, buzzy sound, I'll put the pre-amp up at about 7 or 8, but the master usually stays about the same.

 

BH: Is this for stage or studio?

 

CW: It applies to both. I mean, for recording, you sometimes don't want to be as radical. You have to back up a little bit because the microphone will pick up the distortion much faster than, say, in a live situation.

 

BH: What guitars do you use for your personal playing at home? Acoustic or electric?

 

CW: Usually my [custom made acoustic] David Russell Young.

 

BH: What year was that made?

 

CW: I don't know. I think it was around 1974.

 

[BH: Do you use a capo?

 

CW: It's fun to use a capo 'cause you can get the strings to really have a bell-like sound. It's a thing I got into when I was writing songs. When I started to really write a lot, I would use the capo to try different keys and different combinations.

 

BH: Did you use any effects?

 

CW: Yeah, we harmonized some things. The main effect was the Boss Chorus on the slow speed. It was just the chorus sound without vibrato for most of it.

 

BH: Can you characterize your own style? I know that's a hard question, but describe it somehow.

 

CW: It's just a real simple style. It's not a very elaborate or fancy way of playing --- not a lot of notes. I like to get a little more mileage out of each note.

 

BH: Is there anything you would like to add? Maybe you'd like to give a word of advice to guitar players?

 

CW: Practice, practice, practice!

[kishjor]

I want Pet Sounds on vinyl.

 

 

This may be a strange question, but what other Beach Boys albums are considered great besides Pet Sounds? A shop near me has a decent amount of their stuff just not that one....

[Fenderman1991]

Thanks a lot man!

 

Great find.

[goodhonk]

 

I want Pet Sounds on vinyl. This may be a strange question, but what other Beach Boys albums are considered great besides Pet Sounds? A shop near me has a decent amount of their stuff just not that one....

 

 

 

nothing comes close. is it just me, or is "i'm waiting for the day" one of the best songs ever recorded?

[anglerfish]

 

nothing comes close. is it just me, or is "i'm waiting for the day" one of the best songs ever recorded?

 

 

This is true; there are lots of other great songs, but no other truly great album like Pet Sounds. However, the Brian Wilson "Smile" album that finally got released a few years ago is really good in its own right.

[goodhonk]

 

This is true; there are lots of other great songs, but no other truly great album like Pet Sounds. However, the Brian Wilson "Smile" album that finally got released a few years ago is really good in its own right.

 

 

i've tried to get into that, but can't. i've got a bootleg of the originals too.

[anglerfish]

 

i've tried to get into that, but can't. i've got a bootleg of the originals too.

 

 

Yeah, it's not the same, but there are good moments. If I were the OP, I would just stick it out for Pet Sounds and then move out from there... Or maybe even start with a good pre-PS greatest hits collection, like "Endless Summer," and THEN to Pet Sounds; hearing Brian's songwriting and production talents evolve over such short time is pretty thrilling unto itself.

[SonicVI]

 

I want Pet Sounds on vinyl. This may be a strange question, but what other Beach Boys albums are considered great besides Pet Sounds? A shop near me has a decent amount of their stuff just not that one....

 

 

My favorite Beach Boys album after Pet Sounds is easily Sunflower.

[SonicVI]

Heh, guess it was a 360 6-string.

 

Carl Wilson Signature Rickenbacker

[TheGareth]

Speaking of the Beach Boys, I once acquired a version of what the Beach Boys Pet Sounds would have sounded like if Phil Spector mixed it. It was fantastic, and I don't know who done it or how it was done but it was cool. Anyone else heard this?

[anglerfish]

 

Speaking of the Beach Boys, I once acquired a version of what the Beach Boys Pet Sounds would have sounded like if Phil Spector mixed it. It was fantastic, and I don't know who done it or how it was done but it was cool. Anyone else heard this?

 

 

No. Do you still have it?

[Phil O'Keefe]

Or maybe even start with a good pre-PS greatest hits collection, like "Endless Summer"

 

That would be my suggestion too. After Pet Sounds of course, which is, IMHO, one of the ten best records of all time.

 

Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE is fantastic, and worth hunting for. The only letdown (IMO) is the re-written lyrics for Good Vibrations, but if it was a matter of not having to deal with Mike Love, I can understand it...

 

Speaking of the Beach Boys, I once acquired a version of what the Beach Boys Pet Sounds would have sounded like if Phil Spector mixed it. It was fantastic, and I don't know who done it or how it was done but it was cool. Anyone else heard this?

 

No, sorry - I haven't. However, Brian had two "competitors" in his mind - Phil Spector and The Beatles. There's definitely some Spector influence in some of his production, but IMO, a "wall of sound" approach, with those huge chamber verbs and tape delays lathered all over everything would distract from the details of Pet Sounds.

 

FWIW, Phil Spector really didn't mix, although he definitely did instruct the engineers as to what he was looking for sonically.

 

What I'd love to hear would be a modern version of Pet Sounds, with nothing changed in terms of performances and arrangements, but with the modern sonics of BWP SMiLE.

[SonicVI]

Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE is fantastic, and worth hunting for. The only letdown (IMO) is the re-written lyrics for Good Vibrations, but if it was a matter of not having to deal with Mike Love, I can understand it...

 

Weren't those an original alternate version of the lyrics rather than a modern rewrite?

[english_bob]

Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE is fantastic, and worth hunting for. The only letdown (IMO) is the re-written lyrics for Good Vibrations, but if it was a matter of not having to deal with Mike Love, I can understand it...

 

I don't know a lot about the band politics, but that version of "Good Vibrations" just ruined the whole SMiLE album for me. I couldn't get over the fact that one of my all-time favourite songs was lurking in the middle of the album in such mediocre form

 

I lent the album to a friend of mine quite some time ago, and I could live without getting it back.

 

I haven't listened to "Pet Sounds" in ages. I need to dig it out.

[EL KABONG]

I was a HUGE Beach Boys fan when I was a kid. Their music is seriously engrained in my soul. I saw them live about 3 times.

[goodhonk]

Or maybe even start with a good pre-PS greatest hits collection, like "Endless Summer" That would be my suggestion too. After Pet Sounds of course, which is, IMHO, one of the ten best records of all time. Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE is fantastic, and worth hunting for. The only letdown (IMO) is the re-written lyrics for Good Vibrations, but if it was a matter of not having to deal with Mike Love, I can understand it... Speaking of the Beach Boys, I once acquired a version of what the Beach Boys Pet Sounds would have sounded like if Phil Spector mixed it. It was fantastic, and I don't know who done it or how it was done but it was cool. Anyone else heard this? No, sorry - I haven't. However, Brian had two "competitors" in his mind - Phil Spector and The Beatles. There's definitely some Spector influence in some of his production, but IMO, a "wall of sound" approach, with those huge chamber verbs and tape delays lathered all over everything would distract from the details of Pet Sounds. FWIW, Phil Spector really didn't mix, although he definitely did instruct the engineers as to what he was looking for sonically. What I'd love to hear would be a modern version of Pet Sounds, with nothing changed in terms of performances and arrangements, but with the modern sonics of BWP SMiLE.

 

the band that did "Smile" with Brian originally started off doing live versions of "Pet Sounds". i watched a documentary on it all. it was very good.