Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 It's almost as if John fell in love with the sound the very first budget amp he ever owned and continued to chase that tone for the rest of his life. Also, I'm guessing none of the engineers or experts around him were going to tell him that his tone was anything less than glorious. I'm not trying to put him down as an artist. I respect his talent. I've always considered him a great song writer including a lot of his solo work after the Beatles. I like his voice. Obviously, he can play the guitar. Yet, somehow, he's managed to get some of the worst sounds I've ever heard from a guitar amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Guess you just dont like that cranked P90 tone.Cant be that lousey if he sold as many albums as he did. I'm not a huge fan of cranked P90's either but I do recognize its what made his sound and many love that tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ultimatum Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 He used Vox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nicholai Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Change is bad, ya hear? Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members honeyiscool Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 He's a very hard strummer and plays with a lot of force. It might have nothing to do with gear, you might just hate his style of playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jimash Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 [video=youtube;GlpMs_R3P6U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlpMs_R3P6U Sounds ok to me.He liked to experiment. This one ?[video=youtube;VKB-w179PIQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKB-w179PIQ&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DarkHorseJ27 Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 He didn't really care all that much about guitar, he mostly learned it so he could back himself when he was singing. The tones he had worked well enough for what he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Cant be that lousey if he sold as many albums as he did. If you dont like the tone, you can at least recognize its unique. I'm not a huge fan of the P90 tone cranked myself but allot of guitarists on this forum love it. I'm a P90 fan. Also, I like Vox amps. I realize that the whole topic of tone is a bit subjective. Obviously, his tones couldn't have been so terrible as to frighten off the public at large. But, these days, when I listen to his recordings, I can't help but wonder why he wasn't getting better sounds. Also, you do bring up a good point about it sounding unique. It doesn't really sound like anybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjpistols Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 All these posts and no mention of Yoko's tones? I don't know if I'm proud or ashamed of you guys. Wait, I'll go with indifferent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 All these posts and no mention of Yoko's tones? I don't know if I'm proud or ashamed of you guys. Wait, I'll go with indifferent. Apathy helped bring down the Roman Empire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kuz929 Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 IMO, most guitars were too thin and treble-y for my taste back then. I think its just the way the gear was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flogger59 Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Lennon's sound did what it was supposed to do, fill the mids while Harrison got sparkly. He got some great tones, too. The jazz guitar solo in Honey Pie was him, and the last lick in The End is impossible to get right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frankthomson Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 ...cause he sucked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjpistols Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Apathy helped bring down the Roman Empire. Like I care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Perhaps, this is a lesson....Song writing trumps tone. Like I care. Your continued indifference is duly noted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveAronow Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Like I care. JJ made a funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peskypesky Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 because there were no internet guitar forums to help the poor guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 This is news to me - I never realised John Lennon had definable amp tones. And even if he did (which, given the hugely experimental and varied methods of the Beatles, I would find very hard to pin down), I guess it would pale into insignificance vs the things which really made him talented: his song writing, his lyrics, his vocals and his personality. However, if you are talking about Casino or Ric into AC30 from their phase up to about 1966, well, that was pretty similar to lots of other Brit invasion bands of the time, so I am also not too sure what to say about it. It could sometimes be great, and sometimes a bit crap... more often than not determined by the nature of a recording, or the fact that he was basically the rhythm guitarist in the band. Edit: Actually, now I come to think about it, you are right. IT was often crap, but crap in a good way, if you get me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LOLRECONLOL Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 ...cause he sucked? dingdingding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members taxerman Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Amp? Guitar? Pickups? Maybe all it took for John to get a great sound was heroin because a smack addicted John achieved the greatest guitar tone in rock history during the "Let It Be" rooftop concert. John's Casino's P-90s into a Fender Twin create a growl and rumble that is glorious. What he plays under George in "Don't Let Me Down" is some sound. I've been trying to nail that tone my whole life. I don't do heroin so maybe that's why I can't get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeanoBoy Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 John Lennon's guitar tones, especially from Revolver on ( Casino+P-90s) are some of my favorite guitar tones. His rhythm comping in 'She Said, She Said' and 'Sgt. Pepper' are particularly cool. Different strokes for different folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Amp? Guitar? Pickups? Maybe all it took for John to get a great sound was heroin because a smack addicted John achieved the greatest guitar tone in rock history during the "Let It Be" rooftop concert. John's Casino's P-90s into a Fender Twin create a growl and rumble that is glorious. What he plays under George in "Don't Let Me Down" is some sound. I've been trying to nail that tone my whole life. I don't do heroin so maybe that's why I can't get it.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_228EvtU1ZYY/TM32ZIaHsxI/AAAAAAAABng/ckkJzK9hOxA/s1600/John%2BLennon.jpg I agree. I love that tone. And, it makes everything else he's done pale in comparison. Also, it makes me wonder why he didn't sound that great more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nicholai Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Ya know,I just watched let it be ten min ago, and all I have to say is they remind me exactly, guitar tone and all, of the hipsters you guys are always complaining about. Nothings changed (oh and john completely making up the lyrics about 6;30 into the concert was great). Yes, songwriting and feeling trump tone, duh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrockbridge Posted May 22, 2012 Author Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 John Lennon's guitar tones, especially from Revolver on ( Casino+P-90s) are some of my favorite guitar tones. His rhythm comping in 'She Said, She Said' and 'Sgt. Pepper' are particularly cool. Different strokes for different folks. I love his voice, songs and playing...just not his tone most of the time. I never even noticed until I became a guitar nerd though. I picked up a guitar for the first time during my last couple of college years. Many years later, I can nit pick tone to the n'th degree. It's quite an annoyance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted May 22, 2012 Members Share Posted May 22, 2012 Lennon's sound did what it was supposed to do, fill the mids while Harrison got sparkly. He got some great tones, too. The jazz guitar solo in Honey Pie was him, and the last lick in The End is impossible to get right.This is about as good as anything I could come up with. John's entire style whether it was his playing or singing wasn't highly refined and it helped to put some edge into the songs IMHO. If you listen to all the solo work by everyone else there was always something lacking from the other guys regardless of how great the song was. John was just the nasally, unrefined brute of the group in my eyes. And you have to admit that it cut through the mix well. I can't tell you how many times I've ended up with something that sounds like pure ass that sits really well with other instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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