A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Used solid state amps, too.

That is one bad man.

tlarson58 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:37 pm Used solid state amps, too.

No cork sniffing back then

I sometimes forget, that is my damned ES-345 that Freddie is playing. Dallas, Texas in about 1965-66.

tlarson58 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:37 pm Used solid state amps, too.

Most sources I can find suggest he used Fender tube amps through his career.
Early, a Gibson GA-40.
Not seeing any reference to solid state amps being his choice. Perhaps he played some venues were that was a provided amp, but FK seems to have largely played larger and larger Fender tube amps and cabs as he moved through his career. 100% cork.

Saw the man lay, early 70s, Montreux, Switzerland. Big bear of a guy.
A section of that performance is on YT, sorry not on hand at the moment.

Like many musicians, during that period where blues/jazz was nothing to the general audience, he had to drive a cab to earn a living. Same thing with McCoy Tyner, fantastic piano player. Saw McCoy in a small club, Cambridge, MA, and I get emotional every time I think about it.

tlarson58 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:37 pm Used solid state amps, too.

VERY VERY rarely. His main amps later in his career were Fender Quad Reverbs. Before that, Twins and Showman heads, Tweed Bassman before that, and I think old Gibson’s in his earliest days.

BTW, if that clip is from the performance I think it is, he is playing a Blackface Fender Showman head through JBL speakers. The amp is cranked, treble maxed, bass turned down, and it had to have been ear splitting loud on that stage!

Here is the Montreux performance:



I must have been wearing my bell-bottom pants as well...!

The audience: I have been there a few times during that era, and many folks would travel from far places to see their musical heroes, a very committed audience, which made for great, great times!
The place: this was the temporary auditorium, after the original "casino" location burned down (Smoke on the Water!) during a Zappa concert.
The lighting is uniformly bright as Swiss national TV was taping every event of the festival, every year!

@PoodlesAgain Don't mean to bother you, but I don't think that's Montreaux because of the man introducing them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Franklin_(artist)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo ... adquarters

But... it could be they just flew the dude in to do the introductions for the festival.

I just ordered
a set of 12 of his instrumentals.

@golem, mid-way in the video, at 21 sec mark, and 8:38, look a the graphics on the back wall...!
Plus the TV crew

Festival schedule:
https://www.setlist.fm/festival/1973/mo ... 6b313.html

PoodlesAgain wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:11 pm Here is the Montreux performance:

That’s a Quad Reverb loaded with four very efficient JBL K120’s. YouTube cannot do justice to how damn loud that thing was when pushed to distortion like that. Noticeably louder than a 100w Marshall stack with Greenbacks. A true gem of 1970’s excess!!!!

People don’t play loud like that anymore, and I think it has had a negative impact on the way we play and the way the band interacts. But that is another thread.

Chocol8 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 1:19 pm

PoodlesAgain wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:11 pm Here is the Montreux performance:

That’s a Quad Reverb loaded with four very efficient JBL K120’s. YouTube cannot do justice to how damn loud that thing was when pushed to distortion like that. Noticeably louder than a 100w Marshall stack with Greenbacks. A true gem of 1970’s excess!!!!

People don’t play loud like that anymore, and I think it has had a negative impact on the way we play and the way the band interacts. But that is another thread.

If bands played that loud today...it would interrupt people using their mobile phones and that would be a no go

Depressing but true.

Love Freddie. My personal favorite of the three Kings

aullucci wrote: ↑Sat Jan 15, 2022 4:57 pm Love Freddie. My personal favorite of the three Kings

Agree 100% !