This could go in the "What Blows Your Mind" thread because it definitely blows my mind. However, I was wondering if anyone knew what type of amp Alan Wilson is using here - the tone is outrageous! I know a lot of that is Wilson himself, but the amp tone is sooo good!
For sure, jbone, if I could sound anything like that … By the way, while I respect many current players, it's the (relatively) early guys - the Sonny Boys, the Walters, Cotton and so on - that excite me. And of all the players that followed them, Alan Wilson stands out as true to the legacy of those who came before him. I wish he had stuck around.
John Lee Hooker: "You hear that cat on the harmonica? That's the Canned Heat. I know you dig it." He was referring to Alan Wilson, of course. Canned Heat was never the same after Wilson died because the Blind Owl was irreplaceable. Thanks for sharing indigo.
Alan Wilson is right up there with the greats for my money. His playing ticks all the right boxes for me. Have also never heard of that book. Will have to track it down. Thanks for the heads up on it Iceman.
"Blind Owl Blues" is a great book! If I remember correctly, there is a scene where Alan's roommate (can't remember who), comes back to their apartment to find Alan with small glass bottles all over the place and a big smile on face saying something like "Corecidin." He was elated because he'd found the best glass for his bottleneck guitar. There is also a great YouTube of Alan on a radio station where they bring in Skip James and Son House and ask Alan to play harp with them.
This doesn't tell what kind of amp Alan was using but it was probably ancient. These are the liner notes from the Album. ---------- Thanks, Albey Scholl The Shadows Blind Willies Blues Club Atlanta, GA
Such an incredible album. Alan Wilson isn't really playing anything complex, but has intense soul and impeccable timing. The "blows your mind" aspect of this is his taste, note choices, tone, space and timing. Not many musicians could hang with Hooker, he was all feel, and his chord changes and time were not predictable. Awesome. If I had to take a wild guess, his tone sounds like a dynamic mic into some sort of silverface Fender amp with a touch of reverb on it. Like a Paul Butterfield setup from the mid to late 60's? But that's just a guess.
Last Edited by tomaxe on Oct 08, 2018 7:39 PM
You know one of my other favorite harp songs is "Just To Be With You" by Butterfield, and the version I have from the "Strawberry Jam" has a similar feel to it - intense, soulful, great timing and lots of space. And, the song (and many of the other cuts on the album) has a raw feel to it similar to "Drifter," as it is from a live performance and recorded with minimal equipment.
great
Last Edited by Rgsccr on Oct 08, 2018 10:20 PM
As far as I can recall Ms Davis makes no mention of equipment in her book. That´s a common oversight, sadly, and the notion that only "nerds" are interested in such stuff should be tempered by the assumption that it´s probably only nerds who read the book in the first place. Supposedly there could be a Little Walter situation: There was good stuff in abundance and you picked up whatever was at hand.
Note that the solo on "Boogie chillun" has a 3D position part, where he switches to a D harp. Really cool and was a bit of a conundrum for me when I started to play way back: thoses notes weren´t there.
