335 sounds from a strat player (Mayer) Listen to the difference

[sunvalleylaw]

I am interested in how a different guitar may cause a different approach. Esp. what a 335 type leads you to as compared to a strat. (Hmm, I wonder why that is? ) Mayer is mostly a strat player, and when he picks up a different guitar you hear it. I am not sure I understand why. Anyway, here are some examples.



"Come when I call" with a Guild 335 type
Direct link in case embedding doesn't work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWsAEIF3Q9k&eurl=http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?p=104662


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcgeNeCh5CA
Every day I have the blues, similar tempo blues, but with one of his customary strats.


Same song as the first, with a Gibson instead of a Guild

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lw5aA7XUFw

I think you can hear a different approach when he has a different guitar. I am not sure what my ear is telling me though. If anyone has an opinion, would be glad to hear it, and I hope you have fun listening.

Here is another with the red Gibson:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pk5pc5loD0&feature=related

I think I hear the different approach more with the first song.

 

[ZMAN]

The Strat he is playing is one of the Hendrx issues with the reversed headstock, and probably contributes to the more Hendrix tone in Everyday I have the blues. The 335 lends itself to more Jazz style playing. Another thing to think about is the playing position with a 335 compared to a single cut like a Strat or LP. The higher frets are more accesible and you tend to play more on the higher frets much easier, so your solos go that way.
I was playing my 335 today along with an LP and a Strat. 3 totally different tones and a whole lot of fun. You can play most anything with either.
Check out another Strat player with a red 335
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTWenQVUL3E

 

[hubberjub]

When I first heard about him he wasn't playing anything nearly as traditional as a Strat or 335. He was going to Berkley at the same time as I was going to college in Southern NH and he was just another regional player. At the time he was playing a fanned fret Novax. He has definitely changed since those days.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Thanks ZMAN for that link. That is a good one. I also appreciate the thoughts on my musings. The concert DVD that the first clip comes from is a veritable display of all the strats Mayer has at his disposal. A new one came out almost every song, except when he picked up this Guild, and at the end when he has a big hollowbody Gibson. He definitely goes for the jazzier tones when he picks up those guitars.

 

[hagarfreak33]

Great Clips I want that dvd now

 

[tjcurtin1]

Man, he is GOOD! The more I hear of Mayer the more I like him!

I really like the sound of that Guild.

 

[Algonquin]

I am interested in how a different guitar may cause a different approach.

I hear what you're getting at SVL. I found that when I first got a Tele, I was immediatley drawn to some type of Nashville sound, the Les Paul immediately had me playing AC/DC and Aerosmith riffs, while the semi had me going a completely different direction.

Not that each guitar has to be pidgeon holed into a certain sound, but we tend to gravitate towands a vibe that we've learned to appreciate that's associated with an instrument.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Man, he is GOOD! The more I hear of Mayer the more I like him!

I really like the sound of that Guild.

So do I like the sound of that Guild. I am not sure what he changed between the earlier Trio clips with the red Gibson and the DVD clip where he has the Guild, or if the DVD was just recorded better, but I sure love the tone on that recording with the Guild in it.

I am really glad I have a 335 type now, and am enjoying getting to know it. And without meaning to, I found myself exploring different places on the neck to find things to play whilst noodling over familiar backers. Then it is fun to go back and try the same licks on my strat. Algonqin, I do not know enough about BB King's playing to say what is going on, but I do think my ear wants to hear things that have some Lucille in them at least part of the time.

The DVD is absolutely worth it and an excellent piece to study, in my opinion. From back in my piano days, I have always loved progressive chords, and I love how he incorporates that concept into his lead playing. I have heard that technique when he plays his strat too, but it really leaps out to me on the track with the Guild.

 

[stingx]

Mayer is the real deal. Thanks for the links by the way. I am still angered inside when I read less than favorable things about the guy's talent on forums. I stated this before but I will reiterate - it has to be pure jealousy because anyone with hearing can tell this guy can play and he certainly holds his own with the best of them. I'm glad he's around and hope he inspires more young kids to follow his lead. All my heroes of yore are slowly heading or have already headed to the Big Sleep and the thought of hip hop only radio with young kids keeps me awake at night.

 

[ZMAN]

Mayer was smart. He went the pop way to make his money then he started the John Mayer trio that is mainly blues and jazz oriented. I heard him do some Hendrix style licks on the first crossroads DVD and before that it was only on the radio doing his pop stuff. He is also on the second crossroads hammering away. For Clapton to ask him to come down to one of his concerts is a serious stamp of approval. On the DVD he says that when all of the players accepted him as one of them he seemed to feel that he had kind of made it.

 

[stingx]

On the DVD he says that when all of the players accepted him as one of them he seemed to feel that he had kind of made it.

What better litmus test could there be?

 

[Jimi75]

I hear a big difference i his sound and playing and I think the guitar type influences a player. I guess he went for the 335 to get jazzier sounds. sometimes I also feel like a need a break from the Strat that is when I switch to my Paul for a few weeks. My compositions differ totally from my Strat compositions. The feel is different and this makes you play different things.

Steve, the videos are sooooo awesome. I always liked Mayer and found he is a great musician, but the more I see of his videos the more I put him very very high on the list of "new" blues players. I associate him with a blues player, before he was a pop songwriter to me, especially after his first 2 cds. Then one time I saw him a the Dave Chapel show playing a white blues guy and I was blown away by his performance.

I hope he will not switch completely to the 335. We already lost Bonamassa to Gibson :thwap:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Good thoughts Jimi. I don't think we will lose him completely to 335's and big hollowbodies completely. He brings those out for certain sounds I think. On the "Where the Light Is" DVD, during the electric sets (2, one with the Trio and one with the full band), he brought out a different strat for almost every song, except for the one above with the Guild, and one or maybe two in the end with a big hollowbody Gibson.

This one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-5u6_4gAEQ

But he has too much of his sound invested in Hendrix and SRV oriented sounds (one of the primary things I think I hear as differences between his sounds) to give up his strats I think.

I think when he is on his strat, I hear a lot of Hendrix and SRV rhythm type work, which sounds different to me than his non Strat pieces. I think the licks are different too, but I am still learning how to construct licks so it is hard for me to say why.

 

[jpfeifer]

Wow, Mayer is really a great player!!! I really like his style.

I definitely think that the guitar type influences the player. I notice this alot myself when I switch different guitars.

One of the biggest differences is the scale length. Shorter scale length guitars don't fight you as much, so strings bend easier, etc. It makes you play different things. The sustain and response to pick attack has an affect also.

A Strat has that certain punchy sound that will make you go for certain types of phrases that wouldn't sound as good on a 335 also. That punchy tone comes partly from the longer scale length but also the wood in the guitar and the pickups. Maple neck Strats also have a slightly different response than Rosewood-fretboard necks.

I find that I do play differently depending on all these things that the guitar does. That's why it's fun to have a few different guitars with different feel and response. It helps you to keep from getting bored with your playing.

-- Jim

 

[Fab4]

Several years ago, Guitar Player magazine had a short-lived series of articles where they'd play tracks for famous guitarists and let them comment. I remember Robben Ford observing that Dan Toler "didn't let his influences show" on a Greg Allman track. ("I'm No Angel," maybe?)

I respect John Mayer a lot as a player and performer. He has a unique voice as a singer, certainly, but I think as a guitarist he still "lets his influences show." So when he picks up a Strat, out come Jimi and Stevie, when he goes to a 335, there's BB and Eric. I suspect that as he continues to mature and grow, he'll find his own voice more and more and eventually we'll hear "John Mayer" no matter what instrument he plays.

That said, I have no illusions about my own "voice" on guitar, and I love it when a particular guitar invites me to channel one of my influences. The first time I played my Gretsch at a jam session, I hit a series of notes that just screamed "George 1964"...and I was a happy guy.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Well this discussion has been fun (so far, and keep it going, no need to close it), and led to greater understanding for me. I plan to explore influences from both the strat/single coil world and the humbucker world, including but not limited to semi-hollow songs. That way, maybe I can pick up some licks and vocabulary from both worlds on the way to finding whatever sound I may have in me. Or I can just learn some good covers. My instructor keeps assigning me strat songs. We have been doing Gravity, now we are moving on to Tightrope, by SRV for some rhythm work. I think I might like to pick up "One Way Out", at least the parts that aren't slide for my Vik, and also go back to Black Magic Woman some more. That song sounds good on my Vik, and Carlos uses humbuckers these days.

"Come When I Call", a 335 song linked above, and "Everyday I have the Blues", a strat song, are both on my learn list. Also, I want to learn the rest of "Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Petty, because I like those licks. I am not sure if I will think of that song as a strat song or humbucker song yet. Thanks for the comments everyone.

 

[t_ross33]

Also, I want to learn the rest of "Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Petty, because I like those licks. I am not sure if I will think of that song as a strat song or humbucker song yet. Thanks for the comments everyone.

Mike Campbell is an acknowledged Tele-guy (and Rickenbacker guy, and "insert-vintage-guitar-here" guy).

Guess that means a new Tele for Christmas, eh Steve?

 

[player]

Mike Campbell is an acknowledged Tele-guy (and Rickenbacker guy, and "insert-vintage-guitar-here" guy).

Guess that means a new Tele for Christmas, eh Steve?

mt avatar is a Fender created by someone Fender brought in from them(Rickenbacker).
John Mayer Good stuff liked him from day one.speaking of Hendrix now has anyone else caught this?(link)http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/61861061