[Dixielandjazz] Guitar Volume

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

That's pretty close Steve.  I was just starting to learn Guitar when I 
played with that guy.  I couldn't believe how high his strings were. 
Unfortunately I don't remember his name.  I do remember the comment he made 
to me about the rest of the band.  He said "these guys are tearing my soul 
out".  The other players were incredibly drunk.
Larry
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>; 
"DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Guitar Volume


> Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis at larrys.bands at charter.net wrote:
>
>> It may have been that the band had the rather quaint idea that they 
>> should
>> listen to the other musicians and balance with them.  Who has to think 
>> about
>> balance if the guy can just twist a knob?  It's a lost art.
>>
>> On the other hand rhythm guitar is a bit of a different animal and with a
>> stiff pick can cut through and can balance a piano/upright bass/drum 
>> rhythm
>> section easily but is a little harsh that way.  If the player plays near 
>> the
>> bridge the guitar is a lot brighter and that will cut through more.  I 
>> think
>> arch top guitars are brighter sounding too.
>>
>> They used a different string set up on the instrument then.  I played one
>> time back in the 60's with a guy that was about 20 years older than me. 
>> He
>> was a wonderful guitar player and didn't need an amp but his strings were
>> heavy gauge and a whole lot higher from the fingerboard than guys use 
>> today.
>> Both things can produce more volume but take really good playing chops. 
>> If
>> the strings are low they will buzz if the player plays hard.  I was
>> surprised at how high his strings were off the fingerboard.  When I first
>> got in the AF band in 58 there was a Gibson arch top guitar in supply 
>> that
>> was set up exactly the same way.
>
> Yes indeed Larry. Here is the Freddie Green guitar set-up from a "maven".
>
> Guitar Selection and Set Up for the Freddie Green Sound
>
> Type of Guitar:
> The preferred guitar is a non-cutaway archtop with a thickness of 3 inches
> or more. The best are guitars made in the 1930's and 1940's by Stromberg,
> Epiphone, Gibson, and D'Angelico. They are quite expensive.
>
> The second best choice is a non-cutaway flat-top guitar. Though not 
> usually
> associated with big band playing, a loud flat-top guitar is preferable to
> any amplified thin-line guitar or solid body guitar built for rock 'n' 
> roll.
> The Freddie Green sound can only be obtained by using a guitar that is
> acoustically loud. If more volume is needed, amplify the guitar by using a
> high quality condenser microphone, not by using a pickup on the guitar.
>
> Strings:
> Use heavy gauge phosphor bronze strings. A typical set has a low E string 
> of
> .060" diameter and a high E string of .014" diameter.
>
> Action Height:
> Action is the distance from the strings to the frets. Set the action as 
> high
> as your left hand strength will allow. The higher the action, the harder 
> you
> can strike the strings without fret buzz. This will produce more volume 
> and
> let the guitar cut through the band. Typical "high" action will allow 
> three
> stacked U.S. one cent coins (pennies) to be placed between the 12th fret 
> and
> the low E string. This is about 5 millimeters or 3/16". NOTE: As the years
> passed, Freddie Green kept raising the action on his guitar and eventually
> it was at least 10 millimeters at the 12th fret!
>
> Pick or Plectrum:
> The type of pick employed can make a noticeable difference in the guitar's
> sound. Use a heavy gauge pick. A thick pick will produce a loud, fat 
> sound.
> Thinner picks will not be as loud and will produce an unwanted "click". 
> Use
> the Ultem pick by Steve Clayton with a thickness of 0.94 millimeter. It
> produces a brighter sound than the typical plastic pick.
>
> This article is based on personal experience and years of experimentation.
> My big band guitar is a 1947 Epiphone Emperor. The strings, action, and
> picks described above provide a timbre that is very similar to that of
> Freddie Green.
>
> Michael Pettersen
>
>