bruce lee mani wrote:
I dunno if he qualifies as a 'jazz' guitarist, but Eric Johnson also has an
incredible tone. How does he do it? This is hearsay, but it is said that
Eric could tell you if you were using normal or alkaline batteries in your
pedals!! Is this possible?
I live in the same town as Eric Johnson (Austin, TX) and he is a casual
friend. His obsession with his music and the gear he uses has created
many legends, especially here, where we have been hearing him play live
for 25 years. About 8 years ago I played in a band that opened for him
at the city colosseum. His soundcheck took five hours, for a show that
lasted maybe 1 1/2 hours. There are stories of him setting up camp in a
rehearsal studio for days at a time, barely sleeping or eating. Every
piece of gear that he uses is handpicked and must be a just so - cables,
strings, picks, amps, pedals, and yes, even batteries. He has some
instructional videos out where he talks about his gear and his playing
techniques. The first one is called "Total Electric Guitar." It's worth
it if you're seriously trying to crack his style.
Oh, and BTW, back in the '70's Eric used to play at the jazz jam
sessions quite regularly. He likes and has been influenced by jazz
guitarists, mostly Wes Montgomery, and he loves Pat Metheny. He likes my
playing well enough that he wrote some liner notes for my CD, which you
can read at
--
Clay Moore --
jazz guitarist web developer
clay@... claymoore@...
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