Guitar Reviews 4U - D'Addario Strings - Should I put heavy or light gauge strings on a guitar to get 'vintage sound'? We investigate....

 

Guitar Reviews 4U - D'Addario Strings - 

Should you put heavy or light gauge strings on a guitar to get 'vintage sound'? 

Here's a look at whether to go 'heavy' on string gauges and what this could do 

to your guitar to get the 'sound' and the potential damage to your guitar.

Most of my Stratocasters run with these 9-42 strings - 

a mix of standard 9 gauge Light top and 10 gauge bottom strings works great.

 D'Addario also make  9 gauge acoustic strings which I use on some acoustics

D'Addario show this great guide to string loading on the back of their

string packaging with the Brooklyn Bridge 'gauge' of string tension loading -

you can easily see just how much more load you create by going heavier! 

There has been a fad over recent years for some players wanting to recreate a more 'authentic' they perceive guitar sound, by using heavier gauge guitar strings. 

The reasoning often being that in the past, heavier gauge strings were only available and used then as standard fitment as the lighter string gauges were not then available.

Back in history, guitarists such as Eddie Cochran and James Burton used to get around this situation of heavy strings by using a light gauge Banjo string on the top E string and by discarding the low E string and installing the rest of the the strings A,D,G & B on the 6,5,4,3 & 2 positions with the 'ultra light' by the standards of the day string on the top E string position.

This allowed James Burton to get his famous sound. He could at least bend the top strings in his lead guitar work much easier.

On the Shadows tour in 2004, guitarist Hank B. Marvin of The Shadows used one of his Stratocasters strung with heavy gauge strings with a 13 gauge top to replicate his early 1959 Stratocaster sound for some of the old 1960's numbers played. His other stage Stratocasters on the tour were strung with more 'normal' modern 10 gauge strings.

Normally Hank might play a 10 top set, sometimes with a 52 bottom E in a 10-52 set rather than a 10-46 so he could get the heavier bass string sound of the old days without the need to fit the complete heavy gauge strings of a 13-56 set. This would allow the lighter '10 top' string unwound 3 strings to be used which are easier to play.

On this subject, some of the heavier sets now offer a wound 3rd like the early 1960's strings, Hank's early Stratocaster strings had the wound 3rd and some 'purists' use those to emulate the sound.

Going to heavy 13-56 range strings will appreciably load up the string tension on a guitar and in so doing, will put more strain on the structure of the guitar woods and the hardware. It does also make the guitar harder to play, there is more string tension to overcome when bending strings or using the trem arm.

I have used D'Addario strings since 1984 and I have also tried other string makes - Fender, Gibson, Ernie Ball, Rotosound and a host of others. Ernie Ball and D'Addario are really my primary choice now as they have a relatively low string 'pull' tension - I tend now to only really use D'Addario strings and Ernie Ball on a Buddy Holly style Stratocaster.

On a Stratocaster, changing makes even of the same string gauge range say 10-46 in both sets can cause problems, installing Fender 10-46 vintage strings for a tryout on a Stratocaster pulled my Trem block up some and led to me having to do some adjustment of the action.

When I put a new set of D'Addario 10-46's on a guitar that is new from a music shop and has the original 'from the factory' 10-46 strings on, the D'Addarios have less tension and sound much better. 

Over the last 40+ years I've tried different string makes and my conclusion is that the D'Addario strings are easy to play, have lower string tension and stay bright and in tune much better than others. Quality does not vary from set to set and I have only broken one top string in all the years playing them.

Back to the original question - heavy or light gauge? So, we consider the player wanting to replicate an artist's 'vintage' sound- they buy the guitar of their desire and decide to install the heavier gauge strings. 

Yes, you might get a louder sounding instrument with the higher mass strings, but you will find the strings harder to bend and perhaps harder to play, the guitar action will need adjustment to compensate for the string change.

The real issue for me as someone who has built and repaired guitars is the added load on the instrument, especially a vintage guitar made decades ago. The heavier load strings will put added loading on the structure of the guitar and may cause damage to the structure. Some old guitars were constructed using animal glue that can give out under heavy string loading. 

Older Gretsch guitars have tenon joint necks with screw location and these necks can move with age, so increasing the string gauge is not kind to them at all! It might have been ok when the guitar was new but some of these classics are now 60 years plus old and that has to be considered.

Personally after 40+ years of playing, I use a standard 9-42 set on most of my mainly Squier and Mexican Stratocasters and a 9-46 set on those I want a more vintage sound with the slightly heavier bottom strings such as a custom shop Maple neck 1959. My Tokai guitars have 9's on now a couple of 1983 TST 50's and a 2014 Goldstar Sound TST50. 

I use 10-46 universally on my Gretsch guitars - although the 5420's now come new with 11 gauge sets fitted, I usually swap those right away in any case and often as I install a Tunamatic roller saddle bridge and often swap the B60 Bigsby for a B6C 'V' style unit - all of which improves the sound and tuning stability greatly.

For acoustics, on acoustic 12 strings I use a 9 gauge set, on standard 6 string acoustic I have used the 9 gauge D'Addario strings and the 10 gauge set - the 9 gauge is a lighter string with less volume but is kinder to guitars I play less frequently. The 9's on a six string do have less volume but it is a trade off and I use them at home only. My Gretsch Rancher from 2013 has 9's on and sounds and plays very nicely. One of the best guitars for playability and sound.

To compensate for 'vintage' string sound you can if you use an amplifier modeller and a mixer as I do a lot, ramp the gain up (and presence if that is on your modeller) a touch and this will give a bit more 'alive' and 'loaded' vintage type sound.

An example of this vintage sound being found on The Shadows 'Man of Mystery' it is a great recording from 1960 and Hank's 1959 Stratocaster has the original heavy strings on, into a Vox AC15 and it really sounds fabulous.

Modern technology can to an extent be used to simulate the 'heavier' string gauge and that would be my route to follow rather than load up your instrument with strings that are more difficult to play and could also cause problems for the guitar structure.

Vox Tonelab Amplifier Modellers - Tonelab Studio, Tonelab SE, Tonelab LE, Tonelab EX - reviewed

 

Vox Tonelab Amplifier Modellers review

The requirement

In the early 2000's, Vox through their association with Korg brought the Tonelab amplifier modeller to the world of guitar players. It was a reaction to the introduction of the Line 6 POD Amplifier modeller which was very successful at the time.

The Vox Tonelab 'Brain' of the Studio unit was also built into two vintage looking Amplifiers the AD 60 VT and AD120 VT - giving the retro look of an old AC15 and AC30 but with more onboard functionality than those originals, like the AD 60 and 120 these were amplifiers that Vox has not bettered.

The Tonelab products featured control knobs which guitar players would instantly be at home with, rather than buttons and menus and sub menus that were found on effects rack modules of the time. Simplicity of operation and the tones were key!

Here's a  review of the various Vox Tonelab products I have owned.

The Tonelab Studio version

How it started - The Vox Tonelab Studio

In the late 90's I had a Line 6 POD and that was a great introduction to the new arena of Amplifier Modelling - and the POD was a game changer for live guitar and recording players, with good reproductions of classic amplifiers and effects in one red kidney bean shaped metal box. It could be used on stage or in the studio alike.

It suffered the drawback of the Tonelab Studio unit in that the Patches and Banks had to be manually selected which could be inconvenient in a playing situation.

The Vox Tonelab Studio rear panel

The Line 6 unit prompted other manufacturers to come up with their own type of modeller, Boss for one with their GT multiFX unit, Behringer with their product and so on. Vox as part of the Korg group were not to be left out nor were shy on using the technology and expertise of Korg's synth functionality - seen in their Triton and similar synths in this new area of guitar electronics. 

The Line 6 POD's shape was unique

Vox launched their Tonelab Studio, a standalone unit that could be used in music recording and  also in live playing, with sound patches arranged in banks of 4 x 24 Sets that could be edited, saved and renamed to your own preferences. 

The preset patches often were constructed and modelled to give you the same guitar and amplifier settings used on classic songs by well known performers. Being able to recall these quickly was a major advantage to players on stage. 

Vox's 96 patch palette was a great advance and sadly the VT series of amplifiers to follow after the AD60, had a mere 8 user patches. 

Apart from the Vox amplifiers featured on the Tonelab unit, the other amplifier models likely based on Fender, Mesa Boogie, Marshall and others were euphemistically named, so you could work out what they represented without having to give the actual name of the amplifier, property of other manufacturers! Once you heard the patch, you got the idea what it was alluding to!

For a performer, especially playing a broad range of music at weddings & functions, the Tonelab gave a quick way of having pre-defined amplifier and guitar effects sounds to hand without the need for changing settings and levels. A problem on darkly lit stages or where one song of a different style and perhaps volume segued into another was now solved by the pre-sets on the Tonelab.

The VC4 Foot Controller

The VC12 Foot Controller - as like the VC4 could be

used with the Tonelab Studio and the AD60 and 120 Amplifiers

The VC12 could store over 100 patches

There was one drawback on that original Tonelab was that it needed to be within reach of the player to effect the change of patches via the small buttons and it was not always convenient to break off playing to select a different patch. Or you would need an assistant to select the patches for you, remotely. This was true when you set a patch for accompaniment playing and then needed to switch to a patch with more gain for a lead solo. 

The introduction of the VC 4 and VC12 Foot controllers solved this issue. Both of these boards could be used with the Tonelab Studio and the AD series amplifiers, connecting to them via a CAT 5 Data cable connection. 

Both of these pedals are hard to find these days - I have VC12s as they offer greater functionality including the ability to back up the patches as I use them on my AD60 and 120's too.

With these, it was a case of using the foot switches to make your patch selection. This made the Studio a viable proposition for live stage work and a benefit in the studio too for volume control. 

The VC12 had 2 pedals one for volume (Outer) and the innermost one could be assigned as an expression pedal for Wah Wah effects for example, independent of the volume pedal as on the Tonelab SE version.

The Vox Tonelab SE - Stage Edition

The SE model added extra functions of patch & bank buttons and extra pedals

The Tonelab SE came about as the logical development of the Studio unit, the SE 'Stage Edition' gave you the the VC12 foot controller chassis amalgamating with the Studio 'Brain' of the Studio unit with the addition of a slightly increased functionality all in one place.

The AD60VT and 120VT Amplifiers

The AD120VT Amplifier and VC12 Foot Controller

The AD120VT Control panel - much like the Tonelab Studio and SE

in functionality and largely with rotary controls and few buttons

The AD60VT and AD120VT were a logical amplifier extension of the Tonelab Studio, the 60 was in the style of the old AC15 'TV cabinet' style amplifier, with a single 60 watt speaker and a rear attenuator rotary switch on the back panel giving various set outputs between 1 Watt and 60 Watts. The 120 had two speakers and the same rotary control.

This made these amplifiers ideal for home, studio and stage use. Built around 2000-2004, they were not USB equipped, being somewhere in that netherworld between old and modern connectivity! We have to remember that back then, MAC computers circa 2000 used SCSI as an interface before USB became the most used method of connection of devices. 

Although boards could be used to retrofit a USB socket board to old SCSI era 9600 type Mac computers. The Tonelab Studio and SE did have MIDI DIN Sockets on the rear panel which you could use with some sound cards of the time. This was the time when Cubase and Logic were the new recording studio programs for computer home studio recording.

The AD series amplifiers embodied the Tonelab concept with a reduced 32 patches, still enough for the majority of performers. However, the AD amplifier could also be used as a slave amplifier - on one patch just set it to 'flat' with tones set to mid positions and the Studio module then connected by audio left mono 6.35 (1/4") jack out to the input of the AD60 or 120, so you could use the greater patch selection of the SE via the amplifier as a 'driver'.

The Tonelab LE 

The Tonelab SE was a great success and Vox went onto replace that with a more functional and compact unit called the LE. The LE featured a 120 patch capacity over the 96 of the SE, the LE lost the inboard expression pedal of the VC12 and SE which was a reduction in weight too. 

The Tonelab LE rear panel view

The controls layout was simplified too for the LE but also some of the functions like the Reverb was expanded. Whereas the SE is ideally suited to classic vintage sounds, the expanded capabilities of the LE allow it to venture into more modern sounds too.

The rear panel features send and return 1/4" Jack sockets, Headphone 3.5mm stereo socket, 2 x MIDI Sockets, single 1/4" Jack socket input and left (Mono) and Right 1/4" sockets to a PA or mixing desk. An SPDIF optical socket on the rear panel is also fitted which connects to the G5 type Apple Macintosh.

The Tonelabs from LE backwards all use a din type lead connectable transformer.

Not one to rest on their success, Vox then introduced a smaller still pair of units to move forward from the LE:

The Tonelab ST top and rear views

The Tonelab EX - features on-board speakers

Last but not least are the later incarnations of the LE compact Tonelab un it, the ST and EX Amplifier modellers. 

The ST is the less well appointed and simpler unit but still a very versatile modeller compared to the EX. The EX has a pair of onboard small speakers mounted under the top plate between the 1 & 2 and the 3 & 4 Foot Switch buttons. 

The EX speakers are small but give you the sound of the patch when played without having to use headphones or connect to an amplifier. Both of these new limits now feature USB connectivity having moved on from DIN MIDI connections for a soundcard. 

All of these units differ depending on what you go for and indeed what you are looking for. I have owned them all and the EX is the only one I don't still have. Whichever one you go for the audio is superb, I purchased my Studio to play along to Shadows backing tracks and the sound is really close to the original recordings.

Due to the different features on the individual model types, not all the settings will be the same.

25 years on from the Line 6 POD and the Line 6 Spider Amplifier, these Vox units are still sought after, get one while they are still affordable and about.

Summer Holiday film at 60 - when Cliff and Shadows were at the height of the their fame

 

Cliff Richard in the cab of a London Transport RT Bus 1962

Its 1962 and London faces a shortage of Bus drivers and Cliff Richard and The Shadows are the top selling group in the British music scene - this spectacular collision of circumstances perhaps provided the ideal recruiting vehicle for London Transport and another Cliff film that would only increase his fame. So, how has society changed 60 years on?

By the end of 1959, the early rockers that Cliff had idolised were now mostly gone or in decline. Elvis was in the Army, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, Little Richard had found religion, Jerry Lee Lewis had married his 13 year old cousin causing opprobrium when he toured England and Chuck Berry had his own minor problems, so to speak.

Apart from Bill Haley, most of the artists were in decline and out of the charts, music was changing from the 'old' Rock n' Roll and the new, slick, 'Booby' style was here. Bobby Vee was the personification of that new era, a young college-educated man in a smart sport coat, neatly cut hair, with a smart car and an adoring girlfriend from a white picket fence house in middle class America.

America was on the ascendant, buoyed by years of solid, commercial growth, with WW2 and the Korean war having made seemingly little impact on it financially.

In Britain, the post-war economy was starting to grow, but the nation was still heavily laden with debt from the recent last war and adding further debt by the purchase of Atlas missiles it could really ill afford, from America as part of the Cold War nuclear deterrent.

From 1956 in Britain, the economy did start to lift and by 1960 it was certainly on the up.

In 1960, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were on part of a package deal in Britain, it would end tragically, as did Buddy Holly's similar part of a package band travelling show would in 1959. Gene Vincent's US career was on the decline and Eddie agreed to go to buoy it up (and make it perhaps more marketable) by being an act and a draw as their music was still popular with British audiences. 

Supported by British musicians, due to a Musician's Union embargo, for Eddie this included a backing band with Joe Brown on guitar and a pre-Shadows Brian Bennett on drums. On the way back to London, the car they were travelling in with Gene and Sharon Sheelley (Eddie's girlfriend) as passengers, was involved in an accident at Chippenham and Eddie died shortly after in hospital. Perhaps that is when the original music died commercially.

This seemed like the coda for the original American rockers.

On their US tour in 1960, Cliff and the Shadows saw a lot on their tour that influenced their music, including the segregation in some of the US states which shocked them, something that they never saw in Britain which had a mixed race society. 

They did pickup the way the performers were dressing, watched their stagecraft, studied the whole presentation of the artist and the direction the music was going. It was a tremendous head start they could implement when they returned to Britain.

Although Cliff and the Shadows had remained popular since 1958, other artists of the time slowly lost ground and often through poorly chosen material by management and record companies, suffered poor chart placings and eventual obscurity that even a hardcore fan base could not provide sufficient record sales to help them with.

Thus many artists of the '2I's' era  of the late 1950's through no real fault of their own gradually faded from the charts over the next few years, artists and bands like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Terry Dene, Wee Willie Harris, The Vipers, to name but a few waned, whilst Cliff and his Shadows rocketed.

Theirs was a clever mix, a backing band who could perform in their own right and with Cliff, made them more marketable. With their No1 hit Apache, the Shadows set the tone for millions of guitarists to follow and as a result, many bands ditched their singers and went instrumental.

With chart hit after hit with Man of Mystery, The Frightened City, Kon Tiki for the Shadows, their success looked rosy. Cliff was reportedly paid £1000 a week, when the average wage in Britain was about £10. Heavily taxed on this by the British Government, Cliff was still doing very nicely. Plus the songwriting royalties were a bonus for the band too.

Through 1961 and 1962, Cliff and the Shadows both as individual units and collectively, had the British music scene just about sewn up. To the effect that the Beatles could not get a look in until at least 1963 and not gaining any real foothold until 1964, much to the chagrin of some of the Beatles members! 

John Lennon did say though that before them (Cliff and the Shadows) that 'there hadn't been much British music worth listening too'.  'Move it' really hit the spot musically and still sounds exciting and fresh today. With the gift of a Fender Stratocaster to Hank Marvin, the music just developed beyond expectation.

Cliff's 1961 film extravaganza 'The young ones' had been a great success, they continued as a unit recording and touring and in 1962, Summer Holiday was created as their next film project.

The opening sequence of a small brass ensemble playing on a bandstand in some godforsaken British coastal town (playing the Summer Holiday theme tune) before having to abandon the performance due to driving rain, summed up a lot of things in Britain.

The 'old guard' was on the wane. In Britain, national military service for 2 years had been abandoned in 1960 largely as a waste of time, although the reality was it was necessary to have troops in Germany in large numbers in case of the Cold War starting another military fracas and also to assist the West German nation to rebuild and restructure, the denazification of Germany as fares it went had to an extent been done.

By 1960, the teenager had been identified in Britain as a marketable commodity that could be marketed to and exploited financially. With disposable income, hire purchase finance and new found freedom, the teenager of 1960 had in some cases a life that their parents and grandparents, some from the Victorian and Edwardian eras certainly never had.

Modernity through design was now changing the face of Britain, modern looking cars, modern buildings, house furnishings, interior design, paint colours, all these were echoing post war America about 10 years earlier and casting aside the dusty and the old hat way of things.

Cliff and the Shadows did have one thing extra, they appealed to both the Bikers and the Mods. The guitar driven music appealed to the more working class Biker types, often to be found at the Ace Cafe in Willesden, North London and also to the suited and booted Mods, as the Shads and Cliff dressed in sharp, modern design stage clothing.

Summer Holiday also ushered in the era of the package holiday. Aviation had now made great steps in jet flight technology possible, with passenger jets able to reach many parts of the world in a few hours or less.

This opened up the 'package tour' era with flights and hotel accommodation combined in one deal price by Travel Agents. 

Summer Holiday's premise of 4 London Transport mechanics from the Aldenham bus overhaul works taking an older London bus across Europe to Greece on a self-contained package tour seemed the ideal vehicle as such for the basis of a film and perhaps to attract badly need drivers.

The late Lionel Blair put forward Una Stubbs for the role of Sandy, leading to a life long friendship and also to one that she had with Cliff until her death sadly this year. Although she was 5 years older than Cliff in real life in the film, she looked around the same age as he did then.

To serve the American market, American actress Laurie Peters was brought in so that the film might be saleable in that country, although she seems to have faded off the performing scene since and the film did not enjoy the success it did in Europe. A young Peter Yates is on the credit, famous later for his Directing role in the 1968 Steve McQueen film Bullitt, with its iconic car chase (in 1967, Yates directed a film with Stanely Baker called 'Robbery' where a precursor of the Bullitt car chase was filmed, leading to Yates's role in Bullitt).

Factor in the Shadows to provide musical support providing some great instrumentals and songs for the film and you have success all round. 

Summer Holiday featured the third Shadows lineup with Brian Bennett on Drums and Brian 'Licorice' Locking on Bass, a group of three Brians and a Bruce - as Hank B Marvin's name was originally Brian Robson Rankin!

The Shadows musical performance sequences could have been longer and the film's plot was very tame and perhaps syrupy by today's standards. The appeal of the film and the group was what sold it, the young women wanted Cliff to be their boyfriend or husband and the young  wanted to be the Shadows players.

It was only in 1963 it seemed that Britain discovered sex, in the Lady Chatterley's lover obscenity trial. Perhaps, it was the point when things started to go downhill with morals and standards diminishing by the day, some believed? With the events of the Profumo affair only adding more Petrol to the flames of discord.

Undoubtedly, the Cliff and the Shadows combination ensured that their joint and individual success due to their wide fan base would let them continue to be charting and successful years after more modern and different music formed most of the charts.

By the 1962 Summer Holiday era, Britain was really starting to prosper again for many. It was by no way out of the woods financially and the problems set in after the middle of the decade with trade unions demanding more pay and better conditions which helped to make Britain uneconomic as a manufacturing base, ultimately driving jobs abroad.

But from 1960 to 1968, Britain was the place to be, London was again on the map and even the Americans had to take notice. Thanks to Summer holiday, the package tour era had arrived!

The shadows first album from 1961 - 60 years later

 

The Shadows - their debut album from 1961

A rare Stereo version, signed by 3 on the back

The first Shadows album from 1961 was eagerly awaited, following the release of their groundbreaking instrumental single 'Apache' in June 1960.

Cliff Richard's backing group The Shadows shot to fame in their own right with their instrumental hit single "Apache" written by Jerry Lordan in June 1960, displacing a single they had written which Cliff had taken to no.1 in the charts. 

Following on from 'Apache,' they released a succession of hit singles -  'Man of mystery,' 'Kon Tiki' and 'The Frightened City' - chart singles that followed in fairly rapid succession and established their success as the leading group of the day.

It was in 1961, sometime after their initial success in their own right that they released their self-titled first LP. Rather than just go down the easy route of re-releasing their previous hit tracks as part of the new album as a compilation, they took a rather daring and different step.

None of the tracks on the new album were from their chart hits. This was a masterstroke in that it gave the buying public 14 brand new tracks to enjoy and also showed the Shadows had a musical direction and ability.

With 4 tracks on this new album penned by themselves, the Shadows started a path that they would continue to follow during their career - that of mixing the output between established tunes along with a few of their own compositions.

 

From Shadoogie, side one's opener, the classic Blue Star (covered later by the Ventures), Nivram, the jazzy Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch and Jet Harris theme with a great bass solo, See you in my drums featuring Tony Meehan's drumming talent beyond his years, All my sorrows a nice vocal ensemble piece - compare it to the Drifters (as they were) 'Feeling fine' single from 1959, the studio sound is a world away with 'Sorrows' showing how much they had matured musically and benefited from a great studio set up. Stand up and say that rounds off side 1, with Hank Marvin on piano giving his best Floyd Cramer style performance - Hank had started on piano and banjo before gravitating to guitar.

Side 2 kicks off with 'Gonzales', a rip roaring track that took 58 takes to get on tape - even though this version has a couple of minor errors it still has great energy, Find me a golden street evokes a street scene from some old late 50's B movie, Theme from a filleted Plaice shows the Shadows having fun with the title wording which they would use throughout their career and on this track, the doubled guitar sounds good (a technique that was also explored on Nivram), 'That's my desire' is a quality ensemble vocal, 'My resistance is low' is a great old track given the echo laden guitar treatment by Hank with the notes becoming almost ethereal in the highest part, 'Sleepwalk' has become a Shadows and Hank Marvin live performance favourite for decades and the album rounds off with 'Big Boy' - likely based on the American Steam locomotive's beat - there was a locomotive called the Big Boy in America.

This album is pure quality, even 60 years later the tracks sound fresh, the playing and the studio sound is superb and this lineup of Marvin, Welch, Harris and Meehan lasted a mere year and a half lasted for one album, before Tony Meehan departed to be replaced by Brian Bennet for 'Out of the Shadows' their second album.

(This next line of Marvin, Welch, Harris and Brian Bennet lasted a short time before Brian 'Licorice' Locking joined for about a year until 1964, when John Rostill became the Shadows Bass player until their split in 1968). The early Shadows lineups (pre John Rostill) were drawn from the old 2I's Club in Old Compton Street players - all those had played in various bands in that famous venue. Out of the Shadows featured some Jet Harris and some Brian Locking tracks.

The treat of the first album's colour cover photo is to see Hank Marvin's original mythical Fender Stratocaster guitar in the famous Fiesta Red colour bought by Cliff Richard, looking a lovely pinky shade here. As with many of their future album covers, they were almost an unnofficial advertising opportunity for Fender instruments! The album was mostly sold in the Mono version as few people had proper true Stereo record players then, so the album pictured a 1961 Stereo version is very rare, more valuable being signed by 3 band members. I have one of these Mono LP's signed by all 4 members which is very rare as they were not long together in this lineup before Tony Meehan left not long after the LP's release.

Indeed, many Fender instruments were sold on the influence and sound the Shadows had. Demand for Fiesta Red Fender guitars was driven across the world by the Shadows without a doubt and demand could not keep pace lithesome being refinished in Britain to keep up with the demand. As George Harrison later said 'No Shadows, no Beatles.' 

I came to this album in 1983, I had just purchased a Tokai TST50 Stratocaster as close to Hank's Fender as I could get and ironically copied from the same 1958 era guitar as Hank played on this album!

With a Sound City Valve amplifier and tape echo machine I was well on the way to the Hank Marvin sound. Now I use Vox Valvetronix AD60 or 120 and Tonelab Studio and Stage SE boxes to get that great sound.

I was able to follow the style and technique of Hank Marvin and this has given me a lot of pleasure over the last 40 years! Even today when I hear the tracks on this album, they still sound fresh. I have backing tracks from this album and enjoy playing along to them.

This band was immensely talented back then and remain so. This album is a musical milestone of the early 1960's from a band that helped define the music of the decade that followed.

Hank Marvin at 80 - a guitarist for all seasons - one of the guitar greats and needs the recognition he truly deserves.

 

A young Hank B Marvin with his Antoria guitar 1958

One British guitarist broke onto the music scene in 1958, his playing style revolutionised British popular music and influenced guitarists across the globe for decades.

For his 80th birthday, we pay tribute to Hank B Marvin, this groundbreaking guitar player who influenced many famous players of more recent years - Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Andy Summers amongst many thousands of young amateur players in bedrooms, school  playgrounds and youth clubs trying to emulate his style! 

Hank planted a seed and many followed, learning to imitate his unique style ever since.

Cliff Richard with the Fender Stratocaster 

he imported for Hank Marvin to play in 1959

The skiffle boom of the 1950's propelled many young people to play musical instruments - but by 1958, the music had changed - pushed forward by the innovators from America - Elvis, Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and a handful of others who held the senior positions in the genre that was Rock n Roll.  

Hank Marvin learnt how to play their style of music, being  particularly interested in the sounds and style of Buddy Holly, Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley's guitarist) and Cliff Gallup (Lead guitar for Gene Vincent).

In 1958, Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, 16 year old Newcastle school friends, journeyed to London to take part in a talent competition with a couple of other bandmates. Attaining third place in the contest, Hank and Bruce stayed on in London to seek their fortune and gravitated to the 2 I's coffee bar in old Compton Street, Soho where they would meet Cliff Richard and also future Shadows players Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Brian Bennet and Licorice Locking. 

The legendary 2I's 

By chance, Hank was offered a tour with Cliff Richard and the Drifters - who had scored a No2 hit with Move it - perhaps one of the greatest British Rock N Roll songs ever written and recorded. Bringing along Bruce Welch and encountering Bassist Jet Harris on the tour, they went on to become the nucleus of Cliff's backing group.

The Drifters personnel gradually were replaced by Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris and Tony Meehan over a short span of time - a group that would in early 1959 became known as the Shadows.

The early Shadows line up of 1959 - 

Hank plays the original Fiesta Red Stratocaster imported by Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard imported a Fender Stratocaster guitar for Hank Marvin from the Fender factory in California to play and Hank teamed it with a Meazzi tape echo machine and a Selmer Tru-voice amplifier (later a Vox AC15 amplifier) and the Shadows sound was created. 

As they say the rest is history. 

Hank with his 1959 guitar in 1960

Apache  - the Shadows hit single from June 1960 -

The Jerry Lordan penned hit that launched a thousand bands

Hank in 2005 with a Custom Shop Stratocaster

Hank Marvin defined a unique sound and style of playing that has kept him in the musical scene continually since 1958. His clean and pure sound pre-dated the US Surf instrumental scene and has kept him employed either in the Shadows or with his own band ever since, he sells out venues whether as part of the Shadows, with Cliff Richard and The Shadows or with his own bands even 50 + years after starting in the music business.

Yet Hank Marvin is not that well known in America, sadly if he was he would be lauded for his style - American players like Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan, The Ventures) were influenced and regard Hank as an inspirational player and Hank has a small following in America and a larger interest around the globe which is well deserved.

You can instantly recognise Hank's playing or at least his style being played by someone else. There are many great amateur players who can portray his guitar work getting the right sound and feel - perhaps this is the greatest compliment Hank could attain - in that he has helped and inspired many to play the guitar and do so for decades. I am one of those inspired by him to not only play but to own the legendary red guitar like his.

He has given many ordinary guitarists like me the example to aspire to and learn from. From the days of Apache in 1960, overnight, bands in many cases ditched their lead singer and went instrumental, trying to perfect that sound and own that Fiesta Red Stratocaster, Meazzi echo machine and Vox amplifier.

60 plus years on from Apache, we owe Hank a great thank you, as part of the Shadows and in his own right, he has given us countless musical pieces to try and play in his style and to also enjoy listening to.

There are few pop musicians with the wide catalogue of work that Hank has brought to the popular music genre, so thanks Hank, we continue to enjoy your work and look forward to your new musical releases in the future.

 

And best wishes for your 80th birthday

Guitar reviews for you: Vox AC4 C1 BL Limited edition Blue Covering

Guitar reviews for you: Vox AC4 C1 Bl Limited edition Blue Covering

The Vox AC4 C1 in Blue

Small is beautiful they say and the Vox AC4 C1 BL is in that bracket. Having owned an original early 1960's Vox AC4 I was intrigued to see how this new reissue of sorts would compare.

This example featured had been little used and came through an Ebay seller.

If you are looking for a small amplifier for studio recording that you can crank up, or a small amplifier with a distinctive tone for jazz, instrumental or just general playing this one should suit. Add a few pedals and a great sound can be obtained.

Many bands now mic up their whole equipment so you could still use this miked up through the band PA system and still be heard. So this small amplifier offers you great versatility and it is also light to carry about. There is plenty of volume for bedroom or practice room use too.

The Gain does start to crank things up, with zero Gain and volume about 1 o'clock, start to bring the gain up to hear the amplifier start to really work, it doesn't need much to start to hear the difference between clean and 'agitated' as I would say, I didn't really go mad with the Gain as I don't play with that sound. I like a nice working sound, just a bit of presence. A bit like Hank Marvin's early sound with the Shadows.

Simple Gain, Bass, Treble and Master Volume controls

Back to back against the original 1960's version, the differences between the two amplifiers are the original has a classic Vox chassis mounting the valves and electronic circuitry as opposed to the new AC4 that uses a printed circuit board to do much the same job.

Compact and retro even down to the white handle and vent!

Size against the 1960's one is around the same for this version, although the special edition C1 with the 12" speaker is slightly taller to accommodate that bigger unit.

The original has a partially open back and this one is a closed back which I think makes it run hotter and the sound will be different with an opened back.

Closed back with socket output option to an external speaker

The vinyl covering on my original was in a smooth Rexine vinyl type fabric in a blue grey colour, this new AC4 is a darker blue and with a textured Tolex weave type textured finish as found on the modern AC15 and 30's although their cases have the textured finish in Black Tolex. The speaker cabinet front covering is the classic brown diamond on the early 60's one I owned and grey 'Tygon' weave on this new one which was used c. 1963 on some amplifiers.

The simple PCB Control panel of the AC4 C1

Control wise, both are very simple layouts with minimal controls. The original has 2 inputs normal and a vib term channel, the new one has no vib trem and just a single input. Both AC4s share some same controls, the new AC4 has a Gain circuit to allow you to ramp up the amplifier at low volume.

Played clean the amplifier sounds very nice, even on the original valves, some owners change these out for JJ, Mullard or others to suit. 12AX7 x 2 and an EL84 x 1 provide the real valve sound.

Played through with a Stratocaster on Kinman pickups at a bedroom level of volume the amplifier sounded clear and raising the Gain did start a bit of break up sound, as though you were at a higher level of volume on one of the bigger Voxes like an AC15 or AC30.

With a Gretsch 6120 plugged in it gave me the instantly obvious George Harrison sound, more so when I used the Behringer time machine pedals well. The Brian Setzer sound was obvious making this a nice Rockabilly amplifier with added Reverb to enhance the tone.

I'm not a great fan of overdriven sounds, mostly preferring the cleaner sound for instrumental playing work and in small jazz bands - which this amplifier would suit. Both picked notes and strummed chords sounded full, clear and had the right tone. I will try some effects such as the old Watkins tape echo and a Zoom reverb unit to see how that changes the sound on this AC4.

The Behringer Vintage Time Machine age the AC4 a lift

I connected up my Behringer Vintage Time Machine to the Vox and this gave it quite a lift, the level control on the time machine helps you to increase the input volume and the box gave the AC4 an enhanced and fuller sound. 

I found that the Behringer really improved the sound, making it more 'studio' like - think Abbey Road. The Stratocaster sounded great too, I tried a Mex 50's fitted with Custom Shop Fat 50's and a 1960 replica I made with a Mex 50's red body and rosewood neck, the obvious Hank Marvin and Shadows sounds were there on both.

A Treble control set at about 1 o'clock and a Bass at around 10 o'clock seemed to give a nice Hank Marvin sound, with some delay added and a bit of input boost from the Time Machine, it was sounding nice.

The AC4 sounds great with this old Watkins Copycat tape echo plugged into it

I did try the old Watkins Copycat tape echo machine on the AC4 and it sounds really great, some very nice Hank Marvin sounds can be had with a bit of work adjusting the controls. The really nice glassy tone of the AC4 can be brought out even at a low volume and adjusting the treble on the AC4 does vary the tone. 

I had the Gain set quite low, as the Watkins has channel volume gain controls which help drive the AC4. Most delay pedals don't have an input gain level which is a shame as this helps drive the signal - all too often I try a delay pedal and as soon as you engage it the volume is sucked out of your signal. These are worse than useless unless you put a booster of some sort in front of it - a Compressor with volume gain or an overdrive to get the sound 'alive' with a slight edge.

Overall I think this is a great Vox valve amplifier for the price I paid, my original was £59 in 1985 and this one was £200 so I suppose they ratio out about the same cost in real terms in comparison. 

Roqsolid make great amplifier covers and I have ordered one for this amplifier, I use their covers on all my equipment, reasonably priced and great quality, so I highly recommend them.

Try one of these AC4's and I think you will find it a nice small amplifier, if you need a bit more volume before distortion sets in then the AC10 C1 may be more to your requirement. These are slightly smaller and a bit lighter than the AC15 C1. 

My only points I would like to see added are reverb and a Vib trem but I might be able to add this later on. 

The amplifier seems to get hot and I wonder whether I should make a new back panel with vents and maybe fit a couple of small CPU fans inside to help with cooling. The old AC4 has an open back which helps with that and the sound is not forced out only through the front as on this AC4.

A great amplifier for Studio use I would say, you can get the real Vox sound, the Top Boost alluded to in the Vox writing is not as controllable as on the AC30 which allows dedicated controls for that, for Drive and Volume level. But the sound is quite clear and glassy so you can probably fine tune the volume and treble to suit. I like it and you might too.