When my pick hit the bass strings, there was a metallic snap and sizzle, which I liked a lot. The treble strings were clear, but not harsh. The smooth humbucker sound had clarity and transparency.
The amp and speaker delivered clean, thumping bass notes with big air and that good, chunky feeling provided by tube rectifier sag. The massive solidbody and Tune-o-matic bridge on the Les Paul provided great attack and sustain. Suddenly, I discovered a clean, cool, and funky rhythm tone that I immediately fell in love with.ĭon't give up too quickly on what might seem like a clunker. I pulled out all the stops with a clean volume setting, a high bass setting, low mids, high treble, and the bright switch enabled. Even with an overdrive pedal, the amp had a dominating and edgy attack.įrustrated, I eventually tried a Gibson Les Paul through that amp, having no hope or expectations. Plugging a single-coil guitar into that amp was brutal. I have a similar story about a 1964 JBL-loaded Vibroverb that I bought in 2012 for $2,800 from a father who needed money to buy his son a car. In my November 2020 column, “ The Saga of the Linda Ronstadt Deluxe," I talked about curing that poor-sounding amp with a JBL D120F speaker. And the Twin Reverb and Vibroverb are the most difficult to tame, I think. The 10" D110F, the 12" D120F, and the 15" D130F all have aluminum dust caps, which makes them quite bright. Guitarists either love or hate the JBLs, because of their punch, attack, and treble. When an amp is dialed-in just right, paired with the right guitar, or equipped with the right speakers, you can find new lead and rhythm tones that you didn't even know you were looking for.Ĭonsider the relatively rare black-panel amps with JBL speakers: Twin Reverbs, Super Reverbs, and Vibroverbs.
So my advice is, don't give up too quickly on what might seem like a clunker. An interesting fact is that several of my best tone discoveries have happened with such amps. Some really require struggle to find a balanced, sweet sound. He actively performs on both guitar and bass on the East Coast.Īn avid collector and trader in the vintage market, you can visit Jim’s store in Gear Search at (dealer: IslandFunhouse).įew amps are love at first sight-or listen-affairs, where you immediately and effortlessly nail great tone.
#HOW TO PLAY BREEZIN GEORGE BENSON ON GUITAR HOW TO#
Jim holds two masters degrees and has published 6 jazz studies texts, including the best-selling How to Play Chordal Bebop Lines, for Guitar (available from Jamey Aebersold). Interestingly, Benson slurs to the third of the chord every time! Tonal centers are marked.Ī clinician and jazz educator, Jim Bastian is a 10 year veteran of teaching guitar in higher education. * A ‘slur’ mark preceding a note indicates sliding up to the target note from one fret below. What modern guitarist is complete if they have not studied George’s unique vocabulary at least a little bit? Here are a few classic George Benson phrases to get you started, and watch for more Benson phrases next month. His capacity for melodic improvisation over any chord changes – even the mundane I-vi-ii-V repetition in “Breezin’” – seems boundless, and is rooted in early jazz, blues, and gospel music.īenson is arguably the heir-apparent to the jazz guitar throne that Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery had previously occupied. He has been accused of selling-out in order to profit from commercial/mainstream/ watered down jazz/pop music yet is there any modern jazz guitarist who is more copied by young players? What we are drawn to is the excitement and passion we hear in his playing in those ultra-fast, clean lines, dripping with blues references and doublestops – two notes played simultaneously, with one note being bent over the other pedal. My conclusion is that George Benson, along with only a few other jazz artists, has the power, virtuosic technique and gifts to perform in any style and have his unique character and emotive brilliance come through. Who but George could play on disco tunes (Weekend In L.A.) with an impossibly fresh and exciting solo every time, even as we re-listen to it today? Who but George could cover Beatles songs (The Other Side of Abbey Road) and leave us not caring about what the vehicle for improvisation is? Who but George could introduce jazz fusion to the world (Breezin’) and play solos in this genre that rip your heart out, such as “Six to Four” and “Affirmation?” There has been only one player through modern pop and jazz history who consistently delivers amazing solos, regardless of the style: George Benson.
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