Don’t call me SRV: Joe Bonamassa

Posted by Chris 18 Aug, 2008 

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Joe Bonamassa

Joe Bonamassa

I have been on a huge Joe Bonamassa kick after reading this quote.

“One night, I was doing this classical thing I do using the volume control, and I was playing it on a Strat,” Bonamassa said. “When I finished the show someone came up to me and told that I sounded like Stevie Ray [Vaughan] playing a violin. Well, bless his heart, and God bless Stevie Ray, but it sounded nothing like Stevie Ray. And please don’t get me wrong, I was heavily influenced by Stevie, but what it showed me is that if you waltz up there with a Stratocaster and play anything remotely resembling the blues you’re going to be compared to someone else.”

It's so sad that it is true. How many blues strat players have emulated that sound of the strat through a tube screamer into a nice crunchy Fender amp? The playing may not sound like SRV, but the style of tone sure does. And depending on the player, it makes them sound like a bad take on SRV even if they are good. It took me a long time to get into southern/texas blues and I now think that this is the reason why. I always enjoyed SRV, but couldn't get into any one else.

Thoughts?

Source: Joe Bonamassa on the Les Paul : Guitar Lifestyle.

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Viewing 4 Comments

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    This is an interesting observation that I think holds a lot of truth to it. It really is strange how people will tell you that you sound just like someone for predisposed reasons, when in actuality, you KNOW that you are not sounding like them at all.

    Some people just are ignorant I guess.

    But Joe Bonamassa is a great player and I look forward to seeing what he has in store next!
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    I think there is a live DVD coming out soon, or maybe out now. I'll have to find me a copy of that one. Wished he'd come down to Australia.
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    Interesting timing for me considering, just this week, I’ve started learning some SRV riffs and finally enjoying the SRV setting on my Digitech RP350.

    I think when someone says something like that, they’re usually just trying to be complimentary and don’t really know how to put their appreciation of your playing into words. It can be hard for someone trained in music and writing to put appreciation into words.

    I wonder how many times people told SRV he sounded like Clapton or Hendrix or Albert King. Or even guys farther afield.

    As a player, sometimes I like to do an “impression” (if I was better, you’d call it a “tribute”) of another guitarist, but I like to mix it up. Once I’m comfortable with my take on SRV’s style and tried to tweak it for myself, I’ll probably try to find another tone to play that style with. Then try to find another style that fits the SRV tone. Well, that’s kind of simplistic, but you get the idea. As fun as it can be to try to emulate our heroes, sometimes you’ve got to push yourself a little to combine all your influences and synthesize something your own.
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    That's kind of how I work. I'm a tone nut, and my starting point though is always Slash. I need to be able to pull back and get that intro tone from Sweet Child and then I take it a bit tamer from there, as in the neck pickup tone is the Sweet Child style tone if I add a Tube Screamer on it. That's how I come up with my basic guitar to amp setting and add extra colours with effects.

    Does that make me sound like Slash - hell no!!! But you guessed it, I get comments that I "sound like Slash" because people recognise the tone, the sound.

    Is it possible to come up with an individual tone... hmm I see a new post coming on :-)

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