Although Keith is one of the guitar players out there who is easiest to spot within a second, he has experimented with sounds during the years.

When did he reach his peak in the studio and live? With the spikey sound of Stray Cat Blues, the cassette-recorded acoustic on SFM, the crunchy HI-Watt on HTW or Loving Cup?

It´s a hard one for me. In the studio I really like the sound he got on Satanic and Buttons, as well as the golden era-sound. Still, there is something about the Mesa Boogie-sound, mixed with the analogue delay that really turns me on (Little T+A!).

Live, I think the sound he got on the 69 tour is almost unbeatable. Still, the solo guitar sound he came up with with the Music Man-guitar in 1989 was very, very good (Listen to Bitch from Atlantic City 89!).On the UJ-leg, seemingly, he changed from Mesa to Twin - and the sound became cleaner, judging from the shows I attended + the bootlegs and the DVDs.

What do you think?

1965. Love the guitar sound on things like Mercy Mercy & I'm Free.

beggar's/let it bleed defo

If I had to pick ONE.... "Dance Little Sister" on the IORR album. Fantastic guitar sound. Don't know what guitar or amp he's using there, though.

But yes, he certainly had an excellent sound in 1968-1969, as well. Good choice



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-15 12:22 by Erik_Snow.

In the studio Gimme Shelter and Monkey man are examples of a great sound, live Atlantic City is very good indeed, the sound on the Babylon/NS tour was fantastic.

The Let It Bleed sound is my personal fave. In particular I'm intrigued how he got that sound on You Got The Silver. There's that backwards guitar thing going on.

Also loved that barbed sound on Sticky Fingers. Those are the high points.

If he is very prominent in the mix, e.g. on "Midnight Rambler" (GYYYO) or on HTW (Studio and LYL), also I like the loud and clear guitars on ABB. In contrast the mix during the Urban Jungle/Steel Wheels tour wasn't quite good, sometimes the guitars were in the background, and it was a little like Elton John, sorry Chuck Leavell, with additional musicians on stage, who act like the Rolling Stones. One of the greatest moments of Keith are the numerous variations on "Best of Burden" during the 81/82 tour, although the guitar sound isn't always the same, what's very interesting.

1978-1988...That black telecaster...

The beginning of CYHMK.

I like most of the titles you mentionned
I also add the guitar sound on She's so cold and Start me up in studio.
Most of the time, I like when Keith plays on telecaster, dry and clear sound.

I don't know anything about how he created what sound or another, but listening to the Handsome
Girls collection, I really like the 1978-sound of Keith' guitars. Could someone explain what
it is?

Just as long as the guitar plays, let it steal your heart away

Around and Around - El Morcamo '77

Beggars Banquet... Stray Cat Blues...

Black tele custom on Hail Hail RnR .
His tele at the ABB tour announcement NO BACK UP !
ALL of the 81/82 tour !
His Gibson junior on Rambler ANY time


sc uk

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DandelionPowderman

Still, the solo guitar sound he came up with with the Music Man-guitar in 1989 was very, very good (Listen to Bitch from Atlantic City 89!).On the UJ-leg, seemingly, he changed from Mesa to Twin - and the sound became cleaner, judging from the shows I attended + the bootlegs and the DVDs.

What do you think?

On the 89 tour his lead guitar sound was very a-typical for Keith: a '67 Marshall 50 watt plexi. Somewhere along that tour he also used a Soldano SLO 100, and then switched back to the old Boogie Coloseum MKIIB for lead. As far as I am aware he used the Twin for rhtyhm sound though, not any mesa. For the '90 tour he completely switched to Twin's.

My favourite sound is Around and Around from LYL, and the '78 tour. The Boogie MK1 through an Ampeg SVT is just fantastic.

Mathijs

Whatever he used to make the Chug Chug sound that opens Brown Sugar.. that.

(Actually I would like to know what he used).

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straycatuk
Black tele custom on Hail Hail RnR .

I thought Chuck (Berry, not Leavell) had a better sound than Keith in this, particularly during the rehearsals.

"going down" uhh that rhythmy sound. so fat and powerfull!
the leads of SFTD are outstanding.

honestly i like his sound on "talk is cheap" alot.
highwire (although a mediocre song) has a great sounding keith guitar.

black and blue (but thats just a fantastic production)

i dont like the SG/ER/TY aera sound too much. especialy TY and the 81 sound. too much effects, i prefer it dry!

My favourite Keith sound is the laugh that turns into a wheeze, followed by a rattle, ending up in a coughing fit.

Trying hard to answer, but I just can't find a sound I DON'T like!


C

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Thricenay
My favourite Keith sound is the laugh that turns into a wheeze, followed by a rattle, ending up in a coughing fit.

><



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-06-15 17:59 by guitarbastard.

Slave has a fantastic sound.

Worried About You is awesome.

Crazy Mama is a wonderfully dirty sound.

Flip The Switch is nasty, very similar to the tones they got on Summer Romance.

She's So Cold is a fantastic example of a clean guitar sounding brilliant.

Soul Survivor is a nice tubey almost dirty sound.

If You Can't Rock Me and Dance Little Sister which sounds similar to Soul Survivor a bit, that pegged out clean tube sound.

CYHMK, of course, is probably the BEST sound Keith has ever gotten out of a guitar and amp together.

Monkey Man is brilliant, on the verge of the sound he got with CYHMK. Midnight Rambler is wonderful too, again - that pegged out clean sound. Brown Sugar is close to this sound too but is not so overdriven sounding. He had a similar sound on Jiving Sister Fanny. Those two LPs, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers, have very similar - and brilliant - sounds. Perhaps it started with Citadel, which is a great sounding guitar.

Gimme Shelter, of course.

I've always liked the shape of the sound of Some Girls and Shattered with the phase.

She Was Hot has a nice crispness to it. Tie You Up is a very ballsy sound.

It is not mentioned here, but the sound he had throughout the ABB tour was nothing less than stunning!

C

I really enjoy the sound he gets on "5 String Riffin'" (Voodoo Stew), although i lost the cd, uh, uh, uh...

Classic open G, basic chord changes, two fingers and one hum-hum.

All the guitars on Rocks Off, the rhythm on Happy (especially the intro), Before They Make Me Run, Rhythm guitar on Gimme Shelter is very hard to emulate. All different sounds too on these tracks, which is one reason he's so great.

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liddas
It is not mentioned here, but the sound he had throughout the ABB tour was nothing less than stunning!

C

when he played....;-)

Get Off of My Cloud medley on Love You Live, which to my ears is real similar to the El Mocambo (Around and Around solo) sound mentioned above. Real dirty!

I read that Keith has been using from the early 70's a modified Telecaster by replacement of the original mike with a humbucker Gibson. His Telecaster has been named "Micawber" (1952 blond butterscotch model with a lap steel guitar mike).

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Sleepy City

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straycatuk
Black tele custom on Hail Hail RnR .

I thought Chuck (Berry, not Leavell) had a better sound than Keith in this, particularly during the rehearsals.

I think the Gibson humbuckers in Chuck's guitar are better suited for Berry's tunes than the single-coils in the Strat Keith used.

The Mocambo sound, and then CYMHK.