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mickijaggeroo

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TornAndFried

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michaelsavage
Any truth to the rumors of people playing under the stage?

Having worked for the Stones on past tours I can answer this question myself.
No...there is nobody else playing under the stage, or behind the stage!

Blondie did in Boston 2005..I saw it. But I don´t believe it´s done anymore.

On the Bigger Bang Tour Bernard, Lisa and/or Blondie had a microphone set up offstage and they would add background vocals (and sometimes acoustic guitar) for the first 2 or 3 songs before they actually came onstage with the rest of the band. The idea was to give the opening of the show a little more impact by having fewer people on the stage for the start. It's not like they had extra musicians playing surreptitiously backstage to cover parts the Stones were pretending to be playing onstage...which is what the original question seemed to be implying.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-03 16:58 by TornAndFried.

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TornAndFried

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mickijaggeroo

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TornAndFried

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michaelsavage
Any truth to the rumors of people playing under the stage?

Having worked for the Stones on past tours I can answer this question myself.
No...there is nobody else playing under the stage, or behind the stage!

Blondie did in Boston 2005..I saw it. But I don´t believe it´s done anymore.

On the Bigger Bang Tour Bernard, Lisa and/or Blondie had a microphone set up offstage and they would add background vocals (and sometimes acoustic guitar) PPPL for the first 2 or 3 songs before they actually came onstage with the rest of the band. The idea was to give the opening of the show a little more impact by having fewer people on the stage. It's not like they had extra musicians playing surreptitiously backstage to cover parts that the Stones were pretending to be playing onstage which is what the original question seemed to be implying.

This is correct, and it has to be added that Blondie never did play parts that the other guitarists were supposed to play. That's a misunderstanding.

He was merely filling in in the soundscape.

Wow, I hope Pierre has some days off to answer all these questions!

I will summurize in the next day, and probably will focus on questions that are not answered in the Stones Gear book -in that book Pierre explains well how the setup since 1989 is.

Mathijs

Why do Keith and Ronnie not use Ampegs on stage any more?

I think the horn players were off stage during Bitch on the SW tour. Unless they were on stage and they didn't have any lights pointed at them so you couldn't see them. they didn't appear until Harlem Shuffle.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-03 22:12 by ryanpow.

What do you do to make sure that Keith's guitar stay tuned up through a song? New strings and hitting the strings hard on the "rockers" like Keith does carry a risk of changing the tuning of some of the strings. I ask because Keith's guitars are always perfectly tuned on stage which wasn't the case when Keith didn't have a guitar tech (1969 Hyde Park!!).
Thank you Pierre for the great work you have done while working for Keith during all those years. Keep on rocking.
Rock and roll,
Mops

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rocker1

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ChrisM
The binding indentifies it as Telecaster Custom but I have never seen one in black before. If I could see the headstock I could see if it isa pre or post CBS model. I'd like to know more about it myself...

Couldn't find good closeups, but these two small photos at least show another angle and the headstock.

Must be from the Fender Master Vintage Player series. They've all got the faux-relic wear-and-tear effect:
[www.google.com]

Looks like there's

NOS rules, the "faux-relic wear-and-tear effect" sucks imo. I don't understand why Mr "No BS" Richards fell for it.

Hey Mathijs,

I'd like to know which of KR's guitars is Pierre's personally favorite to play as far as feel and tone? Also if he could keep one of KR guitars which would he choose and why?

Thanks,

Markdog

What was up with "Topeka" and Keith and his thoughts on the Zinky Master Blaster?

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dcba
NOS rules, the "faux-relic wear-and-tear effect" sucks imo. I don't understand why Mr "No BS" Richards fell for it.

i would bet a lot of money that the black custom tele is a vintage one . i also despise this relic craze of taking a new guitar and beating it to crap to make it look vintage .did you know the relic guitars cost more that the NOS ones do? it takes more labor to beat the s!@# of one.

Cannot wait till the relic phase is over. I find it very tacky if it was relic'ed.

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MingSubu
Cannot wait till the relic phase is over. I find it very tacky if it was relic'ed.

this whole relic craze was started by fender back in the ninties for the people that wanted a VINTAGE looking guitar ,but did not have the money for a pre CBS era fender or a gibson (gibson calls them AGED) see fender and gibson were filling a need in the marketplace for someone that did not have $200.000 for a 58-60 sunburst les paul and $ 20.000 and up for a tele or strat .

I don't care who started it. Looks tacky and makes the player look like a poser.

Play the instrument and let it wear naturally.

Re: Relics:

I was working at a music store a few years back when a customer came in and blew all of our minds... Guy comes in and buys a brand new Strat. Can't remember exacltly which model or finish (sunburst/natural?). Pays for the guitar. Asks to borrow a screwdriver to replace the strap pegs with strap-locks before leaving the store. Than he asked for some steel wool. Not sure if the owner of the store would have given it to him if he knew what was about to happen. The guy took the steel wool and proceeded to rub it all over the front, back and sides of the body!!! No serious damage or removal of finish, per se, just scratching it up. All of the employees just gasped and stood there with our mouth's hanging open. It was the owner who first spoke and something to the effect of "Do you realize how much the value of that guitar just went down?" The guy replied, "Yeah, I know. I don't care. I fully plan on keeping the guitar for my personal & professional use and it used to make me sick when a new guitar would get it's first scratch. Now, I just scuff 'em up when I first get 'em and don't care when they get scratched on a gig." All of the sudden his actions made sense. Sort of. At least I could understand his thinking anyway. Not sure that I'd have the guts to do it myself but I can totally relate to "hating the first scratch" on one of my new babies.

Note: I'm in agreement about paying someone else to "relic" a guitar for me. I'll do it myself over the next 1,000 songs, thanks.

Re: Actual thread -> Thanks Mathis for cutting us in on your questions & to Pierre for willing to answer for us. I can't wait for the answers. I just wish I could think of an original question to add!

Peace,
Mr DJA

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mr_dja
Re: Relics:

I was working at a music store a few years back when a customer came in and blew all of our minds... Guy comes in and buys a brand new Strat. Can't remember exacltly which model or finish (sunburst/natural?). Pays for the guitar. Asks to borrow a screwdriver to replace the strap pegs with strap-locks before leaving the store. Than he asked for some steel wool. Not sure if the owner of the store would have given it to him if he knew what was about to happen. The guy took the steel wool and proceeded to rub it all over the front, back and sides of the body!!! No serious damage or removal of finish, per se, just scratching it up. All of the employees just gasped and stood there with our mouth's hanging open. It was the owner who first spoke and something to the effect of "Do you realize how much the value of that guitar just went down?" The guy replied, "Yeah, I know. I don't care. I fully plan on keeping the guitar for my personal & professional use and it used to make me sick when a new guitar would get it's first scratch. Now, I just scuff 'em up when I first get 'em and don't care when they get scratched on a gig." All of the sudden his actions made sense. Sort of. At least I could understand his thinking anyway. Not sure that I'd have the guts to do it myself but I can totally relate to "hating the first scratch" on one of my new babies.

Note: I'm in agreement about paying someone else to "relic" a guitar for me. I'll do it myself over the next 1,000 songs, thanks.

Re: Actual thread -> Thanks Mathis for cutting us in on your questions & to Pierre for willing to answer for us. I can't wait for the answers. I just wish I could think of an original question to add!

Peace,
Mr DJA

That's why I don't like buying a brand new guitar. I hated the feeling of getting that first ding or scratch. I always preferred getting a second hand guitar with a little - or in some cases, a lot - of road wear. I feel the same way about a car!

Hey Pierre, HOW DID YOU MEET MATHIJS ? and how come you don't accept my Facebook friendship?

I proppose to keep this thread open until Friday March 7, and I will summurize all questions over the weekend.

Mathijs

Pierre, while being in the Stones gear HQ, did you ever open an instrument case only to realize it hadn't been opened in decades and that the guitar the strings picks were like they left here 20 25 35 years ago?

Did you ever have a "time trip" moment, realizng that "Wow I'm back to..." Nellcote'71 Down Under 1973, or Munich'74 or Pathé Marconi 1978 etc etc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-05 12:21 by dcba.

Pierre - Why you guys stopped using the Mesa Boogie Mark 1 amp?

I once read that Keith had bought a "new" vintage 'Gibson Flying V' after the one he played '69 at Hyde Park was stolen in Nellcote.
When I saw Mick wearing his white frock for at least one song last year at Hyde Park I thought it would have been fine to see Keith com up with a 'Flying V'.
O.K. my question is if Keith still has an original '58 - '60 V and if it gets some playtime.

Did you get to witness, first hand, Slash's reaction when Keith turned him down on playing on "Thru and Thru", then letting you add a guitar part?

Also, is there some very light level of phaser added to one or both of Keith's amps in his most well-known open G sound?

[www.non-filters.com]

I like to know the value of the caps and pots in Keith Teles with humbuckers in neck..Thank you

Thanks for arranging this.

Please address the following:

--New tubes or old stock in the vintage Fender and Ampeg amplifiers on the 2014 tour? If new, what sort of "burn in" is used?

--Compare the string action on the Gibsons used by Taylor, Richards (LPJ & ES) and Wood.

Thanks!

Yeah! How many watts are those twins actually pushing? Because I have a handful of plexi's from the sixties that push a lot more then what they sold for? I think there somewhat like a plexi because when I'm in the first 2 row's in front of Keef those twins @#$%& hurt but I like it that's why I go around the world with them too!lol!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-06 07:34 by stonesfrkk.

Hey open-g long time! good to see you on the board been a long time! Anyway I'm sure all Keith's pick up's are potted and waxed any pro's are especially the huge gig's they do they can't have that buzz going on! all your stuff is legit!

I would love to know the brand of the powder the stones are using for the guitars.

Thanks !!!!

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happyparis
I would love to know the brand of the powder the stones are using for the guitars.

Thanks !!!!

Merck.

[www.non-filters.com]

Mathjis- this is going to be awesome!
Especially interested in the reasoning for the flipped paf in Micawbur.
Ask Pierre what is the most unknown part or fact of Keith's setup/gear that may have never been asked or we dont know about. Same for for Mr Wood!

Thank you!

Go Dawgs!

for Mathijs- and thanks- what questions would you have for Pierre? I'm curious as to what your questions are, since you have a very comprehensive understanding..
and you're a tech yourself apparently..

thanks again