Grateful Dead Music Forum

by **LazyLightnin** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 1:14 am

this might have been asked already: how does mr.Weir get that whammy sound he uses so well mid 80's-90's? ive tried and tried and tried with my bar, but it never sounds like him. is he using a pitch shifter with it? drivin me up the wall :shock:

by **berryjonas** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:47 am

Yeah, Bob's whammy technique usually drives me up the wall while it's actually being applied.

by **LazyLightnin** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:58 pm

yikes...im totally in favor of Bobs innovations, have you ever had a psycadelic experience?, cuz if you havent i can see where it might be annoying. your not a creed fan are you?

by **berryjonas** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:02 am

I dislike Creed and love Spellcheck. Seriously, there are many interesting aspects to his playing style that make the whammy superfluous.

by **wisedyes** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:45 am

It always sounded to me like Bobby was squishing the hell out of his sound with compression, and it was very apparent when he used his twang bar. Personally, I like Mr. Weir's application of it, although by the 90's, he was definitely over doing it on some songs.

by **ebick** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:07 am

Bob Weir........over doing it?

nawwwwwwwwww.

:cool:

by **LazyLightnin** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:27 am

sure bob overdid alot of stuff, and could have been more consistent many times, but he honed his own craft, and the biggest reason i dig bob is becuz he doesnt sound like everyone else, another reason why i love this band so much. if bob didnt mix it up a little here and there , it wouldve just been bland renditions. i find it bold and inventive that he stepped outside those lines that so few artists dare to reach for. what is the point in trying to be creative without a little experimention . which in itself exemplifies the sound that this band set out to create.

.............so compression and twang would be the answer to my question? thanks for saving my post guys, i hate asking a simple question and then being railroaded...dont we all have enuff stress to deal with at home or at work?

by **wisedyes** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:38 am

I'm sure there's more to it than just compression, but that is definitely a big part of it. Use the bridge pickup, too, I would think. And probably just a touch of gain.

I love Weir's playing. I have always thought he is extremely, almost criminally overlooked and under-rated as a guitarist. I can always figure out what Garcia was doing fairly easily and quickly, but Bobby's stuff is far more challenging and frustrating to get. Plus, his unique sense of timing is out of this world.

by **strumminsix** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 8:49 am

ebick wrote:Bob Weir........over doing it?

Too much of everything is just enough!

by **ebick** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:09 am

I love Bob too, don't get me wrong.

And I always said, with the Ha!'s in the early 80's and all that stuff......in the parking lot, everyone seemed to hate it, but during the show, when he did it, all you heard were cheers.

by **strumminsix** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 11:44 am

ebick wrote:I love Bob too, don't get me wrong.

And I always said, with the Ha!'s in the early 80's and all that stuff......in the parking lot, everyone seemed to hate it, but during the show, when he did it, all you heard were cheers.

Right on! IMO, here is how I saw it:

JG- stoic, paternal, rarely showed emotions but with a certain look or tone or smile you realized how much you loved him each and every time.

BW- the crazy uncle who you love to see has you captured with wit, humor, and quirky behavior but when you talk about him you roll your eyes a bit at his antics.

by **jahozer** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:35 pm

Thats kinda the deal with the Dead, ain't it? You kinda overlook some minor faults, because the good side is just that good. Kinda like a real family.

Grateful Dead Music Forum

Bob's whammy technique

Bob's whammy technique

Bob's whammy technique

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