Just for a quick clear up. The reference to Bob messing up Truckin was kinda of a joke. The point of this thread was more about Bobs gear than anything else. Plus he likes it that way to quote the Chief! 
A place to talk about the music of the Grateful Dead
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By Darkstar860Re: Searching for a JBL K-120 Fri Aug 14, 2026 7:41 pm
How about some adlibs by Bob in truckin or any other tune such as ... "ever since she had sex change"
"Think I'll come back here again,
Every now and then from time to time"
http://www.reverbnation.com/houndsandrabbits
Every now and then from time to time"
http://www.reverbnation.com/houndsandrabbits
CountryMile Cadillac wrote:How about some adlibs by Bob in truckin or any other tune such as ... "ever since she had sex change"Oh, about sweet jane
live on CRACK and vit c & ccain!
astroman99 wrote:people say Jer had lazy hands, I think they are right.I've never heard that one. More than one person, you say?
"There, in huge black letters, was 'The Grateful Dead'. It just... cancelled my mind out."-Garcia
CountryMile Cadillac wrote:How about some adlibs by Bob in truckin or any other tune such as ... "ever since she had sex change"Our semi-balding singer in Left for Dead used to like to say "livin on reds, vitamin C and rogaine"...I always chuckled with that one.
I love Bobby's tone and have tried to figure out how to at least get close to it, but I've been pretty stumped so far. It's so distinct, and it's almost as if it sounds thick yet thin at the same time! How do you at least get close on a budget? Single coil or humbuckers? Bridge, neck, middle pup? What effects if any is he utilizing? It sound to me like he definitely cuts certain frequencies and boosts others heavily with an EQ. What about distortion? Reverb?
As far as his playing style, he has a pretty big bag of little tricks he uses, but here's a few I've noticed. He uses a lot of chord forms with the third or seventh on the bottom. He likes to tease the minor third in songs that are major with slides-ups or trills. He likes to add seconds and ninths to add dissonance. He keyed into Jerry a lot and subtly harmonized his lead lines in between chords. He liked the dominant7sus4. There's countless others but that's just a few. I'd love to hear any other tricks or licks that others have figured out.
As far as his playing style, he has a pretty big bag of little tricks he uses, but here's a few I've noticed. He uses a lot of chord forms with the third or seventh on the bottom. He likes to tease the minor third in songs that are major with slides-ups or trills. He likes to add seconds and ninths to add dissonance. He keyed into Jerry a lot and subtly harmonized his lead lines in between chords. He liked the dominant7sus4. There's countless others but that's just a few. I'd love to hear any other tricks or licks that others have figured out.
while I read your post I felt the guitar. you are right about technique, But still Imust Impose GEAR man!
Soldano
BK Butler
Korg
ADA
Roland
Meyer
Mesa
MODULUS lets get with it
Soldano
BK Butler
Korg
ADA
Roland
Meyer
Mesa
MODULUS lets get with it
Gotta have the same exact gear or riffs to cover anyone's music? I'm off that bus, Brother. Enjoy the ride.
MY ORIGINAL MUSIC (available on all streaming platforms):
Galvanic Samurai (2021)
Traffic in the Moonlight (2023)
So Glad I Came (2023)
Desiderata (2024)
Duality (2025)
Love, Loss, Ecology, and War (2026)
Caught in the Current (2026)
Legacy (coming 2027)
Jerry would be the first to tell us, "I never spent my life copying anyone."
Galvanic Samurai (2021)
Traffic in the Moonlight (2023)
So Glad I Came (2023)
Desiderata (2024)
Duality (2025)
Love, Loss, Ecology, and War (2026)
Caught in the Current (2026)
Legacy (coming 2027)
Jerry would be the first to tell us, "I never spent my life copying anyone."
jdsmodulus wrote:while I read your post I felt the guitar. you are right about technique, But still Imust Impose GEAR man!What about:
Soldano
BK Butler
Korg
ADA
Roland
Meyer
Mesa
MODULUS lets get with it
ES335
ES345
The BG Gibson
Ibanez effects
Fender Twin
Fender Bandmaster
Fender Dual Showman
IVP
Furman Reverb
Godzilla poweramp
Marshall head
Line 6
Vox
AF9
Wah & Phaser custom pedal
Single coils
Dual coils
In phase pickups
Out of phase pickups
Mini-buckers
Round strings
Flat strings
Buffered
Un-buffered
Bobby played just about every major piece of geaer at one point or another.
Saying ya need his gear is kinda weak sauce.
What about all the Jerry-heads that say - tone is in the hands? Does that not apply to Bobby?
IMO, ya get in the ball-park by:
having similar effects
a guitar that can go from fat and huge to lean and thin
knowing how to modulate chords
stretching your hands across 4 or 5 frets for chording
hearing voicing and know how to use them
applying accents and transition chords
being percussive at times and smooth other times
hand vibrato with chords
applying a vibrato bar tastefully
also Bobby had a great economy of motion thing on the neck which gave very smooth chord transitions
I'm sure I've left some key stuff off but it just ain't the gear... In fact the gear without his "theory" and style won't get ya even close. Bobby is so much more than tone.
Jon S. wrote:Gotta have the same exact gear or riffs to cover anyone's music? I'm off that bus, Brother. Enjoy the ride.Jon , arent you building a Tiger ? Isnt that the ultimate in "Exact" gear ?
Why dont you use the one of your reverends for Jerry stuff ?
HMMMMMMMM ?
Luv ya Jon S. - I'm just saying .....
I guess I'm middle of the road .....
And what is "greener" than using old gear anyway ? Dont buy new ! Peps are always posting with the Twin re issue probs and such ...
Its a yin and yang thing - gear and theory. Like Jerry and Bob !
Jerry and Bob both could use stock gear and you would be able to tell it was them. But they choose to CHASE the sound in their heads ! As soon as they got the bread they started with the custom this and that.
Jerry's sound is more than just Fender or Gibson or single coil or humbucker or solid state or tubes ....
I bought a neck thru " hippie sandwich " Ibanez Musician. Love it. But ( its stock ) it has Zero zip nada Strat tones.No single coil no Jerry.
Some peps like to dive in and explore. Kudo's to them. Keep posting pics and keep explaining the how's and why's behind the music ! You too Jon S ! I dig your guitars and you know a ton.
Strum has it right
Get in the ballpark with similar gear ; work on theory.
I dont have squat for gear by the way.
Peavey Ultra 60 tube head
Ibanez Musician
Some pedals
Peace to all out there no matter how you do what you do !
Guys, regardin the "Tone is in the hands" thing... don't confuse "Tone that is produced from an instrument by the individual playing said Instrument" or "Inherent Timbre of an Instrument" with "Effects used to enhance/distort the tonal qualities of an instrument being played by an individual".
Tone is in the hands. There is no tone without hands touching the instrument.
Tone is in the hands. There is no tone without hands touching the instrument.
Last edited by Pete B. on Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
6/21/80
Chicago New York Alaska its all on the same street
Chicago New York Alaska its all on the same street
strumminsix wrote:1973-1974: Alembic F2B ... Foxx Phaser, Eventide Clockworksjdsmodulus wrote:while I read your post I felt the guitar. you are right about technique, But still Imust Impose GEAR man!What about:
Soldano
BK Butler
Korg
ADA
Roland
Meyer
Mesa
MODULUS lets get with it
ES335
ES345
The BG Gibson
Ibanez effects
Fender Twin
Fender Bandmaster
Fender Dual Showman
IVP
Furman Reverb
Godzilla poweramp
Marshall head
Line 6
Vox
AF9
Wah & Phaser custom pedal...
...I'm sure I've left some key stuff off but it just ain't the gear... In fact the gear without his "theory" and style won't get ya even close. Bobby is so much more than tone.
1975 Musicmaster HD-130
1978: that Peavey monstrosity
McIntosh power, c1970?-1978
I'd still rather hear a highly skilled and passionate player through crap gear than an average one through the finest rig in existance. Gear is just fun to geek out on. You got your civil war buffs, your sports buffs...
"There, in huge black letters, was 'The Grateful Dead'. It just... cancelled my mind out."-Garcia
I am not saying it's all in the fingers at all. I see fingers and skills another component in the chain including gear, cables, strings, etc..
Funny how many say Jerry's tone is in the fingers but never Bobby.
I think towards McIntosh power was done in 1975/6 but I cannot be sure.
By 1977 he's got that IVP into the Godzilla poweramp.
Wasn't there a Mesa Mark amp in there too, IIRC.
Oh, then we can talk speakers, cabs, configs...
2x12 Twin
2x15 Showman
assume 2x12 BM
Then 10" Gaus speakers
now 1x12s
Seriously, I think what we see here, for the most part, is quality gear with high quality guitars and cables.
Bobby didn't sound exactly the same but he always sounded like Bobby to me... Gotta listen to some 73 now.. BYE!
Funny how many say Jerry's tone is in the fingers but never Bobby.
tigerstrat wrote:That Peavey was AWFUL!strumminsix wrote:1973-1974: Alembic F2B ... Foxx Phaser, Eventide Clockworksjdsmodulus wrote:while I read your post I felt the guitar. you are right about technique, But still Imust Impose GEAR man!What about:
Soldano
BK Butler
Korg
ADA
Roland
Meyer
Mesa
MODULUS lets get with it
ES335
ES345
The BG Gibson
Ibanez effects
Fender Twin
Fender Bandmaster
Fender Dual Showman
IVP
Furman Reverb
Godzilla poweramp
Marshall head
Line 6
Vox
AF9
Wah & Phaser custom pedal...
...I'm sure I've left some key stuff off but it just ain't the gear... In fact the gear without his "theory" and style won't get ya even close. Bobby is so much more than tone.
1975 Musicmaster HD-130
1978: that Peavey monstrosity
McIntosh power, c1970?-1978
I'd still rather hear a highly skilled and passionate player through crap gear than an average one through the finest rig in existance. Gear is just fun to geek out on. You got your civil war buffs, your sports buffs...
I think towards McIntosh power was done in 1975/6 but I cannot be sure.
By 1977 he's got that IVP into the Godzilla poweramp.
Wasn't there a Mesa Mark amp in there too, IIRC.
Oh, then we can talk speakers, cabs, configs...
2x12 Twin
2x15 Showman
assume 2x12 BM
Then 10" Gaus speakers
now 1x12s
Seriously, I think what we see here, for the most part, is quality gear with high quality guitars and cables.
Bobby didn't sound exactly the same but he always sounded like Bobby to me... Gotta listen to some 73 now.. BYE!
strumminsix wrote: Funny how many say Jerry's tone is in the fingers but never Bobby.I think that given most ANY topic regarding the GD guitarists, you will find 90% of the interest is with Jerry, and 10% to Bobby.
Again on the Tone In The Hands thing...
I think the most blatent way to prove this to ones self, is to go listen to somebody who you know that is a good fiddle/violin player. Now have them hand the instrument to you, and play it and see how it your tone compares.