Robben Ford Discussion

[kirk95]

Lot's of discussion going on about the Robben tone and how do recreate it over on the PRS form.

Anybody over hear able to get close to the Holy Grail and if so how?

Also, what is your favorite Robben tone? on what tune/CD specifically?

The Jing Chi live tone is pretty amazing for me!



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[patocaster]

First time I saw Robben play was as DeAnza College in Cupertino, CA ~'72 shortly after he left Musslewhite. At that time he was playing his L5, big fat tone which I loved. Tunes that I still love the tone on:

"Gibson Creek Shuffle" from Charles Ford Band Arhoolie LP.
"That Will Never Do" from CFB Reunion Blue Rock'it CD.
"Magic Sam" and "North Carolina" from Inside Story (re-released as an import).
"Talk to Your Daughter" title track of WB CD plus "Revelation" too.
"On the Road Again" from Mark Ford & the Robben Ford Band Blue Rock'it CD
"Brother (for Jimmie & Stevie) from "Robben Ford & the Blue Line"
"Worried Life Blues" from Mystic Mile
"The Miller's Son" from Handful of Blues
"Supernatural" title track (great wah tone!)

You know, I love just about everything I've heard RF do but I must admit that I have not fully appreciated Tiger Walk. I love his tone on Jing Chi. What is up with that?

Other tunes that suprised me when I first heard them with RF:

"In France They Kiss on Main Street" from Joni Mitchell's The Hissing of Summer Lawns.
"Slow Ride" from Bonnie Raitt's Luck of the Draw
"Wake Up Dreaming" from Little Feat's Down on the Farm

As a player, I have spent years developing my own tone and voice on the guitar. And I have also spent exhaustive hours discussing tone greats such as RF, Bloomfield, Freddy King, and on, and have come to the realization that everyone's tone is in their hands. I play a tele through a vintage Twin.

Too much information?

-patocaster
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[diatonicdude]

Too many tracks to list, but the one for me is "Life Song" as it has so a broad spectrum of tone, especially the killer main solo.

Oh, by the way, I am still also looking for the RF tone, and I have got reasonably close (I think). I once read that he says that he has heard people use an MXR pedal and a Boogie (which I use as it works out cheaper than a Dumble).

All the best,

DD
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[jconstant]

Several years ago Daved posted the settings Robben uses when he uses a Fender Red Knob Twin. I saw him use one during his Tiger Walk promotions but don't know that I've seen him use one since then. Regardless, here's what Daved said:

"When Robben uses the Twin as his sole rig these are the 'ballpark' settings I use when I'm preparing for sound check. Robben then, of course, fine tunes depending on the sound of the hall and his mood of the day. But, it's never changed by much... if at all

7 - 5 - 5 - 3 | 6 - 7 - 3 - 4 - 1 - 7 | 2

Keep in mind though, that I've loaded his Twin with Celestian G12-70's, and true tonal response is in the fingers of the performer."

He said this in 1999 so obviously a whole lot has changed since then.

Its funny though. I've got a Red Knob Twin and I've used these exact settings but for some reason I still don't sound like Robben. Go figure.

Jim

[abergdahl]

Well i have gotten CLOSE, but I'm not Robben. You know talent touch, phrasing and stuff like that. As far as gear goes I know i could make it sound a lot like Robben if I tried, maybe i need a spruce top to NAIL it.
You can listen to my clips, there are some that are close to Robben's tone, Skrydstrup and Duke and Skrydstrup1 for exampel. The Blue Duke is same gear and not close to Robben at all.
My two takes on "Help the poor" is quite far from the tone AND style of Robben, kind of Acid country picki'n..or something.
Check it out here:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/5/abergdahlmusic.htm

[JoeB63]

[telefunk1]

Patocaster nails this question - it is all in the hands (and head and heart). No offense to the gear heads on the list (they keep the amp and guitar manufacturers in bidness and we all need to keep our jobs these days), but way too much is made of the equipment side of the equation. And this is not just on the RF lists, but on any guitar-hero discussion page. Is it because it is easier to buy a new guitar or amp than practice and learn new stuff, or reflect on what we already have accomplished and how we can make it more real? Or whatever? Or is it just because it is fun to talk about gear (and brag about we got that you ain't got)?

Having said this, however, there is something to this tone bone that I want to pick. Patocaster lists Gibson Creek Shuffle (off the Charles Ford LP) which I have always loved and have played in bands as an intro instrumental. He was using the L5, and I presume a Fender amp (when I saw him with Spoon around this time it was a Super Reverb). This combo is potent in that the L5's feedback at high volumes will run away with you if you are not careful but it has great sustain under the right conditions. And the Super can be pretty hot at high volumes - so the two together is a creamy smooth, sustained sound that has a lot of meat to it. Just like his sound now with a totally different setup. If anything, the Tele through the DUmble is the inverse of the L5 and the Super. So, to me, RF has always strived for this fat, sustained but clean sound, which he is capable of reproducing from a variety of tools.

[Buffaloe]

I started chasing his tone when I bought my first Robben CD but discovered that even though I could get some of the character of his tone, there was no way I would sound like him even playing his songs note for note. There's a huge element to his tone just from his touch, and I can't duplicate that. I did end up with an amp (Two Rock Emerald 50) that I really like for my tone, and three guitars I'm really happy with, none of which are Robben models.
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