Robben Ford Discussion

[Mentalray]

Hello!
Setting up an amp the right way can be kind of scientific...
I saw Robben 3 times live; each concert was wonderful. I realy like, that he uses low-tech equipment and produces an amazing tone.

This brings me to my question: No matter which guitar he is using, his one Dumble on stage always sounds like perfectly set up for each instrument.
That´s what I´m realy struggling with right now. I play a Fender Tele and a Gibson Les Paul over a Fender Twin (which is not tooo far away from Robben´s set up). But I realy have problems to make the Twin sound realy good for both guitars.
How do you handle that in a concert situation?? Do you have any suggestions for me; maybe any EQsettings you (or Robben )like for such a combination?

Thanks so much!!!

Cheers, Mentaltray

P.S. Sorry for my bad english...

[tonemaster2_11]

I play with virtually the same setup. It has been my experience that once I find the "sweet spot" on a Twin I can plug just about anything into it and not change the settings. Maybe a tweak of the treble knob from LP to Tele but that's about it. What are you hearing that you don't like? Have you spent some time with pickup adjustments? Sometimes the quarter turn of a screwdriver is all it takes! Especially with the bridge pickup on a Tele! :-)

[Aeolian]

I think what you are hearing is outstanding tone production. Robben has frequently mentioned that he came to a crossroads where he could have really applied himself to developing shred fusion chops or going towards songwriting, and he chose the later. I think that he is selling his chops short, as there is plenty of recorded evidence of him blowing tricky licks at a fast clip. But the most overlooked and neglected aspect of his chops is tone production. What good is streaming all those notes out if you have to have some highly compressed overdrive to keep them even? Robben plays a highly dynamic and expressive rig. It works for him because he has the chops to get any sound he wants from whatever he is holding. He changes guitars to get different base flavors, but he gets a tremendous range of tone colors out of each one. This is why many gear heads debate endlessly about what guitar was used on which cut. Robben can make many of his guitars sound like one of the other ones just by the way he plays it.

He does tend to play humbuckers with the coil tap on unless in the middle of some hot, overdriven solo. As typical humbuckers sound often muddy to him. So there is more consistency between the Tele and LP than would first appear. But again, this is just how he tweaks the gear into a tonal range that allows him the expressive range he's looking for.

The gear is not for a particular "sound". The gear is to allow him to produce a particular sound. I never think of Robben's "sound" or "tone" in singular terms. There is no "Robbentone". Lots of great tones, but every song sounds different. There is some common thread but the variations are much greater than, for instance, clips people have posted of Opal vs. Emerald Pro overdrive tones.

A common Robbenism is "let your ear be your guide". It's apparent to me that for Robben this extends to the sound of the guitar being appropriate for that musical moment. One can analyze his technique; pick angle, turning the pick, muting, finger picking, left hand fretting technique, etc... But the magic is in Robben's musical sensibilities and the connection between his ears and hands that lets him put a melody out into a room in a musical way. In note selection, in phrasing, and in the coloring of the tone of each note so that it fits.
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[tonemaster2_11]

LOL ! That must be why both MY guitars sound good through my Twin! :-)

[Mentalray]