Robben Ford Discussion

[PaulG]

With all the current threads regarding Robben's old guitars and all the ones on ebay out there, I thought this might be a good time to ask this:
Can anyone out there provide a chronalogical list of the guitars Robben has used on his recordings? I've heard here about Super 400s and have seen some vintage pics of Robben with what looks to be a Guild Starfire. Also have a video from '83 of Robben on a 335. It would be nice to place a guitar(s) with the recording. Strats and LPs. So far, my favorite is the Tele.

To keep this request realistic, I should limit this to his blues stuff, ie.
Charles Ford Band
Ford Blues Band
Witherspoon cds
Blue Line
Robben Ford Band

Are there too many to count?? Let's see.
Thanks,
pg

[marinblues]

I thought the little 336 and the red baker were quite cool:


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MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARIES

[Aeolian]

When folks ask Robben about what guitar was used on which song, he usually doesn't remember. Exceptions being things like Misdirected Blues where he remembered having the string pop off the saddle in the middle of the solo and when it happened again during a clinic, he told us that it was the same ES345. Look at the bit he wrote about the wine Fender RF on e-bay. He completely forgot about Bill's one.

I think that for Robben, guitars are like spices. He pulls from the rack whatever seems appropriate for the moment. Without a lot of forethought. I remember overhearing a sidestage converstation with Jeff Rivera at Yoshis to the effect that he wished he'd brought some particular other axe because of the way the band, sound, and the room were responding that week.

This is further complicated by things like endorsements. During the Fender period, he told people he was using guitar x, after he broke away from Fender, he said it was actually guitar y. I think this is common. Folks use all kinds if different gear in the studio specifically to create a certain color for a particular song. John Jorgansen may have had endorsements with Fender and Matchless, but folks who've been at various sessions say that lots of different stuff was actually used. These guys have quivers that we never see.
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[PaulG]

Good points, Aeolean. I'm probably underestimating the size of his stable over the years. And the endorsement thing. A necessary evil, I suppose.

I'd still like to know what pieces Robben has used over the years, regardless of the recordings. I suppose after 35 years or so, that list could get pretty long.
I did notice at one of the clinics that he seemed interested in vintage stuff, which leads me to wonder what he has (or had).
pg

[TJ Moore]

Well, I know I've seen pics of an ES347. I know there have been any number of Bakers. There was a red one, black one, and I think I saw a pic of one with p90's and one with mini-humbuckers. I've seen pics of a '54 Les Paul. There is the new Paul. I also saw some pics of a very strange looking Les Paul type guitar that looked custom made.

That's all I've ever seen.

T. J., Chicago
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T. J. Moore

[Aeolian]

The strange slab LP was a Sakushta (I'm not sure of the spelling, Bill Morgan has one too, maybe he can help out). I think he has, or had, another one with a different body shape.

There is a picture of him playing with Muddy Waters years ago with an SG. Of course the Super 400. I know of a couple of other Fender RF's, a black one now owned by Chris Cobb in SF and the blonde one Garth Webber usually plays. I also heard that Garth ended up with the 335 that is on the Inside Story cover but it was messed up during a fret job (story told to me by the luthier who has since learned much and is well regarded locally). There is the 54 Goldtop, and tobacco sunburst Strat (I think the one used on Tiger Walk, he brought it to a clinic and it looks very much like the pictures on Daved's website, but there could be more of them). The recent LP he bought at GC up here, and a 57 goldtop reissue more recently purchased. He also has a couple of 345's (I think he said that both are red) and an Epiphone Riviera with the original trapeze tailpiece (If anyone ever runs across one with an Ibanez stud tailpiece in it, that was mine, stolen from me in '90, seeing Robben's reminded me of how much I miss that guitar).
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[juspasinby2003]

[JackD]

On the New Morning DVD, Robben is playing a Fender RF and his tele. Does anyone (even Daved) know which version of the Fender RF he is using? I know there was an Ultra and an Elite per the ole Blue Line web site:

http://www.axon.net.au/RobbenFord/RobbenFordBio.html

I'm just not sure if Robben was using an Elite (due to the dot markers) or a special version. I guess I'm wondering if it was the solid thin line version or the chambered version.

In any event, that guitar sounds great!

[Bill Morgan]

[frank0936]

What's the story on the 336? I don't think I ever seen one before. Is Gibson still making them?
Frank

[Buffaloe]

[JingChiFan]

I saw him play this (model and color- Guild Starfire IV -) in Boulder, 1979. He recorded and used it live on "For the One I Love", off of Inside Story. Had a tough sound as compared to the 335.

Mike

[Cheebatone]

[frank0936]

It is a beautiful guitar. It caught my eye right away. That must have been about the time Robben was looking for a replacement for his 335. He said that since he plays with the guitar fairly high, the 335 was just uncomfortable to play. I looked on ebay and nobody has a 336 for sale right now. If I had one, I'd hang onto it, too!
Frank

[Aeolian]

For what it's worth, I've never been able to get behind those 335's that got left in the dryer too long. They've always sounded very pinched and boxy to me. The size is nice but something gets lost in translation.

While Robben doesn't do the Jimmy Page thing, I don't consider him to have the guitar particularly high up.

On the right of this picture is someone with a 335 worn high up (sorry, I couldn't find something closer very quickly, or get the image to embed)

http://www.vincewelnick.com/modules.php?full=1&set_albumName=album02&id=hblues15&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php

What I learned from this fellow is that with the ungodly gain (and sometimes volume) he can use at times, the guitar wants to take off. By tucking it under your arm like this, you can control this with the pressure against your body. It's like having another tone control. Pressed close, the tone is thinner and fits in a dense mix better. Less tight, fattens up the sound. If you watch John, you'll see all kinds of postures while playing. Leaning forward and letting the guitar hang free (something Robben also does a lot) also opens up the sound and exposes the back of the guitar to the stage sound. Pushing the neck away from the body does the same thing but to a lesser extent. Propping it on your hip, a bit more. You will occasionally see John drop down to a squat, letting the guitar hang free in line with the speakers. Again more bloom, or if it's cranked, feedback. At this level of players, these contortions are as unconcious and automatic as squeezing the neck a bit more, or twisting the pick to a slightly different angle. Just part of playing the instrument and getting it to sound the way they want.
Of course it looks cool too. :wink
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