tom Brumley tone

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 5 Sep 2023 5:53 am

tom got great tone out of that Z.B what amp is he using ???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC_WgcqwdUc

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 5 Sep 2023 7:03 am

Looks like a Session 400 to me.

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 5 Sep 2023 10:16 am

Yes, Session 400.

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 6 Sep 2023 2:36 pm

I thought he played thru fender twin
Amps???

Pw

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 6 Sep 2023 2:56 pm

That's a pretty old video and it looks like a Peavey amp. I expect he used different amps at different times or the backline may have been provided by the host for the event.

Anytime I saw him play in the late 80s or 90s at the ISGC, he used a Fender Bassman, I think, set to his specs. It is my understanding that he was quite fond of these FBM amps.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 6 Sep 2023 5:03 pm

The Bassman was definitely his preferred amp. He told me that at a show in Branson. He had one or more that were special to him.

Jim R. Harrison · Post by **Jim R. Harrison** » 6 Sep 2023 8:52 pm

I saw Tom Brumley playing at Jeff Bradshaw's Canadian Steel Guitar Show some years ago. It appears that he's playing through a Fender amp, don't know the model.

l

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 6 Sep 2023 9:59 pm

If musicians are flying to the gig, they will request an amp brand and model along with a second option. When Emmons came to DesMoines in 1974 or 1975, he requested a Session 400 or optional Fender Twin. In Brumley's case, there probably weren't many, if any, 59 Bassman amps available.
Tom preferred to play through a 59 Bassman. He wanted to buy the 59 that I had in the 1990's. It needed one speaker reconed and new tubes and caps. I eventually sold it to a collector for $2000.00

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 7 Sep 2023 12:14 pm

When touring with Desert Rose he used a pair of his own Session 400 amps running in stereo and set up behind and to each side of him. I can't speak to other times or places but this was his own personal rig and not a rental.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Sep 2023 7:36 am

I have a picture somewhere on my computer of Tom playing a ZB guitar with a ZB amp.
The amp was a Standel and labeled ZB.
Erv

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 8 Sep 2023 7:45 am

I found it.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 9 Sep 2023 12:40 am

His tone at that time had less to do with the amp and a lot to do with the ZB Custom guitar and his right hand technique. If you notice in his later year when he played his Anapeg it was a totally different sound than the classic ZB Custom. I've never been able to get that ZB Custom tone out of any other guitar. Very distinct. He was the inspiration for me playing ZB Custom guitars to this day
If you can get a hold of the 60' vintage of ZB Custom guitars, especially Zane Beck built one you hit the Holy Grail of ZB sound.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 9 Sep 2023 7:01 am

The reason the ZB sounds so good is because the changer is quite similar to the one on the Emmons push/pulls.
When you push a pedal or lever there is a solid stop not like on most changers.
The pickups contributed to the tone also.
Erv

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 9 Sep 2023 9:44 am

In the video Paul posted, what kind of amp is the bass player using?

Looks a bit like the behemoth being discussed in this topic:

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=394386

~Lee

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 10 Sep 2023 2:50 pm

There are darn few of those 60's Zane Beck built guitars left. Getting rare. Fabulous sounding guitars.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 11 Sep 2023 7:19 am

I rebuilt one a while ago.
I took it apart, refinished the cabinet and redid the mechanism.
I saved the changer, pickups and tuners but put a whole new undercarriage under it.
It still has the ZB tone with an improved belly.
Erv

Bob Shilling · Post by **Bob Shilling** » 11 Sep 2023 9:06 am

Beautiful! Nice work, Erv.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 11 Sep 2023 9:11 am

Thanks, Bob

Erv

John Lacey · Post by **John Lacey** » 11 Sep 2023 1:25 pm

Tom’s tone had a beautiful warmth about it, somewhat reminisicent of Tommy White’s tone. Also, when he played at Bradshaw’s show, not a mistake. Just dead accuracy with soul.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 11 Sep 2023 1:38 pm

Nice work Erv. Labor of love on that one.

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 11 Sep 2023 6:21 pm

Beautiful work Erv. That looks fantastic. Gotta be a sweet tone machine.

Jim R. Harrison · Post by **Jim R. Harrison** » 11 Sep 2023 7:01 pm

John Lacey; Note when Tom played at the Bradshaw show, he was playing his Anapeg guitar, through the Fender amp. See my photo, below.

Dean Holman · Post by **Dean Holman** » 11 Sep 2023 11:07 pm

Tom at one time, had an old Evans FET LV 500 amp. I bought it from him before I moved to Nashville back in 1994. I wish I still had it, but I think I used it as part of a trade at Bobbe Seymour’s store, I believe on a Mullen guitar that Bobbe had, that I really liked. That amp had a real heavy EV speaker. I took the speaker out, and replaced it with something a little lighter. I still have the speaker. I would say Tom’s favorite amps, were the Bassmans, built to house a 15 inch JBL D130 speaker.

Kenny Davis · Post by **Kenny Davis** » 11 Sep 2023 11:38 pm

Erv, I'm thinking the distance between the pickup and the changer might have given the ZB a "bite" that other guitars didn't have.

Of all the times I've watched Tom on television or videos I'd never seen his right hand from that angle. His picking looked very unusual in those shots, and sometimes looked like he had 3 finger picks to me. One of my all-time favorite players for sure.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 12 Sep 2023 6:48 am

Kenny,
I think the tone on the ZBs was mainly from the changer design and the custom wound pickups.
Also there is a lot of mass in the guitar, it's quite heavy.
Erv