Billy Gibbons what steel?

benhall · Post by **benhall** » 29 Jul 2001 9:16 am

I've read some other threads with references to Page and others that have played steel outside of the country block. Gibbons plays some steel on several of the ZZ Top albums. I watched a Grand Funk concert with him standing beside me but I never thought to ask him what kind of steel he played. Got a kick out of my wife when he walked by us she said "well just look at that". I told her I think that guy is pretty big in to music in Texas. I don't think anyone noticed who he was at the whole State Fair until one of the guys on stage told everybody who he was. He is a pretty talented guy. (Asleep in the Desert) one of my favorites.

Sage · Post by **Sage** » 29 Jul 2001 10:46 am

I don't know what kind of steel he uses, But he likes and endorses the re-issue Oahu amplifier. It is a re-created Valco style (2 6V6) amp. I have an original Oahu-Valco and can understand why he likes it!. I love ZZ Top. I've always thought their sound is a cross between West Texas swing and a top fuel dragster.

B Bailey Brown · Post by **B Bailey Brown** » 29 Jul 2001 11:09 am

I can’t really answer the question, but I think remember meeting Billy in Jerry Blanton’s shop here in San Antonio sometime in the late 60’s or early 70’s. They were talking about Steel’s and the possibility of Jerry building one for Billy, or helping him find a used one.

This was sometime before Z Z Top hit it big, and I don’t remember much about him, other than he seemed to be a very nice down to earth guy. After he left I remember asking Jerry, “Hey, that guy was pretty cool. Who is he?” Jerry said, “Oh that’s Billy Gibbons. He’s a real good guitar player from over in Houston and he is kinda interested in getting a Steel.” I said “Country player?” and Jerry said, “Oh I would imagine he can play you some country if it needed to be played, but as far as I know he is in some rock band over there.”

I have no idea if Jerry ever built him a steel, or found one for him. Next time I talk to him I will try and remember to ask about that.

B. Bailey Brown

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 30 Jul 2001 4:38 am

Oh, yes.

Reverend Willy G.! He is from Houston and he does play "pretty good"!! He does play steel guitar and is a slide maniac on straight guitar with or without tunings and with pedal and lap steel. I have been following him from 1967 (Moving Sidewalk) to currently. I grew up in Beaumont, Texas and they used to come to Bmt. and play in the Hotel Beaumont Rose Room for the Friday night sock hops (we payed .50 cents to get in).

His whole deal has been about groove, tone and melodic blues lines ala Texas Swing riding atop a top fuel dragster (best description I ever saw).

No kidding.

I wouldn't be without a good collection of early ZZ Top barbecue soul Texas boogie.

Always one of my guitar heros!

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Bill Fulbright
1998 Sierra U12 7x5; Gibson ES-165; Peavey 50-410
ICQ# 2251620 Bill's Launch Pad

Geoff Brown · Post by **Geoff Brown** » 30 Jul 2001 6:24 am

Hey, pass me a slab of that good stuff

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 30 Jul 2001 6:33 am

B Bailey and Bill, oh wow you guys go way back.
I was at a party once and I got into a conversation about Texas bands like Bubble Puppy and the 13th Floor Elevators, the Sir Douglas Quintet, etc.
It was fun, it ended up the guy I was chatting to actually lived upstairs and was right into heaps of Texas psyche, blues and garage punk, we talked about the first couple of ZZ Top albums and he takes me upstairs and plays this 1980s compailtion of the Moving Sidewalks early singles and 1969 album.
It was almost ten years ago, but they sounded great. To this day I don't think there's been a proper release of their only album.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 30 Jul 2001 6:37 am

It's players like Gibbons who give rock a good name. He's a real master of rock guitar IMO. I've never heard him play steel, though. Can someone recommend some tracks that he plays steel on?

I love playing the slide guitar solo (on steel) from "Sharp Dressed Man" at weddings, watching all of those dressed up people getting down on the dance floor. What a classic!

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (E9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

benhall · Post by **benhall** » 30 Jul 2001 8:20 am

b0b, I know of one that sticks out that he used steel on and that is Leila from the El Loco album. Yeah he is a down to earth kinda guy and seems to enjoy being out with people and listening to music. He gets around quite a bit according to several people I have talked with. He uses some acoustic slide guitar it sounds like on Asleep in the Desert and also sounds like he employs a cat gut guitar to do the lead stuff. This song is from the Tejas album. I have got to see them perform once in 1976. They had a buffalo on one side of the stage and a longhorn on the other. Real ones not fake ones. They also had some kind of huge bird behind them and they wore Nudie suits for the first half of the show. And they can put on a show. I am not to impressed with some of their newer stuff but the older stuff is great.

Adam · Post by **Adam** » 30 Jul 2001 9:45 am

The Moving Sidewalks CD just got released on the Akarma label and includes the earlier singles too.

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 30 Jul 2001 1:30 pm

This is just from memory, but it seems like there is a song on "ZZ Top's First Album" called something about "Shakin' Your Tree" that has some of his steel on it. I don't remember it really well, but it seems like it may have been mostly for effect. I don't think it was in Jerry Garcia's league.

He is one of my all time biggest influences. If there was a Mt. Rushmore of rock guitar tone, he'd have to be on there.[This message was edited by Jeff A. Smith on 30 July 2001 at 08:34 PM.]

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 30 Jul 2001 3:58 pm

Adam,

Where can I find this Album??!!

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Bill Fulbright
1998 Sierra U12 7x5; Gibson ES-165; Peavey 50-410
ICQ# 2251620 Bill's Launch Pad

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 30 Jul 2001 8:38 pm

Ahhh, them Texas boys......yeah, Billy plays, you should lend an ear to our(Stevie Ray Vaughn, Billy, and certainly my), favorite guitar player on steel...Eric Johnson. Ah Via Musicom Capitol CDP 7 90517 2 Wrap your ear around 'Steve's Boogie', and you'll hear some smokin' lap steel playin'. 'East Wes' is also great.....the whole album is wonderful. Eric is by far the most accomplished, technically advanced, and knowledgeable guitar player working today.....ask any guitar player. He makes Steve Vai look like a 2nd grader.....tone alone!! And then turn around and bring a tear to Haggard's eye. When he sees me, he likes to nail me with Julian Tharpe licks on 6-string guitar......impossible? Not for him.

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 30 Jul 2001 8:49 pm

Jeff,

Eric Johnson. Also a giant and a true master of the guitar. This is starting to look like a thread from FDP!

This boy learned his arpeggios early. Along with Billy G. he is my one of other treasured guitar icons, along with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Vaughn, Freddie King, Albert King, Billy Carter (of the Texas Playboys - Herb Remington will vouch for this guy! What a great and unknown talent, also one of my mentors.)

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Bill Fulbright
1998 Sierra U12 7x5; Gibson ES-165; Peavey 50-410
ICQ# 2251620 Bill's Launch Pad

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 31 Jul 2001 12:41 am

Ah, Eric and Stevie Ray... now you're talkin' 'bout my homies, bro'!!

I met Eric in 1973, when he looked about 15 years old and was in a jazz fusion band called 47 Times Its Own Weight. My first thought was "hmmmm.... this cat can really pick!"

I understand he's done pretty well with the instrument.

Also a fact not very well publicized, but Stevie's brother and mentor, the great Jimmie Vaughan, is a dedicated lap steel player, has a great collection of these things, and has journeyed to Hawai'i to take lessons at the foot of the Master, Mr. J. Byrd.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 31 Jul 2001 3:33 am

Herb,

I know we gotta talk! I hope we can do that one day.

I am always on the lookout for the right day job in Austin. I am in Ft. Lauderdale now, and would move home in a heartbeat if the right gig were there.

I also knew about EJ when he was a prodigy pup. Now he is all growed up and is still a prodigy even mo'!

A very good friend of mine and my bass player in the past, Steve Watson is good friends with Clay Blaker, and I was wondering if you have ever met him - Steve that is. I know you know Clay.

A fan of yours, Bill

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Bill Fulbright
1998 Sierra U12 7x5; Gibson ES-165; Peavey 50-410
ICQ# 2251620 Bill's Launch Pad

Adam · Post by **Adam** » 31 Jul 2001 9:37 am

Bill, there's a copy of the Moving Sidewalks "Flash" cd for sale at the bookstore that I work at in Seattle.You can do a mail order by calling (206)634-3400 extension 277.

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 31 Jul 2001 12:00 pm

I believe that I read in the ZZTop book that someone else played the steel part in "Leila" (Mark Erlewine, maybe?). The author said something to the effect that the pedal steel was the only instrument that he ever saw that Billy seemed to have trouble with. I had always thought that Billy played the steel parts on their records. While they were far from technically advanced, they seemed to fit, sounded good and added to the song IMHO. (For some reason I can still conjur up an hallucination of Billy in the studio playing the pedal steel.)

While I do enjoy Eric Johnson's playing, I also like Steve Vai's probably even more. No he hasn't ever played any steel to my knowledge, and no I can't say that I've ever heard him play anything that sounds like a Telecaster, and no I've never heard anything country sounding come from him. But he is IMHO a pretty formidable musician who has been around many years and has a list of credits, both recording and touring, to rival just about anyone on this forum short of Paul Franklin.

I guess the real point is can't anyone on this forum praise someone else without slamming one of their peers? Can't you say something good about Buck without dissing George and vise versa? The recent posts on the Nashville studio scene, with the public "dissing" of some of our brothers in steel hit an all time low. I am really surprised to hear a comment like the one about Vai coming from someone like Mr. Peterson, whom I would think would be a little more restrained in his comments since he should be setting an example for the rest of us.

And by the way, I like a lot of Clints stuff too.

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 31 Jul 2001 8:07 pm

I remember when Steve Vai was asked to transcribe some of Eric Clapton's work with 'Cream', and the 'BluesBreakers'. He said he never listened to any of this music as he felt it wasn't 'relevant'. After listening and transcribing the music, he said Clapton was 'interesting' in his choice of scale work, and that it wasn't 'musically correct'. If you listen to Eric Clapton without a soul.....you miss the point. If you think Eric Clapton plays worrying about scales, you miss the point. I listen to Vai, Malmsteen, Van Halen(I got his tech), and many, many guitar players. I base my opinion(s) on alot of hours spent with great players, and listening with my heart to tons of hours of recorded music. My OPINION is, Eric Johnson=tone+taste.......Steve Vai=modern rock+roll. Both masters at what they do. By the way, I've heard Eric do Steve Vai.....I wonder if Steve could do Eric.....just curious. peace.....Jeff

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 31 Jul 2001 8:50 pm

Bill Fulbright
Yeah, I know Steve Watson, but I haven't seen him in 20 years. Is he still a banker? Tell him hey for me if you're in contact with him.
Herb

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 31 Jul 2001 9:50 pm

Herb,

Will pass it on. He is finally off and into his consulting career. Bank no mo'. Retired from the Bank thing last year.

Steve is one of my true friends. and soul brothers. I know he will be glad to hear from you!!

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 1 Aug 2001 6:08 am

I have to agree with Jeff, Eric Johnson is
probably the worlds most complete, guitarist,
Whatever style he plays he nails the tone,
he puts the "feel" into each style and plays
effortlessly, talk about tone to the vintage
bone, Greg

John Russell · Post by **John Russell** » 1 Aug 2001 6:27 pm

I just hear EJ at the Backyard a few weeks ago and the guy gets better all the time.

It's interesting that such gifted guitarists don't tackle the PSG. Must have something to do with the fact they're hip enough to see what is involved in achieving the tone and touch they hear master players like Buddy and Byrd get. Face it, it is a whole different technical approach than playing lead guitar, and it takes years (decades?) just to be competent. Slide guitar/lap steel is another story.

BTW, when EJ's guitar tech was doing sound check at that show, he strapped on EJs Strat and fired off some of the sweetest mixolydian, pentatonic, arpeggiated machine gun riffs I ever heard. Somebody sign that guy!

One other thing: Herb-- are you sure he was in 47 Times Its Own Weight? I only remember the Electromagnets.--JR