Santo & Johnny live 1959 YOUTUBE

Ed Mooney · Post by **Ed Mooney** » 15 Sep 2006 11:57 am

Check it out....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAk_0N85wNk
Can someone verify the tuning?

Ed[This message was edited by Ed Mooney on 15 September 2006 at 01:00 PM.]

Billy Wilson · Post by **Billy Wilson** » 15 Sep 2006 12:19 pm

That is cool!!

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 15 Sep 2006 12:20 pm

Thanks for sharing this Ed. That was way cool. Loved reading the remarks on the page about it also. This is truly such a special song for so many people.

Did anyone else notice that their bodies looked out of proportion, large heads, tiny bodies.

Maybe these guys were from outer space and came to our planet to share the love?

Jason Dumont · Post by **Jason Dumont** » 15 Sep 2006 12:36 pm

Wow...
What can you say? It's a masterpiece.
Dig that %^$ing tone he's getting!

Michael Scdoris · Post by **Michael Scdoris** » 15 Sep 2006 12:42 pm

I think the tuning was C#m.L to H BC#EG#C#E

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 15 Sep 2006 12:58 pm

Santo's playing a Custom . .

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 15 Sep 2006 1:22 pm

Way cool! There's something mysterious and magical about that tune and the throbbing chords and vibrato of the performance.[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 15 September 2006 at 04:17 PM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 15 Sep 2006 2:05 pm

The tone and feel can't be beat.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 15 Sep 2006 3:07 pm

I first learned that tune on my Strat but it was one of the first tunes I learned when I started playin steel.

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 15 Sep 2006 3:40 pm

Love it, a trip back in time on the ol' time machine.

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 15 Sep 2006 4:38 pm

Michael S, thanks for the tuning! I used to play it in C6, close but not perfect on the voicings . That C#m7 tuning record copies perfect and sounds just like it, too cool. The right tuning always seemed contested before, but this follows his hands on the video. Thanks again...

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 15 Sep 2006 4:45 pm

Awesome. That's the real deal.

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Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 15 Sep 2006 5:20 pm

E
C#
?
G#
?
E
?
E

I don't see or hear him play the other strings, so I put ? there.

You can hear most of it in the intro

1st bar : 8th fret C on the low E string, then C and E on the middle E and G# strings

2nd bar : 5th fret low A on the low E string
then 8th fret A and E on the C# and G# strings

He plays open G# for the Ab in the F minor, and then 4 bars later it is F major.

I wonder how Johnny feels about the mix there.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 15 Sep 2006 5:22 pm

I've always wondered how he played that; now I know. Thanks for sharing!

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Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 15 Sep 2006 6:31 pm

I think it lays out pretty nice in C6, especially 8 string C6.

Jeff Strouse · Post by **Jeff Strouse** » 16 Sep 2006 4:08 am

Cool..I've never seen him play before!!

Was there some overdubbing in there? It seemed there was some steel guitar work going on that Santo wasn't playing???

Kevin Ruddell · Post by **Kevin Ruddell** » 16 Sep 2006 4:39 am

I play it in C# on an A6 neck on my Fender but there's always a few things I can't seem to match up on some S+J tunes . Anyone know what Santo tuned his necks to ?

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 16 Sep 2006 5:04 am

In a "Gutar Player" interview in the late 1980's ("Unsung Heroes" column), Santo says that he recorded "Sleepwalk" and "Teardrop" on the C#minor tuning and had A6th and E7th on the other necks. He said he could play "Sleepwalk" on any of the tunings since he played like a vocalist and the tunings used were not that relevant.

I have found that the C#minor does fit the sound of most of the Santo & Johnny hits and permits that "twangy" sound that Santo often got with a lot of the melody played on the first three strings. C6th forces you into some thicker sounding regions of the neck and can provide a different sound for some of their tunes.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 16 Sep 2006 6:18 am

I've played a lot of C#minor tuning but I always liked a B on the third string. This way you get kind of a combination C#minor and an E tuning for the same money.

Actually the addition of the B makes the tuning a C#minor7th for you purists.

[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 16 September 2006 at 07:20 AM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 16 Sep 2006 6:23 am

To My Buddy Rick

Rick, Santo was playing a Triple neck Stringmaster on all of his recordings and not a Custom. Check your e mail.[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 16 September 2006 at 07:27 AM.]

Garry Vanderlinde · Post by **Garry Vanderlinde** » 16 Sep 2006 8:45 am

On the YOUTUBE clip, it sure looks like he is playing a Custom. Trapezoid pickup, lollypop tuners, and three legs.

Did Santo use more than one guitar?

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 16 Sep 2006 9:04 am

"They did the original, so they can do anything with it that they wish....and I hope that I didn't embarrass them with my renditions of their song!

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Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 16 Sep 2006 3:03 pm

Every time I watch that video I'm amazed by those signature harmonics he throws in there. Is he usin a volume pedal to get that loud awesome sustain?[This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 16 September 2006 at 04:06 PM.]

Derrick Mau · Post by **Derrick Mau** » 16 Sep 2006 4:43 pm

I tried this on a 6 string steel; and you can get most of the song with six strings, but if you want to copy note for note you'd need the 8 string to do the opening note and the turn around with bass strings.

Left to right: E G# B C# E G# C# E

Andy, he is not really doing a harmonic but by hitting the string up close to the bar, he can get the note to have a twangy effect.

Anyone no where this video was taken?
Great material Ed! Thanks.

William Clark · Post by **William Clark** » 16 Sep 2006 6:33 pm

That is definitely a Custom 8. Check out where the selector switch is. Definitely in the wrong place for a Stringmaster. Great tone and an addicting clip!