The Steel Guitar Forum

I've always hated Strats, but loved Eldon Shamblin's sound. I've never been able to figure out how he got such a fat, jazzy, un-Stratlike sound out of that guitar. Any thoughts?

Sorry, but I have to. "It's in the mind and hands."

Getting a good 'jazz' sound on a Strat is easy. Just flip the pickup switch to the bass (neck) position and turn down the first tone control about halfway. Backing off on the treble on the amp also helps.

I had the chance to play Eldon's Strat. a few times. He used heavy strings which helps fatten up the sound also. Most of the time he was on the neck pickup. Eldon liked to play through a tube amp but he didn't always have that chance. He always got a great tone to my ears no matter what he played through. He was a great musician and a funny funny man as well. What a talent!!!!!. I miss him so much. Bobby

In the few videos I've seen, I don't believe I've ever seen him play the same chord voicing for more than 2 beats. Great rhythm playing.

I agree. He got a nice, fat sound out of his Strat.

Listen to Ed Bickert, one of the greatest Tele players and he gigged with Brubeck and Desmond. Don't know how it worked but Eldon and Ed used real old Fenders. The capaciters were the old barrel type and that may have had something to do with it.

I used to have a '63 Strat that sadly is long gone. The neck pick-up had a wonderful big fat sound. It was great for Western Swing. My main axe is a Tele that has a Duncan Strat pick-up at the neck. It has some of that same character to it. A lot of this goes back to the player. Whan Nokie Edwards was still living up around here, I saw him play many other people's guitars and just pick it up and play and have almost the same sound no matter what axe he was using. Some magic fingers on him.

I'm with you on Ed. But his 50s Tele has an original Gibson PAF humbucker in the rhythm position, according to a Guitar Player feature article on Ed from the mid-80s. That sure doesn't hurt his gorgeous deep jazz tone any. Another player with that same setup is Bob Bain, LA session guitarist and one of the regulars in the Tonight Show band during the Carson/Severinson era in LA.

But I think it's possible to get a good jazz tone out of a stock Strat or Tele by appropriate choice of strings, tone control settings, and amp or effect EQ. A lot of jazz players prefer heavier flatwound strings. I have a Tele with an old mini-humbucker in the rhythm position set up with flatwounds right now - it can get pretty jazzy-sounding. The Thomastik Swing Series flatwounds get pretty mellow on pretty much anything I've put them on.

But I still think that one's technique has a lot to do with it. Playing with the fleshy part of the thumb, as opposed to using a typical plectrum, tends to soften attack and tone significantly. Some of the thicker, more rounded-edge picks like the Dunlop 205 can also soften the attack and resulting tone quite a bit - leastways, that's my experience. But like Dave H. - I've seen some good jazz players just pick up any guitar, make a few adjustments here and there - and voila, jazz tone.

I've found that a good jazz sound is fairly easy to get out of a Tele, but a Strat has always been a different story. No matter what kind of adjustments I've made, the Strat always has that Strat sound that grates on my nerves.

Leslie, I'll try to play with that setting as soon as I get my hands on a Strat and see how it sounds. I've tried that general setting, but it might just be in the tweaking. I have to admit that I'm so prejudiced against Strats that I don't expect to get the sound that I want out of them. It might just be a matter of coming at it with a clean slate.

Shamblin is one of my absolute idols. I would love to have met him as some of you did. Thanks for the input.

don't forget about the other factor in Eldon's sound;

1953 Fender Bandmaster!!

That is the first time I've been able to find any info on what exactly Shamblin played through. Thanks! (Even though I could never even dream of owning one of those).

On a side note, Dave Biller, I have been such a fan of your work, and I am honored to have you comment on a thread that I started. Sean Reefer told me that you had played with him a while back. I was his guitar player for about three years, and I have certainly studied your licks, so I was very happy to have you fill in for me. What have you been up to lately?

Johnny, that's very nice of you to say and i sure appreciate it. i'm mainly just kicking around austin these days, picking up various gigs on guitar and steel. weekends with Bobby Flores and i've been pickin' alot with another Sean Reefer band member, Randy Lindley in Amber Digby's band.

as far as i know, Eldon played the same strat and bandmaster combo for about 40 years until Bill Carson gave him a new strat with lace sensor pickups which he apparently loved. keep in mind, if you're listening to the Tiffany transcriptions or any Wills stuff from that era, that's way before the stratocaster when he still played a gibson.

I talked to Randy the other day. What an incredible guitarist that guy is, and an all around decent guy on top. Tell him I said hello next time you see him.

The Eldon sound that really floors me is from the "For the Last Time" era, since at that time I am sure he is playing a Strat. It's great, because it doesn't sound like a Gibson, but it's still got that fat sound that no one else has on a Strat.