ZZ Top

[Memphis Mike]

Anyone else a fan? I've learned to play a couple of their songs lately. "Jesus Just left Chicago" and "Francine." I'm working on "La Grange", "Waitin on the Bus" and a bunch of others. Billy Gibbons is one hell of a guitar player.:eek:

The idea is to learn every song off of their greatest hits CD. Whether I accomplish this or not is anybody's guess but I'm trying and making progress.

My teacher can start the CD and play every song from start to finish.

[Tom M.]

Mojo comes to mind.

I heard Billy uses .08-.36 or something.

I'll have to listen to them again, thanks for reminding me.

[Memphis Mike]

As in string guage? Heck that's light. I play with 11's and 12's and sometimes with a special setup.

[Tom M.]

yeah, really light gauge. I was really surprised given Billy's TONE. But I think its true. I read it, and heard it.

I like heavier gauge too, but lately been liking 10-42 or so.

I also heard a story about Billy...it seems when Mark Knopfler was recording "Money for Nothing", he really wanted Billy's tone on that song. So Mark called up Billy, asking how in the world he got that tone. Billy wouldn't tell him:D. But Mark did pretty well anyway:D.

Also heard a story about Billy's recording setup....something like putting the mike in the center of a circle of inward facing amps! It does kind of sound like that sometimes! Or what I imagine it would sound like, being bombarded with cranked amps on all sides.

[Memphis Mike]

It's been awhile but I've seen Billy walking down Madison Ave. here in Memphis. He likes to record at Ardent and takes a walk between sessions.

The guitars I've seen him play onstage are all custom rigs with the exception of a Les Paul I saw him play once in Charleston, WV.

[Tom M.]

:(Never seen them play.

[Memphis Mike]

Most of the stuff I've seen has been on DVD but I saw them live in Charleston in the 70's. I'm really surprised I remember that at all.:D

[Memphis Mike]

Tom, What kind of guitar do you play?

[mmd]

Yeah, I'm a Top fan, but can't contribute anything to the guitar commentary. I play the stereo...

First time I saw them was in 1974. I had just got home from a summer on a freighter in the Home Trade and purchased my first motorcycle. A friend told me that a British band called Uriah Heep was playing at the Cape Cod Collesium. I was a big fan of them, and a drive from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod seemed like a good thing to do, so I called Ticketron and off I went. I had no concept of what driving trough Boston on Friday afternoon was like - I had my newly-acquired motorcle license and motorcycle and was eighteen and invincible!

I knew that there were three bands in the line-up, but didn't care; I wanted to see the Heep. I had heard of the second band - an all-black funky dance band from New York called Earth, Wind, & Fire - but had never heard any of their stuff. I figured the opening act was some ambitious bar band from Boston trying to make their mark. It turned out to be Billy & company touring to support the Tres Hombres album. This was before the beards and Nudie suits; just blue jeans and Texas blues. When they finished their set and two encores, I was happy and the other bands needn't have played. Been a fan ever since.

[Canibul]

I grew up (if one would call it that) in the Houston/Spring Branch/Cypress areas in the late 60's, then moved off to Austin to go to school.

We used to hang out at a couple clubs, the Catacombs and the Living Eye, in Houston and one of the bands that quickly started catching on was called the Moving Sidewalk. They played bars and high school dances, as well.

Same guys. Liked them when I was 17, and I like em now.

[Michael s/v Sannyasin]

La Grange is the only song you need to learn. If that doesn't get everybody up on their feet, nothing will.

[Memphis Mike]

Cool dude,

I haven't heard ZZ Top for a while... Yeah, I like ZZ top since the 80's..
I have working some Stevie Ray Vaughan stuff myself, using Fender 3150 original nickel wound .011 - .049 on my customized strat with texas special pick-ups, tuned in Eb... Blowing it through Fender Stage 185 amp.. Love that rumble.. Gritty, bluesy, road house sound...

If you really want to bring out that sound on your Strat, try a straight up set of 9's on E, A and D. Then put a 17 or 16 on G. A 15 on B and a 12 on little E. It will really make that guitar sing.

Add a chorus peddle and a tube screamer and you've got it down.

[Paul Pless]

ZZ Top Anyone else a fan?

sheesh! What's not to like? Hard driving blues rock, hot wimmens, motorcycles and hotrods. :D :D Hell yeah I like ZZ Top.:D :D

btw, Mike, you gonna work on a Billy Gibbons beard to go along with that guitar playing?:D

[Tom M.]

Tom, What kind of guitar do you play?

Acoustic Epiphone, home built (not by me) Tele. Sold off my amps a few years ago. I don't play much now, but see myself playing more when I get older; you know, when I'm your age Mike:D. Would like to have a 12 string acoustic.

[Hal Forsen]

Been a fan since the early 70's.
Saw 'em twice; the first time at the late San Bernadino Swing Auditorium; The opening band was complete unknowns, KISS :eek:.
At that time Billy and the boys stilll had sh$t on their boots.
Saw them again several years later when it was spangles, cattle and rhinestone hatbands.
When Johnny Carson asked Jimmy Hendrix "who's the best guitar player?" Jimmy replied "There's a young fella down in Texas by the name of Billy Gibbons." (Billy toured with Jimmy)

[pipefitter]

Love ZZtop.Supposedly, Hendrix once commented on Gibbons style way back when and probably before Gibbons had reached any fame as being one of the best he had heard. I heard that on a late night radio show. A really good song by ZZ top is "blue jean blues". I also like the back and forth guitar parts of the song "I'm Bad,I'm Nationwide".I like just about all their stuff.Fandango was the first album I ever bought.Heard it on the x is also a great tune as is "Beer drinkers and hell raisers". Heck,most all their songs are great. I recently saw them perform on tv on the crossroads guitar festival on PBS hosted by Eric Clapton. Did anyone get to see that?

[pipefitter]

Been a fan since the early 70's.
Saw 'em twice; the first time at the late San Bernadino Swing Auditorium; The opening band was complete unknowns, KISS :eek:.
At that time Billy and the boys stilll had sh$t on their boots.
Saw them again several years later when it was spangles, cattle and rhinestone hatbands.
When Johnny Carson asked Jimmy Hendrix "who's the best guitar player?" Jimmy replied "There's a young fella down in Texas by the name of Billy Gibbons." (Billy toured with Jimmy)

Thanks for clarifying that Hal. I knew I had heard that somewhere before.

[garland reese]

Oh yeah, ZZ Top has put out some great stuff. La Grange, .......... I like the song and the town!

[Memphis Mike]

I learned the rhythm to Lagrange today and can play through the entire song including the turnaround.:D :cool:

[Memphis Mike]

Mike,

You got me confused about the strings.. I use .011 on high E as the set go to .049 on low E.. My strat have Floyd Rose bridge, it nice to have.. It keep guitar in tune while doing a lot tremolo work, but it take a couple allen wrench to tune the guitar..
I uses Ibanez TS9 tube streamer, and the Dunlop Cry Baby pedals alot... Playing "VooDoo Chile" through the amp reverb surely help the sound more..
My wife say I make too much noise as it is, and my black hip-rockin' neighborhood doesnt like white man music well, as I would say to drown out that rap craps.... I tried to post a picture my strat on here but, it too large of the file... It's not much of a beauty, but it america made, american standard strat valued at $900.00.. Yes, I am proud of it... I got it cheap from a kid who give up on lesson, for $200.00.. And installed fender goodies like texas special pick-ups, rebuild the floyd rose bridge, slap on black pearl pickguard, adjust the action, it's very sweet guitar.. The finish is black body, have an maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.. There are some dings on the body from former owner... I assume its add charactor to the guitar....

Mike, you're cool dude

I've played one with a Floyd Rose Tremolo. They're pretty cool but as you said they present a tuning problem, ie, it just takes a little while longer to tune.

The string set up is one of the tricks of the trade that my teacher told me about a couple of years ago. You should really try it. As I said it will make your Strat sing like hell.

Mine is known as a "Lone Star Strat." Its a USA 96 model. It has two Texas Special pickups and a Seymour Duncan humbucker. It's a "fat strat."

I've got two Fender amps that I play through in stereo sometimes. This is the way SRV got his tone. The rig is set up using a stereo chorus peddle and of course the tube screamer. I use the amp Reverb also most of the time but sometimes add a delay peddle.

I use to have a diagram of this setup. I'll see if I can find it.

[Canibul]

Ah, LaGrange...knew the town fairly well when I lived in Austin. Great song, too.
some other ZZ Top favorites, Neighbor Neighbor...Certified Blues...TV Dinner...did they ever record a bad one?

[Leon m]

Saw ZZ Top In San Antonio in the 80's Been a big fan ever since...