| Author |
Topic: Tom Brumley Fender 1000 |
Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
|
Posted 21 Dec 2016 7:34 pm |
|
Ok... according to Prague Frank's discography here: http://countrydiscography.blogspot.com/2012/09/buck-owens-part-1.html it was Brumley on both cuts, first in Jan '64, then June '64. It says the earlier version was "unissued". I have it the "Act Naturally" box set, but I guess that version wasn't ever released as a single back in the day. You learn something useless everyday!
More useless trivia, the Jan '64 version was the same session as "Together Again", so that would have been the one with the fabled broken down 1000, but there is another session listed with Brumley three weeks prior, so the story about Brumley playing Together Again on a broken down 1000 on his first session with Buck looks like it may be a bit of an urban legend. Maybe I heard it wrong. I mean, it was on the internet and all... |
|
|
|
John Goux
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 21 Dec 2016 9:35 pm
|
|
That early version of "Close Up the Honky Tonks" sounds convincingly like Ralph Mooney. Historical track listings can often be wrong. That does not sound like Brumley, unless he is doing a spot on imitation of Mooney. I believe it was Mooney. Different sound, possibly direct into the console.
The Together Again steel sound is great, and I don't know why TB disliked his performance. If that is the trashed Fender 1000 and 4-10 Bassman, by the time of the session he was quite comfortable and playing great. Interviews with Brumley suggest he'd been in California playing with Buck for at least a few weeks before this session occurred. So some of this is probably "country legend" that has been amplified over the decades.
The second "Close Up the Honky Tonks" is a much brighter sound. I agree with Brumley that second 1000 guitar is all treble. I've never heard a steel track with so little warm frequencies, and I suspect the recording engineer was rolling off the low end. Many old school guys rolled off the low mids on down as standard operating procedure. (This still happens in mix down, but modern tracking engineers are much more respectful of players' tone)
I'd like to know what the differences would have been between the Brumley's first and second Fender 1000. Was one a shorter scale? Did the pickups change? Something accounts for a big difference in sound. (As per Tom Brumley). I can hear what he is talking about. Together Again and second Close up the Honky Tonks do not sound like the same recording session or guitar.
Somebody with good knowledge of Fender steels chime in?
John |
|
|
|
Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 2:57 am
|
|
From the link I posted above, here's what Prague Frank's discography says:
| Quote: |
6 January 1964 [no. 11623, 10:00-13:00] Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA - Buck Owens and His Buckaroos (Don Rich [vcl/gt/fiddle], Jelly Sanders [gt/fiddle], Tom Brumley [steel], Doyle Holly [bass/vcl], Mel King [drums]. Producer: Ken Nelson)
105 51075 LOUISIANA MAN ST 2186 BCD-16850
106 51076 ABILENE ST 2186 BCD-16850
107 51077 A MAIDEN'S PRAYER - instr.- ST-2283 BCD-16850
108 51078 BUD'S BOUNCE -instr- ST 2186 BCD-16850
28 January 1964 [no. 11688, 17:00-20:00] Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA - Buck Owens and His Buckaroos (Don Rich [vcl/gt/fiddle], Jelly Sanders [gt/fiddle], Tom Brumley [steel], Doyle Holly [bass/vcl], Mel Taylor [drums]. Producer: Ken Nelson)
109 51330 AIN'T IT AMAZING, GRACIE ST-2135 BCD-16850
110 51331 CLOSE UP THE HONKY TONKS Capitol unissued/Omnivore OVS7-2
111 51332 MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT 5136/ST 2135 BCD-16850
112 51333 TOGETHER AGAIN 5136/ST 2135 BCD-16850
10 June 1964 [no. 11907, 10:00-14:00] Capitol Recording Studio, 1750 North Vine St., Hollywood, CA - Buck Owens and His Buckaroos (Doyle Holly [gt], Don Rich [vcl/gt/fiddle], Tom Brumley [steel], Bob Morris [bass/vcl], Willie Cantu [drums]. Producer: Ken Nelson)
113 51331 [remake] CLOSE UP THE HONKY TONKS ST 2135 BCD-16850
114 52181 TRUCK DRIVIN' MAN ST-2135 BCD-16850
115 52182 I DON'T HEAR YOU ST-2135 BCD-16850
116 52183 HELLO TROUBLE ST 2135 BCD-16850
117 52184 A-11 ST 2135 BCD-16850 |
The earlier "unissued" version on January 28, 1964 is the one from the same session as 'Together Again' so Brumley was definitely on the session. Of course it's possible that Mooney was there too. It seems unlikely but the steel on 'My Heart Skips a Beat' from the same session sounds a lot like Mooney also.
You can hear the producer or engineer say the track number, "51331, take 8" at the beginning of Close Up. The re-make recorded on June 10 has the same track number. This would have been the session with the newer steel that Herb referred to.
The January guitar was likely an older 1000 with the longer scale and the older style pickups. They went through several revisions in the changer design along the way too. Sometime around '64 was when Fender started using the later Jaguar style pickups like they used in the 800 & 2000 so a new guitar would likely have been different in several ways. |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 7:21 am
|
|
I believe that the info posted by Ian is spot on. Great stuff, Ian... thanks!
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
|
|
|
Skip Edwards
From:
LA,CA
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 8:22 am
|
|
Wow...according to this, Mel Taylor - of the Ventures - played drums on Together Again, as well as the unissued version of Close Up the Honkytonks.
Never knew that... |
|
|
|
Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 8:51 am
|
|
Just a couple of observations about the clip:
1. The song is in the key of E but you see Tom keeps coming back to the 1st fret for the root chord. Therefore, he must be tuned to Eb9.
2. I have read that Buck preferred a bright mix on his recordings so it would cut through on car radios of the day, yet the tone of Tom's guitar, as picked up by the TV studio mic, is very full with a nice midrange. They must have filtered it heavily on the recordings. |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 9:46 am
|
|
| John Goux wrote: |
I'd like to know what the differences would have been between the Brumley's first and second Fender 1000. Was one a shorter scale? Did the pickups change? Something accounts for a big difference in sound. |
The early models had a longer 24 1/2" scale, and a different (and smaller) changer. Later models, after early '64, had a shorter 23" scale, and a different (and larger) changer, along with (narrow Jaguar-style) pickups. There was also a transitional period, where the narrow pickups were actually installed in the plastic cases of the larger pickups. I don't know how many of these were made, but it's probably safe to say that most all of the guitars made after early '64 had the narrow pickups. These two modifications would account for a significant change in sound, and he may also have used a different amp. |
|
|
|
Dave Dube
|
Posted 22 Dec 2016 7:54 pm
|
|
Ian, here is what Tom Brumley had to say about it on August 25, 2008:
"Hi guys!
I was playing an early 60 model Fender 1000 that I inherited from Jay McDonald when I started with Buck.
Actually I had a standard 8 string E9th tuning with 3 pedals and no knee levers (no cromatics).
My bar is one I had used for years that I bought at a music store.It was a small tapered hollow bar.
I used both the guitar and bar on my first album with Buck which included 'Together Again' "
full thread: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=140411 |
|
|
|
