My favorite humbucker tone? Peter Green - the Supernatural

[Lewguitar]

OK, maybe there's some tones that equal it. But I'm not sure there's any better example of great tone.

Here's the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeOKj5XdVAE&feature=fvw

How did Peter do it? Do you think he's using the neck or bridge pickup? What amp did he record with when he was playing with John Mayall? My best guess would be a 50 watt Marshall, maybe with a 4 x 12 Marshall cab.

Obviously most of it comes from within - from being Peter Green - from his soul and touch. Gary Moore recorded with Peter Green's Les Paul and got some great sounds out of it, but, IMO, nothing that equaled the sound Peter got out of it.

I've googled "Peter Green tone Supernatural" but mostly found a lot of wrong information, guesses and people regurgitating stuff they'd read on the internet - some wrong, some right and some out and out BS.

I do think it's true that he took apart the neck pickup and reversed the magnet by mistake and then reversed the neck humbucker on his Les Paul so the pole pieces were closer to the bridge.

Here's a video of a guy trying to play like Peter Green. He does a pretty good job but he doesn't get the sustain and he muffs a few notes. Still, it's not bad. He does it on the bridge pickup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9c7r2T-Kyg

Here's another guy trying to get that sound too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKAuZm-zttg

By the way, here's a nice live and recent clip of Peter doing another of my favorites: Albatross. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH9YB...eature=related

[Lewguitar]

Here's some videos of the real Peter Green Les Paul when it was on display at the Dallas Guitar Show a few years ago. I had a chance to get right up to it and check it out, although this isn't my video. Man, was that guitar beat! It had been played and played and played...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMpxA...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTDtQ...eature=related

[the guy who invented fire]

I have read more than once that Peter used a JTM-45 head and a 4x12 cab when he was in the Blues Breakers.

That said I have never seen any actual pictures or anything.

What I do know is that Peter gets a pretty amazing tone on the while album but The Supernatural is standout for sure!

I know you're not a fan of his later, out of phase tones but I even dig some of those tones as well. Past that Peter's playing is out of this world.

The BBC did a 2 hour special called The Peter Green Story: Man of the World on Peter a while back thats mega cool...i've not ever been able to find it for sale anywhere but it is all on Youtube if you can stand to watch it in 10 minute chunks.

Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...n+of+the+world

[the guy who invented fire]

I can get in the ballpark of the tone with my Les Paul with Duncan Antiquities on the bridge pickup and my brown Deluxe and the sustain is even pretty close...at lower levels I use a ZVEX Box of Rock and thats even pretty close...however the studio reverb is missing and that is IMO a BIG part of that sound, however Peter had an amazing touch that I can't even get close to!

[the guy who invented fire]

Here is another Youtube clip...it's set to some still photo's...some of them show Peter playing through a Marshall halfstack with a small box head...thats either a JTM-45 or an early 50 watt.

[Luke Duke]

GREAT tune AND tone!!

I'd like to try to try to coax that out of a bluesbreaker.

[P.A.Foholic]

I can get in the ballpark of the tone with my Les Paul with Duncan Antiquities on the bridge pickup and my brown Deluxe and the sustain is even pretty close...at lower levels I use a ZVEX Box of Rock and thats even pretty close...however the studio reverb is missing and that is IMO a BIG part of that sound, however Peter had an amazing touch that I can't even get close to!

Yeah, that tune sounds like a bridge pickup to me. Great song. Made me put my Green collection to my stereos.

[Lewguitar]

I can get in the ballpark of the tone with my Les Paul with Duncan Antiquities on the bridge pickup and my brown Deluxe and the sustain is even pretty close...at lower levels I use a ZVEX Box of Rock and thats even pretty close...however the studio reverb is missing and that is IMO a BIG part of that sound, however Peter had an amazing touch that I can't even get close to!

Yeah - that brown Deluxe always reminded me of a Marshall. Glad you're loving it. And you're right about the studio reverb - it's beautiful. You know, BB King said that of all the 1960's era British blues guitarists, the only one who gave him chills was Peter Green.

But speaking of great humbucker tone, I've always loved Clapton's tone on the Fresh Cream album, particularly on Sleepy Time Time. Mike Bloomfield's tone on the Super Session album and the Electric Flag album are also killer, although neither is a great album.

Peter's playing has more feeling though - spooky. Less mannered and less self conscious than Clapton's playing.

[mudpuppy]

Mayall has put together some incredible bands in the last 40 yr. or so. My favorite guitarist from all his lineups would be Freddy Robinson from the Jazz Blues Fusion LP. The 'infinite sustain' of the 60s seemed really new and radical at the time, but it has its limitations as well. It's great in certain contexts, but you give up some dynamics and expressiveness with all that compression. tanstaafl.

I don't mean to take anything away from the likes of Green or Clapton. I just think it's a shame that a guitarist in the same league is relatively unknown.

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Pretty amazing tone, and certainly up there among my favorites. However, I have yet to hear a tone I like more than Clapton's on "All My Love" from the Beano album. It's all a matter of personal taste, and I happen to like the slightly chewier and more gainy tone of Clapton on that track, but Peter Green on "The Supernatural" is in the same family of tone, and just gorgeous. Mayall sure did surround himself with great guitar tone!

Thanks for putting this stuff out there, Lew.

- Keith

[Lewguitar]

Pretty amazing tone, and certainly up there among my favorites. However, I have yet to hear a tone I like more than Clapton's on "All My Love" from the Beano album. It's all a matter of personal taste, and I happen to like the slightly chewier and more gainy tone of Clapton on that track, but Peter Green on "The Supernatural" is in the same family of tone, and just gorgeous. Mayall sure did surround himself with great guitar tone!

Thanks for putting this stuff out there, Lew.

- Keith

Thanks! And "All Your Love" is one of my favorite cuts too. Thanks for mentioning it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUUEtCBhn_Q

[Butch Snyder]

Gary Moore owned the PG Les Paul because PG gave it to him. I remember a few years ago, PG went to gary Moore and askd for it back. GM said no. GM does a versino of Supernatural on the "Blues For Greeny" CD. The tone is there too. One thing I noticed is a whole lot of reverb.

I remember reading that GM sold it to pay for hospital bills or something.

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

I remember reading that GM sold it to pay for hospital bills or something.

Probably because PG punched GM in the nose for not getting his LP back!

[blueman335]

Peter's playing has more feeling though - spooky. Less mannered and less self conscious than Clapton's playing.

+1. No one has Peter's feel & emotion, but Danny Kirwan came close. What a pairing of guitarists that was.

[Lewguitar]

+1. No one has Peter's feel & emotion...

In interviews, Peter Green always says that his biggest influence is Eric Clapton!
Peter says he bought a Les Paul because Clapton used one and bought a Marshall because Clapton used one. He also says that as hard as he might have tried to sound like Eric Clapton, that he feels he was not as good as Clapton. They're both genuine greats, IMO.

[blueman335]

In interviews, Peter Green always says that his biggest influence is Eric Clapton!
Peter says he bought a Les Paul because Clapton used one and bought a Marshall because Clapton used one. He also says that as hard as he might have tried to sound like Eric Clapton, that he feels he was not as good as Clapton. They're both genuine greats, IMO.

+1. Clapton was the pioneer in the British LP thru a Marshall sound which changed modern music. Green, Page, Beck, Simmonds, and Taylor were hot on his heels.

[the guy who invented fire]

Yeah - that brown Deluxe always reminded me of a Marshall. Glad you're loving it. And you're right about the studio reverb - it's beautiful. You know, BB King said that of all the 1960's era British blues guitarists, the only one who gave him chills was Peter Green.
But speaking of great humbucker tone, I've always loved Clapton's tone on the Fresh Cream album, particularly on Sleepy Time Time. Mike Bloomfield's tone on the Super Session album and the Electric Flag album are also killer, although neither is a great album.
Peter's playing has more feeling though - spooky. Less mannered and less self conscious than Clapton's playing.

It does doesn't it! First time I plugged into that Deluxe I thought..."It's like half of a Bluesbreaker!".

Clapton did get some fantastic tones on the early Cream stuff too...good call on Sleepy Time Time. i recently got my hands on a boot of Cream at Klooks Kleek late in 1966 and they were ON FIRE that night and Eric's tone was down right jaw dropping!

All that said Peter does have something that the rest of the Brittish Blues player didn't have...Clapton and Beck included!

On the subject of the Green/Moore LP I think if you guys read up you'll read that Gary bought the guitar from Peter and did in fact try years later to give it back to him...Peter wanted no part of that, also worth mentioning Micj Fleetwood bought Peter a 50's Les Paul as a gift and Peter wouldn't take it...he said those guitar reminded him too much of a really bad time in his life and he wants no part of them.

He's finally got back into playing Gibsons now and again these days but mostly hollowbodies...

[blueman335]

On the subject of the Green/Moore LP I think if you guys read up you'll read that Gary bought the guitar from Peter.

That's what I read, that Gary bought it from Peter in the 1970's for something like $200.

[Iron Horse]

Yeah, Green is one of the greatest blues guitarists ever.
And as blueman said, that guitar was practically given to Gary.
I should get me some early Fleetwood Mac or Bluesbreakers with Green.

[the guy who invented fire]

That's what I read, that Gary bought it from Peter in the 1970's for something like $200.

I forget the amount but I do remember reading that it was exactally what Peter paid for it when he bought it...it was worth WAY more even at that time!