www.premierguitar.com PG's Shawn Hammond meets up with Sonny Landreth who gives him a rundown on his gear. For more Rig Rundowns or to watch one of Premier Guitar's 1700 other videos online, be sure to visit www.premierguitar.com/video
Complete and utter legend. It's refreshing to see a player who values comfort and function over fashion, and isn't afraid to wear his guitar like a necklace....;) Super talented player.
One of the most incredible musicians you will ever see live. The man is from another planet and has no peers on slide guitar, present or past. He's left me breathless and tears in my eyes. His originality and improvisational ability never seems to dry up. Please see this man live before either of you die.
Yeah, when it comes to slide guitar, you hear Derek Trucks’s name a lot, and for good reason, because he’s also an otherworldly player. But, I think Sonny is underrated. He’s one of those great players where you can instantly recognize that it’s him playing, because of his vibrato, his phrasing and note selection, his ability to fret behind the slide so fluidly. He’s just an absolutely brilliant musician.
Literally asked that in the first three minutes….. Ah sorry, after 20 more dumble questions I caught the sarcasm in your comment from 11 years ago! 😂😂😂
I swear, I learned more about setting up a guitar for slide tone from the offhand comment Sonny made about his strings and pickups that I have found hunting all over the internet. His tone just knocks me out.
His tone is just the right blend of filthy and bright. The first time I picked up a guitar at my friend's house in 1962 and slid his mom's lipstick over the strings I've been searching for the right mix of tone and playability. Still working on that last part many years later but like you Shannon, I've gotten so much closer to the tone as a result of Sonny's videos. He's so generous sharing this with us. Most guys guard their rig like they are government secrets.
@@rocketrose2165 A lot of the guys also use expensive equipment that is beyond the pale for most (or many of us). The best thing is to get good string action on your guitar, stick with one tuning for a while (the guitar will respond better while you're adjusting it for playability), and maybe a good overdrive box that give you a crunchy enough drive tone you like. A good overdrive can make even a marginal amp sound better, and most of the pro slide players either use a dirt box of some kind, or drive the gain on their amp. Even Boss OD's and Blues Drivers can sound good on slide (I use both) and they're decently priced. I incremented the action higher and higher on my guitars by thousandths of an inch until I got them sounding (and playing) good with a slide (i.e. good projection, no 'dead spots' on the strings where the notes sometimes want to die). Didn't pop strings that way.
After Katrina I spent a couple of years in NOLA, and had the great opportunity to hear this wonderful man play his music maybe 7-8 times. Couldn't get enough. One evening at the famous and original upstairs Rock N Bowl, SL put out a set that practically drove the crowd to screaming madness. A singular massive wall of wonder occurred that pulled everyone to their feet. Every time the crowd felt the crescendo had been reached, SL would bring us back around and give a bit more. What a talent, what a player, such a musician.
I'll tell you what, Demeter amps are nothing to sneeze at. Really a great sounding amp; the foundation of one of my favorite live rock tones - Dean Deleo.
I’ve seen him three times and he is the only musician that can put me in a trance like state. I saw him with Cindy Cashdollar and once they got into it I did not want it to end. It was incredible.
Some American dude by the name of something that sounded like 'Hendrix' (?) Of course , being as thick as so many barrels of pigswill , I hadn't even recalled hearing that particular name ever before. Then after some pretty shrewd ' Private Investigations' of my own I managed to view several images on Google of this Hendrix cat and I have to admit that my respect for Mr Knopfler only increased when I appreciated how good Knopfler was at describing guitarists, both living and also dead. Perhaps it's a much cherished hobby of his ?
lol....certainly doesn't surprise me that Mr Knopfler would possess extraordinary powers of observation. That quantity of talent likely manifests in countless ways. I bet he can quilt and whip up a mean Yorkshire Pudding.
Eric Clapton said that Sonny is the most underrated musician on the planet. I know why - first hand - as having been the front of house sound engineer for Sonny for several years. The simple facts that he knows how to 'listen', he knows 'what the song needs', he has incredibly good 'ears', and he allows the music to 'breathe'. Sonny knows where music actually 'comes from'. I used to love listening to how Sonny would interact with fellow musicians. Never 'stepping on toes' - because that never helps the music. Sonny always respected the music...and his fellow musicians.
Sonny's best work is always the next time he steps up to do a live show. I've been watching him since the late 80's and he keeps getting better. Looking forward to his Jazzfest gigs around town.
At about 6:30 something really important happens, and it's one of the many reasons Sonny doesn't sound like a lot of other slide masters. That's right, you can see his thumbpick, which is a hybrid flat/thumbpick. It's no different than a standard thumbpick, except it's wider, and works like a flatpick, when you pinch it between your thumb and forefinger. That means you can backstroke it, without it flying off of your thumb. Now, should you ever feel the need to wear a thumbpick but still pull off backstrokes WITHOUT support from your picking-hand index finger, there's this thing called a Saddle Pick, which doesn't have an open end and will NOT come off of your thumb, meaning you are free to do upstrokes as well as downstrokes with the remaining fingers, as well as your thumb. You can freely mix traditional banjo rolls, Travis-picking and clawhammer banjo patterns, in other words. Earl Scruggs invented a whole new banjo style with less ammunition than this, and mark my words, somebody has yet to take full advantage of this.
"You don't have your Dumble for this gig?" "I have my Demeter with me, which is a great amp." "I have this friend... who completely can't believe that you're not using your Dumble." "Well, this Demeter is a really decent amp, I use it on my records as well as live." "WHAT!? I mean... my friend... he... doesn't understand why you would use your Demeter instead of the amazing incredible Dumble on records." "Well, I use them both, but they have different sounds and I like different sounds." "Dumbles are magical." "..." "Can I have your Dumble... for my friend...?" "No."
I opened shows for Sonny twice. We provided his backline for one of the shows, and someone else provided it on the second. They just showed up with their guitars. They asked for an SVT w/ 8X10 and a Fender Twin. I guess Ludwig drums were just fine with them.
I never saw Sonny live with a Dumble. Outdoor festivals, clubs, always the Demeter. Saw some amazing special shows at Jazz Fest and in Lafayette. A Machless now and then...
I spent some time with Sonny in New Orleans during this years Jazz fest and he is a true master of his guitar as well as a super friendly guy. This was one of the best interviews Shawn has done, even though you could tell he was a bit nervous and in awe at the beginning. Sonny was using a Bludotone amp instead of a Fender,and also used the Demeter head. This was a great rig rundown. Thanx PG!
Wonderful guitar player, as a slide player I feel he is up there with Derek Trucks and Duane Allman. Sonny’s style is unique. I have been fortunate enough to see him live a couple times. He is fantastic live.
No, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. He plays in the Blues tent the first day and will be all over New Orleans during the week. Wouldn't be surprised if he guests with some artist's sets. Living in South Louisiana, we get to see him quite a bit and feel blessed. He is constantly striving to stretch the limits of slide guitar and it's always a treat to see him live. His Rock and Bowl set the last day of Jazzfest is always a highlight.
Landreth, given his virtuosity, is one of the nicest, most decent and patient guys in the music industry...even with silly slobs who don't listen to what he's saying so he has to say almost everything twice.
Would like to here his reason for choosing the Demeter yellow,channel for the live gigs. My total guess is it might be about presence/ less compressed more open sound.
I came here looking for some information on what compressor he uses, as I'm playing more slide lately and don't have one in my signal chain. But I have to agree with some earlier comments about him playing the same sounding phrasing in his songs and improvisations. But that's what identifies one from another; you can say the same thing about dozens of perceived and honestly brilliant guitarists. That's what makes them "them". But one thing really stood clear for me was his attention to calling up different pedal voicings and playing articulations to introduce and identify new passages and movements within a piece. He's not just playing the guitar, he's engineering and producing the piece and himself as well. Every position in the band needs to be doing the very same thing. I've been playing in bands for decades and I can't count enough times, the number of instances where no one in the group had that mentality or training/experience; whatever. And the resistance to embrace it was amazing. It makes the difference between a good band and a great band i.m.h.o.
i think this is the first time i have seen Shawn a bit, I don't know, maybe star-struck... I know I would be in the presence of Sonny. Hell, I feel that way every time I see him live.
I see, thats a vastly illuminating comment concerning Sonny Landreth's lengthy career, were you refering to Eric Clapton's 2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival that started yesterday and runs through Saturday April 13, 2013 at Madison Square Garden in NYC features Jeff Beck, Sonny Landerth, John Mayer, Buddy Guy along with some of the best guitarist worldwide.
and ive been expieramenting with sonnys playing style lately and its actually essential your guitar be up high because your hand has to be almost completely straight to slight and fret clearly
OK, as I recall Sonny was born in Mississippi but grew up arund the Lafayette, Louisana. Unlike some of the other more renowned slide players like Trucks, Landreth's choice Fender Stratocaster guitars are fitted with DiMarzio and Lindy Fralin pickups, a special Suhr back plate system, and D'Addario medium nickel wound strings. His style different that most other slide players. Landreth plays with the slide on his little finger, so that his other fingers have more room to fret behind the slide.
