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Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:18 pm
by Serial
crstory wrote:Someone posted a lot of old footage of R.E.M. on youtube back in the early to mid eighties and it shows Peter Buck using lots of different Rics. He sure knows how to get the maximum sound out of them. I think John Keane might still have a guitar store in one of those old buildings in downtown Athens. I went up there to drool over the many Rics he had in his store when I was a broke student at UGA back in 92. My first live concert was in Atlanta in on the Green Tour. Indigo Girls opened that night. Saw them again in Macon at the coliseum and Pylon opened for them. Pylon is one of my favorite bands. They have a tight sound that once you hear their riffs you cannot stop listening to it.
Wow-I forgot (almost) about Pylon. I need to dig into my old tapes tonight!
10,000 Maniacs opened the show at Duke for the Document tour, but I don't recall who opened at the Dean Dome on the Green tour. Pete was playing a sunburst LP for most of that show though. He did cycle through the Rics in both shows where I think he just played a black one when I first saw them in 84/85.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 8:14 am
by Chrome Aardvark
cestlamort wrote:The Ibanez UE400 is great (I had a couple) and also used by the guys from the Church, too.
Marty and Pete from The Church used the UE 405 (Comp/Limiter, Parametric EQ, Chorus and Analog Delay), you can hear it all over The Blurred Crusade album. Marty still uses it his rack today.

There are two versions of the UE 400, one version has Overdrive (similar to a TS-9) and the other has Distortion (not so great), along with Compresser, Phaser, and push/pull Chorus/Flanger. Basically they contain a set of Ibanez 8/9 series pedals in a box with a footswitch and effects loop and can be sequenced any way you want.

I use both the UE 400 (Overdrive version) and UE 405 along with an Ibanez AD-230 600 ms Analog Delay in my rack. If you like that old analog sound, they sound great and are not too expensive if you want to hunt them down.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 2:07 pm
by electrofaro
This screenshot from the "Oh My Heart [Live in Hansa Ton Studio, Berlin, DE]" video is quite interesting.

How many Rick cases???

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:46 pm
by Low End Lover
This site has given me SO much cool inside R.E.M. information! It makes me SO HAPPY! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:49 am
by Bucksstudent
It's important that you guys also know about the rosewood fretboard without the traditional Ric lacquer. That's just his 360, though.

Here's one of my old posts on the official Ric forum:
"I had a thread on an R.E.M. fan forum on "How to Sound Like Peter Buck", which had lots of information on his style, tone, and ability. I used to be obsessed with REM, and have since done years of research into my hero's sound.

My main problem with other fans is that they are often mistaken about Peter's sound. Many ask questions, and receive the wrong answers.

For starters, Peter used a Tele on the first single (Radio Free Europe/Sitting Still), and then had it stolen, so he bought a USED 360. Of course, years later, the same guitar would be stolen and returned (Which makes no sense to me, because Peter usually only plays copies of his original on the road).

Peter's next big acquisitions would be a Gretsch (May have been used on Reckoning, being in the video for So. Central Rain, but mostly just used live), Tele Custom ('72, I think), and his fab Gib LP. He has tons of other guitars, but these are the ones that pop up the most (Along with an SG Jr used on Monster).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCudRXpZ_w << A video of me explaining Peter's use of his LP.

He bought the Gib (I know there are rules here about other Manufactures) around the time Document was being recorded, and first used it for the solo on The One I Love. This guitar was used extensively on Green, and the proceeding tour. The next time it was brought out was on Monster, and has been seen with Peter on a regular basis ever since.

As far as amplification, Peter used Fender amps extensively in the eighties, and used Vox more in the past twenty years. Mesa, Marshall, and other brands have been on stage with him as well. His sound is not really so much the amp, but the Ric and way he plays."

Here are some pics from my HUGE Peter collection. This was all from before I owned a Ric, and I can't say that my collection will expand much since I've sold my Ric and don't care about the company anymore.

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Notice the fretboard - Rosewood, no lacquer

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By the way, Peter never used Toasters on his original 360 - So many people make that mistake.

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The latest addition to his collection - 12/620

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By the way, I saw Mitch onstage with the guys back on the Accelerate tour - Johnny Marr was onstage later on. I was disapointed that Peter only used his 360 - Should have picked up that Les Paul some. I saw his SG Jr. on the side of the stage, though.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:19 pm
by Low End Lover
That's actually a 660/12 MID pictured, but Peter does play a 620/12 in JG as well. Good to see someone with a lot of exposure playing 660 & 620/12's. I can vouch for the 620/12 and how wonderful it is. I hope more people catch on.

LEL

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:15 pm
by electrofaro
Bucksstudent wrote:He bought the Gib (I know there are rules here about other Manufactures) around the time Document was being recorded, and first used it for the solo on The One I Love.
You can't say Gibson here? Oh, did I just say Gibson? Really? Sounded like I said Gibson :twisted:

Anyway, welcome to the forum, Patrick. Interesting post.
What source do you have for Peter getting the LP or using it on 'The One I Love'?

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:50 pm
by Bucksstudent
Wildberry wrote:
Bucksstudent wrote:He bought the Gib (I know there are rules here about other Manufactures) around the time Document was being recorded, and first used it for the solo on The One I Love.
You can't say Gibson here? Oh, did I just say Gibson? Really? Sounded like I said Gibson :twisted:

Anyway, welcome to the forum, Patrick. Interesting post.
What source do you have for Peter getting the LP or using it on 'The One I Love'?
11.14.96
Guitar World

GW: “The One I Love” proved you could marry the folk tradition to a rock structure as intensely as any band around.

BUCK: It is set up a lot like an old Appalachian folk song. But yeah, I’d gotten a Les Paul and a Marshall amp and I cranked it up to 11. But a folk song would have gone from Em to D and then to an Am and C, for instance. Instead, I added those G, D and C suspendeds that took it somewhere else. I also decided to slide up on the B string in the main figure rather than bend.


That's how I know. He used the Gibson for the majority of Green, as well.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:48 pm
by electrofaro
Thanks, Patrick.

With Buck one never knows for sure - he sometimes remembers things a bit different than others do.
Didn't he get the LP and then started using it on some of the Green stuff?

David (Sweden) might be able to confirm, he's got a lot more PLB gear knowledge than me.

Peter uses a LP on 'Every Day Is Yours to Win' on 'Collapse into Now', the new album.
He claims to have grabbed it off the wall anf played it, suggesting it's not his.

On the videos about the new album it looks like his own, Cherry Sunburst (?), but then half the warehouse at work looks like his LP as well :lol:
He played it in Nashville where they were mainly mixing the songs. Dewitt might know the answer about this.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:01 pm
by Bucksstudent
Wildberry wrote:Thanks, Patrick.

With Buck one never knows for sure - he sometimes remembers things a bit different than others do.
Didn't he get the LP and then started using it on some of the Green stuff?

David (Sweden) might be able to confirm, he's got a lot more PLB gear knowledge than me.

Peter uses a LP on 'Every Day Is Yours to Win' on 'Collapse into Now', the new album.
He claims to have grabbed it off the wall anf played it, suggesting it's not his.

On the videos about the new album it looks like his own, Cherry Sunburst (?), but then half the warehouse at work looks like his LP as well :lol:
He played it in Nashville where they were mainly mixing the songs. Dewitt might know the answer about this.
Peter's main LP is a Cherry Sunburst.

How much Ric do you think he could use on a heavily distorted album like Green? If you watch Tourfilm, that's the guitar he used on the Green tour for many, many songs. Bare in mind, if you watched my video on Peter Buck's LP, you'll notice I make it clear that Les Pauls are GREAT clean guitars.

I was talking to a fellow fan on OurREM.com (My own REM message board) about it, and he suggested that even Document had a heavy dose of Les Paul - Possibly for Finest Worksong, Lighting Hopkins... Some of the other songs, perhaps, but I'm confident that MOST of Document is Ric 360.

However, on Green there's a new, bigger sound - Pop Song 89, Get Up, Stand, Turn You Inside Out, and I Remember California are all heavily distorted, and he used the Lp on Tour film for those songs. It sounds as though he used the Ric on WLP, Orange Crush (?), and the Untitled song.

He stated that he was tired of being the guitar god after Green, and of course used the Ric and Gretsch for the majority of Out of Time. However, Automatic For the People had sparse electric guitar - I'd guess he used the LP for Drive and Ignoreland. Live, Scott will play the solo to Drive on his Duo Jet Gretsch, and of course with a metal pick like Peter used in the studio.

For Monster, I'd say he only used the Ric for Tongue, Strange Currencies, I Don't Sleep, and maybe You. I know he used his SG Junior alongside the LP.

New Adventures, I believe he consciously used the Ric more for a less heavy sound, but still pretty rockin. You can hear that signature sound especially on Bittersweet Me.

Up, he actually had a PRS hollowbody for some of the sessions - Suspicion for example. From Reveal to the Collapse into Now, I'd say he used Gibsons sparingly.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:30 pm
by electrofaro
Bucksstudent wrote:if you watched my video on Peter Buck's LP, you'll notice I make it clear that Les Pauls are GREAT clean guitars.
No need to tell me, I sell dozens of them a day :lol:

Anyway, I agree with most of your view of PLB and LP on "Green", and LP maybe being used on "Document",
I'm not very convinced about TOIL though.

What some people always seem to forget is that for "Green" the band wanted to break into new sonic grounds.
Also, the new rockier stuff fit their bigger venues as well.
The LP is a fine guitar for alternative music, just look at the Pixies for example.

I better shut up before they claim I'm selling product :oops:
I don't own a LP though :twisted:

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 3:29 pm
by Bucksstudent
Wildberry wrote:
Bucksstudent wrote:if you watched my video on Peter Buck's LP, you'll notice I make it clear that Les Pauls are GREAT clean guitars.
No need to tell me, I sell dozens of them a day :lol:

Anyway, I agree with most of your view of PLB and LP on "Green", and LP maybe being used on "Document",
I'm not very convinced about TOIL though.

What some people always seem to forget is that for "Green" the band wanted to break into new sonic grounds.
Also, the new rockier stuff fit their bigger venues as well.
The LP is a fine guitar for alternative music, just look at the Pixies for example.

I better shut up before they claim I'm selling product :oops:
I don't own a LP though :twisted:
Considering in that video I got the same sound Peter did with a LP, I think you're being stubborn about TOIL, especially when the man himself said so. That interview was in '94; not 2011 when he can't even remember what parts he played on the recent albums.

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 4:11 pm
by electrofaro
Me stubborn? :roll: Outtahere :arrow:

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:09 pm
by Bucksstudent
Wildberry wrote:Me stubborn? :roll: Outtahere :arrow:
I'm a little stubborn myself. :wink: But when you have evidence, including the man himself's word...

If Peter said, "I bought a 360/12 for the Fables album," I'd believe him; however, within my own mind, it's not possible. Not only does it not sound as though he's playing a twelve string, I doubt he could afford one at the time. After Reckoning, he was able to buy a couple of guitars (Gretsch and Tele), but I don't think he could have just bought another one for Fables - He bought a house around that time, and they weren't exactly the charting band they became after Document.

But I'll listen to the Fables demos again, and I may concur. I may not. 8)

Re: What about Peter Buck?

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:46 pm
by indianation65
As someone who claimed to be REM's biggest fan, many in a Rickenbacker forum could probably say the same, I followed everything they did while I was in college. They, along with many other favorites of the same ilk, helped soothe the 20s rough spots. "Green" may have been where the obvious guitar change happened, but what really signified the REM change was leaving IRS and going to Warner Bros. I believe, not knowing any person from the REM camp, that the REM members, the songs, the sound, the way of thinking had to change and get bigger, or at least different. Like U2 from "Joshua Tree" to "Achtung Baby," "Green" was a different REM sound. The next was the soulful-ish lament of the Patti Smith sound to acoustic with "Automatic" and "Adventures," then the Radiohead atmosphere sounds of "UP," signaled the next change. The loss of a real member, and getting older probably changed the entire REM atmosphere of the late 90s. Now, we have a mix, or crossover from "Document" to "Green," a current, back to RnR REM, analogous to The Cult mixing "Love" and "Electric" and getting "Sonic Temple." All this prior rambling dates me as a Buck nut who was disappointed at first when Rickenbacker/IRS/Document went to Les Paul/Warner Bros./Green, but I learned they were still my favorite band of all time, and that was hard to do for a kid who worshiped the makeup/KISS like no other. Good music, good songs, good guitars and lots of passion for a man (Buck) who loves what he does now, as an elder statesman, as he did as a young man. I'd surmise the band might say, "We just do what we do."

Addendum: I hope P Buck still loves what he does, and just doesn't consider REM as his day job, but after so many years, anything is possible, and only he knows.

...wisdom