Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Check out the late, GREAT Freddie King in this clip from '75, and consider what it would sound like without the mighty B3/Leslie combination:

Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery cut some killer sides as well....

kenposurf wrote:Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery cut some killer sides as well....

Hey, can't forget Brother Jack McDuff with a very young George Benson; their version of "Rock Candy" is a killer. Man how I love Freddie!

Ahh, Freddie's one of my favorites!

Freddie King, The Texas Cannonball. Ah, yes!

Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing that clip. It's always good to see great artists like this give it their all during a live performance.

And my personal Freddie fave!

jingle_jangle wrote:Check out the late, GREAT Freddie King in this clip from '75, and consider what it would sound like without the mighty B3/Leslie combination:...

I've always been completely enthralled with the sound of a B3 through a Leslie.

BTW, I'm thinking that the size of the collar on Freddie's shirt is somehow indicative of his chops.....and I'm not talking about sideburns.

On his "Burglar" album, he's wearing a belt with a buckle the size of a dessert plate, handmade, with about a dozen miniature skyclad females on it, in all sorts of contorted poses.

It would do major damage--a Guitar-minator fo sho.

Freddie King is quite simply the man... If I can find an example, he's got this tone he uses that sounds like the bridge pickup, but with the qualities of a rolled back strat neck pickup mixed in there... Fantastic sound I hope to one day be able to recreate!

tennis_nick wrote:Freddie King is quite simply the man... If I can find an example, he's got this tone he uses that sounds like the bridge pickup, but with the qualities of a rolled back strat neck pickup mixed in there... Fantastic sound I hope to one day be able to recreate!

All you need, Nick, is an ES-345 or ES-355 with the 6 position Varitone switch or a super rare ES-335 with a factory option like B.B. used during the early '60s - B.B. used his for the recording of Live at The Regal in '64 through a tweed narrow panel Bassman Amp and IMHO one of the best tones he ever managed to capture on tape. The tone you seek is one of the selections on the switch.

Freddie is simply the doo-doo!!

peewee wrote:

tennis_nick wrote:Freddie King is quite simply the man... If I can find an example, he's got this tone he uses that sounds like the bridge pickup, but with the qualities of a rolled back strat neck pickup mixed in there... Fantastic sound I hope to one day be able to recreate!

All you need, Nick, is an ES-345 or ES-355 with the 6 position Varitone switch or a super rare ES-335 with a factory option like B.B. used during the early '60s - B.B. used his for the recording of Live at The Regal in '64 through a tweed narrow panel Bassman Amp and IMHO one of the best tones he ever managed to capture on tape. The tone you seek is one of the selections on the switch.

Freddie is simply the doo-doo!!

I believe you may be right, I didn't think he ever used the varitone... now I know! There is nothing I would like more than a Gibson ES-335 man... I have a Gibson SG, and I love it to death, looks pretty cool on me and I haven't found a smoother playing guitar... If I could get an ES-335 with my SG's neck and action... I would be in heaven!!!

I definitely hear the Varitone in use - 335's simply don't bite like that without it.

I got my "335" for 200 bucks and did ALL the mods except the Varitone. I am ordering the switch this week, as I have a SD PhatCat P90 bridge pup and a SD Jazz pup for the neck to try, and want all the variations. I have also Watco'd and waxed the faded cherry into a dark shiny red. This thing kicks through a BH-112!!