cleaner sound.
I guess those are the three voices that I use the most. I have a couple of other instruments. I have an SG that Robben loaned / gave to me. I use that sometimes. To me, it’ s just a feel thing. I find it difficult to explain, but I hope that gives you a bit of a window into how I think about it.
of the sound. Usually there is a ribbon mic involved and a room mic. We just create a really big sound using the two different tones. And they just have a different touch and a different response. The Vibro King has a sweet breakup and a shimmery, transparent thing, and the Shaw has a really fat, meaty low to mid kind of chunk. They give different flavors and the combination has been pretty cool.
[ CG ] Tell us about the crazy string gauges you use – you’ re a maniac! What are you using these days?
[ Joe ] On the Strat I use 11-49s but with a 12 on top. On the Gretsch it’ s a12-52 set but with a wound G string, and on the acoustic it’ s a set of 12’ s with a 16 on top. It’ s like a set of 12’ s with 2 B strings, and the top B string is tuned to E like it’ s standard tuning. I used a 14 for a while, but I just really like the 16. It feels great to me. I’ ve been doing that for about 4 years now, and I’ ve never broken a string.
The reason I do it on the Strat is because I’ m used to it on the acoustic. On the acoustic, I like to have the top notes really sing, and an 11 just feels weird to me and kind of craps out sometimes. I like the heavier string. It just suits me. Not everyone likes it or feels comfortable with it, but for me, it works.
[ CG ] In terms of those instruments, everybody has people that they think of that are associated with certain guitars. For example, when somebody picks up a Les Paul Deluxe they may think of Robben Ford. As you pick up your Gretsch or your Strat, what are the things that you’ re thinking about regarding the instrument? What do those different guitars mean to you?
[ Joe ] It’ s interesting. The more time I’ ve spent playing, the less time I spend thinking about things. I don’ t play by ear primarily, I play by feel. It’ s the feel of the instrument that dictates what you play. I can pick up a Strat, and it has a certain feel and a certain voice that is totally different than a Gretsch. A Gretsch has a sweet spot that I go to, because that’ s where it feels like where it wants to go. The acoustic is a whole other beast. To me, the acoustic has a percussive element and richer overtones. I’ ve always been the most comfortable on the acoustic. It feels like it has the most balanced sound. That’ s always what I’ m trying to get from my electric guitars, is a sound that’ s as balanced as an acoustic. I like my electric guitars to have a lot of dynamics, and a lot of room to dig in and get a little bit of gain and then back off and get a little bit of a
[ CG ] I remember seeing you play the solo acoustic version of“ Adelaide”, and being completely floored by the interplay between the vocals and the guitar. The story is kind of a heartbreaking thing, and that song has all the little pieces that you could want from a song. What tips do you have for songwriters of all ages in terms of how to craft songs that tell stories, are musically challenging, and utilize smart arrangements?
[ Joe ] One of the best things I ever did was to get the songbook for James Taylor’ s Greatest Hits. I drove around in my car for about a year just listening to that album – it’ s a great album! I learned to play every song, and I learned how to sing them and play them. They’ re very difficult!
People often say that when I play and sing, I have a lot of independence. I enjoy creating pieces that have a really strong guitar element as well as a vocal element. Learning those James Taylor songs gave me the chops to do that. It made me fall in love with melody and with his way of creating guitar parts. That was like a window in to how to think about it.
Songwriting is something that I learn more about every day. I just got off the road with Rodney Crowell. I did a few shows playing in a trio with him. He has such incredible songs and incredible lyrics! It’ s just baffling to me, and so continued on page 36
34 Jul � Aug 2017 CollectibleGuitar. com