The Shadows 60's guitar sound

[neilb]

I'm new into guitars , being a keyboard player all my musical life , I want to develop the guitar sound that is so prevalent in all "The Shadows" instrumental music. I know they used a Fender guitar but thats all I know.
Anyone in the know ? I have a lot of their sheet music but without the right sound, I believe it just doesn't stack up.

I have a BOSS-ME 50 effects board which supposedly has a lot of the usual pedal effects on board but I think I must have missed something.
Neil.

[jow104]

NeilB , I typed shadows guitar sound in to google and came up with a massive response, so there might be something there.

[Cliff Rogers]

Hank Marvin held the wammy bar in his hand while he picked the notes, try it.

[Sebastiaan56]

Hi Neil,

Ask the Old Picker, he is a Telecaster man and will probably know the details,

[Ron Dunn]

Do you have a copy of last week's television guide? There was a show during the week-end which showed a recording session by a whole series of Australian surf-style musicians.

Sorry I'm vague, but I didn't watch all of it, and I don't recall the channel ... probably Saturday, and probably early afternoon.

If you can find it, see if there is an online version somewhere. It showed a lot of guitar style during the parts I saw, and you might get the ideas you need.

[BernieP]

G'Day Neil

Have a dig around in here http://www.mxtabs.net/songs.php?path...17,The+Shadows

Cheers
Bernie

[prozac]

I think the show Ron is talking about was about the recording of "Delightful Rain".

I have not seen the program but I was on the beach/in the surf when it was being recorded at our local beach Freshwater. If there is any footage of a fat bloke on a club board , that's me...yeah right.

Here is the link, http://www.delightfulrain.com.au/story.html

prozac

[Pat]

Saw Delightful rain last sunday arvo (27/01/08) on Aunty, preceding it was a countdown spectacular and followed by an Aussie Blues show. Happy little camper for the arvo

[Ron Dunn]

Prozac and Pat, that is exactly what I was trying to describe

Thank you.

Pat, weren't some of those Countdown Spectacular artists well past their use-by date? Although ... not quite as bad as one night at Basement, in Sydney, when I saw Deborah Harry in concert. She was AWFUL. Just too old, and lost it completely. Very sad, I used to adore her.

[Pat]

Ron, caught about half, just like some of the retirees that played Long way to the Top had to be helped a long the way . . .

MBGitW found an old Countdown LP and threatened to play that as well . . . luckily for me we don't have a turntable

[Buzza]

Hank Marvin used a Fender Stratocaster. He played that through an echo machine, probably a German brand named Echolette. He would have used one of Fender's valve amps as well. The delay settings Hank used on the echo machine was a fairly long one usually.

[MGR]

Hank now lives in Perth I believe. What a great and inspiring guitar player.

There are lots of websites with a lot of details about his sound. I think the basic components (besides his great touch and phrasing) are a clean sounding guitar such as a stratocaster + a great valve amp - vox AC 15 or AC 30 + an echo unit. He's now using an Alesis Quadraverb with vintage echo sounds programmed in.
On the ME50, I'd try and turn all the distortion based effects off, and try just the heavy end of the reverb settings and then add a little compression. Once you've got the reverb/echo right, a very small touch of distortion might help to mimic the warm sound of the vox valve amps.
Hope this helps

[neilb]

Thanks to all of you who have replied to my querie. Ive been away unexpectantly for a few days and now have a bit of info to sift through.
A friend of mine just just bought himself a Vox AC 15 and plays it through a steel guitar. Sounds good for a small amp. I am going to TRY and relieve him of it for a day or two and see what I can muster up with the ME 50.
Thanks
Neil.

[bille]

Look at the Guitar for Beginners forum, it caters for everthing/everyone.

I think I read once that Hank Marvin developed the initial sound playing in a metal shed or similar and then went on to make that sound his own.

Hank Marvin lives just out of Perth in Brigadoon, he is a Jehova Witness, if you like you could shift to WA and wait for him to knock on your door and ask him )

http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/forum/

Good luck.