View Full Version : Frank Gambale Testing a guitar VID..
kimos55
10-08-2008, 07:01 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpGElaJSKRs&feature=PlayList&p=AE3CCE9ABCC7186C&index=5
The master at work again...
jazzandmetal?
10-08-2008, 07:07 PM
He is one of my favorites.
6Tones
10-08-2008, 08:15 PM
He is one of my favorites.
:agree though dont like the sound of the yamaha that much
Lucidology
12-26-2008, 06:26 AM
Go Frankie boy ... :AOK
Wagster
12-26-2008, 08:41 AM
Frank's one of my favorite players.I've tried for years to sweep as fluent as he does.Still not there but I'm too stubborn to stop trying :D
BIGGERSTAFF
12-26-2008, 11:55 AM
Some pretty nice picking there for sure.
big mike
12-26-2008, 12:26 PM
I don't know how you can actually hear much of the guitar tone with all that stuccato picking though. Great technician...but if he's actually trying to demo, some different stuff might be a better idea.
heavypick
12-26-2008, 12:26 PM
Guy is so sick!
Ridiculously good player. Thanks for sharing the link here.
jcground
12-26-2008, 12:31 PM
I don't know how you can actually hear much of the guitar tone with all that stuccato picking though. Great technician...but if he's actually trying to demo, some different stuff might be a better idea.
True, Mike, but maybe the point of the clip is to convince people that they'll be able to play like Gambale if they got that Yamaha... ;)
big mike
12-26-2008, 12:32 PM
I love this kind of stuff from Frank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjyqMZKeaPM&feature=related
big mike
12-26-2008, 12:33 PM
True, Mike, but maybe the point of the clip is to convince people that they'll be able to play like Gambale if they got that Yamaha... ;)
Well then I'll take TWO!!!!!:p
johneeeveee
12-26-2008, 12:39 PM
:agree though dont like the sound of the yamaha that much
Yeah, Frank is a great player... but yes, I would have to say that pup system sounds pretty piezo "quacky".
Lucidology
12-26-2008, 05:23 PM
Yeah, Frank is a great player... but yes, I would have to say that pup system sounds pretty piezo "quacky".
True ... but for some reason it also sounds a bit (that kind of attack)
like those Gypsy Jazz guitars (Maca- fa -whatever's ...)
I actually sort of dig it ... :rotflmao
It's truly not an offensive sound ... probably sound very good in the mix ...
rwe333
12-26-2008, 05:39 PM
BEAUTIFUL player!
Let's remember that the pickup system is for live PA use - bet that would sound decent in a louder room and/or band context. Solo/quiet in a guitar shop ain't the best barometer (could be plugged in a standard guitar amp for all we know).
Yamaha mos def gets things right, frequently.
BIGGERSTAFF
12-26-2008, 07:18 PM
I love this kind of stuff from Frank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjyqMZKeaPM&feature=related
That's very cool too.
Frank Prince
12-26-2008, 07:55 PM
BEAUTIFUL player!
Let's remember that the pickup system is for live PA use - bet that would sound decent in a louder room and/or band context. Solo/quiet in a guitar shop ain't the best barometer (could be plugged in a standard guitar amp for all we know).
Yamaha mos def gets things right, frequently.
I agree. FG has always struck me as one of the most lyrical "shred-based" fusion guitarists. His technique is utterly astounding, yet he plays a lot of (to my ear) really beautiful lines.
This is one of my favorites by him. I prefer the solo on the studio recording, but he still goes to some amazing places on this take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related)
robelinda2
12-26-2008, 08:06 PM
I love this kind of stuff from Frank.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjyqMZKeaPM&feature=related
That is in my top2 fav Frank songs, along with Coming To Your Senses.
Lucidology
12-26-2008, 09:10 PM
I agree. FG has always struck me as one of the most lyrical "shred-based" fusion guitarists. His technique is utterly astounding, yet he plays a lot of (to my ear) really beautiful lines.
This is one of my favorites by him. I prefer the solo on the studio recording, but he still goes to some amazing places on this take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related)
WOW ... I've totally forgotten about that song ..
that's one of those major play over & over again, try to assimulate pieces
that repeatedly passed through my consciousness at one time in me life ...
It's really a beautful composition ...
And ya know what else... I luv that tone he got from that Ibanez ...
Frank Prince
12-26-2008, 11:31 PM
WOW ... I've totally forgotten about that song ..
that's one of those major play over & over again, try to assimulate pieces
that repeatedly passed through my consciousness at one time in me life ...
It's really a beautful composition ...
And ya know what else... I luv that tone he got from that Ibanez ...There is a line in the original studio recording that absolutely knocked me out the first time I heard it. I believe it is the first phrase of the solo after they do the "bridge" section. It's an ascending line with some interesting rhythmic movement that I thought was just incredibly poignant when played over those changes. He does something different at that same point in this video that didn't really do that much for me.
I think that one particular line was what really got me hooked on Gambale the lyrical player as opposed to Gambale the jawdropping sweep-picking superhuman shredder. :p
Catoogie
12-27-2008, 12:47 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpgelajskrs&feature=playlist&p=ae3cce9abcc7186c&index=5
the master at work again...
more chords!!
frankiestarr
12-27-2008, 01:01 AM
He seemed to play the acoustic more like an electric.....But, my my, the guy sure has some limber fingers! I thought the guitar sounded pretty generic though....
guitarist58
12-27-2008, 02:21 AM
I agree. FG has always struck me as one of the most lyrical "shred-based" fusion guitarists. His technique is utterly astounding, yet he plays a lot of (to my ear) really beautiful lines.
This is one of my favorites by him. I prefer the solo on the studio recording, but he still goes to some amazing places on this take.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=579UZXOpeUw&feature=related)
That's probably my favorite song of his! The thing that was so cool for me about the very first time I ever heard Spike's Song was that I was watching him play it live--from about 10 feet away! It was also the first time I had ever heard him period!! This was at a clinic at a music store in L.A., I knew that Jeff Berlin was going to be there :YinYang Needless to say I was quite impressed :D
Frank was very nice when I chatted with him after the clinic, too :)
Wobegon
12-27-2008, 04:45 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMgNA-usbH8&feature=related
He looks so bored ^^
jimfog
12-27-2008, 04:58 AM
Frank can play......
But, that may the worst "acoustic" sound I've heard in years......truly awful.
johneeeveee
12-27-2008, 11:23 AM
Frank can play......
But, that may the worst "acoustic" sound I've heard in years......truly awful.
While I agree that was a sorely lacking "acoustic" sound (IMO), there appears to be a very wide range of what folks seem to prefer when it comes to plugging in acoustic instruments.
I've run sound and worked on many acoustic based recordings and live shows, and some folks like that stringy clip that an under the saddle pup usually provides. Ex: Ani Difranco loves that distorted quack and it has become her signature sound. A lot of it has to do with pick attack as well as pup, and I'm guessing the torrent of aggressive notes flying off the fingerboard when Fran G plays like that has something to do with it.
While I'm a fan of attempting to make an acoustic guitar sound as close as possible to it's unplugged sound when plugged in, it's almost always a bit of a compromise. Pups that sound really natural are usually prone to feedback in high volume situations, and a warm, full sound can sometimes get lost in a dense mix (as Joe mentioned). Once things get to a certain level, I personally prefer to just hear an electric guitar used live. This is a whole 'nother thread, so I don't mean to take the focus off of the incredibly dexterous abilities of Mr. Gambale.
Just my brief 2 cents on plugged in acoustic tone. I'm sure there are a variety of opinions on this topic, and maybe another thread is warranted.
Peace - jv
Lucidology
12-27-2008, 09:14 PM
He seemed to play the acoustic more like an electric.....But, my my, the guy sure has some limber fingers! I thought the guitar sounded pretty generic though....
Come to think of it ... when someone plays so well ..
maybe I don't tune into the tone as much as the abundance of musicality that's being expressed ...
I'm sure there's a lot of cats I dig, who use tones others here can't get pass very well
In other words ...What tone ...?
Just listen to the music this cat can express ... doesn't matter what he's making it with ...
Recently heard a Latin cat doing really super hip Santana renditions
with a Peavey Bandit, a Boss DS-1, and a cheap Epi Les Paul Copy ...
He played so well, in truth I can't recall what his tone sounded like ...
Ah I know is that his playing was stunning & stopped me in my tracks ...
--
johneeeveee
12-27-2008, 10:23 PM
In other words ...What tone ...?
Just listen to the music this cat can express ... doesn't matter what he's making it with ...
--
So true Joe, and tone is such a subjective thing that you can never please everyone. One man's idea of warm and full is another's mushy and muddy, while anothers clear and crisp is like an icepick to another. In the end, what is being played is obviously more important than what it's played on. In my experience, great players can find a way to make just about anything work.
Peace - jv
heavypick
12-27-2008, 10:27 PM
Come to think of it ... when someone plays so well ..
maybe I don't tune into the tone as much as the abundance of musicality that's being expressed ...
I'm sure there's a lot of cats I dig, who use tones others here can't get pass very well
In other words ...What tone ...?
Just listen to the music this cat can express ... doesn't matter what he's making it with ...
Recently heard a Latin cat doing really super hip Santana renditions
with a Peavey Bandit, a Boss DS-1, and a cheap Epi Les Paul Copy ...
He played so well, in truth I can't recall what his tone sounded like ...
Ah I know is that his playing was stunning & stopped me in my tracks ...
--
That's how I generally feel about the whole "tone" thing. That's why when you hear banker guys that can't play scuffling through using a Klon or whatever, the pedal sounds like a dud.
When i took lessons with Mike Stern, we'd play through a JC 120 with no reverb. The most bone-dry, unforgiving tone. Stern still was burning regardless!
johneeeveee
12-27-2008, 10:46 PM
When i took lessons with Mike Stern, we'd play through a JC 120 with no reverb. The most bone-dry, unforgiving tone. Stern still was burning regardless!
Yeah... a Tele through a dry JC 120... now there's a setup that would keep you honest :)
heavypick
12-27-2008, 10:48 PM
Not easy to play through!
jimfog
12-27-2008, 10:50 PM
Ummm...yeah, but the video is MEANT as a guitar demo.
Unless it's trying to prove that the guitar can handle warp speed sweeping without exploding, the tone is what is being displayed.
::self-editor kicks in::Great Player Alert....must suspend all critical facilities, immediately.......
Oh wow....never mind, you guys are right.
Lucidology
12-27-2008, 11:05 PM
Ummm...yeah, but the video is MEANT as a guitar demo.
Unless it's trying to prove that the guitar can handle warp speed sweeping without exploding, the tone is what is being displayed.
::self-editor kicks in::Great Player Alert....must suspend all critical facilities, immediately.......
Oh wow....never mind, you guys are right.
That's right ...
Better to choose someone who's natural, everyday execution of the instrument
doesn't unintentionally steal the show from the instrument ...
You really think he's doing "warp speed sweeping" ...;)
Doesn't sound like that to my ears ... sounds most beauteous in fact ...
(is it too obvious I actually have a saturday off this weekend ...:jo)
heavypick
12-27-2008, 11:14 PM
That's right ...
Better to choose someone who's natural, everyday execution of the instrument
doesn't unintentionally steal the show from the instrument ...
You really think he's doing "warp speed sweeping" ...;)
Doesn't sound like that to my ears ... sounds most beauteous in fact ...
(is it too obvious I actually have a saturday off this weekend ...:jo)
On the other hand, do ya really want to hear the best sounding guitar in the world represented by say, a 15-year old kid playing like "Ode to Joy?"
Lucidology
12-27-2008, 11:21 PM
On the other hand, do ya really want to hear the best sounding guitar in the world represented by say, a 15-year old kid playing like "Ode to Joy?"
No way Jose ..
I was just being silly with the Fog Man ...
Man ,,,, I cannot get over that you got to study with Mike Stern ...
That is just soooo coool ...
heavypick
12-27-2008, 11:25 PM
Yeah, Stern's also a super nice guy to boot.
robelinda2
12-27-2008, 11:25 PM
Its funny, i'm always moved by the playing rather than the tone these days, I can get on with practicing much easier than spending day after day at guitar stores trying out gear! Having said that, guitar stores here in Oz are pathetic, maybe I would sing a different tune if I lived in the US!
Catoogie
12-28-2008, 09:33 AM
Is Frank Gambale unable to just strum some chords? Or is he just too 'good' for that?
heavypick
12-28-2008, 09:35 AM
Is Frank Gambale unable to just strum some chords? Or is he just too 'good' for that?
Funny. Oddly enough, sometimes players that are really killin' at one thing can't seem to be able to/or won't do some basic stuff.
rwe333
12-28-2008, 09:52 AM
Is Frank Gambale unable to just strum some chords? Or is he just too 'good' for that?
Sour grapes? Because...?
Think it'd rather this over Proud Mary (props to CCR, of course).
Catoogie
12-28-2008, 12:04 PM
Sour grapes? Because...?
Think it'd rather this over Proud Mary (props to CCR, of course).
No way!!! I respect Frank Gambale but I would never want his style to my thing. I was consumed with sweep picking and speed licks back when I was a teenager but as I got older I gravitated to more of a singer-songwriter support style of guitar playing.
Frank is obviously capable and melodic and really strong but I don't care for the type of playing, it leaves me cold.
John Fogerty's playing, specifically his solo on 'Proud Mary' is much more where I'm coming from. In fact I think that solo in particular is one of the greatest ever recorded.
Catoogie
12-28-2008, 12:06 PM
Funny. Oddly enough, sometimes players that are really killin' at one thing can't seem to be able to/or won't do some basic stuff.
I've worked with tons of cats like that. Who were technically superior and so was there attitude about playing more subtlely and restrained. It was almost as if it was beneath them. When in fact they couldn't bring it convincingly.
rwe333
12-28-2008, 01:00 PM
No way!!! I respect Frank Gambale but I would never want his style to my thing. I was consumed with sweep picking and speed licks back when I was a teenager but as I got older I gravitated to more of a singer-songwriter support style of guitar playing.
Frank is obviously capable and melodic and really strong but I don't care for the type of playing, it leaves me cold.
John Fogerty's playing, specifically his solo on 'Proud Mary' is much more where I'm coming from. In fact I think that solo in particular is one of the greatest ever recorded.
No argument about Fogerty - wonderful player/singer/writer...
As for Gambale, I think he's matured into an incredibly versatile and musical player. Much more to him than just the sweep/speed thang. I'm not necessarily fond of his earlier music, but - man - he's really something these days...
Catoogie
12-28-2008, 01:10 PM
As for Gambale, I think he's matured into an incredibly versatile and musical player. Much more to him than just the sweep/speed thang. I'm not necessarily fond of his earlier music, but - man - he's really something these days...
I'll admit, Frank's been off of my radar for many, many years so I'm going strictly by what I saw in the video which is not fair but please take that into account when reading my comments.
Without a doubt Frank Gambale is EXTREMELY musical and I don't there's a higher compliment than that.
Brian D
12-28-2008, 03:58 PM
I have never been as blown away by the sheer musicality of a guitarist as when I saw Frank Gambale live on his last Vital Information tour in 2006. After seeing that show I have no doubt the he could play his guitar in any style he desired.
My exposure to his overall recorded catalog is limited, but for a little taste of his "rhythm" ability check out "Baton Rouge", "Fine Line", or "Beneath the Surface" from his last Vital CD "Come On In".
Lucidology
12-28-2008, 06:49 PM
Gambale's is as an incredible rhythm guitarist as he is soloist ...
Anything from funk vamping to beautiful chord melodies with barely a single note run..
Also a wonderful acoustic guitarist ...
I have an album where he plays a steel string in a duet with a hispanic nylon string player ...
Gambale plays some of the most beautiful chord voicings imaginable ..
Open strings & all ...
He can play, that's for sure. Too bad the guitar sounds like ass.
jazzandmetal?
12-28-2008, 11:59 PM
Gambale's is as an incredible rhythm guitarist as he is soloist ...
Anything from funk vamping to beautiful chord melodies with barely a single note run..
Also a wonderful acoustic guitarist ...
I have an album where he plays a steel string in a duet with a hispanic nylon string player ...
Gambale plays some of the most beautiful chord voicings imaginable ..
Open strings & all ...
Colonna and Gambale - Imagery Suite
Great guitar playing on that record.
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