up close on the guitar neck live video of Michael Houser playing jack

[B_of_H]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydWSZ0cLU_Y

 

[dividedsky]

Very cool thanks for posting.

How is Door Harp btw? It's been on my list to buy for a while but have never heard anything off it.

 

[Tim Pourciau]

Very very cool. I wonder if there are more shots like this. Houser was a smooth player for sure. He barely looks like he is even trying there and it smokes.

 

[B_of_H]

Very cool thanks for posting.

How is Door Harp btw? It's been on my list to buy for a while but have never heard anything off it.

I love door harp personally and i've played it as background music when i've had company over and a few people went out and bought it. It's very laid back and simple stuff. It's really not for everyone though as mikey wasn't much of a piano player technically either. I like it a lot though for what it is: instrumental acoustic melodies in his style.

Very very cool. I wonder if there are more shots like this. Houser was a smooth player for sure. He barely looks like he is even trying there and it smokes.

This is an outtake from 'the earth will swallow you' documentary. If you go to the other posts from this guy he also posted footage of Jorma learning 'chilly water' and Taj Mahal teaching them 'she caught the katy'.

Jack though is one of my favorite licks. The tone on the album version on his clean parts is my 'base' that I strive for essentially. Some of the sweetest and most soothing rock guitar lines i've ever heard....from someone who claimed to not even know a single proper scale nonetheless.

 

[Holliman]

Man...He could really make a SLO sound smooth.

 

[B_of_H]

Man...He could really make a SLO sound smooth.

yeah, I'm not sure how he did it exactly it sounds 'sweeter' and more pure tone wise than I think a clean SLO should sound. He's also using those lace sensors as well but it's fairly chimey for those particular pups. he also seemed to have his volume pedal rocked back quite a ways most of the time even when he wanted it fairly loud and clean which you would think would take too much high end off, at least in my limited experience.

The guy was really good at odd aspects of guitar playing it's interesting to study him closely and try to pick out the things that made him so effective despite his (from a traditional sense) limitations phrasing and technique wise. My jazzbo fusion snob friend claims he's 'the greatest bad guitarist ever'. I'd love to hear jimmy herring's honest take on the subject now that he's had to learn some of his stuff and even struggled with certain licks like sleepy monkey to get the timing and feel right. (he's now got it pretty close after 3 years)

Love the light tremolo effect in the begining as well. (at least that is what it sounds like to me)

 

[B_of_H]

 

[Tim Pourciau]

the greatest bad guitarist ever

That is funny. He was great. He knew what he knew and how to use it to get his points across. I saw him play a lot of times back in the 90's. I always felt like every solo that he would just go off on was like he was going to the same place everytime. Hard to explain what i am trying to get across, but it seemed like every solo was the same "scale", same tone, same feeling. Like it was pure emotion and everytime he got a chance he would go to that place. I miss that. That and the ringing in my ears from his amp and that constant pumping of the volume pedal.

 

[Holliman]

yeah, I'm not sure how he did it exactly it sounds 'sweeter' and more pure tone wise than I think a clean SLO should sound. He's also using those lace sensors as well but it's fairly chimey for those particular pups. he also seemed to have his volume pedal rocked back quite a ways most of the time even when he wanted it fairly loud and clean which you would think would take too much high end off, at least in my limited experience.

The guy was really good at odd aspects of guitar playing it's interesting to study him closely and try to pick out the things that made him so effective despite his (from a traditional sense) limitations phrasing and technique wise. My jazzbo fusion snob friend claims he's 'the greatest bad guitarist ever'. I'd love to hear jimmy herring's honest take on the subject now that he's had to learn some of his stuff and even struggled with certain licks like sleepy monkey to get the timing and feel right. (he's now got it pretty close after 3 years)

Love the light tremolo effect in the begining as well. (at least that is what it sounds like to me)

Whats really interesting is how Jimmy has altered his playing since 06' to give Panic back some of that Houser vibe. Less notes (sometimes), meatier tone (Was SR now Fuchs TDS). Jimmy is so good at doing his job. I just wish he would throw that H&K Tube Factor in the trash.

 

[Ben S.]

Cool video.

yeah, I'm not sure how he did it exactly it sounds 'sweeter' and more pure tone wise than I think a clean SLO should sound. He's also using those lace sensors as well but it's fairly chimey for those particular pups.

I have always thought that he got that sweetness from the fact he ran his amp so hard. Harmonics galore in my opinion. Even when things are clean, they just ring because the tubes are cooking. Here are his settings that I spotted on the Oak Mt. DVD (out of 10, not clock settings):
Preamp
normal: 10
overdrive:7
bass: 9
mid: 3.5
treb: 3.5
Master
normal:10
overdrive:9
presence:4

Also, check out this piece of equipment I spotted on Oak Mt. A Delta Jr Effectron Jr. rack delay that does modulated delays.

 

[Ben S.]

the greatest bad guitarist ever

That is funny. He was great. He knew what he knew and how to use it to get his points across. I saw him play a lot of times back in the 90's. I always felt like every solo that he would just go off on was like he was going to the same place everytime. Hard to explain what i am trying to get across, but it seemed like every solo was the same "scale", same tone, same feeling. Like it was pure emotion and everytime he got a chance he would go to that place. I miss that. That and the ringing in my ears from his amp and that constant pumping of the volume pedal.

I think this captures exactly why some guitarists don't like or appreciate his playing. It is the same type of thing the Edge does.
His finger work may seem simple at times, but when you realize he is playing within the poly rythyms that he is creating with his foot work and the delays and tremolos that he uses, the whole experience changes. I think this is lost a little when watching video and listening to tape.
The way the his delays/trem/foot pumping worked was different with every venue. It was almost like he played the room.

 

[Holliman]

Soldano Surf Box is the shat. It ought to be for $3,000.

 

[B_of_H]

groutfulone - wow, great work!!!


tim - great point, I don't think i've heard a better description of his style and what made him so uniquely great.