I know right? I can't believe I just found out about this guy. I was looking around for tele vids, and I saw this guyg after a josh smith video. At first I'm like huh nice guitar and when he starts playing i'm like wait what? rewind. Wasn't expecting this. Great guitar player
Gotta love the dude and the tone :) It is so cool when a musician of that caliber still strikes you as a person with whom you could have a coffee and a chat. And when the playing starts, such sweet tone!
+Matt Smith When I was young, I worked with Paul Rivera, and Robben used to come into the shop now and then. He would often pickup our "super Hondo II" POS demo guitar (which was kept in the trash can).. and he would play ... and I would continually have to pickup my lower jaw up off the floor.
+Randall Ulmer I saw a girl play the other day with a old cheap sigle pickup harmony electric guitar and had to pick up my jaw off the floor. I have an old harmony electric sitting around and sounds nothing like that guitar. She must have had the original pickup rewound.
There is an awfully alarming amount of cybernetic musicologists sitting around their mum's basement judging and spewing out almost offensive comments to a profesional of more than 40 years. Pathetic
Maybe to a non musician / electric guitar player they sound like cybernetic musicologists, it's not rocket science except in the guitar electronic repairs and set up dept you get those do not offend me or I'll banned you from coming into my GC stores guitar techs.
Great, great tone, love it! It sounds tele-ish sharp and thin when playing single notes, yet with the chord playing it sounds warm and smoth. To oppositional sounds with the same pickup, unbelievable!
I have a basic lefty Squier Telecaster I got two years ago, it's my main guitar now. It's built like a tank! I love the smooth fretboard too. I know some don't like that, I find it very comfortable. The Tele can sound very trebly and toppy, the thing is to EQ it, reign in the treble, whatever you have to do. I don't really use the bridge pickup position that much.
Don Rutter San Fran has tons of musical history probably why the older guys still like it. I agree the Techies kinda ruin historical such as San Fran and Portland etc etc but luckily still have real musicians in those cities.
One of the all time great guitarists, love his playing with Joni & LA Express, oh yeah and with Larry Carlton here on YT, wish he played awhile longer here on that lovely sounding Tele.
There’s something about watching true seasoned musicians like Robben or GE Smith talking about their instruments and their unique relationship with them, I love geeking out to this videos.
I went to one of his guitar clinics in Guildford, UK. I met him in the foyee of the hotel and I have to say what a lovely guy he is. He is the real deal.
It's videos like this that make guitarists spend many years and many (more) dollars looking for the "Robben Ford" tone...when he does it right here with a Tele and a blackface Super Reverb. If this doesn't show it's in the hands and fingers, I don't know what does.
You are 100% right. If anyone says otherwise, well, I've got some news for you. A good player will sound the same through anything. If you have yet to find that out, I don't know what to tell you. Keep using gear as an excuse, I guess. That type of person is a sucker.
It/he will still sound the same. I have a 1962 blonde stratocaster and it is all bullshit. It is the history and craftmanship that does it, nothing more..
I think it´s criminal that they cut short that little performance at the end, it was getting better at every second. Please repost with the whole thing. Other than that, nice video!
I LOVE this "True Romance" Story - Love at first sight...! Think its how it SHOULD be when finding a Guitar. Its such a special Relationship - like no other.
It's amazing how he effortlessly hides his pick between his index and middle finger. I asked him once how he did that without dropping the pick and his response was, "I don't know." He showed me a few times but he could never explain it. Incredible talent.
Just before this awesome video...There was a commercial about "Yousician" or something like that and the dude was saying "he just started a few months ago, blah blah blah" but for us seasoned vets I DID NOTICE!! He was playing on a $3000 Guild acoustic. So when have you ever seen a dude after a few months committing to an axe like that? Have no idea why i needed to post this....sorry. Bad Ass Tele!!!
I've seen a few beginners and also mediocre players with extremely expensive guitars. It's nuts at times. Doctor who fans are gonna love that name by the way lol.
I so get that. I got my first Tele about six months ago. I fight with it constantly, and I've never felt a greater connection to a guitar. Fenders in general are more physical in my opinion. You really need to wrestle the bastards to get your tone. But when you do?
I feel EXACTLY the same about guage etc. I have exactly the same guitar may 1961 . And its the nicest guitar ive ever played. Currenly looking for a new production to practice on and save the 61 for recording mostly , but its very difficult to find anything that come close to the 61. The combination of the staggered bridge pup poles, and the rosewood neck through a tube amp(1960 ampeg jet) makes me melt everytime!just pure tone.
He's totally right about the "fight" against the guitar when playing blues. You naturally play in a more raw way. The guitar doesn't feel too delicate - you can dig into it!
The Blue Moon Tele for me. Story was, Fillmore gig and a stop by long gone BlackMarket Music. Stop by for picks and strings and there's a Tele. The rest is great history.
The thing i love about the Tele is the no frills look that sort of suggests you are only playing one because you love playing guitar. That came out wrong, but i know what i mean. I think my next guitar is gonna be a Telecaster. A blonde with the rosewood board. Looks fantastic.
I think that some players fear that if are too relaxed they might overplay the music. So they deliberately set their guitars up to be a little more difficult to play(physically speaking) in order to generate(or simulate?) the tension and intensity commonly associated with playing Blues guitar. There, I've given my psuedo-over intellectual analysis on a pretty simple matter of choosing light or heavy gauge guitar strings. Now I'm going to go listen to some B.B. King...
I use .008s with action so low that you can't fit a gnat's whisker under the string. It all depends on how hard you hit the strings and how you set the amp. it's an equation. Lower tension on this side, you gotta adjust some variables on the OTHER side but .008 can have great tone.
Guild Starfire III, good guitar! I noticed the action Ford prefers and describes, listen to the tone it produces. This inspires me to raise my action just a little, and get used to it!
I generally get bored watching a “Guitar God” perform live. It just seems to be an opportunity for the guitarist to show off and let everyone know how great he is. So, when I went to go watch Ford play I was not enthusiastic about it. But, to my surprise I actually enjoyed his playing. He just knows how to play interesting pieces without the arrogance other players have. I would say he is better than Clapton, Beck, Vai and the rest of guitar gods...
why the 3 dislikes? theres sweet guitars, honest no bullshit talking, AWESOME playing. I mean fair enough, there wasnt any extreme bong rips or strippers dancing or whatever, but 3 dislikes...? WHY.
He is right-a great sounding Tele is all you need! And his playing is sublime-wow! I am lucky to have a blond Tele made by Chris Fleming that is superb.
I have the same guitar and there is just something Awsome in it that I never hear in any other guitar. I t truly is the holy trail for me . I just wish I could play as well😂
he plays my style of guitar just with an extra 30 years added on. Even his plectrum control is intresting. WTF mann I need 30 years a guitar, amp and an empty room.
When 'Talk to your Daughter' came out I had to find out everything about this guy. I've still got the old 'Blues and Beyond' (VHS !!) and he elaborates there on his plectrum use. I've used the 'base' of the plectrum triangle (if you will) never the tip since and you do get a better, smoother sound (I think anyway) and spent a long time on buses, in front of the tv etc slipping that plectrum from a picking position to between my second and third fingers and back again until it became second nature. So many people neglect their right hand forgetting that that's where the sound comes from. Mr. Ford's an absolute legend in my opinion. Him and the late Ted Green are true musicians.
Years ago I had a Yamaha SG2000 guitar. It was beautifully made but I couldn't keep it tuned. I was playing 9's at the time. I mentioned this to another guitarist and he asked if I was playing strings that were smaller than 10's. I told him what I was playing and he told me that was why It wouldn't stay tuned. I switched to 10's and have never had tuning problems since. Then a couple months ago I got a new Fender American Elite Tele HSS. Right off the bat I couldn't keep it tuned. Then I realized Fender shipped it with 9's on it. I switched to 10's and tightened the tuners a little and now it stays tuned.
Interesting where he holds his pick when he's playing finger style. I like the rosewood fingerboard on a Tele. The only thing I don't like about the Tele is the location of the input. The recessed nature of the input adds a further complication, moreover, when you're trying to find a cord with a right-angle bend to fit in. Solution: put the input on the front of the Tele, as is done for the Jazzmaster. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, try playing a Tele plugged in while you're sitting on a couch.
![Pimp Your Vintage Guitar? [Dan’s ‘65 Fender Tele or Custom Shop?]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EwBXaq72jQI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Kodak Black - Catch Fire [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A4ch-olIuZo/mqdefault.jpg)
Man, I come back to this just to listen to him play. Could listen to that kind of playing for hours.
I know right? I can't believe I just found out about this guy. I was looking around for tele vids, and I saw this guyg after a josh smith video. At first I'm like huh nice guitar and when he starts playing i'm like wait what? rewind. Wasn't expecting this. Great guitar player
Too true
Keep coming back to this video for that insane beautiful clean guitar tone.. thats the tone I hear in my head. My ideal tone.
I don't know how many times I've watched this.
Gotta love the dude and the tone :) It is so cool when a musician of that caliber still strikes you as a person with whom you could have a coffee and a chat. And when the playing starts, such sweet tone!
I teched for Robin in the studio many times a few years back. That telecaster was always the guitar I would use to test his rig. Beautiful guitar!
Who's Robin?!
+Matt Smith When I was young, I worked with Paul Rivera, and Robben used to come into the shop now and then. He would often pickup our "super Hondo II" POS demo guitar (which was kept in the trash can).. and he would play ... and I would continually have to pickup my lower jaw up off the floor.
+Randall Ulmer I saw a girl play the other day with a old cheap sigle pickup harmony electric guitar and had to pick up my jaw off the floor. I have an old harmony electric sitting around and sounds nothing like that guitar. She must have had the original pickup rewound.
You obviously DON'T know him! BACK to your TARDIS!
Matt Smith, Do you know which music store Robben bought this from?
Every Time I see him play guitar, i want to get back home and play myself for hours... he is really great.
He blends jazz and the blues perfectly
What a marvelous musician...he takes me to a beautiful places...thank you Robben!
Wonderful tones from an iconic guitar. I love it and Robben is a Maestro.
There is an awfully alarming amount of cybernetic musicologists sitting around their mum's basement judging and spewing out almost offensive comments to a profesional of more than 40 years. Pathetic
With you on that
Cybernetic musicologists, gotta borrow this descriptor. I like it because not only does it sound deep, its spot-on in its accuracy. Thanks.
Maybe to a non musician / electric guitar player they sound like cybernetic musicologists, it's not rocket science except in the guitar electronic repairs and set up dept you get those do not offend me or I'll banned you from coming into my GC stores guitar techs.
lol, those same twats visit videos on farming, auto repair, brewing, distilling... and share their wisdom.
Robben Ford could make a busted up three string out of tune cheap ass guitar sound good. A real artist
Great, great tone, love it! It sounds tele-ish sharp and thin when playing single notes, yet with the chord playing it sounds warm and smoth. To oppositional sounds with the same pickup, unbelievable!
I have a basic lefty Squier Telecaster I got two years ago, it's my main guitar now. It's built like a tank! I love the smooth fretboard too. I know some don't like that, I find
it very comfortable. The Tele can sound very trebly and toppy, the thing is to EQ it, reign in the treble, whatever you have to do. I don't really use the bridge
pickup position that much.
Very beautiful! Great tone! Thank you Robben for playing that.
Robben is one of my favorite blues/jazz players. Always plays with a lot a taste
seems like a a really decent unstuck-up guy and what a sound outta that tele
The question is though, what was he doing in San Francisco with all the wierdo Marxists.
Don Rutter San Fran has tons of musical history probably why the older guys still like it. I agree the Techies kinda ruin historical such as San Fran and Portland etc etc but luckily still have real musicians in those cities.
Beautiful playing and wonderful tone ...MORE PLEASE !!!
One of the all time great guitarists, love his playing with Joni & LA Express, oh yeah and with Larry Carlton here on YT, wish he played awhile longer here on that lovely sounding Tele.
the Super Reverb is so perfect ! I could listen to that all day .
There’s something about watching true seasoned musicians like Robben or GE Smith talking about their instruments and their unique relationship with them, I love geeking out to this videos.
Robben is the mellowest cat...until he gets a guitar in his hands. Then he's a monster. Thank you for all the wonderful music!
I went to one of his guitar clinics in Guildford, UK. I met him in the foyee of the hotel and I have to say what a lovely guy he is. He is the real deal.
what a wonderful treat to someone who is chasing that sound...
A combination of that guitar and the right fender amp Makes it 😉 amazing...
Saw him play that thing at a gig a couple years ago.
Super glassy and bright sounding through the Dumble.
Amazing player.
One of the best and one of my personal favorites- the great Robben Ford!
It's videos like this that make guitarists spend many years and many (more) dollars looking for the "Robben Ford" tone...when he does it right here with a Tele and a blackface Super Reverb. If this doesn't show it's in the hands and fingers, I don't know what does.
Barry Plemmons Then again give him a 2017 Mexico Tele, and trust me, it wouldn’t sound that good.
lmao one of the best teles and amps in history My grandma can make that sing bro..cmonnnnnnnn
You are 100% right. If anyone says otherwise, well, I've got some news for you. A good player will sound the same through anything. If you have yet to find that out, I don't know what to tell you. Keep using gear as an excuse, I guess. That type of person is a sucker.
Absolutely Kool
It/he will still sound the same. I have a 1962 blonde stratocaster and it is all bullshit. It is the history and craftmanship that does it, nothing more..
He does EVERYTHING correctly........I have to go practice now...bye
Awesome guitar and player; the perfect combination!
I have never heard this guy sound anything less than amazing
I could listen to Robben play for hours.
That's the coolest looking telecaster. Love the color, natural relic and the rosewood neck.
Beautiful cream and white color combo and beautifully played!!!
I think it´s criminal that they cut short that little performance at the end, it was getting better at every second. Please repost with the whole thing. Other than that, nice video!
Love it so much.....Robben ist one of the best players....really
World class player. One of the best! Keep on playing Robben!
One of my personal guitar heros and a heck of a good teacher.
I LOVE this "True Romance" Story - Love at first sight...! Think its how it SHOULD be when finding a Guitar. Its such a special Relationship - like no other.
It's amazing how he effortlessly hides his pick between his index and middle finger. I asked him once how he did that without dropping the pick and his response was, "I don't know." He showed me a few times but he could never explain it. Incredible talent.
beautiful Telecaster, beautiful tone, Robben is a great guitar player !...
Id love for Robbin Ford to have a Signature Telecaster with Fender
it doesnt hurt that you have one of the greatest amps of all time next to you as welll ...jeeeeez
Robben Ford although a professional musician is the ultimate guitar geek. I say that with all compliments.
Idk.. he didn’t know what a scale was. I’d call him more a natural, organic player vs a “nerd” (who would know every single tech detail)
Damn that's some tasty playing at the end. Sublime
Well that's where Eric Johnson gets some of his licks.
Just before this awesome video...There was a commercial about "Yousician" or something like that and the dude was saying "he just started a few months ago, blah blah blah" but for us seasoned vets I DID NOTICE!! He was playing on a $3000 Guild acoustic. So when have you ever seen a dude after a few months committing to an axe like that? Have no idea why i needed to post this....sorry. Bad Ass Tele!!!
I've seen a few beginners and also mediocre players with extremely expensive guitars. It's nuts at times. Doctor who fans are gonna love that name by the way lol.
TorchwoodLuthiers That commercial drives me crazy lol. Ive noticed that too!
Great guitar played through a great amp ! Fender super reverb ! Owned and giged the amp for 6 solid years and never a problem.
I had one too, my fave amp of all time but too loud for a condo. It really sang at 5! Robben is so talented and humble!
robben really explains himself so well
I so get that. I got my first Tele about six months ago. I fight with it constantly, and I've never felt a greater connection to a guitar. Fenders in general are more physical in my opinion. You really need to wrestle the bastards to get your tone. But when you do?
This guitar fits you perfectly. I love to hear you play that Tele!
I want to weep just listening to this guy play
Unbelievable how he holds his pick between his fingers when he's fingerpicking - wow!
Love the sound of that tele,I bet it wouldn’t sound like that if I played it
A master!!
What a wonderful sounding Tele.
What a phenomenal player
Beautiful instrument
I feel EXACTLY the same about guage etc. I have exactly the same guitar may 1961 . And its the nicest guitar ive ever played. Currenly looking for a new production to practice on and save the 61 for recording mostly , but its very difficult to find anything that come close to the 61. The combination of the staggered bridge pup poles, and the rosewood neck through a tube amp(1960 ampeg jet) makes me melt everytime!just pure tone.
He's totally right about the "fight" against the guitar when playing blues. You naturally play in a more raw way. The guitar doesn't feel too delicate - you can dig into it!
Such a great player!
If that''s his "blues" guitar, his "jazz" guitar must sound pretty frickin' incredible....
'63 Epi Riviera ;-)
What a beautiful sounding tele. Seems he is using the bridge pickup and getting some nice tone
The Blue Moon Tele for me.
Story was, Fillmore gig and a stop by long gone BlackMarket Music.
Stop by for picks and strings and there's a Tele. The rest is great history.
The thing i love about the Tele is the no frills look that sort of suggests you are only playing one because you love playing guitar.
That came out wrong, but i know what i mean. I think my next guitar is gonna be a Telecaster. A blonde with the rosewood board. Looks fantastic.
I think that some players fear that if are too relaxed they might overplay the music. So they deliberately set their guitars up to be a little more difficult to play(physically speaking) in order to generate(or simulate?) the tension and intensity commonly associated with playing Blues guitar. There, I've given my psuedo-over intellectual analysis on a pretty simple matter of choosing light or heavy gauge guitar strings. Now I'm going to go listen to some B.B. King...
Great sounds indeed
Beautiful tone....
I use .008s with action so low that you can't fit a gnat's whisker under the string. It all depends on how hard you hit the strings and how you set the amp. it's an equation. Lower tension on this side, you gotta adjust some variables on the OTHER side but .008 can have great tone.
Billy Gibbons uses 007's
yes. I was into it too. God he's so good.
Guild Starfire III, good guitar! I noticed the action Ford prefers and describes, listen to the tone it produces. This inspires me to raise my action just a little, and get used to it!
My first 6 string electric a copy ( very good copy) of a blonde Tele. Versatile. Plays so easy.
Such a great player...
great player, great guitar and great tone
Great instrument, great musician/guitarist.
awesome playing.
I generally get bored watching a “Guitar God” perform live. It just seems to be an opportunity for the guitarist to show off and let everyone know how great he is. So, when I went to go watch Ford play I was not enthusiastic about it. But, to my surprise I actually enjoyed his playing. He just knows how to play interesting pieces without the arrogance other players have. I would say he is better than Clapton, Beck, Vai and the rest of guitar gods...
why the 3 dislikes? theres sweet guitars, honest no bullshit talking, AWESOME playing. I mean fair enough, there wasnt any extreme bong rips or strippers dancing or whatever, but 3 dislikes...? WHY.
If anyone feels inclined to post some negative comment or nonsensical opinion, please include a link to your videos.
He is right-a great sounding Tele is all you need!
And his playing is sublime-wow!
I am lucky to have a blond Tele made by Chris Fleming that is superb.
He's right about using a little higher action to get the blues sound on guitar. That's more important than many people realize.
I have the same guitar and there is just something Awsome in it that I never hear in any other guitar. I t truly is the holy trail for me . I just wish I could play as well😂
How much for it?????????
Email me at montysdad60@gmail.com
WOW, WOW and again WOW! That bridge pickup on it's own sounds incredible. Why does mine sound so harsh?
because your guitar is shit.. this a 1960 real fender
roll the tone knob back until the top end mellows out
Play with your fingers
awesome! i was gonna change everything on my Aria Pro ii 615 Nashville , but this Tele sounds pretty close!
Yes Sir...beautiful instrument... Cant believe Fender CS havnt done a sig model yet!... It has everything you'd expect... And then some...
Great tone!
Superb . thanks
he plays my style of guitar just with an extra 30 years added on. Even his plectrum control is intresting. WTF mann I need 30 years a guitar, amp and an empty room.
When 'Talk to your Daughter' came out I had to find out everything about this guy. I've still got the old 'Blues and Beyond' (VHS !!) and he elaborates there on his plectrum use. I've used the 'base' of the plectrum triangle (if you will) never the tip since and you do get a better, smoother sound (I think anyway) and spent a long time on buses, in front of the tv etc slipping that plectrum from a picking position to between my second and third fingers and back again until it became second nature. So many people neglect their right hand forgetting that that's where the sound comes from. Mr. Ford's an absolute legend in my opinion. Him and the late Ted Green are true musicians.
Years ago I had a Yamaha SG2000 guitar. It was beautifully made but I couldn't keep it tuned. I was playing 9's at the time. I mentioned this to another guitarist and he asked if I was playing strings that were smaller than 10's. I told him what I was playing and he told me that was why It wouldn't stay tuned. I switched to 10's and have never had tuning problems since.
Then a couple months ago I got a new Fender American Elite Tele HSS. Right off the bat I couldn't keep it tuned. Then I realized Fender shipped it with 9's on it. I switched to 10's and tightened the tuners a little and now it stays tuned.
Interesting where he holds his pick when he's playing finger style. I like the rosewood fingerboard on a Tele. The only thing I don't like about the Tele is the location of the input. The recessed nature of the input adds a further complication, moreover, when you're trying to find a cord with a right-angle bend to fit in. Solution: put the input on the front of the Tele, as is done for the Jazzmaster. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, try playing a Tele plugged in while you're sitting on a couch.
That really is the only flaw with the tele! Haha
I miss my fifties Tele. Why did I ever get rid of it. No idea. Great guitar.
I met Robben at a barbecue birthday party. Nice as could be.
Telecaster the Queen of all guitars !!!
Tone from heaven
the bridge pick up sounds thick almost like a neck pick up
Exactly. I wonder what kind (type) of PU it is. Wingdings and output. Does anyone know?
He may well roll the tone control back a tad for a little less of that treble bite!
awesome cordage at the end
You have, looks like a solid down home nicely made Tele; nothing quite like them.
To heck with the intro ad!
Ive played that guitar!... ;)
sure.
They always put scarves on us old guys when filmed...to hide our necks LOL
What a joy
strats and teles are more of a fight, i can feel with him. after playing a sg for some time, my strat was a bit of a beast afterwards.
I prefer rosewood over maple fretboard as wel it has more sustain compared to the fast fading notes on a maple fretboard