The Mystery of the Muffled String

[Bluesnote]

(Simon Cowell - and the other judges go deaf round about the semi-finals and stop making critical comments... IMHO with the exception of Joe, the quality and intonation of the singing is now execrable... but Simon knows he'll make money from any of the "finalists" )

Have you also noticed that on a variety of tracks, Hank suffers from a "quiet" top E string... it's actually not uncommon on Strats... and it's my belief that it's a mechanical, not electrical, phenomenon...

I read somewhere years ago that you are really supposed to pick the top strings a little harder than the bottom ones to compensate for each instruments little sound inconsistancies.
It was actually pointed out to me also when our band tried to record something, and the bass player showed me the difference in my solo between the top and bottom strings. I never noticed it before. After that, when playing at gigs I made a point of sorting this problem.
Bass player telling us what to do! Really!!!
Might have been worse and the drummer telling me

[5tratocaster]

It's funny this should be mentioned here now because I learned to play 1861 only last month and listened carefully to that muffled string.
I had a debate with a guitar tech from our local Shadows guitar club and he reckoned it might be that Hank was resting his hand lightly on the bridge and that the 3rd string came out more damped than the others because it had a slightly raised action and the bridge screws were lower in the saddle. Alternatively, it could be that the windings had gone near the bridge, deadening the string. I remember that happening to me in the days when guitar strings didn't last as long as they do now (or was I rougher then?). It wouldn't be anything to do with the fag papers at the nut as they would only affect open strings.
I think some of the damping is deliberate, as you can hear a very clear damped note at around 1.45. I played it with just a small amount of palm muting each time I hit the 3rd string and it sounded OK.
It is amazing what you hear when you listen carefully. It's more than 45 years since I first heard and learned to play Sleepwalk and I must have listened to it literally thousands of times since then, but it was only recently that I noticed Hank fluffing the very last note and only then because I read about it in Bruce's book and listened out for it. It is now incorporated faithfully into the number.
Geoff

[cockroach]

Two other points to bear in mind here.

Firstly, physics- there will always be a difference in the mass, amplitude and behaviour of a heavier wound string versus a thinner plain metal string, together with the aspect of where the player actually does the picking along the string length.

Secondly, as I said earlier, Fenders were generally fairly simple designs- the pickups did not have individually adjustable polepieces, like say the Gibson P90, Gibson humbucker or Gretsch DeArmond or double coil types, which enable each string signal output to be balanced, except on Fenders crude adjustment by way of adjusting the pickup height generally, or by skewing the pickup height (bottom low, top higher etc).

As mentioned previously, Hank may have accidentally or deliberately muffled the strings to a greater or lesser degree while playing, or his strings could have been worn, dull, or had broken or stripped windings etc

Also, Hank and the others have previously admitted making mistakes which were not fixed due to lack of time, expense, convenience, deadlines etc when the recordings were made and released (or as they say when referring to a recording which they didn't like or was not up to standard- "escaped"!)

[Iain Purdon]

Yes we can all pick holes in old recordings - there are plenty to be picked - but I'd rather have the energy that excited me at the time than any number of "perfect" re-recordings.

Iain

[John Boyd]

I'll 'drink to that one', Ian. Make mine a double .
Cheers,
JB

[Bluesnote]

Yes we can all pick holes in old recordings - there are plenty to be picked - but I'd rather have the energy that excited me at the time than any number of "perfect" re-recordings.

Iain

I know what you are saying Ian, but were you in Hanks place, would you not like to re-do your part in the recording? given that its on there forever and you are a guitar god so to speak to all budding guitarists at that time.
I know I would'nt have been happy, even way back then.
Like I said before, it must have been the pressure to hammer out hit after hit irrespective of quality

[bgohara]

even with these so called 'flaws', some of these recordings will never be bettered! hank and bruce were 18 when they recorded apache - I find that totally incredible. it is a masterpiece (and there are many others from around that period) - think of the energy and rawness of something like the frightened city, or the savage - genius. And while I think that the 1989 re-recordings were definitely worth doing and worth having, there is something about those originals that will never be bettered, despite the so called 'imperfections' - the very early ones were played 'live' remember!

[Bluesnote]

I did'nt realise that they were so young at the time. They were old gits compared to me at that time, me at the tender age of thirteen/fourteen when I used to watch a Shads type band practicing their tunes. You automatically assume they were older I suppose
They certainly got me on my road to guitar playing. Them and Bert's book of course
And my two quid acoustic

[apache]

I have been reading this thread with great interest. For many years, including when these records were first released I have noticed different "mistakes"(If that is the right thing to call them). I am sure many others of you have also.
As far as, if I were Hank would I want to re-record these tracks, is concerned I would say certainly NOT. I would change nothing.
The Shadows are all Gods, in their own right (past and present) so whilst we can (and, of course, will) criticise "mistooks" it will change nothing.
Not meaning to be provocative, just having my pennyworth.
Keep on playing guys (and girls) keep our favourite music alive.
Thanks and take care
HH

[Twang46]

I remember Hank saying a while back that it was quite a few tunes down the track before they managed to release one with no mistakes.

However, the recordings sounded "right" so the one they thought the best sounding was released warts & all.

This is born out for me by the fact that I much prefer the original recordings (warts & all) than the note perfect re-recordings from the later years

Dick