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At a recent "Samshad" meeting in France (organised by Michel Hénaux) on november 13th, Gérard Tabis (also known as Getab or Gégé) was invited to make a public demonstration of "that sound".
He is well known for the excellent results he use to achieve in his home studio, but doing it live in front of an audience was something he never did before.
First an extract of the Shadows' original recording is played, then he plays the same tune live with a BT. Here is the result :



Didier

Very impressive.

Michael

dave robinson wrote:I agree it's the same tune, but it isn't the same sound. I hear a vast difference in guitar tone. That said it's a very good typical Vox/Strat tone and well played.

I am waiting for someone to do better, not forgetting to play immediatly after listining to the original Shadows' sound as he did.
BTW, it wasn't a Vox amp, but a Fender !

Didier

dave robinson wrote:Playing directly after the original isn't the issue here, the sound is very different, surely you can hear that?

Playing immediatly after the original is a major issue. How many of those who pretended to emulate "that sound" dared to do that before ?

I will go as far as to say that Gerard's sound is harder, more trebly, it doesn't have the subtle mellowness of the original, but does lean heavily towards the old tone.

None of the 45 people who attended this meeting thought if was very different.

Didier

I have always been an admirer of Gege's sound and I have always said that he has achieved a very impressive and authentic Shadows sound . . . I don't think the sound can ever really be 100% identical to the original recordings, and that goes for all of the best examples of THAT SOUND I have heard by our friends on these forums, including Phil Kelly, Gary Taylor, Justin, Dave, David, Patrice, and a few others, including Gege . . . if for no other reason than because they are not Hank!! . . . But all of these guys definitely have achieved THAT SOUND in the true sense of the word, and the best thing is that they have achieved it in different ways, with different equipment. And my hat goes off to all of them !!! There is no doubt that people who use the same or very similar gear that the Shadows used would have the same sound. A good Strat with the right pickups and the right gauge strings, a Vox with EF86, and a Meazzi echo, and of course, a good player . . . how can you not get THAT SOUND, or extremely close? In that sense, I would say that Gege's sound is all the more impressive!! I think that just a tad mellower (less treble) would sound even better.

Cheers,
Bojan

Well to my ears you can't get any closer!

Gerard - take a little trip through that tunnel that links us and come and play for us at the Sussex Shadows Club any time.

Kind regards,

Terry

dave robinson wrote:OK I get it - you can't hear the difference , but I can. You presented the facts and I replied and was honest with you. There's nothing more to say.

I didn't say the sound was exactly identical, but that very few people came closer. I have in my files many attempts by people who claimed that they have reached "that sound", while being much farther away from it than Gégé.
It would be easy for me to edit these attempts for immediate comparison with the Shadows's original sound.
I will not have the cruelty to do so, as it involves somme well known people.

Didier