I went back to my ToneLab LE for this . . .

[dave robinson]

I was interested in some stuff that Brian May had been asked in interviews I'd seen on You Tube, like 'Can your guitar sound like Hank Marvin'.
Brian modestly said he thought it got somewhere near it so I got out my Brian May guitar, plugged into my Vox ToneLab into the Watkins Dominator that I'd been messing with and recorded The Savage using the cheap and cheerful Panasonic HC-V100 camcorder, same a my other videos.
It sounds like a Strat to me.

https://youtu.be/Sy2XJCecW3A

[Stu's Dad]

Yes, Dave, it does sound like a Strat. Dare I suggest that it's the Tonelab that makes the difference. I had a Burns Vibra Artiste - which I think had the same pickups as the Brian May - and a Watkins Dominator in the sixties and I couldn't get near that sound. Maybe I was just an ignorant youngster but I still think you've got an added ingredient that wasn't available then.

Len

[dave robinson]

Hi Len, thanks for your input and question. The Brian May guitar sounds like a Strat through any set up if you use the pickups as you would on a Strat.
That is, as single coils and if you use two, keep them in phase. The Queen tones largely come into play when the phase switches are used.
The Vox ToneLab LE was used only for delay, nothing else. I programmed in the timings for the correct echo (as close as I could) and the rest of the sound was the Watkins Dominator, but to be honest, I could have DI'd it through the PA and got the same tone, I do it on a regular basis.
I'm going back to the ToneLab to use with my new Fender Twin Reverb (Tone Master) that is ultralight. The Boss Katana 100 heads are going up for sale as I like the look of a Fender amp on stage and the only reason I stopped using the old Fender Twin was the weight.
Back to the Brian May guitar, it is without doubt the most versatile solid guitar I have ever played, Brian is a very thoughtful, clever and talented man.
The same guitar has sounded just the same using my Hall & Collins, Blue Nebula, Watkins Copicat or Klemt Echolette through my Mesa Boogie, Vox AC30 or Peavey.

[KurtFroberg]

Sorry Dave but I can´t hear any strat like tones from that guitar on this recording. Make an A/B comparison with the original and you will hear a much fuller sound from the original. This demo lacks both brilliance and depth IMHO.

Kurt

[dave robinson]

Sorry Dave but I can´t hear any strat like tones from that guitar on this recording. Make an A/B comparison with the original and you will hear a much fuller sound from the original. This demo lacks both brilliance and depth IMHO.

Kurt

It's not a demo nor is it intended to be. It's a honest recording of a guitar through a Vox Tone Lab through a Watkins Dominator amp, with s budget camera that will almost certainly have a budget microphone. I find it strange how Len who replied before you did actually agree that it sounds like a Strat, probably because it does.
It's what it is, a guitar with three single coil Burns Tri Sonic pickups and if you compare it with other 'like recordings' I did using a Strat, instead of running for the bloody record every time, you might just get it.

[Stu's Dad]

What happened to just enjoying ourselves with our playing? I'm in my twilight years and I've got no intention of spending what time I've got left pursuing exact clones of original recordings from sixty years ago.

[dave robinson]

Apart from still doing this for a living, it is my hobby and I enjoy trying out the inexpensive options so that others don't unnecessarily spend a fortune on over priced guitars, echoes and amps that will not enhance players who with respect, are at the entry level. I see far too many guys forking out a fortune when all they need is a good Squier/Vintage/Encore Strat, a small, inexpensive Vox amp and something along the lines of a Zoom G3, all of which will produce a sound good enough and accurate enough to please most Shadows fans.
Incidentally, one of the Shadows, Mark Griffiths uses Squier Strats exclusively and has discussed it openly with me, he even used a 'Sue Ryder' Bass Guitar on the reunion tour, a massive outlay of under a hundred quid. Alan Jones used Squier basses all through his time with The Shadows, he told me that the Shads bought it for him for £80 and had it sprayed red, though he did buy a Fender Precision during his time with us.
I made this recording out of curiosity after hearing Brian May discussing his guitar, that's all it was really. I didn't expect people to go running for the original track to compare with, though should I wish to go that deep into it I could, but I've got more pressing things to worry about.
It's just a bit of fun so let's not get tied up with all the crazy stuff again, all I'm saying is the Brian May guitar can do a good Strat impression and it would be even better should I wish to push it further.

[Gatwick1946]

I think it sounds very close - and really well performed.

As long as we continue to make decisions based on cost - then some people will be prepared to fork out for expensive items.

"You pays yer money and makes yer choice"…………..

Kindest regards,
Christopher

[abstamaria]

Dave, I didn’t know you we’re still playing professionally. That provides a very different perspective from those of someone like me, an amateur chasing That Sound as a personal quest and having a keen interest in guitars and amps I could not afford when I was a kid in high school. Naturally, as a professional,one would try to accomplish the job in the most economically efficient way possible and set goals on the basis of what the target audience will require. As a musician, one would interpret pieces in one’s own way, rather than try to replicate those of another artist (in our case, Hank). Those all don’t apply to me, a half-retired guy playing for his own satisfaction at home. My only musical goal is to sound and play as Hank did in the early 1960s.

There is a pride, a satisfaction to owning a beautifully made Customshop replica of the guitar our hero used. That is probably still a valid dream, I think, but that, along with the Vox amps and TVS3s, is an expensive one, probably beyond the practical reach of many enthusiasts. In the meantime, as you point out, one can get “in the ballpark” with more affordable gear. That is a valid endeavor as well.

Best,

Andy

[dave robinson]

I used to go to the The Shadows concerts before and after they re-appeared in the mid seventies and although I knew that Jet, Brian & John used Fender bass guitars, as well as John's Burns, I just assumed that Alan and Mark used Fender too, when they weren't playing their Aria / Alembic basses et al, that never looked right in The Shadows.
Then Alan suddenly appeared with a Precision bass, around 1981 when all the band suddenly went back to red guitars. Of course I assumed it must be a Fender, why would they use a cheap copy ? The point is that it sounded right and no one really knew, it was only because Alan told me that I knew, as I was never close enough to see the headstock.
More recently I worked with Mark Griffiths who told me about his gear and his collection of Squiers, though he had some Fenders too. It made me wonder and I took more interest in Squier guitars after that. Back in 1980 I had a problem finding a good Strat, so I ended up with Tokai Goldstar Sound Springy sound Strats for around £155 each and the were superb. I later learned that it was Tokai's excellent products that inspired Fender to build some competition under the Squier brand. I still think that those early Tokais were better that the Squiers - marginally. I still have one and it's as good as my 1962 Fender Strat.
There's no doubt that there's a 'snobbery' thing going on with what's written on the headstock, I suffered it myself a few years ago but these days I don't care. I saw ELO a couple of years ago live and there were two Squier Classic Vibe Strats playing big parts in that show.
The main factor will always be the player, not the instrument, echo or amp. As long as a guitar plays and sounds 'right' and stays in tune, that's really all that matters. Will we ever accept that though ?