Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

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Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby fenderplucker » Sun May 29, 2022 1:22 pm

I am probably not alone in having been slightly disappointed that, for many tunes, Hank’s sound in live performances such as the Final Tour and the Reunited tour did not replicate more closely those of the original recordings. Where was the percussive sound of the early tunes like Apache and FBI, where was the edginess of Frightened City and Man of Mystery, the warmth of Kon Tiki and Dance On, the bell-like sounds of Sleepwalk and Blue Star. Instead, by and large, we got a sort of generic Strat-Vox sound and mainly use of just the bridge pickup, albeit at least with the correct echo timings.

How is it that other iconic bands like Queen, Pink Floyd, The Eagles and many others manage to reproduce on stage more closely the sounds of the records that made them famous? I think that the answer lies in their attention to the detail of their rigs and playing styles. It is fascinating to Google the Rig Rundowns of artists like Joe Bonamassa, Richie Blackmore, Angus Young, The Edge, Slash, Brian May, Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather, Peter Frampton and Carlos Santana, to name just a few. In many cases, whether heavy rock or clean, they generally use either the same, or vintage equivalents, of the gear that made them famous.

So here is my list of what I consider to be the ideal rig rundown for Hank.

First the guitars. The three Custom Strats that he used for these tours all had the same pickups and hence same overall sound. The different gauge strings had a slight impact on tone, but I suspect were mainly used for playability concerns. The only real tone variation came from occasional use of the Burns 6 and 12 strings. Instead, I would propose the following:

1. For early tunes up to Frightened City (May 1961): The original 34346, with an Oasis Strat as backup, both fitted with either 12’s or 13’s. Careful attention to string selection to get the percussive attack and restrained sustain, possibly even half round to get the effect of well-used strings.
2. For later tunes from mid 1961 to 1964: an early 1960’s Strat with a Rosewood board, and for backup a rosewood custom shop Strat fitted with CS54, 57/62, Kinman Magnum Opus 59 or Impersonator MV pickups, both fitted with 12’s. Maybe another custom shop Strat with the same pickups but fitted with 11’s, again for playability.
3. For the Burns period from 1964 to 1971: a 1964 or 1965 Marvin, with a Legend as backup. Also a 12-string and double 6, depending upon the set list.
4. For the more modern tunes, a couple of custom shop Strats fitted with Kinman AvN 59/62 (or Impersonator 54) and DiMarzio/Seymour Duncan pickups. Probably 11’s and/or 10’s.
5. A couple of acoustics, again depending upon the set list.

I have suggested modern instruments as backups to keep a lid on costs, but they would need to be selected for tone and playability. Guitar leads would be preferable, although a Shure radio link could be used if it employed the right capacitive loading and/or followed by some basic equalisation to maintain the tone.

Echo unit: It would be too risky to rely upon vintage drum or tape units for major concerts, and furthermore many would be required to cover the range of echoes used. So no surprises here: a programmable echo unit with true vintage tones and echoes like a TVS3. Also a second unit as backup in case a tube or something else should fail, since it would be used for just about all tunes. Midi control for both.

Amplifiers: The amplifiers used for these and most other Shadows concerts were just set and left unchanged throughout the concert, again limiting the tonal variety evident on the recordings of the various tunes. My choices are:

1. Early tunes (Apache to FBI): A 1960 vintage AC15 with EF86 and Goodmans Audiom 60 speaker.
2. Early 1961 tunes (Frightened City, Kon Tiki era): A 1960 TV front AC30/4 with a Goodmans Audiom 60 and a Celestion B024, separately miked up.
3. Early-mid 1961 tunes onwards (Peace Pipe, Wonderful Land etc.) A 1963/4 AC 30/6 top boost with Celestion T530 Blues and bass set at around ¼ and treble at ¾ , top cut to suit Inputs switched by midi controller either to Top Boost or Normal channels.
4. Another 1963/4 AC30/6 top boost but with bass and treble set near max and top cut to suit (Atlantis, South of the Border etc.).

All amps miked up just off axis to suit most tunes and signals fed to high quality mic preamps, thence to a midi switcher to select the appropriate amp/mic. Maybe amp 3 could have two mics: one near axis and a second further off-axis. No backup amplifiers since, at a pinch, others could be switched in should there be a failure in one.

Effects units, (either vintage or a programmable multi effect unit) depending upon the set list:

1. Volume/wah pedal (s) on stage (Argentina, Rodrigo, Janine, Lost City). Possibly both Morley and De Armond
2. Overdrive (Sasha, The Warlord)
3. Tremolo (Voice in the Wilderness)
4. Compression (Atlantis and many others to a varying degree)
5. Equalisation (to nail the recorded sounds)
6. Chorus/rotary (Janine)
7. Auto double tracking (Foot Tapper, Theme for Young Lovers)
8. Reverb

The effects units could be switched in either before or after the echo unit, though the ADT, compression, equalisation and reverb would likely follow the amplifier/mic midi switcher, and each selected by the midi switching unit. The compressor, equaliser and reverb would need to be particularly high quality (probably rack mount) units with the ability to have their parameters controlled by midi to suit each particular tune. Maybe even an original Altec RS124 just for Atlantis and the like.

The midi switching to suit the various tunes would be operated by a skilled audio technician who would also continuously monitor the final feeds to the main desk, on-stage or in-ear monitors and front of house sound to ensure authentic reproduction of the original sounds.

Finally, a comment on Hank’s playing style. As I demonstrated in the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXp9gMU0pLc Hank’s playing style has changed over the years from the raw energy of Apache and the early tunes to a more melodic, singing style. In order to faithfully reproduce that early sound he would need to revert to a style appropriate to the various tunes.

Obviously, now just a pipe dream but what are dreams for?

Paul.
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby bazmusicman » Sun May 29, 2022 2:34 pm

Wow.....Thanks Paul, that narrows it down for all us wonna' be's! Brilliant stuff.

Regards,
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby Tigerdaisy » Mon May 30, 2022 8:35 am

I don't think it's that simple- all the various sound combinations would need to be sound checked, plus the fact you wouldn't need all those different bits of equipment- maybe a couple of guitars plus the Burns...you probably don't even need the Burns.
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby dave robinson » Mon May 30, 2022 10:01 am

Paul did say 'ideal' which covers all bases.
Personally I could do it satisfactory with a couple of Strats strung with heavy & light and the Burns & a couple of acoustic electrics, using the Kemper as the amp and echo through and FRFR speaker on stage and out front via the PA, in fact I'm working on it for future projects.
I have two Strats from 1961 & 1963, Along with a modern one too, plus the Burns Marvin & Double Six and Martin & Gibson acoustics plus my Acoustic Paul Brett 12 string which should cover all bases, so no outlay for me to do that. :)
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby fenderplucker » Mon May 30, 2022 4:02 pm

Exactly Dave,

I was imagining what might have been possible on a world tour of major stadiums with tickets costing many hundreds of dollars per seat and an expectation of experiencing a truly authentic stage appearance and sound. What I came up with would be clearly way out of the question for local venues and the like on at least two grounds: the cost and complexity of it all and an audience that in part would most likely be satisfied with less than perfection.

However, that said, I would guess that back in the real world some of the amplifier tonal variations might be possible with an advanced modeller (like the Kemper you have been playing with) in an attempt to get closer to the original sounds. One would just have to get the impulse responses for the suggested vintage amplifier/speaker combinations. With the guitars you have and the TVS3 you should be able to get very close, assuming of course a playing style that closely replicated Hank's. However, even then while the extra effort might be worthwhile for a "Shadows tribute" performance, it still might not be warranted for a more general gig.

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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby tolo » Mon May 30, 2022 7:03 pm

fenderplucker wrote: Finally, a comment on Hank’s playing style.


I think you really hit the bottom line here Paul - the 'secret' is one which cannot be replicated. In those early years - his sound was all about attack - hard on some notes and soft on others - and some flaws / mistakes on a take that became 'genius' and now I hear folks desperately trying to copy them. This is a boy / man in his youth - when the band were on a high, life was exciting and the boys had the world at their feet - and adrenaline (and no doubt other things) was pumping through their veins - you can hear it across the whole band actually - not just Hank. Listen to Bruce - it is the same. Listen to the attitude of Jet - unmistakable.

The vibrancy of those recordings cannot be replicated by 40, 50, 60 and beyond year olds... Those recordings are of a time in those peoples lives... I cannot begin to imagine how many times Hank and the Shadows have played those hits - but at some point thru' the years it becomes routine, and work, and another show, and another audience - the first thing to go would be the novelty of the tune - and it happens fast. I remember being in a band and you would always perform your newest material with vigour and energy - and then there were songs that you really didn't enjoy playing so much because they were... well...'old'.

In 'that sound' there is youth, hormones, excitement, adrenaline and hope - give me a pedal that can deliver those things...
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby Tigerdaisy » Mon May 30, 2022 7:46 pm

tolo wrote:
fenderplucker wrote: Finally, a comment on Hank’s playing style.


I think you really hit the bottom line here Paul - the 'secret' is one which cannot be replicated. In those early years - his sound was all about attack - hard on some notes and soft on others - and some flaws / mistakes on a take that became 'genius' and now I hear folks desperately trying to copy them. This is a boy / man in his youth - when the band were on a high, life was exciting and the boys had the world at their feet - and adrenaline (and no doubt other things) was pumping through their veins - you can hear it across the whole band actually - not just Hank. Listen to Bruce - it is the same. Listen to the attitude of Jet - unmistakable.

The vibrancy of those recordings cannot be replicated by 40, 50, 60 and beyond year olds... Those recordings are of a time in those peoples lives... I cannot begin to imagine how many times Hank and the Shadows have played those hits - but at some point thru' the years it becomes routine, and work, and another show, and another audience - the first thing to go would be the novelty of the tune - and it happens fast. I remember being in a band and you would always perform your newest material with vigour and energy - and then there were songs that you really didn't enjoy playing so much because they were... well...'old'.

In 'that sound' there is youth, hormones, excitement, adrenaline and hope - give me a pedal that can deliver those things...


I think you've summed it up to a tee. I listened to some older Shadows recordings the other day of some of their older numbers and they were playing them all wrong and I mean badly wrong like it was a different tune.
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby dave robinson » Mon May 30, 2022 10:49 pm

Good points but I never fail to enjoy playing the old stuff because that's what made me turn professional and have a fairly successful career.
I have a lot of respect for the music of the early sixties and still enjoy playing.
The new gear is handy because it saves carting heavy stuff around, but I still own quite a bit of it. :)
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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby fenderplucker » Tue May 31, 2022 3:43 am

If I might add some more to the conversation, to my mind Hank seems to regard guitar playing as his primary interest, often with the sound being dictated by what was fairly readily available, either on stage or in the studio. However, this was probably not at all uncommon back in the era when they started to become famous. There was a much more limited choice of equipment and artists tended to have just one guitar and one amplifier. This was further exacerbated when equipment sponsorship came into vogue, further limiting choice. Nevertheless, many artists did come to value the concept of a "signature" sound and managed to carry the same sort of set ups into the future. I suppose that the unreliability of the drum Meazzis didn't help, with the alternative tape units not faring much better under intensive use. He did seek alternatives like the Echoplex and Rolands but they could never replace the Meazzis. And one only has to listen to some of the many recordings of live performances that are now becoming available to wonder: "what was he thinking?".

With regard to playing style, I find it hard to accept that someone with his enormous talent couldn't replicate his early technique to get a more authentic sound if he recognized the need.

With modern technology, the fact remains that for those tours it would have been quite feasible to better recreate the sound of the early recordings. However, I am sure than many fans were very happy to go to the concerts just to see and hear the great man in person, as evidenced by the sell-out attendances.

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Re: Hank's Ideal Live Rig Rundown

Postby neil2726 » Tue May 31, 2022 10:41 am

Of course in the early days the live sound was in much smaller venues with differing accoustics - theatres etc. No mics in front of the amps - just the natural amp sound. Hank adjusted his own echo, and swapped pick up positions for the different sounds. The more modern concerts were in much larger venues, sound and echo all controlled through the desk, Hank just uses mainly the bridge pick up - I guess that tone change were also done from the desk? I saw them with Cliff in 64/65 in a theatre and the PA was just 2 Selmer columns - looked like 4 x10 or 4 x12 in each, one each side of the stage!
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