Bonamassa Fender??

mudslide73

RocknRollDave said:

I think part of the problem is how prolific he is. Hard not to repeat yourself when you're releasing records so close together. 

Nail firmly hit on the head. He could just do with leaving it alone for a while. He'll just be using his old backline mic'd up off stage anyway. 

Samgb

stonevibe said:

Adam_MD said:

stonevibe;382335" said:

For me both Satriani and Bonamassa are musicians that are great at doing what they do.

Just its a little boring hearing variations on a theme year after year.

So I appreciate the talent, but don't enjoy the music.

Totally agree, they're really great players but their music just doesn't float my boat... Deep breath... I also don't really get Steve Vai or Yngwie either. Again phenomenal players but i don't like their music.

Now if you'll excuse me I'll get my coat.

Ditto.

And I'll add SRV to that list as well.

Great player, but I find the music boring.

I have a problem when it becomes about being a great guitarist rather than making interesting music via the medium of being a great guitarist.

SRV is something of an exception in that his thing was Blues (capital but as with so many of these things, the more purist/12 bar-y he got then the less interesting i find it. I really like some of his more interesting songs like Change It or Crossfire and wish hed gone more down that path than 'heres another Albert King ripoff' . He may well have been   headed that way but obviously we wont ever know.

The stuff about Satriani, Vai, Yngwie i agree 100%. Its just kind of dull. 

richardhomer

mudslide73;382673" said:

RocknRollDave said:

I think part of the problem is how prolific he is. Hard not to repeat yourself when you're releasing records so close together. 

Nail firmly hit on the head. He could just do with leaving it alone for a while. He'll just be using his old backline mic'd up off stage anyway. 

The Beatles were far more prolific and took a lot more turns than simply changing their amps. That said, there were four people involved in the creating...

It seems to me, that very rarely do you find someone who is both a gifted instrumentalist and a great writer - or even a great interpreter of other people's songs. And when I say 'gifted' I mean someone of exceptional technical ability - I'm not referring to people like Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, et al.

Bonamassa is undeniably a fine player - though not one who if I heard on the radio I would instantly recognise. He sounds like a generic 'High-octane' blues/rock player to me - albeit a very good one.

If he's encouraged people to play - good on him. If he entertains 'dad rock' fans with PRS bomber jackets - good on him.

When he called in Tone World, the guys there reckon he was very down to earth and great to deal with.

But there is a 'but' for me - the musical framework he operates within is very limited. Stand-out songs are what make careers - Still Got The Blues, Layla, Comfortably Numb, Brothers in Arms and the like exist outside of the guitar parts - they are listened to (and loved) by non-players. Rather like Roy Buchanan - who is one of my all-time guitar heroes - Bonamassa's audience is made up of players.

Given that, his level of success is remarkable - but may be hard to maintain.

Moltisanti

there are very few "virtuosos" who make genuinely good music, the above mentioned are in that bracket, and I have to say I feel the same way about Guthrie.

He's a phenomenal player no doubt (and a lovely person, i have met him), and with Steven Wilson his playing is even better, but his own stuff doing the "fusion" muzak stuff does nothing for me if i'm honest

RocknRollDave

richardhomer said:

mudslide73;382673" said:

RocknRollDave said:

I think part of the problem is how prolific he is. Hard not to repeat yourself when you're releasing records so close together. 

Nail firmly hit on the head. He could just do with leaving it alone for a while. He'll just be using his old backline mic'd up off stage anyway. 

The Beatles were far more prolific and took a lot more turns than simply changing their amps. That said, there were four people involved in the creating...

Well this is true, this is true.

I think JoBo's a much more conservative type of chap than the Beatles were, which impacts his writing/ development as an artist (read: he doesn't take enough drugs to make music as interesting as the Beatles....)

Maybe his musical horizons just aren't broad enough. The Beatles, for all their faults, were incredibly open-minded musically. Didn't always lead to brilliant results, of course, but still...

Elx

Always interesting, these discussions. For example, I find Yngwie exciting and a great composer (but of course you have to give the guy a chance and actually listen to some of his music), and Bonamassa dull and boring, and the songwriting mediocre and unexciting...

Panama_Jack666

All the Bonamassa haters are jealous they're not selling out arenas with some of the best muscians in the world whilst being able to fund the biggest case of GAS the world has ever known. Even if you don't like his music, you've got to admit you'd like to be in his shoes!

I understand the market is saturated with Bonamassa branded stuff but the gear he ties his name to tends to be at a pretty good standard.

Dave_Mc

shuikit said:

I've never really understood guitar endorsements, it's not like sports where, for example a tennis player is endorsed by a tennis stick brand and the player uses that tennis stick in a match, then breaks a string and goes into a tennis bag (same brand) full of exactly the same tennis stick. Then when they train, they use the same stick etc..

Guitar players on the other hand, happily say they use all this different gear in the studio and on the road etc. I'm pretty sure I've seen a couple rig rundowns where the endorsee doesn't even at least say they use the gear they endorse. I find it all a bit mad tbh.

Yeah all those golfers and tennis players making sure their watch (which they weren't even wearing while playing) is in shot when interviewed on TV make much more sense!

RocknRollDave said:

So, JoBo's on about changing his backline...and he's already on record saying Kevin Shirley nagged him out of his usual "stock" giutar licks on this latest albums (you know, those Eric Johnsonisms)...I'm getting the sense of a guy that feels he has painted himself into a corner, musically.
And I agree with him.

That's about the only thing I don't like about JB... every time I listen to him I can't shake the notion that I'd just rather listen to Eric Johnson. ) I prefer EJ's music and think he's a better player, too.

That being said I'll totally take a decent lead guitar player getting fairly famous, considering the alternative a lot of the time. I know I make jokes about JB, but they're just jokes. I do generally like him. ) (Same goes for malmsteen and co too.)

Panama_Jack666 said:

All the Bonamassa haters are jealous they're not selling out arenas with some of the best muscians in the world whilst being able to fund the biggest case of GAS the world has ever known.

You haven't been to TGP, have you?

Actually there's a thought, someone should try to talk JB into signing up there. If you thought the credit crunch of 2008 was bad...

Skipped

It's not a bad move - assuming that we are just talking amps.
Watch him on Youtube plugging a Les Paul into pretty much anything - still sounds like him.
When I look at the clip of him playing the Bernie Marsden 'Burst through the 1 watt Marshall/Andertons head....my reaction is: What is JB's pedal board for exactly? To get his sound he just needs a great Les Paul and a decent valve amp (OK - a  bit of delay to hand as well).

I think I would have taken Fender's money without worrying about being compromised in any way. They just need to make sure that the tone controls work. A lot.

Neil

Moltisanti said:

there are very few "virtuosos" who make genuinely good music, the above mentioned are in that bracket, and I have to say I feel the same way about Guthrie.

He's a phenomenal player no doubt (and a lovely person, i have met him), and with Steven Wilson his playing is even better, but his own stuff doing the "fusion" muzak stuff does nothing for me if i'm honest

I agree. 

The virtuosos are probably spending all of their time practising their twiddling,  whilst others spent their time writing fine songs without widdle and to me it is all about the song.

I watched a couple of JB concerts on Sky arts and found them really boring and devoid of any emotion.

Easy guitar or not I would far rather listen to The Clash or Ramones.

Loobs

You can have fantastic and complex playing with good music too.

Evilmags

Satriani and Vai changed the way people looked and thought about their instrument, Bonamassa did not. Vai's composition is well out there and not for everyone, but I find most criticism of him is based on a "there is no way I could do this, I don't understand this musically so it must be shite" attitude.

JoBo 's most annoying thing is is publicist. For that genre he is not a patch on Warren Haynes, Kenny Wayne Sheppard or Derrick Trucks. He's perfectly listenable to but the hype is way beyond the talent.

Van_Hayden

Yes but according to his facebook post today he's "legendary" at least he's no longer "the greatest living blues man". Sack the publicist....

Evilmags

Legendry. BB king, hendrix, Led Zeppelin. Muddy, Sabbath, Zappa.....

Van_Hayden

Maybe they ment Leg End?

Alnico

I didn't realise transfer season had started !

DrJazzTap

I don't dislike JoBo, it's not for me personally. The image thing I get that, not knocking him. I just don't like his music. I have to admit the JoBo 335 though, was a step too far for me (hence the jibe). I'm sure it's fine guitar and all that. I just think you should just have one signature model and that's that (even though a Les Paul is already a signature?).
I did feel like a boob though, because as others have rightly pointed out this is to do with his backline. Not his guitars. But again I'm sure he has some sort of Dumble signature model knock off already doesn't he?

I have no issue with him earning a living etc etc. If people didn't buy his stuff, then manufacturers wouldn't make it.

Dave_Mc

Evilmags said:

(a) Satriani and Vai changed the way people looked and thought about their instrument, Bonamassa did not. Vai's composition is well out there and not for everyone, but I find most criticism of him is based on a "there is no way I could do this, I don't understand this musically so it must be shite" attitude.

(b) JoBo 's most annoying thing is is publicist. For that genre he is not a patch on Warren Haynes, Kenny Wayne Sheppard or Derrick Trucks. He's perfectly listenable to but the hype is way beyond the talent.

(a) I love satch and vai yet I still look at my guitar with my eyes?

(b) Agreed. I like him, but to me he's a decent-to-pretty-good player. There are plenty of other players who are just as good, and maybe better (obviously, in my opinion) who aren't getting the same recognition. As I said above, though, considering there could very easily be no guitar players getting recognition like that, I'll take it!

Neil

Evilmags said:

JoBo 's most annoying thing is is publicist. For that genre he is not a patch on Warren Haynes, Kenny Wayne Sheppard or Derrick Trucks. He's perfectly listenable to but the hype is way beyond the talent.

Definitely agree.

Three wonderful and emotive players far above JB.

Aidanspaghetti

Feck this crap... Get fender to bring out a Joe Holmes model and I'm in. Tgp has it's knickers in a twist over this...