Flatwounds on your hollowbody guitars? Anyone?

Elliot Easton · Aug 7, 2009

I heard about the tweed Deluxe at Van Gelder's too. I'll bet some of the guys brought their own but who knows? Yeah, it's heartbreaking when you point out the fact that GG's peers could afford the best and he played a budget model but again, just purely from a functional perspective that 330 is such a unique, cool design. 330s and Casinos: where else do you find a thinline P-90 guitar that's completely hollow with the better upper fret access? It's a great recipe for a soulful, expressive instrument...

Gitfiddler · Aug 7, 2009

Great thread!! :salude

I love Grant Green's style and tone. He really could do funky-jazz way before any of the modern day 'smooth jazz' players got into the mix. If one listens to Benson, they'll hear a lot of Green's licks (as well as Charlie Christian's licks)...and that ain't a bad thing.

Back to flats on hollowbody gits...Johnny A. uses them on some of his signature guitars and gets a huge tone. His guitar is a solid wood, full hollow style instrument, about the size of a smallish 335/330. Very tonefull player to boot.

Elliot Easton · Aug 7, 2009

BillyB said:
Absolutely Elliot - i'm not having a dig at the 330 - they are seriously cool guitars, and i'd kill for a '59. It's just seeing George Benson and Kenny Burrell with their Super 400's and Pat Martino with his Johnny Smith/L-5, Wes with his L-5, Grant was up there with them, yet chose a more 'budget' guitar - which I guess that equally says that abalone inlays and gold plating don't make the player eace2

Edit - I heard that George Benson's recent recordings featured both an original Charlie Christian era ES 150 and an early ES 330; who can guess that they originally belonged to Charlie and Grant!? As far as amps Grant Green used - I don't know, but at the Van Gelder's studios, i've heard about a few different amps - there was either a Tweed Deluxe, a brownface Deluxe or an Ampeg. Whatever it was, it gave that tube grind at the low acoustic volume of a Saxophone or Piano. Anyone know for sure?

one thing worth noting is that while all those other players used fancy archtops w/carved spruce tops, the 330 is plywood. this, like a 175 would have given gg a more purely electric tone and maybe that sweet bluesy vibe is part of what we blues and rock fans respond to in his sound. am i overthinking this?:lol :lol :lol

handwerk · Jan 15, 2018

Elliot Easton said:
Flatwounds on a 330? Think Grant Green-one of the prettiest tones ever!

off subject a bit. i wondered how you feel about which guitar you might prefer. the lennon signature 1965, sunburst, or the vos 330 59 reissue? if you had to choose one?

Elliot Easton · Jan 29, 2018

handwerk said:
off subject a bit. i wondered how you feel about which guitar you might prefer. the lennon signature 1965, sunburst, or the vos 330 59 reissue? if you had to choose one?

I have 2 of the Lennon USA 1965 Casinos. I love both, but the Casino is 5-ply and the 330 3-ply so maybe the Casino is a bit more feedback resistant. Plus of course, there's The Beatles connection...

handwerk · Jan 30, 2018

Elliot Easton said:
I have 2 of the Lennon USA 1965 Casinos. I love both, but the Casino is 5-ply and the 330 3-ply so maybe the Casino is a bit more feedback resistant. Plus of course, there's The Beatles connection...

that's the thing. the 330 i have, 59 dos reissue is 3 ply but noticeably thicker than the 5 ply lennon i have, (1965). i had a revolution one and that one was thinner as well. so epiphone makes them thinner. weird.

Flatwounds on your hollowbody guitars? Anyone?

Elliot Easton

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Elliot Easton

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