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Mick Ronson's guitar solo in David Bowie's Life on Mars :: lesson

1242

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
106
This is a tutorial for Mick's brilliant solo in Life on Mars. I am pretty sure it will be his Les Paul Custom through a Marshall. Here, I've recorded it with an 2005 R9 and a 2010 R0 in Garageband. It's a fine, bluesy piece of work.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cRteo7fyIX8" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
 

springhead

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
262
Thank you for that, wonderfully demonstrated. I've always loved that little break. Such a carefully constructed few bars that lead the song back into the verse. What a talent he was.

And yes, has to be the Custom/Marshall combination, without the Tonebender or the 'cocked-wah' pedal.
 

1242

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
106
And yes, has to be the Custom/Marshall combination, without the Tonebender or the 'cocked-wah' pedal.

I think you've got the elements behind Mick's awesome tone spot-on there, Springhead :salude
 

springhead

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
262
We play a few Ronson era Bowie songs and have a gig next month. I'm building a combined Mk1 Tonebender and cocked wah pedal to try and get some of that Spiders guitar sound.
 

1242

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Messages
106
We play a few Ronson era Bowie songs and have a gig next month. I'm building a combined Mk1 Tonebender and cocked wah pedal to try and get some of that Spiders guitar sound.

Fantastic. It's an awesome tone. Enjoy your gig and I hope it goes really well :dude:
 

thin sissy

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
2,691
Thanks, MB. What a sad loss, such a gifted musician taken at such a young age. The music lives on.
Yeah, Mick's one of the few guitarists I've listened to sooo much and STILL get impressed and surprised by how good he was. And not just his playing, just his person and his writing/arranging/engineering.
 
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