Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) Rig Tour

Billy Gibbons and his guitar tech Elwood Francis talk us through Billy's guitar gear

[@kennethchambers9949]

Saw ZZ in 73 when they both had little stubby red beards. It was an awesome experience. I bought my first real guitar the next day.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

"Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure ... THAT ONE GUITAR SLUNG WAY DOWNLOW"

[@rlk4321]

Hot Blue & Righteous Lost me after spinning furry instruments for mtv crowd...those first 3 albums tho!!

[@SR-xk8cd]

In addition to being a great guitarist, Billy Gibbons has the most soothing voice.

[@monmixer]

He could certain;ly do some voice acting and or narration.

[@BluesUrbano22]

Begging at 2:55 appears Elwood Francis, the guitar tech that NOW is filling the spot left open by Dusty Hill (with his blessing). This is a bittersweet story.

[@ix-Xafra]

Loved seeing the setlist Was playin' ZZ's Bus as an opening number back in the early 90s Have mercy!

[@tidepoolbay]

I never get tired of this!

[@blitzburghbilly7813]

NIIIICE COLLECTION THERE REV. AND VERY KOOL STORY'S ABOUT EACH 1 OF THEM 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸..... ( KNUCKLE👊🏽BUMP ) Billy F. Gibbons.....

[@TheVatonaught]

whew a real guitar for your 13th birthday and a first instrument... great parenting I must say.

[@keithtpc1508]

This thang is quite a machiiiinnnnnne, Oh yes sir it is. Love Billy Gibbons

[@scottv8410]

my first guitar was a melody maker too. i am honored to have something in common with mr. gibbons. i have my eye out for one because the one i started on was borrowed and returned a long time ago. it happened to have been born in my birthday year too (1962) so it would be nostalgic for me to find and play one again someday before my hands stop working.

[@cliffords2315]

I bought a 59' Melody Maker for $150 talk about a deal of a lifetime, i did upgrade it with a 1960 PAF humbucking. I gave it to my drummer freind, when our band split up. He still plays it to this day,

[@scottv8410]

@@cliffords2315 i found a 62 on reverb and my wife bought it for me for my 60th birthday. the guitar and i are both 60 now and we enjoy hanging out together and making good music.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

@@scottv8410 God bless you sir, keep rockin!

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Looking for one for my 8 year old grandson. Somebody knew what they were doing when they got ya one! 🤙🤙

[@gnawbabygnaw]

@@scottv8410❤

[@andrewpappas9311]

Super cool seeing Billy himself do this, I’ve always seen his tech Elwood do the rig rundowns so it’s awesome to see Billy talk about his guitars at the beginning

[@scurfie2343]

When I saw ZZTop, Billy only had the Gibson Les Paul. That was a long time ago.

[@wls64]

even back in the old days he used a Tele... look at the old concert footage using customized Teles…. heck that's where the old tune "apologies to pearly" comes from as it was recorded on a Tele. Not to mention on many of the old studio recordings he used a hardtail strat

[@MrThisIsMeToo]

They were a lot better sounding and real back then!

[@uwetittmann1423]

You know what, if i may? When we played my age as guitar player 15/16 in our Band in the mid Sixties in Germany as a Rockband I had my 1961 Gibson SG/Les Paul, running into a Fender 100 Watt Showman Amp with a WEM Tape Echo and some kind of a Spiral Echo and Echolette Gesangsanlage and so forth - now you come with all that complicated stuff? Our power cam directly out of our amps full blown from stage, no PA, Echolette only for the singing. What great time that was.

[@stephenmccoy8005]

Billy’s guitars are bad ass just like the guy who plays them. Cool to see a younger Elwood.

[@jbspur]

This Elwood fellow I have heard is a genuis and is great!

[@ethanmoeckel753]

That guitar is a 1962 Gibson Melody Maker he got for Christmas when he was 13. Great reproduction done by John Bolin from Downey (suburb of Houston, Texas). Go check him out.

[@adam872]

Wow those JMP-1's show up in all sorts of places. Great little preamps they are too.

[@johnstitt2615]

Yep. They sure are ✌️👌🎸

[@Timbretwo]

My road tech was my girlfriend who would change the 9 volt batteries in my Distortion, Chorus and Delay pedals before the weekend. I could never teach her how to change the strings right on the Strat and Les Paul though.

[@carlosmatos9848]

Those Magnatones that he plays now sound really damn good

[@johngafa3480]

I notice that the strings on most (if not all) of Billy's Gibson type guitars are wrapped around the stop bar.

[@voodooamps]

Many are calling/emailing regarding the Modded JMP-1 preamps featured in this video. I would like to say that the exact same Mod we did for Billy Gibbons is available to everyone. Please visit our website or contact us.

[@slothyb2412]

I just met Elwood at a Palm Springs casino cool dude

[@NoyzyBoyZ3]

I love that Melody Maker!!

[@marvelharris9540]

Just listen to the fantastic tone live and say that again! John knows what he is doing... light guitars and light gauge strings just fly in the face of all the tough guys out there...lol

[@enricopallazzo2987]

I damn near blew tendons trying for the "more metal for the magnets" tone chasing, here's this dude rocking 7s or 8s. LMAO

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

La Grange on the playlist, I would pay money just to hear that live !

[@tomcoryell]

Love the Gibbons on the headstock

[@Diggerdog2nd]

Holy shit Billy's got an Boss SE 70. Well I got the earlier version called SE 50 & it has many awesome effects. I love it so much I bought a second one just cause they are discontinued.

[@shinyoneincarnate5565]

Back in 1983 I used to share an apartment in Chicago with a guy who worked at Dean Guitars. One day he came back to the apartment & told me that he went into work that day, & there was a guitar & bass covered with fur on his work bench. He though it was a joke & threw them both in the trash bin. The founder Dean Barrett Zelinsky came running out of his office waving his hands over his head yelling: "No No No. Those are for Z Z Top." Those were the guitars featured in the 1983 Legs video. Dean Guitars was latter sold. Dean started a new company called DBZ Guitars, which he also sold.

[@rlk4321]

Roadied w Skynyrd they'd share who closed....I asked Leon Gary side stage...when you guys getting furry instruments?? After cracking up Rossi says rvz would rise from grave and kill us all!! My next q was...can you req. Hot,Blue, Righteous Leon says mtv wouldn't allow any old bluesy stuff..w that we left to play pool stay up 3 days w Escobar[>

[@ethanmoeckel753]

Out of Elwood Francis' mouth, he said that Billy has two Marshall JMP-1 MIDI preamps. One set up dirty going to two Marshall power amps. And the SECOND JMP-1 has a clean sound that goes to a tape recorder for recoding ("reamping") purposes.

[@gfd215]

Saw Billy Gibbons 2017 the first he said to me: "....you have a nice beard..." so we laughed together...and he made a foto of us....

[@bigmonmagoomba9634]

This shows us what Elwood really looks like.

[@JohnOBryan]

In another video it describes Billy's eq system. They took I believe it was his original Pearly Gates and stored the eq curve into that machine. Then any guitar he plus into it, the eq automatically makes that guitar sound just like the original Pearly Gates. I have seen them in concert and no matter which guitar he plays they all sound the same. Very cool stuff.

[@fretbuzz59]

+John O'Bryan I've seen that video. That whole EQ idea is odd to me. I mean, why play different guitars if you're gonna EQ them to all sound the same?!

[@JIMJAMSC]

+fretbuzz59 -You will find that we all do that subconsciously anyways.I got 35+ guitars,a dozen or so heads/cabs and countless pedals after 40 yrs of noodling I end up with this ZZ Top/early EVH,Joe Perry tone and style. You have this built in permanent tone in your head and no matter what gear you have you can tweek, experiment,run through gear but always gravitate towards it. Pedals and heads to add gain,some to clean it up,some add treble and some to add bass. You know you are simply buying gear and tweeking just out of habit and addiction when Klons are 2+ grand because they are "transparent" and do not color the tone. HAHA... And yeah I have 2. Hopelessly tone chasing my own tail.

[@fretbuzz59]

JIMJAMSC Yes, I agree that we each have a tone in our head that we gravitate toward regardless of what we're playing. But Gibbons is doing that in the extreme. I still want different-sounding guitars to sound different than each other.

[@JIMJAMSC]

I get it. Yeah I have made fun of some of the Rig rundown vids. Enough wire to rewire a aircraft carrier. Hundreds of compressors,eqs,preamps,modelling software,computers. Ends up looking like the deck of the Enterprise. Then the guitarist talks about his "clean " tone and how his beatup guitar "breathes" better than the identical one with thick nitro paint.

[@bloozedaddy]

I'm gonna submit that no guitar sounds "just like the original Pearly Gates"... EQ or not.

[@pzolsky]

he uses .007 gauge strings on 24.7 inch scale length on weight-relieved guitars. no wonder he's still up there at it

[@cliffords2315]

arthritis he stil makes it work though

[@meltedfro]

10 years later elwood's playing in zz now and hes an amazing bassist

[@hughmanatee7657]

Love those Magnatones!

[@brunningwolf]

Love ZZ TOP.

[@kenmullins1665]

MAGNATONE!!!!!!

[@bcatalogrecords]

I wanna see/know more about the 2 sets of black Kustom PA speakers on stage. Used for monitoring? or just looks?

[@jayferrante1434]

@2:30, their play list.. Those were the songs they played on tour 2012, I saw them twice last year.

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Keep up the good work Grasshopper and someday you might be playing bass with your working buddies. ❤

[@Siwieto1958]

For his sound the are best.

[@moncorp1]

What would Earnest Tubb have done?

[@houstonicilalune6510]

J'adore 🤟🏻🕶️🥃🥃

[@lemonpi3386]

Does this mean that a lot of Billy's signature tone is based on the micing setup in those enclosed cabinets? I would think you would be able to get a very similar sound regardless of venue with that setup

[@mrabrasive51]

Lemonpi3 I think that's the reason..same tone no matter where you play!

[@cary3428]

The bulk of Billy's tone comes from his hands. Plug him into any decent blues/rock rig, and it will sound a lot like Billy Gibbons.

[@qg3726]

Talk about your "Behind The Scenes" of Guitar Rig!!.. NOW The "Tech Man" is out in "Front" playing The Bass for the "Late & GREAT" Dusty..

[@ronnieking1025]

Chuck Berry The Guitar The Cable and The Amp.

[@5150powder]

Ya. Thats it. And how did it sound. Fucken awesome!

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Is the bass octave for his voice? Always wondered what he might sometimes use? RBG 🤙🤙❤

[@fanoboss]

There needs to be a reality show based on the lives of Mr Elwood and Mr Moon .... oh yeah, and Mr Billy

[@TheSdrake1967]

DId he mean to say he chambered the neck? I have never heard of that and I dont see haow that would be possible or a good idea???

[@joepaul9855]

No pearly gates on tour anymore!....cant blame him for that..

[@livewire2759]

@Fuzzy Butkus He's been offered 5 mil for it and laughed. That guitar is irreplaceable. Unless the insurance company can come up with another vintage '59 that was built exactly the same, then they are useless, and considering that Billy has collected hundreds (perhaps thousands) of guitars and never found one that even compares to Pearly, I think it's safe to say that no insurance company ever will. You simply can't put a value on a guitar like that. Someday she will be buried with Billy, they will be together for eternity.

[@therugburnz]

Chambered Melody Maker, why? Mine only weighed 2kg. Sounded great tho.

[@ozoneswiftak]

Yep, the 59.

[@Tickbryan]

No strats. Playing live on this level requires lots of technological experience and planning. They plan their show and stick to it every night. Contingency plans for every aspect are required. When you are a three piece band it’s hard to cover if one piece drops out. This is not kid stuff.

[@enricopallazzo2987]

No lies there, brother. No room for error in the power trio. And he did it with the lightest strings possible too!!!! Unbelievable.

[@lashlarue7924]

Nice. 😎

[@impala327]

Yesh, that’s not simple.

[@timthekillermiller1]

Haha. Hey, it’s Billy of Gibbons 😂

[@stevestewart-sturges2159]

Elwood does another ig rundown a few years later and still has the same doo dads and bits and pieces sitting on his desk... They are creatures of habit...

[@bubhub64]

"Comfortable and pillowlike!" 🤠

[@MOAONAABE]

suit up elwood, we're puttin you in

[@markemmerton5350]

How do you chamber a neck?

[@vincewhirlwind574]

Rout out a channel, a bit larger than a typical truss rod channel (because you have only limited room), and cover it up, or cap it, with the fingerboard.

[@raymondroberts8709]

Elwood Francis as guitar tech

[@NINEWALKING]

Hmmm. That second Pearly Gates replica has two adjustment disks or is that, God forbid, Nashville style bridge with bushings!??

[@corneliuscrewe677]

It’s two adjustment screws. It’s an old trick to stabilize the old ABR-1’s.

[@NINEWALKING]

@@corneliuscrewe677 good to hear. I am not a fan of the Nashville bridges. They kinda soak some if the tone in my opinion. My reissue R7 with ABR-1 doesn't have any issues for now but I am thinking of getting few nice nickel plated brass screws and adjustment disks anyway. Might try that old trick to. Thanks for the answering my question.

[@Toxination1]

Wow

[@maxpuppy96]

I love it, we tout Magnatone Amps, but there is always a Marshall hiding somewhere.

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

Damn I was 13 when I started playing too. So there's hope for me then eh? Lol

[@erikfraunfelter3628]

How come some guys have effects pedals and a multieffects unit for certain sounds? Why not just use pedals? Similar set up if you ask me, regardless of how much money you have.

[@Heatfarmer]

The multieffects are for stereo effects and for easy programable switching for distinct sounds that you need in, lets say one song each. Like ring modulator fx or flanging, which is kind of annoying to hit by mistake on a dark stage. the pedal are great for anything between the guitar and the amps, the multieffects for stereo and special fx.

[@TheJayrockerr]

Erik Fraunfelter-I would say in some instances, you would be correct. However, you do have remember the “Eliminator” album was pretty much all guitar synth. Some sounds, could be duplicated with pedals. Not all of them, however.

[@precbsfender]

Damn he uses 7s and 8s gauge strings WOW how completely bizarre is that! how in the world does he keep those awesome pinch harmonics and the guitar's intonation so vibrant when using such light strings?

[@precbsfender]

light gauge strings have less projection.. 11s or 12s.. dynamic power, better midrange, increased sustain... just my personal preference.. Whatever works.. to each his own..

[@precbsfender]

coffeewaldo Billy always sounds great.. But he lacks projection.. not uncommon..

[@precbsfender]

coffeewaldo Take it easy pal..

[@mabromusic3061]

Our guitarist using the 7s too and it's just perfect. Very light to play with a huge fat tone. Over the years, he tested a lot of strings, from 12s to 7s and the first time he put the 7s on his guitar it changed everything about his playing. He's going to be very much better than before. Thanks Billy, thanks Dunlop🙏🙏🙏

[@bobolsen8067]

Ive tried it on one of Billys signature Les Paul gold tops and it sounded terrible and felt even worse.So dont do it if you want to get a real good tone and something to grab on to.

[@guitarbeaver9819]

All the little tone snobs are scratching their semi bald heads lol

[@miketharipr]

I usually don't reply to two year old comments but I can't stop laughing at this comment!

[@dmilstone5709]

@@miketharipr Had the same effect on me brother. I was literally "laughin' out loud'. Spent the past half hour just scrolling through comments but loved the half bald tone snob 🤔 (damn...I resemble that remark)

[@opengee]

Hollowed-out a Melody Maker to make it lighter???

[@patrickguitar8676]

Hollow out that axe...nice...those are heavy..

[@88Gibson1]

There is nothing simple about this rig. Straight into an amp is simple

[@bobolsen8067]

It is”simple”but its still a lot of junk.

[@turolretar]

I never knew guitar snobs were knuckleheads

[@triumphmanful]

I want to hear the "fun" guitar sound ! Never heard of it .

[@js6729]

Wow! I can't believe he uses solid state power amps.

[@ryans9029]

Which power amps? I only see jpm1 rack preamps

[@amosaft7060]

how come he hasn't mentioned his dreadlocked signature hat😩

[@ForViewingOnly]

Very surprised to see a Marshall Valvestate Pro 120/120 power amp in each rig. With Billy G being a tone legend, I thought the word Valvestate would be sacrilege!

[@BrentHarmon]

My guess would be that having tubes powers amp the road can cause Elwood his tech to have replace the power tubes if needs be. Plus Billy his hung up on being Consistent with his sound.

[@corneliuscrewe677]

A lot of the tracks on Eliminator were recorded with a solid state Marshall Lead 12. He goes with what sounds good.

[@davidhoward8951]

Will he build a guitar for an individual

[@jfe-z]

Yo I got my melody maker at 13 too😳

[@stephaniehazelton8778]

the guy keeps saying Simple but it sounds complex to me . I personally have desired also to own all of these axes but have had to do some improvisational techniques in order to keep my own simplicity. and really I don't mean to stand on a soap box and finger my way out of the simple world of advanced old technology , so early ZZ simply kicked my ass .

[@fredfloyd34]

And have you notheard of pignose amps...a must have...

[@sportzalband]

checking out some fine machines... called geeetaaars

[@jimyounger2352]

I grew up on zztop

[@caleshtcincredibles]

great guitars for a great player , big sounds considering the fact Billy uses 7 gauge strings !

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

That’s what he wants you to believe…I’ve sat with Mr.Gibbons a few times getting stoned and those certainly aren’t 7s…9s

[@caleshtcincredibles]

@Mr.SmithGNR Smith wow lucky you

[@jorgeocampo1794]

The Rev ❤ @10:52 new bass player

[@Pencilman246]

Gibson made a custom Pearly Gates Les Paul and Seymour Duncan made a Pearly Gates pickup, but of course Billy has everything custom made.

[@leinadatidumarp]

1:50 for a second I thought it was his beard.

[@jeffdoty1262]

Could use a little illumination on the subject.

[@dockaiser]

I bet the '59 Pearly Gates original would score 1 million $ on an auction - as the replica costs over 11 000 bucks

[@jokermaan1]

Saw an original '59 for sale yesterday for 380,000, so, yeah, with the Billy Gibbons' connection, probably true!

[@formattable1]

Billy has turned down offers as high as 4 million

[@greggnumme8644]

read the story you'll find it somewhere he found it under somebody's bed and it was an old woman whose husband used to play in a country band and it's been sitting there for years and somebody told him about it and he went and found it that way!

[@thezosokid]

More like a few milions because it is considered by some people the best sounding 59’ made

[@AllSpace]

why should you modify a standard les paul?

[@TractorMonkeywithJL]

I'm guessing Billy wants as much weight reduction as possible. Those standards are heavy beasts hanging around your neck and Billy ain't no spring chicken.

[@AllSpace]

@@TractorMonkeywithJL yes i love me 63 sg light as a feather

[@chupacabra4897]

RIP DUSTY .

[@tyecook9630]

Oh just add some extra music..ya thìnk I'll be alright on this tour sweetheart??

[@tabascopuffen2905]

Does anyone know how he gets that electronic sound he does sometimes? You can hear it in this video at 3:33: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZzMgnZ7bNh5rtk If anyone has any clue about this tell me.

[@hubbsllc]

I listened to it carefully several times through headphones and I think what you're hearing is Billy and Dusty locked in tight together. Dusty's got a fair amount of distortion dialed up and in that moment it seems like you're hearing guitar and bass.

[@badarmenia]

It’s a ring modulator effect

[@rocknrob11]

Hollow bodied guitars are the original sound that every blues player wants. The 335 for example. Hollow body guitars have just as much if not more than solid. I've always noticed that anyone who's a blues player uses a hollow body just as much if not more than a solid. Just my opinion, and I always pay attention to the band's gear no matter where I'm at when there is live music. It's just a way of knowing what's popular and what works and what doesn't. As far as Billy's effects, I think he's using a lot less now than back in the 80's when Warner Bros were bossing them around. The Antenna album was the turning point that exuded taste, tone and tenacity.

[@hippiekarl7]

I guess Hubert Sumlin, Buddy Guy, Roy Buchanan, Albert King, SRV, Muddy Waters, and lots of other guys never got your memo about semi-hollow Gibsons...B.B. King 'improved' his ES335-TD by *getting rid* of the f-holes. "Every blues player" does *not* necessarily want "the Original Sound" (or we'd all be playing dobros and resonators, with a slide on our finger all night). It *was* sad what happened in the 'WB Success Years'; you'd not know that over-processed, drum-trigger-informed pop outfit was the same band responsible for 'Rio Grande Mud', or 'ZZ Top's First Album'.....

[@precbsfender]

hippiekarl7 Yeah agreed! But isn't it somewhat ironic that Gibson has just released the new in 2014 the Les Paul Supreme with F holes added, Damn I don't get it why would anybody want Les paul with F holes when its all about the solid wood bodies and resonance that made the les paul's tone so legendary over the years. Just give me a real vintage 59 Les Paul and I would no longer need to buy another guitar as long as I live!

[@archstanton7755]

PRE CBS STRATOCASTER'S Let's see, the new sell is Gibson's use of the old hide glue from Kalamazoo...OH! and don't forget they've gone back to the old truss-rod design...they found the old drawings sandwiched in a stack of leftover brochures. So, trade in your 2012 and older so you can have the REAL deal over what they sold you as the "real deal" 3 years ago. Over the years its been these vintage spec additions which were supposed to make it a true replica: pickup bezel thickness, old stock capacitors, 50s tuning key alignment, Brazilian rosewood faze-out craze, re-intro of nitro lacquer, aged finish with cracks in the lacquer, proper binding thickness at the cutaway, all kinds of variations of the PAF, MoP inlays, vintage spec carved top dishing, yellowing of the binding and logos. Not to mention all of the signature rip-offs. They are laughing themselves silly. I wonder when they are going to start making the Arch Stanton Les Paul......I hate Gibson.

[@hippiekarl7]

Arch Stanton Fender ("FMC") took a slightly different tack: they're now the owners/vendors of everything from Fender, Jackson/Charvel, Gretch....and they do the same NOS and 'antiqued' finishes, nitro laquer, 50s 'boatneck' neck profiles, et al. I don't like ~them~ much, either! I have these days 2 Fenders (an ultralight carved-top Tele w/ SDs, and a black korina/bubinga strat I built from Warmoth-licenced woodwork), and a Gibson (chambered dbl-cut LP gold top, 4 yrs old). On stage I play custom shop Carvins, though lol. They're all "high-end American guitars', but I use them because they feel and play the way I like. I'm waiting for the one ~next to~ 'Arch Stanton': I want the 'Unknown' LP..........

[@RedArrow73]

So where's the ORIGINAL 'Pearly Gates'?

[@enricopallazzo2987]

Should be locked up at the Smithsonian lol

[@WalkerMasuda]

Which is completely incorrect. Why I said using his logic. Of course hollowbodies have character.

[@mikegordon7040]

I can stay I know the stronts and turfs

[@tomace194]

I'm pretty sure the Robinson's stole this guy's whole schtic

[@christianfoster3806]

I'm always amused when I hear those "old school rock and blues" guys. The ones that always tell you that the only way to get a "real guitar sound" its to play heavy strings, at least 11s, and plug right into your amp and let your fingers make your tone. I always reply, "right on, just like the tone reverend himself, Billy Effin Gibbons!", and they fall for it everytime.

[@Pencilman246]

It’s always the guys who never made it out of the dive bars who apparently know everything about tone. Gotta make up for talent with “gear knowledge”

[@bgarrison67]

Did not know a Melody Maker had a top. Pure mojo I suppose

[@Stratocaster209]

"It's really very simple." Uh, ok, you lost me at "splitter". Just kidding, you lost me before that.

[@giftedplanksify]

Ah hahahha ah heheha

[@DANTHETUBEMAN]

Hollow strings could save some weight