Geordie Walker's Guitar Secrets

In this video I take a look at the guitar playing of Killing Joke's Geordie Walker. Besides his techniques, I also examine his very original sound.
Preset for Line6 Helix (Free Download):
line6.com/customtone/tone/604...
00:00 Intro / Sound example
00:29 Who is Geordie Walker?
02:32 Note choices
05:03 Small Intervals
07:50 String skipping
10:13 Sound

[@jakoblangenohl]

Dear Viewers, It was only this morning I heard the sad news of Geordie's passing. I am totally devastated by his death as it came unexpected to me. He was such a great player and would have deserved so much more recognition. However, though he was still alive when I filmed this, I consider this my tribute to one of the most inspirational players of my beloved instrument. Safe travels, Geordie, wherever you are. See you at the great gig in the sky.

[@derkultvontrump4321]

His inspiration will fuel the generations beyond❤️

[@novianovioTV]

Thanks This serves as a wonderful tribute to the late great Geordie. It explains to me as a non guitar player why I am not a big fan of metal guitar but a huge fan of Geordie Walker guitar

[@therightrabbit]

Very educational, thank you. I love Geordie (RIP) and Killing Joke

[@jerewind]

Rest In Peace Kevin "Geordie" Walker, my favourite musician of all time, all instruments, styles, genres and periods combined. 🖤

[@davidcollins2648]

Geordies Gibson has a floating tailpiece which allows him to bend the pitch of the entire guitar almost a full half tone. His posture while playing shows how he leans and bends the neck to add the final bit of warped mystery to his sound. Excellent video and very instructive. I can't tell how how many hours I spent trying to learn licks from their albums with very rare success. Even when you find the right notes the sound will be different. This is why Geordie is a such a rarity in music as he is almost impossible to imitate.

[@jakoblangenohl]

Yes, and some of the Killing Joke stuff is really hard because his playing style is not as you learn it in music school - he takes a different approach to things which is hard to play once you're conventionally trained.

[@shadowchaser8786]

@KJgtabs is the closest I think I've come to finding a nearly-identical covers.

[@joedoomsdaypio4374]

And sadly lost today-

[@theclashcalling_]

Jaz on Geordie's sound: " Like fire from heaven! It can be no-one else!"

[@angelportal5378]

The strange overtones that are created by Gordies hollowbody guitar creates a ethereal and also a dark magical vibe ... for me that the secret of his signature sound

[@dickschlitz1360]

Dark magical cold yes I hear what u mean…such a great player…I hate that he goes under the radar of 80’s influenced musicians ..Geordie was a special player a real artist

[@michaelboese239]

Geordie has the best live guitar sound I´ve ever heard. I´ve seen them 12 times at least and each time his guitar sound blew me away. He is such an underrated guitar player. I could never understand why he received so little attention.

[@jakoblangenohl]

And one of the loudest as well. Saw them at the Luxor in Cologne once. What a gig...

[@fuckgoogle8661]

I’ve watched him play an entire gig w/o looking at his guitar or hands. It was so effortless and easy to do that for him it was crazy.

[@JGrandcourt]

Blown away my brothers, just discovered of Geordies' passing. Been a huge fan since 1984. Saw them in 2004 post the "new" Killing Joke album. Never forget "asteroid" live! Geordie was always the melodic, sublime power part of the group. KJ won't exist without him. Thankyou Jakob, for a wonderful video. I learnt so much.

[@markferguson3745]

I think that one of the most common issues that I see in Alt Rock is overplaying.Once a guitarist becomes more advanced, they tend to want to show their skills rather than worry about what works in the context of the song, or the space they are working with.Walker was a fine example of precise economy while letting the effects and the natural ambience provide complexity and variation.The " jazzbox" style hollow body additionally can add variety to repetitive passages with the most minor technique flourishes. For the time period, chorus was still relatively a fresh tool in the arsenal , but by the 90's, it had been overused.In current context, there are newer effects that could be employed along the same lines.

[@cafardnaum912]

Thank you from my belgium... I me still listening Killing joker. I saw them 4 or 5 times.. They evoluted in a right way.. I love both older or nieuwer Songs... Thanks again

[@Martaine70]

Great video on his style, his style was unique, and an atmospheric wall of sound. Even when he was playing much like on Love Like Blood his parts lingered eerily and somehow dominated a good part of the track. My personal fave is his spiralling riff on "Requiem". RIP.

[@stevengassen]

I thought Geordie's guitar had two seperate outputs. One from his electric pick ups running through overdriven amps and one from an accoustic pickup running into another amp that was kept clean.

[@stewartferebee610]

RiP Geordie ⚡💨

[@yoe91]

very well explained. Very interesting as well. What I would've loved to hear more about also is more about his atmospheric chord work, like he does in the middle of 'Sanity' for eg. He's got these big, vacant, nostalgic moments but he manages to not make them lethargic, they're also energetic at the same time.

[@jdcapshew]

This was fascinating, thanks. Like everyone, I am grieving his premature death.

[@trjb1767]

very well done thank you

[@derkultvontrump4321]

I went to Youth’s studio in Brixton in 93/94 whilst they were finishing Pandemonium. They’d just got back from Egypt and Jaz was sorting his vocals for Exorcism. As well as his ADT’s, Geordie used a TC electronic 1210 spacial expander which provides very complex modulation and stereo width panning phasing flanging. Also great on mixes and synths🤓 He recorded the album using 2 fender bassmans, so I bought a Burman off him. Sounds fantastic, but Geordie could play through any amp and make it sing 🎵

[@jakoblangenohl]

I trust you on that one, a good guitar player knows his way with any decent equipment. Geordie really is one of a kind and I can imagine him tearing off the roof with two bassmans (or should it read bassmen 🙂).

[@derkultvontrump4321]

@@jakoblangenohl he absolutely did. He’s given us more than we can imagine. Long May he inspire…. Forever ❤️

[@dickschlitz1360]

I heard Geordie used heavy strings too …14’s …do u think it’s true?

[@derkultvontrump4321]

@@dickschlitz1360 12-58’s I heard

[@fuckgoogle8661]

@@dickschlitz1360I can’t remember the exact gauge but he did switch from a heavier gauge to a lighter gauge as he got older but he wasn’t using anything under a 12 that I’m aware of once he did lighten them.

[@MrMcrRed]

Lovely intro to the man and his style. Thank you!

[@londoncalling1757]

I love geordies demos ...hes loaded up on you tube ..you really get to feel his sound .. absolutely fantastic !! guitar magician.. such a great loss irreplaceable..

[@spookybaba]

Charvel model 1C are great Japanese-made guitars. I still own one, today.

[@ValBoschi-ix9cd]

Was he unsung? He was unique and an outstanding guitarist... I think loads know this

[@onecarnivore]

Very helpful on a subject (Geordie Riffs/Tone) that has very little good content. thank you!

[@jeffreyday4004]

excellent thanks

[@mothragames3018]

These are great. Geordie was amazing. I miss him madly.... just a suggestion- can you screen shot or photo your Helix settings for those of us using other software can get close to what you're using?

[@joshb5104]

Thanks Jakob. Great vid! Have you created a Pod Go preset as well?

[@jakoblangenohl]

Unfortunately no. I don't own a pod go.

[@joshb5104]

Thanks!

[@oemschutz8220]

Hi Jakob, sound super getroffen und interessant erklärt! Wie bekommt man den Sound ansatzweise ohne Line6 hin? Dankee!

[@jakoblangenohl]

Danke für das Kompliment. Dn Sound hinzubekommen, ist nicht ganz ohne, auch mit Line6. Ich weiß natürlich nicht, was Du zur Verfügung hast, aber hier mal blind einige Tipps: - Am wichtigsten sind die 10 Zoll Lautdsprecher. Das habe ich bei meinen Experimenten mit der Boxensim der Helix erfahren. - Einen Amp mit Cascading Gain Schaltung zu haben, wäre gut. Das sind typischerweise Mesa/boogies. Da wir in den 80ern sind, alte Mesas, die mit der Bast-Bespannung gehen ganz gut für sowas, werden dabei aber schweinelaut. Und das weiß ich, weil ich so einen spiele. - Den ADT kriegt man bestimmt mit irgendeinem Chorus halbwegs imitiert. Das Ganze braucht noch ein Slapback Echo, probiere mal 130 ms Delay Zeit. Deine Signalkette sollte sein: Gitarre -> Slapback Delay - Chorus - Amp. - Und natürlich auf Standard D stimmen. Hilft das?

[@oemschutz8220]

btw. Geordie Walker, John McGeoch, Robert Smith , top geschmack! ;) Fehlt noch Keith Levene, Bernard Sumner, Bengt "Aron" Aronsson, Greg Sage und Helios Creed ;))

[@oemschutz8220]

@@jakoblangenohl Ja danke für die Signalkette! Bei Ron Asheton ist sie nämlich umgekehrt ;)! War bei den ersten Gigs von Killing Joke, Banshees und Cure in Deutschland dabei. Geordie spielte ursprünglich Les Paul und SG Special, kurz auch mal Strat, zu sehen in irgendeinem Video. Vg

[@ObepToH]

Informative but I guess you have never played an ES-295? They are like riding a wild horse, bare-back. You had better show who is boss. Love them. Also the guitars he used before, like the early SG Junior on those first albums, are right up there too.

[@jakoblangenohl]

In fact, no I didn't. Hollow bodies are just not for me, tried an ES 335, but never got the hang of it. I'm sure these are great guitars, it's just a matter of my personal preferences. I chose the Charvel in the video because it's my only guitar which is tuned down (normally to C# Standard, which is the heaviest of all tunings :-) .

[@TobiasC-mg4zk]

If you want poor man’s 295 definitely check out Godin Kingpin 2 with p90s They are usually about 600 to 800 usd and are solid wood full hollow archtop with really good p90 pickups. Mine does not feedback like crazy at high volume for some reason. My only “complaint” about it is the thin C shape neck profile as I prefer really fat necks. But I got used to the neck very quickly and play it extremely loud without squealing issues.

[@jakoblangenohl]

@@TobiasC-mg4zk You can't go wrong with a Godin - love my icon convertible. Thinner necks are exactly my thing, I'm not a fan of the thick ones...

[@SSRT_JubyDuby8742]

Like deployed 👍

[@jakoblangenohl]

Well done. 🙂

[@johnkeenan9495]

Killing joke are still around stop speaking about them in a past tense

[@hedgehog1965uk]

Maybe not now that Geordie is gone, although that wasn't the case when this video was made. I do agree they weren't just a band of the 80s. Even though I have been a fan since their iconic first album in 1980, I actually think their 2015 "Pylon" is their best ever and I also love 1994's "Pandemonium". I'm so glad I saw them at Hammersmith Apollo last year. I also wish I'd gone to see them at the Royal Albert Hall earlier this year, playing their first two albums, but I decided to wait for the new album and full tour. I've been playing them pretty much every day over the last three years or so. RIP Geordie.

[@deletebilderberg]

No. They’re done.

[@jamesloveswork1]

I don’t believe they’re done. I think Jaz will want to keep Killing Joke going & fulfil Geordie’s ambitions for the band. Hoping there’s an album of material in the can from the sessions last year.

[@SaltyPilgrim]

RIP Geordie.

[@woody5831]

That is such bad guirar playing / wrong & you made Night Time sound like the Munsters

[@dougquaid4745]

RiP Geordie

[@SMartin74]

He's from Chester le street. Not newcastle. He's a Durham born dude. He was nicknamed geordie cos of the north east accent he had.