How To Get The Original Rockabilly Sound

[@tmilwaukee]

I just got hired as the guitarist in a rockabilly band at 70 years old. This does help!

[@5150show]

Well done

[@Hot80s]

thats awesome

[@weavethehawk]

Not if you're going to masquerade as an "expert" on rockabilly. Congrats on the hire.

[@tmilwaukee]

@@weavethehawk Why would you think that??? I've been into rockabilly since I was 7 years old and I'm now 71!!!

[@eggsmann594]

@@tmilwaukee Your answer is his answer 🙄

[@theking-nz1ut]

I am a man in my 50's and i love rockabilly music. Been listening to rockabilly and rock n roll since i was a kid.

[@wickedcrypto6004]

Im 33 and I love rockabilly

[@robertlipscombe2763]

Same I've been in to rockabilly since I was about 4 years old I'm a rockabilly rebel from head to toe......:)

[@phil393]

Im 53 and been listening to rockabilly since i was 13, id say the johnny cash sound got me addicted as my father would always be listening to him,.rockabilly rules 👍

[@walkrslayer1305]

15

[@buddyholly9960]

@@phil393 same story here brother Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly I never really liked Elvis that much though

[@MAMRetro]

Randy: That 1994 photograph of the Crazy Boys looks like it was taken in 1955. Maybe in some club in Memphis down the block from Sun Records. Awesome!!

[@RodsAutomotive]

I think as you get older, there's this need to go back to your roots - for those of us who were very young when we first heard this sort of sound, it left a lasting impression. Thanks, Randy

[@keithclark486]

Great comment and true.

[@southernpride2003]

I'm 20 and from North Carolina and I've always loved the early Sun records stuff especially Luther's tone I've been chasing that tone for myself and I finally got it with help from my grandpa built or own homemade electric guitar completely from scratch and we bought 2 Gibson ga5 LP reissue tube amps we put 12au7 preamp tubes in and modified the second amplifier we put a built in tape loop machine for onboard slapback echo just like a Ray Butts Echosonic amp for my strings I use thomastik flatwound 10 gauge strings pure nickel for the 2 high strings I use 26 36 from a Ernie ball 7 gauge strings pack so I can bend easily

[@tannerb5716]

Randy has a real authentic sound and feel , great vids . Most "Rockabilly" playing online seems cheesy and a generic modern interpretation. Richter is playing the real deal . I'm all ears .. thanks for these little gems.

[@GraveMistake1]

You know why I like 50's rockabilly guitar because you wanna move to it, it's thrilling, it gets the blood pumping and the licks are so tasty and I so love reverb and slap back echo. :)

[@coreyjones7881]

If it's retarded then what are you even doing watching this video? Go search for something nuance and artsy you pretentious douchebag.

[@stolenname94]

@@076657 😂 lol can you do better?? Although rockabilly is alil predictable it's no where near as predictable than pop rnb and grime that's where you should focus some frustration the difference is rockabilly actually requires a musican and not a synth pad and sample loops. It's crazy right u have to have talent to actually play rockabilly who would have known 😊. Simple in concept perhaps but it is nothing without technique you don't even need to understand music to make anything popular these days and no I'm not just blowing smoke i play guitar and produce music on fl studio and I shit you not i can make a track in about 15 min with ease. Pick up a guitar and tell me how easy it is to play this shit with actual attitude and groove because I bet you would be stiffer than a tree.

[@076657]

James Somogyi I bet its extremely easy. Its all pentatonic bullshit over and over and over in the same key. The kind of licks you should use a couple of times during a solo. But instead youre playing them ALL the time as if we had no ears.

[@alexanderhammer688]

@@076657 you are definitely not a true musician. You think that the contemporary sound is moving? Without the past in music there is no present.

[@076657]

@@alexanderhammer688 rockabilly music is not a base for anything. Much more complicated sophisticated stuff had already been done when it appeared. Impressionism is far more modern than that and it happened in 1900. Bach is much cooler and it's much older. If you said, Charlie Christian set the ground for all electric guitarists after him, yes, we look at the past and realize he was a fucking genius. But this music is nothing but dumbed down version of better music. Music for dumbasses, basically. Not a foundation for anything interesting.

[@lukedg5326]

B.C Richabilly. Nice example of tone in the hands. Everything else are props to get us in the mood/ mindset.

[@IdolHans]

Rockabilly rules....I love that sound.....it drives me crazy!!!!

[@ThatWhatIsNot]

Still one of the best, most honest, and most informative rockabilly guitar videos on KZbin. Broke my heart to hear your news today. You are in my thoughts and prayers. A hearty thank you for all you’ve done to help us humble rockabilly wannabes learn a little guitar. Take care, my friend.

[@derppopotamus]

Seeing these in depth instructions sheds light on how technical wizards like Chet Atkins could get so devoted to the art form and spend a lifetime refining. It's a dichotomy of the greatest and worst aspects of learning guitar for me. That no matter how much you play there is always ways to improve and progress. Great stuff!

[@TRHARTAmericanArtist]

It's hard to believe that I've been following Randy for 7 years. Time flies.

[@waynepatton689]

Listen close and you can hear this style in almost every modern guitar solo ever recorded. This is gold

[@mrstrongest]

Absolutely wonderful. It's not about tricks, it's what you bring to the music and whether you're willing to put in the time and work at it. You have such credibility. Just listening to you makes me feel more confident about learning and playing. Thanks a million, Randy!

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it

[@TheMediamj]

Hundreds of videos if not thousands I’ve seen and honestly , you are the most original and honest man I’ve watched

[@ducktailcat]

Wow, that's quite a compliment. Thank you very much!

[@WillieStratton]

I wish more players had the understanding of guitar that you have, I agree with everything in this video! Great piece, cheers

[@richardsteamboat8765]

Finally someone gets it right awesome

[@zzubuzz]

If you got a small empty room the echo for Rockabilly is to die for, try it! I had recently put down a tile floor and needed a break so dragged in my little tweed Gibson amp and whoowa!..decided from now on to keep most of that room empty as possible, the hard tile surface helps too. It also kills for blues tones.

[@TheeFishermane]

Killing the game with the Bc rich rockabilly, and great knowledge! Subscribing

[@ed1t827]

hey dude thanks for giving the true knowledge like this out here nowadays its all about money and not true heart and soul!

[@joebutler3608]

The tele sounded best. Thanks for posting this stuff, man. There are still a bunch of us out here

[@entropyfan5714]

The twangy telecaster sounded the most like rockabilly from the 50's to me, especially more like the live performances I have heard (missed the real thing by several decades). He's right though, you can play any kind of music on any guitar.

[@AryDontSurf]

Man that Guild is a beauty.

[@DipperDan]

Awesome tutorial to get the rockabilly sound my friend! Yay! :)

[@Oscaraleptico]

I'm 6'2, also kinda tall. I can relate. Playing my Gretsch onstage makes me feel more comfortable. Great video!

[@geohotwire]

The best rockabilly teacher on the planet. You inspired my music. I only love the early 1950’s rockabilly scene it’s so cool

[@southernpride2003]

Same

[@hagakure6410]

At 5:04 when you played the same riff on three guitars back to back, it was really interesting to me to hear the difference. I like the Tele best of the three on that riff, but I was also kind of surprised that the BC Rich played clean through that amp had almost a resonator sound to me -- a lot more twangy than I would have expected from that maker.

[@diegocorral7468]

Nicely done, it's so easy to get wrapped up in the gear game instead of focusing on what really matters.

[@davidtonnfishin]

I agree, Your fingers are what makes your sound!!! Gear is very fun to play with of course, I have many guitars, amps and pedal boards!!

[@AardvarkJamBalloon]

Wow, the BC Rich sounded really good!

[@NicholasGreen91]

respectfully disagree! His hands sounded really good! that tone was awful and didn't do his playing justice lol

[@bonnivilleblackcherry9745]

yes it did but too much pitch for a good rockabilly sound.

[@karenjohnston7342]

Randy, you are a joy to listen to any time of day. It's an hour past my bedtime and I'm pretty much glued to whatever you'll come up with next. Thanks for sharing.

[@dethmetal1396]

*Pulls out B.C. Rich* and here is Angel of Death Strut!

[@silvermediastudio]

A 60s Harmony H1214 Archtone with a P90 will thrash, too.

[@davidlodiemyer5698]

Bow to goat lord pesant !

[@renadunn1508]

Lol!

[@trapezoidspangle934]

J .R I thought you were joking.

[@kylelikeskjvbible]

I guess to summarize what Randy's saying, a clean amp, good delay pedal (using slapback), and a guitar that plays well is all that matters. I've gotten acceptable sounds from an Ibanez Gio (basically a strat copy with 2 humbuckers), and an epiphone 58 korina explorer (humbucker guitar with pickup screws removed to simulate single coil response) trying out both roundwound and flatwounds (flatwounds definitely more preferred). It really is about WHAT is being played and HOW its played. Gear doesnt matter, its just that back then they played with what was available to them. And Gibson and Fender just happened to be there and reliable and eventually people really just got into them because they were good instruments, but anything that sounds good can work.

[@glenfenderman]

I have also learned from experience that vintage gear is not essential. When I played in a Rockabilly group, I used my 1976 Ibanez Les Paul copy through a Music Man 210 hybrid amp (four power tubes and preamp power section). For slapback, I used a Guyatone analog delay pedal. It did the job. Vintage gear is cool, but very expensive. Use whatever works and within your means.

[@southernpride2003]

In my profile picture beside my homemade electric guitar is my modified Gibson ga5 LP reissue hybrid amp it sounds like any other tube amp but me and my grandpa modified mine with a built in tape loop like an Echosonic amp

[@Lair69]

Excellent tutorial!!! Awesome how that Dean sang then the B.C. Rich screamed..AWESOME!!!

[@chemtrailpilot5054]

Klasse. Die Verarsche am Anfang trifft den Nagel auf den Kopf.

[@JoeTakeHolly]

great sound ]Loved the buddy holly video you did .you got the sound pretty much spot on ,nice one }

[@music-mn3zh]

Grate to see people passing on their knowledge

[@OldSchoolBluesGuitar]

Great video! I have had the same experience trying to get that 50s sound for electric blues music. A lot of it is the players. You have to have a certain feel to your own playing before the gear can make a difference.

[@rodsreel]

I never clicked with the country and blues connection in this genre - top lesson well presented. Cheers fae Bonnie Scotland, rocking the Glens up here.

[@FatamanDe]

Really nice that you figure out what really makes the Rockabilly Sound!

[@wrocklc]

Great - haha - now I want a BC Rich... Great video and good advice. Best regards from Marburg!

[@southernpride2003]

I'm 21 and I've been obsessed with rockabilly since I was 4 Luther Perkins is my number one Guitar hero and has been since I was 4 howdy from North Carolina

[@luthienmerilin6802]

it's very interesting what you explain about mixing melodical themes from the song with the bluesy improvising. I've often wondered why the blues scale seemed to be so inevitable in later rock-music guitar solos: in rockabilly there's still the freedom to use other scales, which (imo) is one of the reasons I like it so much. I think it's even not just themes from the melody of the song at hand that are being tossed in, but all sorts of quotes: maybe other songs, folk tunes - for all I know maybe even fragments of children's songs. While listening to Cliff Gallup I've often wondered where he got some of those lines from: there's something - I don't know how to put it - maybe "liberating" comes close, or "joyful"? - to how he does that. Compared to that I often find the run-of-the-mill rock guitar solos strangely limited, even boring, despite that they can be technically brilliant.

[@ducktailcat]

+Lúthien Merilin I fully agree with you. Later rock solos just bore me, because it's usually improvising without any theme, just noodling. Cliff Gallup was heavily influenced by Charlie Christian

[@dkfelix]

+Lúthien Merilin I couldn't agree more

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

You should check out Kurt Cobain's solos, no im seriouse, not technically brilliant but wow very interesting

[@chipurBillWhite]

Enjoyed the vid - very well done. You have a pleasant style. Thank you.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Love to see you with a Guild! For me its a 1966 Guild Starfire V custom, Bigsby delete, clear finish, Haggstrum floating bridge. Had her over 50 years now.. Nice setup, nice playing! Thanks for posting!!

[@TRICK-OR-TREAT236]

WELL DONE MR. RICHTER

[@pg123ab]

Brilliant. Thank you man, you sound great and you know how to get a point across.

[@4runnerJr]

Great video ! I like the emphasis that it comes down to what you're doing with your 2 hands (more than what gear you are using)! I love that Guild ..

[@rebeccajones8610]

The rockibilly style is one I want to learn. I'm just learning guitar. I guess I have a 50s heart about me.

[@twinkletonerecords]

This is such a great clip!! Never gets old. Thank you Randy

[@ClassyOldMusic]

I like the part where you say "...and if I feel good, I play better, It's very simple". That lesson should be stressed and amplified more often, in every guitar playing course.

[@bazthehandyman]

Spot on there

[@lawsonj39]

Yeah, but it can work the other way, too: sometimes I feel uncreative, unfocused, whatever; I play awhile, and walk away refreshed.

[@stevejohnson2435]

I took advice about this from Ted Nugent 35 years ago, everytime I record I put on fresh socks!

[@MaryElizabeth99]

I am so impressed!! You explain things so well.

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you! It's not so easy in a foreign language, but I try my best

[@MaryElizabeth99]

I could understand all you say! There was no barrier.

[@lanswipe]

If you're having language difficulties - we'd never know - it doesn't show :)

[@tomislavsekerija1957TN]

Still the best educational video about country/rockabilly sound on yt.

[@BlackRaven156]

This was an excellent video and I love how you make the case for paying close attention to playing the music before you worry about the gear. I love what you do!

[@matermangros]

IMHO Rockabilly is a blend of gospel blues country and mtn or bluegrass music....high energy music played with the instruments and amps at hand lot of the old guitar pickers used to"tune"their amp to the room being played using gain treble bass and placement of the amp...course as the crowds got bigger so did amps and p.a.s....as tubes gave way to linear transistors the sound gave way to a louder harsher sound with fewer even ordered overtones and harmonics...keep up the videos👍they're thought provoking and instructive.

[@1964Baldy]

Hi Randy, you are a great online tutor with a true rockabilly heart!

[@ducktailcat]

Mark Remmel thank you for the kind words!

[@RunRisk69]

Cool. Suddenly I'm in the mood to listen to some old Elvis. Thanks, Randy. You've got it in your soul.

[@kmcd1953]

Great clip Randy, keep em coming buddy.

[@loadi2865]

love your playing Randy ..love your haicut too and yes apperance is important..

[@FrankJmClarke]

I love the fact that you haven't changed the strings on the BC Rich in 20 years :). Great video!

[@PAULOhypo]

That was awesome, man, playing Rockabilly on a B.C.RICH guitar ! Right now you practiced an "heresy" by play that style of music on a guitar shaped for Heavy Metal, and what you did IS GOOD !

[@gutbucket260]

Would love to see Setzer walk on stage with that B.C. Rich axe

[@Sred97]

Excellent video, Sir. You definitely know Rockabilly sound! 🤘

[@louisaccardi6808]

That big box guitar sounds so much better to me. I think I'll get one of them. Sounds great.

[@beaubloomfield4086]

Brother I dig ya'lls style.....keep up the goodwork Cousin......

[@toneseeker1644]

Hello, thank you to players like you for your time and effort to teach and help us who seek tone! I agreed with your comment about the Telecaster not feeling right. I sold my Tele and just found a beautiful 1955 Gibson ES-225. Feels much more natural comfortable in my hands as I too am tall. I will practice this style....BTW I am playing through a 1965 Gibson GA-5T.

[@davidandhisguitar]

Yes, but what brand pick is it? (just kidding) Good lesson.

[@tjeppenbrackx9067]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrreaaaaaaaaaatttttt

[@luisdelgado2386]

Omg, you killed me with that comment dude ✌👌

[@thomasd9237]

Excellent video. Very well done. Thank you for posting this

[@BTsMusicChannel]

This is no joke! Many rockabilly guitarists from the 1950s played BC Rich guitars in the studio, but on stage they used hollow-body Guilds and Gibsons so as to fit in better with the fans' genre expectations. BC Rich was indeed the secret weapon or rockabilly back in the day!!!

[@99_bones]

I doubt that because BC Rich was founded in 1969

[@BTsMusicChannel]

@@99_bones DUH. It is sarcasm.

[@johnnyhawkins43]

Man you flat out know what your doing with a guitar and my hat is off to you my friend!!!!!!!!!

[@AnalogOpher]

That was great. I must say though that silly Peavy Solo has got more mojo than many commercial tube amps. I use one for busking and it never ceases ti surprise me.

[@johnfkay8341]

Black metal meets rockabilly. That's priceless. Good demo mate. Cheers from Australia.

[@some-other-guy]

Hi Randy! Schön, dass unter all dem Vintage-Only-Kult mal jemand klarmacht, dass Feeling allein im Kopf passiert, um in den Fingern zu landen, doch das Equipment nur der Teil der Kette zwischen Fingern und Ohr ist, der dem Spieler am ehesten schmeichelt. Man hört eigentlich immer nach 4 Takten, wenn du irgendwo der Gitarrist warst, egal was du da gerade in den Händen hattest.... und so ist es eben bei allen.

[@kelvinsmith6854]

One of the greatest clips, and a poke in the eye to all the purists out there, who think you have to HAVE authentic this and that to sound good.

[@ducktailcat]

Yes, good vintage equipment helps of course, but in the end you gotta do your job first. Give a bad carpenter the best tools you want, he still won't be able to build you great things.

[@Baci302]

Your tone is amazing

[@robertcaffrey6097]

Good video, thanks for taking the time to make and upload. Regards from Ireland.

[@reverendfrancisandthewanna3843]

This guy is the best! Feeling a bit frustrated cos I'm saving my pennies to buy a decent rock and roll guitar and he says the equipment does not matter that much after all but I get his point.

[@theyoungupstarts1243]

Nice! Clothes: you feel better, you play better.

[@richardgallo3155]

Great lesson! Thanks, it's always cool to learn new licks like this... 👍

[@barneywewer954]

That's the right Name. Original Rockabilly Sound like in the 50's. Authentic is not right because it means to put your own Stamp on this Music. You make this Video very well and I read your Book. Awesome Stuff at all.

[@oggrease7720]

You jam!! That sound is authentic man that is Good! Also the Wiseguys jam too they have that sound down !

[@m0j0b0ne]

Hm, there's a lot I could add, that I should probably save for my channel, but here's just a couple of omissions. Flatwound strings were what the Gretsches, Guilds and Gibsons of the era came with, stock, and most players stuck with stock, and fairly heavy gauges, at that. You don't necessarily need them, but they don't hurt, and it makes the double-stop slides a bit easier. (and the bends a little harder) A Bigsby tremolo is your best bet for an authentic tone; it's basically that or nothing where it comes to wiggle bars, and it's not just about the big hunk of metal; it's about where the bridge lies under your picking hand, because the biggest secret is to lightly palm mute the low strings and let the treble strings ring, and this holds true whether you fingerpick, Travis pick or use hybrid picking A standard Telecaster works too, but palm muting is why everybody took the bridge cover off and used it for an ashtray. You can hear Randy doing this throughout the video, I'm just surprised he didn't mention it; it's how you get the alternating bass to thump.

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you for taking the time to comment! I agree with many things you've said except for the Bigsby tremolo. There were lots of Fender Strats in use as well, most famously probably on Flying Saucers Rock'n'Roll and on some of Buddy's recordings. I should've mentioned the palm mute, you're right. It's a big part too.

[@svenssonsaab]

You explain it with such passion for music , great to watch man love this :D

[@rickb4806]

Lovely guitar Randy. I have a 1961 Hofner Club 50 (German), among others. Very nice. Thanks for lessons too.

[@ronthunders6124]

Nice sound randy!! Loved this

[@perfectfan2006]

that is a very cool guild guitar was a real treat just seeing it..

[@ducktailcat]

Thanks Marie, I love it too!

[@dagonmc]

Quando hai preso la BC Rich ho sgranato gli occhi ahahahah sei un grande!

[@MKflo84]

You got me ! Nice experiment my friend ! very good demonstration that sound is in the fingers after all...

[@jamesgross6466]

Wonderful. Loved the video, my friend.

[@lakemaniac]

what a great instructional video. and you look super sympathetic.Great job!!!

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you very much for the kind words!

[@Danielss-zi5te]

Appreciate the insight. Some solid information here. I too, play a Guild X175 B, however mine is much newer. A "re-issue" I suspect. I prefer the Guild over the typical Gretch of Brian Setzer, and I too use .011 flatwounds. Great to see/hear your take on this genre. It was great to have the "gear review" at the end. Thanks again.

[@opticnerve3]

Superb. Very clear + informative. Well done.

[@gatormckinley8502]

I love the EV 666 peeking in from the side for a bit!

[@johnfair62]

You give very good advice along with very good lessons. Thank you very much for taking the time to help people learn the music.

[@tanisb]

Excellent video! You have done a great job here, Randy! Your explanations are very clear and thoughtful. Thank you!

[@rarerockk]

The Uranium Rock solo sounds nearly exact like the one on "Ubangi Stomp" haha your tips are really good! And I love the gear that you use, though I myself play a bit "heavier", with a bit distortion and not rockabilly at all (just some songs), well Setzer-influenced. And you are right, it's true that you don't have to use echo. When you said that, I thought of the king of rockabilly Carl Perkins, and then you also said it! I remember, months ago, sitting around 3 hours on a friday evening, to listen out note by note the intro of Perkins "Roll over beethoven" riff (not the new recorded version, i mean the great, unfortunately unreleased at that time 50s version), which is very very unique, to come up with it on the next day to play it at a gig. wonderful!

[@ducktailcat]

You're right, it doesn't sound like Uranium Rock at all. Stupid me... I'm glad you like the video. And I have to agree with you on Carl Perkins. I haven't heard anybody sounding close to Carl on his SUN recordings. That goes for singing and picking.

[@tadersalad7283]

Nice sound there Randy!

[@bnjmae]

Great tutorials with some very interesting insight into the authentic sounds made by both the guitars and amps used... Thanks for sharing..

[@PeteAxeShields]

You're a top fella Randy - great video brother x

[@sonnyforeman2442]

Pete AxeShields

[@robanderson7616]

Thanks Randy ... good advice, nice examples ... sounds great !!!

[@ducktailcat]

Thank you Rob! I'm glad you liked it

[@markj44r]

Hello I am J3 from USA I love your guitar lesson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!