Joe Bonamassa On The Albert King Solo Trick

[@philtron1969]

"That's a lot of not dating in high school.." Best line of the whole video!!!!

[@RobertSlover]

its not about the gear its in the hands and the heart!

[@cabilgibbs]

Shows how important starting young is....

[@Boogieplex]

Finally someone brings up the phaser sound in Albert’s tone. I’ve always noticed it, but never heard anyone talk about it, until now.

[@Radioteleskopes]

What the honor listening Mr Joe Bonamassa reminisce of Albert King, Stevie Ray… Blues Forever!

[@VonBluesman]

Albert stood 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighed over 250 pounds, his daytime job before becoming a full time musician was being a bulldozer operator. This explains his playing technique.

[@Nightshade1881]

I’m 280 and 5 foot 7 😕👀😓😔

[@socialdef3]

But can you play the blues?

[@VonBluesman]

@ Yes

[@newenglandguitarman3345]

Wait a sec I’m 6’4” 260 & I sound nothing like him! WTF! I want my money back ! 😅

[@Tblanktim-mu1bh]

"The Velvet Bulldozer".

[@MichaelC76x]

Joe should do a whole series on Legendary artist trick bags! 🎸 🔥

[@joelewis7072]

I totally agree

[@Mudder1310]

I had no idea about the open tuning or reversed stringing. Incredible. Learn something new every day.

[@michaelreed2787]

Joe Bonamassa always has fantastic tone

[@bmphil3400]

It's cause he bought up all the vintage equipment.....

[@plankspanker1969]

Welp, it’s a brand new Fillmore here 😂

[@RobertSlover]

its not about the gear its in the hands and the heart!

[@shanemichaels8289]

When he has the best equipment he can get the best tone

[@bmphil3400]

@@michaelreed2787 he's like a bluesman for the drunk, over 50, country club golf crowd..... Sterile enough to not be offensive...... I imagine his crowd doesn't listen to Otis Rush and Son House........

[@Richard_Lush]

I didn’t know AK played upside down. Learn something new everyday. Thanks Joe. I love these Gibson vids.

[@tripplelindy2]

Albert played a right hand strung guitar...but left handed

[@54fighting5]

After listening to, and reading about Albert King for 50 years this is the first I've heard that he was a drummer! This blows my mind. Another great lefty player, who started out as Albert Collins' drummer is Coco Montoya. He also played a V for many years with John Mayall, although now he is mainly a Strat guy. Props to Joe for mentioning Eddie 9V. He's becoming more known around the world simply by working his azz off, touring and playing EVERYWHERE. Go see him if you get a chance. And he's a nice guy to boot.

[@michaeltaylor8734]

Albert did use a MXR Phaser pedal for quite some time..I remember Albert gave one to the son of his bus mechanic Clarence Woody in Lehi Arkansas. Albert use to store some of his equipment in the front office of the bus shop..Me and Michael Woody use to play guitars in that office and use some of Alberts toys..Albert had an old chromatic tuner that you place the dial on the note and it played the sound tone..we used it all the time, can't remember the name but I remember what it looked like. Albert was always just hanging out there when not touring..The stories he use to tell were awesome..I saw Albert and Little Milton get in a low down cuss fight over who could play guitar better..hilarious! Albert won because LM stormed out of the shop mad and drove off in his smoking oil burning Cadillac..

[@danbreault]

Nice story!

[@michauui]

yes, I love the playing of Albert King. He does nearly always the same lick, but that never gets boring! and killer vibrato!

[@keywest63020]

I once owned A Gibson Flying V that was owned by Albert. I had it for 20 yrs or so. I purchased it around 71 or 72 from Jack Pratt who had purchased it from Gene Edelen . Edelen was in a group called Rush that had some local fame in the St.Louis area. Not sure if the transfer to Gene was directly from Albert or an intrermediary or perhsps another guitar player. Not long before i sold it an acquaintence of a musician asked to look @ it to have the provenance checked by someone who traveled with King. He did verify it was the guitar. Wound up selling it not much longer after that. Needless to say i have regrets but such is life. The only thing that remains is a pic i have of it in its case. O,well Ces't la vie.

[@michauui]

@keywest63020 you never know, what things will go up in price. such is life!

[@krisscanlon4051]

Mike Bloomfield was right there too with that sound...AK was ridiculously talented...u go Joe for preaching it on.

[@redrock1963]

Yes......I'm happy to hear Eddie 9V gets a mention - such a great player.

[@MrMojabo]

The kid just has feel. He is an amazing musician completely dedicated to his soul funk sound ..yes I appreciate him also . That Joe mentions him,,, right.

[@bikersoncall]

The CC comes up Eddie Van Halen 😄 I had to play it back.

[@Eddie9V]

Truly honored!

[@redrock1963]

@@Eddie9V - Sir, you have earned all the recognition and respect coming your way. I look forward to you coming to Melbourne Australia.

[@mpowell831]

Saw you at The Venue in Aurora. Told you you had great tone after the show and I meant it! ​@@Eddie9V

[@TracyFClark]

Joe is absolutely correct about the older blues players back in the day regarding amps. They weren't chasing tones or using a floor board full of pedals. It was just the guitar straight into a cranked amp. I used to be a working blues guitarist and sure I know about amps but to be honest I don't really care as long as my amp is the loudest thing onstage. Only effect I ever used was the amps reverb.

[@joshuahymer15]

The old blues guys hardly ever “cranked” or played with a lot of breakup

[@gordonhuskin7337]

@@joshuahymer15 WRONG

[@888jimm]

They were just happy to have an amp.

[@findJLF]

Albert King - King of the Blues Guitar. The only 100% blues record I own. Amazing songs and performances.

[@Sldumas1983]

One of the Greatest to ever play and one of my favorite because I play upside down as well but I am nowhere near that good. Always love to listen to Joe man is a Guitar Genius.

[@anthonyskellern5970]

Awesome perfornance by Joe! I was lucky to see Albert in concert, a wonderful night. He was a big man with a deceptively soft voice and I remember thinking how can he play these exquisite licks when that V just looked like a toy in his hands - magic!

[@tomcarl8021]

I got into Albert because I'm a huge STAX Records fan. That's Booker T and the MG's on Albert's 'Born Under A Bad Sign' album from 1967. In fact, Booker wrote the song 'Born Under A Bad Sign' with STAX singer William Bell, and gave the song to Albert. It's also worth noting that Booker T wrote the famous riff on the organ and Steve Cropper adopted it for guitar. Steve also wrote Albert's other hit on that album called 'The Hunter'. Speaking of Steve Cropper, I recommend an album on STAX from 1969 called, 'Jammed Together'. It's credited to Steve, Albert, and the great Pop's Staples. Pop's was also a STAX artist with the Staples Singers. Booker T and the MG's are also the band on the album. It's a fantastic album all guitar players should hear. Being a STAX Records fan, I have a load of Albert stories I read over the years. Producer Don Nix said Albert tried desperately to hide the fact he was illiterate. When lyrics for songs were presented to him, he would pretend to read it, until Don got frustrated and told him everyone knew he couldn't read. Albert pulled a snub-nosed 38 on him. 😂😂😂😂

[@JoeandAngie]

Saw Duck Dunn standing in line for a beer and a burger at Alfred's, I think it was in 87. Pretty cool. It's (was) the little place in midtown with the thousands of toothpicks in the ceiling that you'd blow up there with a straw lol

[@tomcarl8021]

@JoeandAngie I met him in NYC. He was a jerk.

[@bop-g7602]

​Wuss

[@SGED392]

“They didn’t care what they played through “ so cool

[@GrizzlyGuitarist]

As a guitarist myself, I just heard the real nugget of truth from a modern legend that truly knew, passed down from the BLUES HEROES. GIVE ME MY SIX STRINGS, GIVE ME VOLUME, AND LET'S HAVE FUN

[@joesantamaria5874]

“It didn’t matter”. Correct. I saw video of Clapton sitting in with Asleep at the Wheel, on someone else’s 355, through a Music Man amp. He twiddled a few knobs, cranked it, and…..you guessed it, sounded EXACTLY like Clapton.

[@paulivy8423]

Albert tuned down 11/2 steps to C#, not open tuning. And he used 8,11and 14 gauge top strings. And most of the licks are played on 2 strings. One can play Blues Power on just 4 strings!! Set up a guitar like it and you'll see! Lucky to open for Albert twice in the 70s. Good luck and Joe is just Great!

[@errtrainer]

I heard Rev Gibbons tell his switch to very light string gauge when he played BBs guitar. 'Why suffering?' was BB answer to him.

[@deanbembridge8640]

That sums everything up perfectly especially the tuning down one and a half steps

[@paulivy8423]

I'm going to record a KZbin video about how I think one can play like Albert K in a week

[@HankMorris-el6jg]

I like the end part, it doesn’t matter what you play through, if you got soul, it just doesn’t matter.

[@heyjarrod]

It mattered. Especially to Stevie, I know that. But the Jazz Chorus is no slouch. 🤘🏻😝🎸🇺🇸

[@JesseStevenPollom]

Fantastic playing

[@scottshand8559]

Doyle Bramhal II really shows what playing with the strings reversed sounds like. Some of his work just amazes me and I love watching (and listening) to it.

[@randall9000]

Every guitarist should listen to the Arc Angels album

[@clapdrix72]

Eric Gales is probably the most technically gifted of the upside down lot, but his phrasing and feel doesn't have the gravitas of Bramhall or King. It's a lot of monotonic shredding which to me just always seemed more party trick than sound poem.

[@13thRaven]

Doyle Bramhall II deserves more recognition. There's a reason he's in claptons band, great guitar player

[@ToddCiehomski]

For sure. There is something to say about pulling your bends over pushing them to truly sound like AK

[@curragh4635]

​@randall9000 great album and I still listen to it now

[@Subatomic_Glue]

Albert King bend, you know it, you love it. It's as recognizable as Hendrix, SRV, B.B. Doesn't get enough praise imo, just an amazing player.

[@SimpleManGuitars1973]

Jack Pearson is one of the most incredible impersonators of Albert that I've ever heard. Look up the video of him playing Albert's guitar.

[@Tomarco70]

On that session SRV played like no one could or can do it , at same point Albert stops playing and give him a hand of applause,

[@jamesoliphant4378]

There is no better cover artist than Joe; what a cover legend. Just love his covers……

[@nuggers23]

I so much can't wait to see Joe live in May 🎉🎉🎉

[@andrewclemons8619]

Joe youre great man. Thanks for giving back

[@johnhendricks8140]

Damn when JoBo play those Albert King licks the hair on my kneck stands up.

[@888jimm]

Maybe the best teacher ever JoeyB !!

[@Techcensorshipbot]

The thing I find interesting about learning SRVs stuff is whatever you're learning he just came up with that variation on the fly and it sounds amazing. He could probably sit there for an hour and not play the same exact lines twice.

[@arnoldzilban8274]

What a great torch bearer Joe Bonamassa is of everything that Blues guitar music is, and his musical sense of the Blues zeitgeist is wonderful to learn and listen to.

[@scottcummings8602]

King tuned all of his strings down a whole step. He then tuned his low E and A strings down a further whole step. So his guitar was actually tuned from Low to High C, F, C, F, A, D... this was confirmed by master luthier Dan Erlwine who built replica's of Albert's favorite Flying V "Lucy."

[@televinv8062]

Incredible 👍

[@221b-l3t]

He also played upside down.

[@televinv8062]

@scottcummings8602 meant to ask you. I get the tune down a whole step part. But how did get the idea to lower the low 6th and 5th strings down another whole step? Did he mimic someone or just thought that up himself? Would you happen to know?

[@HarrellOtis]

​@@televinv8062Albert was the King of the Kings, both vocally and guitar wise, and did not mind letting you know! I had the pleasure of seeing him several nights in a row up close on Beale Street in the early nineties. Absolute embodiment of the ultimate blues player, singer, composer. Despite All odds, you could hear see and feel all those life lessons of pain and success bought on stage with him. He is had a horn section but as far as I was concerned they could have stayed home. He was the well that other artists dipped in to drink.

[@V_Dgt]

How it is even possible to play that noodle tuning on a short scale?

[@03Jan09]

I've seen Albert get so annoyed with a drummer that he would put down his guitar and sit down at the kit to show him how it's done for a minute or two. Then he'd hand back the sticks, pick up his V and blister through a solo like a lightning storm from the Gods.

[@RobertSlover]

its not about the gear its in the hands and the heart!

[@RoosterCogburn1]

It didn’t matter what they played through because they were just that good!! True pioneers and innovators we all copy, steal from and try and emulate.

[@nicolasestrada7989]

Including bonnamossa

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Do some Malmsteen on this Gibson guitar

[@abeal5188]

3:18 😂I think it may have paid off, Joe.😂 Keep your head up, man.😂

[@Pudge4400]

Check out Chris Cain's Albert King feel. He nails it, too!

[@benrios7902]

Flying V is the most consistent Gibson . They always sound good.

[@XneverstopfightingX]

Dave mustaine v

[@JoeandAngie]

Got my sons 78 V back from our luthier yesterday. It sounds different than any of his other guitars. In your face tone. All original. Carter's Vintage Guitars...$700 steal. They liked him cause he was 14 at the time. Now plays around Nashville (ugh lib infested) and has a blast.

[@XneverstopfightingX]

@JoeandAngie I have a carters hat I wear around! I sold them a 1954 gibson j50 that I found on Craigslist for a steal, but didn't have the money or skills to repair. At least that guitar got a new life as a guitar rather than rotting away in someone's garage. I just wish I could have played it once.

[@davedoubleddykhuizen]

Joe seems to have missed the key element: Albert's bends are two whole steps, from flat third to fifth; he didn't bend from the fourth. He did the same bend from fifth to ninth, over the five chord.

[@michaelturnerguitar]

I agree. However, you don’t think he EVER did one step bends?

[@twitcheyspleen]

lots of great stuff from Joe here ...

[@ald.5147]

Steve Grills & the Roadmasters from Rochester ny, has Freddy King, Albert Collins, and Albert king down to a T.

[@abrigospardos]

Otis Rush also played upside down, but he was in standard tuning. He also was a great bluesman, but he obviously didn't sound like Albert. He was happy to be Otis. One of my first blues vynils had both Otis and Albert. It was called "Door to Door".

[@billyclub9863]

Alert King, Albert Collins & Otis Rush are my favorites

[@televinv8062]

Albert was also the funkiest King of the 'Kings' 👍🙏

[@robertmitchell2178]

"B.B. loved the LAB series". Yup, me too.

[@heyjarrod]

Joe playing some Blues … with a capital B! Trying,’ but it takes a lifetime playing in that style. Joe likes to play way too many notes, to play Albert. I think Joe played more notes in this short interview, than Albert played on a full album!!! 🤘🏻😝🎸🇺🇸

[@TooLooze]

Perfect AK tone!

[@akmt123]

Excellent, cheers from Canada...

[@petedazer3381]

Joe is the best

[@BrandonScottFox1]

Thanks Joe! Amazing…always loved the King!

[@gibson]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@keywest63020]

I owned a Gibson Flying V that was formally owned by Albert for about 20 yrs or so. Acquired it around 71 or 72 and sold it in the early 90's. I purchsed it and Fender Twin with JBL' s and the joke is that i did't even play guitar and never was able to achieve any proficiency. Regret selling it , especially after vintage guitars shot through the roof. The only thing that remains is a pic of the guitar in its case and a pic of the guy i bought it from playing it on stage. Hindsight is 20/20 dont you know.

[@theurbanbohemian1979]

So so goooood!

[@TIBonkers]

The old hat’s sound came through their hearts, not wires.

[@thejakefromstatefarm6768]

I did not know he played in open tuning. That explains alot about why I can't get it spot on. I don't do open tunings. Im so boring with it. I tune a step or two down unless im playing with people that want to play in standard tuning. Then i'll sync with them. But i will try to get them to tune to me instead lol.

[@_RLP]

Powerful sounds!

[@jacksonelmore6227]

Joe is the weird phenomenon where I like everything he does BUT his music I like seeing him as a guitar influencer more than as a guitarist am I wack for this opinion Dudes virtually goat nominated though fr

[@Spike-w5o]

Eddie 9 Volt 😊

[@markyyoung1114]

BB also preferred to set his amp wide open and let Lucille control the tone and volume.

[@davidt9841]

Love Joe!

[@MurraysVlogCast]

Stellar! 🖖🥳

[@kailuakidd1512]

Great analysis.

[@stoneysspotbadseedstudios23]

Mr know it all didn’t mention that Albert’s V was out of phase, not using a phaser… and he tuned to C#. That’s why those bends were so easy for him.

[@johnmilhuisen2607]

Albert King was and is the best ever no ifs or buts.

[@autk]

But ....IF

[@ThatHuskyisCrazy]

I saw Albert King live.

[@Mr.R0bot]

I love this channel. Good idea.

[@gibson]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@luigicalzone1558]

Thanks Joe. „It didn’t matter“

[@johnbohlinger]

Joe is so great. Love that he shares this.

[@selliantuttimusi6735]

I've never seen Albert King landing on the root the way Joe does it it here. He often landed on the 5th at the end of a phrase.

[@Zonydeep]

Very true Noone can do albert including jb.

[@ampersandmcvinegar5681]

Freddie King was the real king. ❤🤷‍♂️

[@JustAGuitarPlayer]

Can anyone tell me which Boogie amp Joes playing through? I know Joe could make any amp sound great but those were some great tones in addition to his always phenomenal playing

[@pascalchiasson8929]

Fillmore

[@davidatkinson8164]

Cheer up Joe

[@darrenmcfarlane1910]

I’d love to see the interviewer start playing while Joe’s talking, that would be satisfying!

[@turnerthemanc]

the only other artist I know who plays a right strung guitar upside down is the 90's British artist SEAL.

[@thomasbrown3325]

I'm hearing things about some dude named Hendrix....

[@turnerthemanc]

​@@thomasbrown3325 I'm talking right strung upside down. Hendrix played right handed guitars upside down but they were strung for lefty. Left handed guitars were rare. Albert didnt change the strings. He just turned it over and played it.

[@thomasbrown3325]

@@turnerthemanc Check out Otis Rush and Elizabeth Cotten. Great musicians.

[@JoeFlip]

“A lot of not dating in high school” hahaha , viva guitar nerds!

[@HopeIanHope]

No one gets anywhere near Albert King

[@frankrichards3089]

He absolutely invented an entire style. Amazing big man was a bad mf

[@GetOutsideYourself]

That tone is spot on, but like Joe says, nobody can quite get those bends like Albert did. Joe's attack is more modern and his vibrato smoother and faster (and with less personality) than Albert's.

[@mikeallen3646]

Chris Cain does a MEAN blues power version

[@cm6string]

3:15 😂😂 sad but true 😢

[@JosephFoster-nh9hf]

Well said That's alot of not dating in highschool lol😊

[@danielebazzani]

TBone Walker. B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Freddie King were there before, Albert is one of the greats, not the first.

[@newenglandguitarman3345]

Doyle Bramhall ii gets damn close to nailing Albert’s thing..

[@Kamy.GG.Official]

🔥

[@iamyila]

imagine having distortion built into your voice

[@NigelWelch-x3h]

Nigel in Canada 🇨🇦 we have several generations now of guitarists? who think 5 note (penetonic) scales are the "be all and end all" play some Rockabilly Brian Setzer stuff it's a LOT MORE DIFFICULT than it sounds my ears need a break from blues scales even Sabbath gave us variety with DIMINISHED NOTES

[@jaimedolcesinnersole]

in my opinion Doyle Bramhall ll does the best Albert King.. 💜

[@chucktupa9393]

If its "impossible" to sound like albert King as you say. What do you try showing others?

[@fredfloyd68]

I can...

[@joetristan]

I play a little

[@lesliehollands2689]

So if you're a lefty, take a right-handed guitar and learn to play it with the strings the way they're strung. Now, being upside down. Pulling your bends instead of bending your bends. Vibrato will be different for sure.

[@danielmelo7146]

🎸

[@coreymineard]

Nice to hear Joe doing some legato playing

[@BluesRockAcademy]

Where?

[@kalesmythe]

"Eddie 9 volt" sounds like a mafioso name

[@maxpuppy96]

Albert tuned down 3 frets

[@MichaelBrewster-x7n]

You are your sound