One of my Guitar Heros - Leslie West.

Larry never met Leslie West, but he considers Leslie to be the person who taught him to play guitar. The Gibson Les Paul Junior has always held a special place in Larry's heart because that was the source of Leslie's original monster tone. Today's Les Paul Junior can still deliver it.
Photo credits: Rolling Stone.com, Guitar Player.com

[@LarryWestWeinstein]

I am Leslies brother Larry West Weinstein and your tribute left me sobbing. Les missed that Junior very much. Your playing reminded me of Les. He could make any guitar sound amazing,.

[@MooreMusicGuitars]

Larry, what an honor to have you as a subscriber to our channel! Thank you for the kind words. Leslie was my hero, and an inspiration to all of us here at Moore Guitars. There will never be another like him.

[@LarryWestWeinstein]

@@MooreMusicGuitars I miss him every day. I did cry but your tribute finally let me get it all out. Thanks Larry, I wont forget you.

[@merrillmilner8717]

His singing's not too shabby either. 🙂 Hell of a dresser, too.

[@mikes9759]

He was the only player I idolized!! I saw him more than anyone else!! 1 show we were about 4 feet from the stage and it was amazing!! I think I saw him 6 times and will never forget them. I think it was in 70 after a show I was talking with my brother and a buddy and my brother said you talk like he's God or something. And I said he's a guitar god! And I think that was before they were saying Clapton was god! And I saw Cream play too. Leslie was always my favorite!

[@shaniwoods5923]

Why this doesn't have a million likes is beyond me!! west influenced so many your brother was truly amazing 👏

[@jonnynevada8915]

Leslie’s tone in the early years didn’t just come from his Les Paul Jr,, he used a SUNN Coliseum PA .. That amp head was actually a PA rig. It had 4 mic inputs with a pre amp volume control for each mic input, but ,, here’s the magic ,, it also had a master volume with bass & treble controls.. So what Leslie did was ,, he plugged his Jr into one of the mic inputs, then cranked the pre amp volume and turn down the master to get that sweet compressed breakup distorted tone .. He also used this setup in the studio to go on to make the famous Mountain records like ,, Mississippi Queen etc..

[@MooreMusicGuitars]

You're exactly right. The wiring in that head allowed for a cascading gain structure - probably the first, years before Mesa amps popularized it. Sunn got Hendrix to use the same type of amp at a couple gigs, but he wasn't happy with the sound - which probably didn't match up too well with a Strat. It was perfect for Leslie, and I don't think he ever got close to the tone from that rig again.

[@henryrogers5500]

I had no idea! No fuzz box?!

[@jonnynevada8915]

@@henryrogers5500 Back in 69 there wasn’t really any overdrive or distortion pedals that sounded good, the only useful pedal used by pros was basically the Wah Wah , distortion pedals just sounded thin with shitty tone. Musicians preferred overdriven tube amplification with tube rectifiers to give them that compressed smooth natural breakup from their amps, unfortunately you had to turn them up real LOUD ! 🤷‍♂️ .. Leslie took it to another level by discovering the pre volume and master volume on the SUNN Coliseum PA head.. He could get nice smooth distortion at a lower level without blowing his eardrums out 😉

[@jonnynevada8915]

Here you go,, he talks about it in this video .. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJeciIV-gqdgeqc

[@LarryWestWeinstein]

That is all true. The Les Paul Jr. and the Sunn Coliseum PA heads with 4 12's

[@brianreilly5103]

Leslie has been an inspiration to me for fifty years and I am still learning from his playing. Excellent tribute

[@jrhguitarbassdrums]

That was a beautiful heartfelt tribute. Well done 👍

[@MooreMusicGuitars]

Thank you!

[@MaxPaws]

I’m old enough that I was bowled over when I first heard The Beatles… then bowled over again when I first heard Jimi Hendrix… then bowled over when I first heard Led Zeppelin… but all that paled when I first heard Leslie West Mountain! There was something SO special about his sound, his guitar, the way he approached songwriting. He was both accessible and inaccessible at the same time! I saw Mountain live more than any other band, and was at the Fillmore East at their most famous New Year’s Eve shows in 1970, with a dozen of my closest friends. Never In My Life, have I met a musician like you… (and yes I met him and talked with him several times). His playing certainly influenced my own guitar playing in ways even I probably don’t fully understand. One of the truly greats of all time. RIP Leslie West. ❤

[@Laroo69]

The solo from the song "Travelin in the dark" will always be my fav. Blows me away every time I listen to it,and that's at least once a day

[@adamchafetz2986]

Definitly one of my all times favorite solos...ever!

[@tonebrennan8475]

Leslie at his best!!

[@rushyeskansas]

Leslie was unique. He was one of my first inspirations to play guitar. He taught me what real FEELING was. R.I.P. Leslie West. Btw. I am glad that I could see him playing live twice.

[@br1rocks]

Great tribute. Leslie West was a one-of-a-kind guitar legend.

[@RiverRat1953]

I bought Mountain Climbing in 1971 and it still rings true today…….I met Leslie in NYC and will never forget that day.

[@krmhayes2893]

Leslie is the reason I ever got interested in guitar in the first place. Got my first guitar, a Checkmate Acoustic, for $29. The next guitar was a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom, in Tobacco Sunburst with gold hard ware....and the rest is history!

[@RonB11004]

That was a beautiful tribute to one of the greats and my favorite guitarist. I can say that I agree with everything you said. Just spot on...like a Leslie West riff. Thank you for sharing and for remembering.

[@joecurmaci5880]

I was 11 years old and 71 and I remember all of this is clear as a bell we did live through the best times

[@daddysannie]

Very well done ... I have to say that Leslie taught me guitar as well. I had learned the solo to 'Theme for an Imaginary Western' back in 1970 and have never played it in a band, but have never forgotten that solo during the last 50 years. It is a masterpiece of tone and emotion and still gives me the chills. Sleep well Mr. West and thank you for showing me how to play guitar in a special way.

[@ridgerunner4943]

The solo to 'Theme for an Imaginary Western' is my all time favorite guitar solo. Not Hendrix, not Page, not Eddie.

[@beniciocolby4549]

You prolly dont care at all but does anybody know a tool to get back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot the login password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me!

[@augusthenrik1899]

@Benicio Colby instablaster :)

[@beniciocolby4549]

@August Henrik i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process now. Seems to take a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@beniciocolby4549]

@August Henrik It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thanks so much, you really help me out !

[@joeycredible]

Thank you for introducing me to this player. I'm 43 and I hadn't heard of him.

[@impalaman9707]

Everything you're describing about Leslie West reminds me of another guitar player born in 1945 and fellow SUNN amplifier devotee---Randy Holden from Blue Cheer. He was never the fastest or flashiest guitar player, either, but he was always on the quest for the best guitar tone---and also liked to play LOUD!

[@sanoj1969]

Thank you so very much. I was born 1969. My father learned me and my brother to like and listen to Elvis and several other artists. Then my older brother picked up the guitar and at that time we shared the same bedroom. He took in Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Van Halen in to our bedroom. So we are raised with rock, hard rock and blues and Metal. And for me this is a blessing and when my 50th birthday came I bought a electric guitar and trying to learn a little. Thanks to this I finally discover Leslie West…… and boy what a guitarist he was. I’m also blown away and at the same time sad that I didn’t discovered him earlier in my life. Anyway it’s never to late to find new (old) music. Thanks to KZbin in my case. It’s a music treasure. Thanks again and rock on 🤘

[@user-wd1qb2vw6d]

I cried with joy the first time I heard Leslie West's guitar on Theme for an imaginary western, and still do all these years later. Never flash. Never shredding, but Leslie could do that with a bend of a guitar string. I'm off to listen to it now....

[@johnsmith-ug5tp]

Larry, great tribute to Leslie. When YOU TUBE first hit the internet I saw a concert from 69 or 70 and Leslie was doing an improv solo during a song and I said, Leslie is the GodFather of Hard Rock! This is where it all began.

[@tonyspada2744]

Leslie made a huge impact on my early teen years playing in bands. Still have a 54 Jr. In my collection cuz of him🎸🎶

[@therabidscorpion]

You saw Leslie West the same way I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan at the same age. He blew my mind and changed my perspective not only of the guitar, but music altogether.

[@hector_nimrod]

There is 2 things about this vídeo. First, i am a 90's kid, and lost musicians from that generation its really sad, i can understeand you totally. Second thing, and why i clicked on this video, i freaking love the Les Paul Junior, because of Billie Joe Armstrong, and one of the musicians that he said why he love this guitar, its because also Leslie. And one last thing, that guitar sounded just amazing

[@DJParkesie959II]

I must confess; I've just turned 28 years old and until I saw this video two weeks ago I hadn't even heard of Leslie West, let alone Mountain outside of Mississippi Queen. Leslie has quickly become one of my favourite guitar players of all time.

[@DJParkesie959II]

Update: still one of my favourite guitarists.

[@shootfromthehipband]

Thank you so much for looking out for Leslie ,when asked who are my favorite guitarists Leslie just blurts out of my mouth…I’ve been a fan of Mountain since the release of climbing …

[@ALRULZ1965]

Their Woodstock performance was phenomenal, when I watch videos from that show, I wish I would have been there.

[@sKraat528]

Leslie West still my favorite guitarist of all time. Maybe the most valuable guitarist for people learning... because he doesn't play fast or flashy, 'new-ish' players can learn his songs and then...spend the rest ofd their life refining and trying to get them perfect.

[@henryrogers5500]

Same goes for Cream. Eric Clapton at his very best! Some of his pentatonics are attainable.

[@peterrubicam439]

I saw Mountain at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester NY in May of 1970 and that performance just blew my mind. I had never heard guitar tone like that, and in all these years I have never heard anyone equal it. A very unique and under appreciated talent!

[@fordrac1ng81]

Growing up in the early 90s, I was learning guitar and had so many people to emulate. One day I found a Mountain album in my dad's collection and put it on the turntable. As soon as I heard Mississippi Queen, I said THAT is what I wanted to sound like. I knew the tone I wanted to emulate and it took me so long to place those seemly simple notes with any kind of likeness to Leslie.

[@richardhendry3883]

He was amazing.

[@michaeloconner9677]

One of my favorite songs recorded by Leslie West and Mountain is "Theme for an Imaginary Western", written by Jack Bruce and Peter Brown. This song really showcases Leslie's non-flashy and yet beautiful, melodic soloing.

[@georgevasquez1028]

Great video. I'm an advanced rock and jazz player who has studied jazz players such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, but to this day, Leslie West as well as Johnny Winter have been the two most influential rock players in my life. it's Leslie West's rhythm. He has the most sophisticated syncopated rhythm of any rock musician I've heard. Just listen to "Silver Paper" live at the Fillmore East 1971 on KZbin. Nobody plays like that--nobody.

[@LarryWestWeinstein]

Beautifully said

[@gearhead2017]

His tone was massive from that little les paul jr,eddie passed just 3 months before leslie,RIP evh and leslie

[@Gil27225]

I saw Moutain in a night club in Phoenix AZ in the early 90s. WOW! Before the show I was sitting at the bar with my buddy Spoony, Noel Redding walked up & sat down with us & drank a couple of beers. Spoony said after Noel left. We have just been with rock greatness. What a night that was.

[@kennymiller9388]

I witnessed the Leslie West Band in the late 70s front row in a coliseum setting with Leslie on max volume. i heard a tone that was from another world. i felt what all these master guitar players have said about Leslie. it is an original tone that has never been duplicated. RIP Leslie and thank you for letting me experience it in person.

[@cmel714]

What an awesome tribute to the great Leslie West. He is also the reason I play guitar. From the early 70's when I was in high school Leslie was a huge influence in my music life. Saw him live once in a little bar on Chicago's north side in the late 80's, and he blew me away.

[@iDropRocks]

When I think I’m sick of all my music…pffft so much out there! Love finding older bands I missed somehow

[@user-hq7zb4en9f]

Picking up my junior tomorrow,will learn my first song on it,you guessed it. Mississippi queen!!!Love mr.West style.Bass player convert.RIP😢

[@chrisv.siarmalis4784]

Magnificent tribute !!! Dreams of milk and honey forever !!!

[@doctoribanez]

That was awesome

[@SailingGrace]

Thanks for posting this, brother. Leslie West was a giant among guitar players. An instant transport back to my teen years.

[@davegallagher7428]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything that you said. He is an always will be one of my guitar heroes. Is there anyone who doesn’t crank up the volume when “ Mississippi Queen “ comes on the radio when you’re driving. I know he did a lot more than this and for me his music always stands the test of time. Thanks for doing this video!

[@alanprendergast7747]

Great tribute ..dont worry Leslie is still remembered in the UK.

[@KevanRCraft]

Leslie West was an incredible guitarist with an awesome tone and chops.

[@savage3960]

I just discovered Leslie West and mou tain , I have been playing since 85 and never new about him or a lot of other great guitar players. Sad he Is gone.

[@leemaiorano5875]

Met Leslie West in Manny’s Music in New York when I was a teen. As good of a person as he was a guitar player. One of the greats.

[@ACG7001]

Great video Leslie West is my all time favorite along with Michael Willis, 50 years later no one has ever had the monster tone of Leslie

[@MrWarrenYoung]

What a wonderful tribute. I first heard Mountain in 1971, don't look around, I have always thought Leslie West should be more widely appreciated. You have put his playing in perspective perfectly. Thank you I own only one electric guitar and that is a gibson junior

[@thebob6385]

I never heard of Leslie West before tonight. Thanks for the lesson!

[@raisinsawdust]

Michael Schenker said Leslie West was his main influence. He finally got to play with him and it was one of the most significant moments of his life. Search for it on KZbin - they played Going Down and it is an epic performance

[@williamcagliostro9506]

I love to hear stories about Leslie.Thank you for this beautiful story.

[@fluffylambut]

Thank you so much. Much appreciated. Well done. Always loved Mountain

[@johnross5722]

You are a wonderful storyteller so genuine and real . Thanks for this video oh hair is on point

[@tonybrown7847]

One of the all time greats. Him , Keith Richards and Johnny Thunders turned me unto Jr’s

[@harry9392]

I just discovered Leslie West, I live in Northern Ireland UK , I am ashamed to say I never heard of Mountain before , Seen a video of Leslie a few months ago man he was really good, looking for back catalogue, great tribute to a great man

[@jornfox3545]

What a wonderful tribute, thank you.

[@drjay73]

Great video and an ever better tribute to a truly amazing guitar player who's often forgotten, except to his fans and fellow musicians of course. RIP Leslie - you are gone but you will never be forgotten!

[@jackbernard1525]

Long Live Leslie West FOREVER!! R.I.P. Leslie.. 🙏 🙏 🙏 ✌😎👍

[@Jakexx01]

In all honesty, I've waited since 1970 for someone other than myself to give an appropriate breakdown that portrayed the things I admire most about Leslie West's guitar tone, playing, vocals and musical vibe. I too, was educated by Leslie West's vibrato. It opened up my ability to tear down and REALLY listen to a multitude of audible guitar techniques. Thank you so much for telling me things I already knew, but yet still absolutely appreciate. It's kinda nice to have one of my most appreciated, and yet sadly underrated musical heroes validated for simply being himself. He DEFINITELY had an original voice. You really laid out the truth about some of my earliest R&R memories. Thanks for your obvious sincerity and respect. God knows Leslie deserves it! Single P-90s, germanium fuzz pedals, treble boosters and hotly glowing amp tubes FOREVER!! 😊

[@disciplekevin1140]

I also deeply respect and appreciate what Leslie West did for the guitar and for composing I think just awesome music what he did with Felix is masterpieces in my opinion I have recently relooked it the works of Leslie West and Felix and I just think there should be a movie about his life about their lives it's really worth reliving and exposing to the public I really like seeing great musicians appreciated with us or not why listen to certain songs I tell you I just can't contain myself I just get teary-eyed with all and respect if you know what I mean thank you for what you shared I appreciate you trying to praise and honor a great musician that we got to grow up with 👍🏻🙌🏼

[@jaggedstudios3315]

First saw Mountain in Wichita, KS in '71. Black Oak Arkansas opened and they were loud. But when Mountain started, Leslie alone was louder than the whole BOA band !! Incredible !! They started with "Never In My Life" and took off from there. One of the best shows I ever saw !!!

[@n34z3r]

Heard Mississippi Queen for the longest but never looked to hear their other songs until recently and they ROCK!! West had a tone even in 70s.

[@ohno2112]

The road goes ever on is one of the greatest live albums! Nantucket sleigh ride Tone is unbelievable and the timing of his playing was great!!!

[@marcususa]

Great tribute to a legend!!

[@stevenwilson9865]

One of the best concerts I've been to. What a great guitarist, a vocalist, a showman.

[@richiebaccellieri7065]

beautiful tribute to my all time fav as well. Catalogue of music is a hidden gem needing to be let out . Leslie Felix, and corky deserve it. deserve it . Thank you. Yasgurs Farm my favorite too.

[@GMSade]

Like yourself, Leslie is one of my all-time guitar heroes. Very underrated guitarist. Thanks for doing this tribute and historical account of a great musician.

[@henryrogers5500]

I don’t see Mr. West as underrated at all. A true legend.

[@wilfredassenberg3945]

What a nice tribute to the man with that big sound. Thanks!

[@RMGCBG]

Saw Leslie in 73, Wild West Show. God of tone

[@MeLoNHeAd00]

Listen to his blues!!! Its amazing!! Leslie was a man who knew is limitations but with that he was amazing and unforgettable . He always said "i am not the fastest player." Leslie had a sound that was so thick you could chew it and he could take a note amd make it sound like four .

[@MikeJones-jr5hb]

Leslie West was the man. Tone so so good! Killer riffs. I’m trying to learn Theme from Imaginary Western, I love his solo in it , so melodic, I play with it over and over, so cool. He was one of the best. RIP Leslie.

[@cjw3129]

I think I listen to mountain every day they are on my daily play list so I go down the mountain rabbit hole alot love that band

[@barryarcher6158]

I have to agree with Ron B this was one of he best tributes I have heard. Just listening to what you were saying I went over some of my old band recordings and I realise just how much I had been influenced by Lesley West, fabulous player

[@oudaram1]

Thanks, great tribute. Saw Leslie in Ithaca in 69, still think about it, aside from feeling, power, honesty......Great lesson in vibrato!

[@brocluno01]

Nantucket Sleigh Ride is one of my all time favorite tracks 😄 My favorite Leslie CD was "Blue Me" 😁

[@garypannone7755]

I know this it two years old But Great Video. Great Tribute to Leslie West. Great playing.

[@plk5520]

Thsnks for the well deserved tribute. I'm really lucky to have the official sheet music for all the songs on the Mountain "Climbing!" album along with the songs from the Leslie West solo album that preceded it.

[@richardmaier28]

I've got one of the very rare TV juniors in single cutaway, a'59 of which there are less than 40 and the p90 is absolutely sick,bought from the original owner in '67 never used 200usd,over 55 years now. I think even now it's just the best student guitar around.

[@MrKelly-xv6ot]

Fantastic tribute. Thank you for keeping Leslie's talent and style alive.

[@bwithrow011]

I saw Leslie sing lead vocal on Respect in The Vagrants in the late 60s. He was awesome then and continued to be awesome 👌! Mountain at Woodstock 1969 in on KZbin

[@LarryWestWeinstein]

I am his brother and was the bass player for The Vagrants

[@bwithrow011]

@@LarryWestWeinstein I play bass as well Larry. I also saw Mountain at Westbury Music Fair. Nice to meet you. I saw you guys play at Pau in Lindenhurst, my home town

[@sixstringcity3931]

As a great fan of Leslie i thank you for such a heartfe and informative vid. Met Leslie 2x on Long Island He was the reason i picked up a guitar ( Roll over Beethoven off Best album)

[@merrillmilner8717]

Oh God yes - I still can't enough of that solo and Roll Over Beethoven.

[@knutroadie]

A wonderfully personal message in tribute to a generational talent. Thank you for a great video!

[@ryanfulldark2775]

Really phenomenal video. Beautiful tribute

[@nicoleehrhardt2533]

I really agree !! Thanks For this ! For me, it Had taken some time as a guitar Player, Born 59, to realize What those Guys we're Info and listen more carefully...I was also blasted away in my 20ies by Eddie, Steve Vai, Malmsteen and all the Others. But: Apart from technical brilliant on the fretboard, somehow listening to those Masters, wears Out....faster means Not Always better! An old Friend of Mine named it " Sport- Guitar" . I'm very Happy todays with Bad Company, Mountain, Spooky Tooth, Mott the Hoople, Hendrix, Brian Taylor, and so on. The Blues never, ever gets boring. It's a Journey

[@journstyx]

Larry, great tribute, great presentation and lovely to hear you recreate that 'TONE'. Leslie's playing is quite unique and when Felix, Steve, Corky and Leslie got together there was an amazing chemistry and this resulted in some truly remarkable songs, such as 'Never In My Life', 'For Yasgur's Farm', 'Mississippi Queen', the wonderful rendition of Jack Bruce's 'Theme For An Imaginary Western' and 'Nantucket Sleighride' to name a few. I hope his/their legacy lives on and gets discovered by younger generations. Regards from The Netherlands

[@livejts3301]

Cool, cool, Hendrix story! Love LW! I just bought the guitar your playing and your right those relay feelings thru them.

[@catcancrunch7260]

Hi sir, IAM 56 years old and been playing 40 years and in the last few days I've been discovering Leslie and have to say you are so right he really was such a great player with a incredible tone, and I agree he really should not be forgotten, he made his mark for sure, thanks for your upload 👍🙏

[@sixslinger9951]

wow, this was awesome. I am re-discovering Leslie West in the past couple of weeks and this video popped up. Thank you!

[@danielfournier735]

Real good video. My all time favorite guitarist. I saw him with mountain twice at the Masonic Temple around 71 and 72. West !;! The ! Best. I mourned ! When he passed. Your ! Real good at what you do sounds real good. Thanks for the memories. Salute !;!

[@petermendelsohn4944]

The first live version of Nantucket Sleighride remains, for me, the most transcendent rock piece ever created. Steve Knight's organ and Felix's glockenspiel raised it all to a totally higher plain for me.

[@thomasryan5681]

I felt your emotion for Leslie here and if you teared up one bit I wouldn't judge.

[@BabylonSun]

Love this brother! Thanks for making this

[@DeekJohnson]

Mountain has been on my mind last few weeks for some reason...will have to go back and listen. Thx. Can’t go wrong with P90s

[@raisinsawdust]

Nantucket Sleighride is one of the greatest rock songs ever created - it is an epic on par with Starway to Heaven

[@impalaman9707]

100 perfcent agree. In fact, I loved the song so much, I thought if I had a band of my own, I would call it Nantucket Sleighride (that is---if the name hasn't already been taken yet!)

[@bubb2112]

Absolutely! One of the most underrated rock songs of the 70s

[@HumanWayMetaphysics]

Well said. Leslie taught me harmonics and yes tone.

[@peterburi2727]

My favorite solo by Leslie was "Theme for an imaginary western"

[@jimsims9422]

Great! Dream Sequence on Flowers of Evil and Live at the Fillmore. All you need to hear!

[@michaelleigh]

I always loved Leslie West, I now have 4 Jr's from the '50's, each a different year. I love them! First I ever heard was the Leslie West - Mountain LP....did you mention that one? Dreams of Milk & Honey, Blood On the Sun, etc. That and Climbing are still my faves! Oh and I did get to see early, around '71.

[@SeabeeBuckeye]

That was deep. 🙏❤

[@steven9370]

I missed seeing Mountain, but I did see Leslie in West, Bruce & Laing...oh....around '73 or'74.

[@charlesc2789]

Loved that. Well done, Sir.