Rig Rundown - Steely Dan's Walter Becker

[@kahsa1076]

Heartbreaking that he passed away, so young. What a great life. RIP dear Walter.

[@clintwilson6380]

Shame his girlfriend passed away so young too, huh?

[@flstffatboy3910]

@@clintwilson6380 yes her family I believe it was her mother who brought a lawsuit against Walt she for some reason blamed Walt

[@Youman71463]

"Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." ~ Frank Zappa lol

[@drtimoshea4087]

corollary: remove the word rock and it's still true!

[@bardwheelo]

@@drtimoshea4087 Hahaha. Good one.

[@zorroonmilkavitch1840]

Yeah I don't know about Frank Frank Zappa seemed to have a hard-on for everything that was a tall commercial but I'm sure that if he went commercial and if he's sold records like the Beatles would be happy as s*** I think he was a little jealous

[@blueshorecreative3146]

@@zorroonmilkavitch1840 no way man. Zappa was above such ridiculous idols. He had integrity and craziness and did whatever he wanted then he died.

[@paulbangash4317]

zorroon milkavitch supremely dim comment.

[@monmixer]

Rest In Peace Walter. What a credit to know that almost every audio engineer since forever used your studio finished products to tune their systems before sound check for decades.

[@kajem575]

I used AJA.✌❤

[@pomod]

RIP Walter Becker.

[@KeeperOfPoops]

What? WHAT? Walter's dead?! oh that's sad, i haven't heard of his death until now, Rest In peace Mr Becker

[@coleyounger3701]

Who gets his gear???

[@blueshorecreative3146]

@@coleyounger3701 ooo, that's cold.

[@paulconrad7649]

RIP, Walter! That's what is so great about playing music. There's always another piece of equipment to purchase , and another sound to try and create. The endless search for perfection, even by seemingly perfect musicians.

[@MrDaveFerrier]

RIP Walter. Hearing you and Donald as a young man changed my life, and your contribution to modern music is legendary, showcasing innovation and craft of the highest calibre, thank you :)

[@bobtucker8705]

Ah Steely Dan/ perfection is always the goal. Don and Walt are mad scientists of all sound. I could not love them more!!

bob tucker So why have they only ever written dull, boring, Wonderbread/ Kraft Dinner songs?

[@mukraker1]

Jeez, where's your album being sold, eh? Maybe just upload it so we can all appreciate your genius.

[@AldofromBordeaux]

blah blah blah... u spend too much time under the sun man...

[@toolbros]

Bob, ol' Buddy, Im sorry you are deaf. That's exactly what they DONT write!

[@chicapajarita1]

i bet you are a weekend warrior !!!!

[@MrMatthewLeo]

Nite Bob is a legend. You're definitely in a special league if you can have him tech/sound for you.

[@premierguitar]

@CrazyCow500 The Bludotone is actually Jon Herington's amp. Check out his Rig Rundown for all the dets to his rig. Thanks for watching, --PG Staff

[@jamescarter4175]

Rest in peace Walter. Thanks for all the great music through the years!

[@bizthin]

Wow the trolls haven't wasted any time jumping into this one. First of all, it's pretty impressive to be able to get behind the scenes about some cool gear. It's not like KZbin has been around for decades or something. Secondly, these techs- like 'em or not- didn't get this gig not knowing their business, AND they certainly aren't obligated to do these interviews. Kudos to Jason at PG for a cool feature!

[@Joe-mz6dc]

I've always loved his playing. Good video showing the beautiful guitars and wide range of amps, effects and pedals that he used to make those incredible sounds.

[@Metalcop5150]

When Steely Dan was on VH1 Songwriters, Becker played that Sadowsky with the Floyd Rose through a Bogner, for nearly the entire night! I was amazed that he was using such a 'metal' setup and it still sounded Steely Dan great.

[@Nantosuelta]

I was fortunate enough to see the dan twice in my relatively short lifetime. They ripped it both times. RIP Becker. His legacy will live on through his amazing music

[@thunders73]

Just great to see Nite Bob. The mans an icon and its a treat to see him here. This guy took care of the New York Dolls fer chrissakes....

[@singhjobim9719]

R.I.P. Good Sir. We feel the loss of your passing. Thank you for the many memories throughout the years.

[@sleeveaustin768]

Love the use of the Countryman Di's as spacers.

[@jandejongh]

Go give them hell, Walter! Heaven just got better music today! Rest and Play!

[@michaelpatterson5827]

Love this...Very nice. Thx to David Rule and Nite Bob.

[@mukraker1]

Jeez, I don't get all the pissy comments. The guys in the vid seemed just fine to me. No, starry bullshit, just explaining the rig to us from their perspective. So why all the hubbub bub?

[@alexstewart839]

That second tech is a perfect hybrid of Bea Arthur and Dee Dee Ramone.

[@christianmani1730]

LOL!

[@zorroonmilkavitch1840]

Bea Arthur and Dee Dee Ramone I think you could sell those in some kind of a recipe for I just don't think anyone's ever had a taste of that one before!

[@johnmckenzie4639]

Nite Bob is the perfect name. Looks like he hasn't seen daylight since the 70s. I give him credit for knowing his stuff though.

[@VictorRochaGaming]

Nite Bob worked for The Stooges, New York City Dolls & Aerosmith in the early-70s. He's a legend.

[@Nantosuelta]

@@VictorRochaGaming no doubt man, Night Bob rules!

[@VictorRochaGaming]

Thanks to the legendary Nite Bob & Dave Rule for the gear tour.

[@porchdog1961]

These rig rundowns are really great. Thanks for uploading them.

[@kevinstill1069]

Watched in tribute to Mr. Becker. Honoring a fine musician.

[@jbizley]

Can we get this guy a glass of water?

[@MrJuliesguy]

Great video, I love Walter Becker and it's kind of cool to now be able to know how these sounds are achieved, thanks!

[@KeeperOfPoops]

sadly he's no longer with us, he's gone :(

[@coleyounger3701]

"Mr.Becker... has expired.

[@poobum9857]

The guys were great at explaining everything - loved the tour, big Steely Dan fan

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

That Flying V is, from a distance a great remake of a 58. It looks detail perfect. I'm really intrigued by who made it, but for obvious reasons they aren't saying. If it was an original Gibson '58, it wouldn't be sitting in a guitar rack stage left. Great rundown of Walter's machines. He was one of the greats.

[@georgewaters8592]

Real good program here, gotta say I found this to be super informative, and entertaining at the same time.

[@cheagan]

Thank you, WB, for making the radio so interesting whilst I grew up.

[@blueshorecreative3146]

It's the end of an era for a lot of people, losing Walter Becker, including myself and my obsession with Pretzel Logic. Steely Dan was Walter and Donald. What a loss for those closest to him, and all of us.

[@CaptainMidnightBand]

this is great. I used to harbor some odd self-conscious feelings about my inability to find "the" right pick. Validation!!! R.I.P. WB

[@MikeNorth0101]

God Bless Walt's soul! Thanks for the music Walt!!

[@miamigroove]

17:57 "We have every pedal, ever made, by every manufacturer." LOL Nah, he's not a pain in the ass.

[@greatvanzini]

Well I enjoyed it thoroughly!

[@liljibi]

r.i.p. walter becker just love the rudown god bless steely dan//// nice jazz rock pop style guitaring ,very enjoyable to other guitarist to see his guitar and amps.

[@linesy77]

Most of this is on sale tomorrow and the day after at auction, good luck, I bet dumpster gets a good home!

[@ironpirites]

This is the "amps I've never heard of" tour.

[@stevepalmer1847]

What -Marshall ? Mesa boogie?

[@WarriorMigs24]

RIP Walter thank you

[@TheDruidKing]

RIP a huge talent and influence.

[@premierguitar]

@roknfnrol Sure did -- we just uploaded it, so check it out! Thanks for watching, --PG Staff

[@hcharton5722]

honestly, this would be a better rig rundown if we could hear some of these beauties

[@mikeb4127]

R.I.P. Walter. You will be missed.

[@THEATREofPAIN270]

Rest In Peace Walter Becker.

[@vermonation]

You two guys are classic's Rule and Nite Bob.

[@79SteelyMatt]

WATER BECKER FEBRUARY 20th 1950---SEPTEMBER 3rd 2017 GOD BLESS YOU WALTER YOU WILL BR GREATLY MISSED YOU

[@brianeastman3547]

79steelymatt ,I miss Walter.

[@josephmizzi9895]

Great video,my all time favorite group

[@RedroomStudios]

love all of the rig rundown videos but this was probably the best one I've seen yet and it didnt even feature the actual guitarist!

[@thehotcorner3337]

Those Sadowsky's are sweet!

[@Complicaadd0rock]

Nite Bob haha such a Steely Dan-esque character... nice chap too, I hope he's doing well, helping some other awesome guitarist with their tone. RIP Walter

[@TheF86Sabre]

It's nice of Walter to bring his mom on tour, not to mention give her a job as a guitar tech. 11:44

[@TheF86Sabre]

***** lmfao!

[@Nostaljack]

TheF86Sabre I. Am. Dead. Congrats. LOL!!!

[@Iggytommy]

lol

[@fanoboss]

His name is Nite Bob and he's a Legend ...

[@vision2life]

Lol.

[@smokepeddler]

Nice! Quick tip: any guitar can be perfectly balanced by just relocating the front strap button mount.

[@kendo4242]

Wow,very cool!....Really enjoyed this vid,breaking down the guitar rig of one of my all time favorite groups!....

[@soulvaccination8679]

Steely Dan is one freekin fantastic band...Soooooo good.

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

It depends which type of LP you are referring to .The Deluxe in-between position can sound very Telesque .One of my favourite recordings is 'This is the Day' by Captain Beefheart (studio version).I thought that a Tele was being used but then I found out that it was a Les Paul Deluxe.Check it out.Also it is possible to modify standard humbuckers by removing some of the magnets (staggered) and thus creating a single-coil tone which can make a Les Paul begin to approach a Tele sound .

[@Jasonweckard]

I love the color of that Hans strat.

[@Fons1958]

Jason Eckard Hahn Guitar(s) :)

[@Dang...]

+Fons negentienachtenvijftig fyi: chihoe hahn not only makes guitars, but he is also a FANTASTIC singer-songwriter... check his music out sometime.

[@knust2329]

He's also Mike Rutherford's guitar tech too.

[@patrickmullins4552]

oh how i loved watching this,....

[@thetaokan]

The guitar on 7:27 has Stellartone Tonestyler which is best tone control ever because it does NOT kill your midrange.

[@Olegzyan]

I wish I had this stuff! I could really do a lot with it

[@lesd2633]

Олег Горбунов yeah sell it for the cash

[@krisscanlon4051]

Crazy that Walter was a great guitarist as he was bassist and still wouldnt play on lps! Greatly missed...love his solos very Gilmouresque

[@raizumichin]

Huh, didn't know Bruce Vilanch was a guitar tech.

[@Wgrant]

I like how he uses DIs solely as stands for that head

[@acledfloyd]

Good Job Jason for asking what the "Tricky Electronics" were, so many times techs say it is unique and don't say how.

[@lancethrustworthy]

This was great. Thanks for posting it. Wow. ;)

[@harperisking]

Would have been nice to see Walter or his tech actually play some of the guitars !

[@lloydthehuman6922]

Ben Rose they often don't on this series, although as this is their lie gear any recent live video should do for that

[@TruthSurge]

2:18 uh, is Walter going to play guitar or fight a war?

[@AmagrasMUSIC]

What are you guys at PG waiting for to interview Wayne Krantz?

[@golds04]

Funny thing- if he had zero pedals and just his beloved tuner- would have sounded beautiful. Played with Walter- w no pedals. All in the hands and soul.

[@Braglemaster123]

As little as he plays ( rhythm) he doesn't need but 1 !!!!!

[@brianeharmonjr]

Love to see great players with as much love for gear as me. If I had the cash I'd have a load of guitars, pedals, and amps too.

[@soulvaccination8679]

Greatest band.Really tight.

[@gwillo1]

Wow I see a Ampeg v4 in the power amp rack.very good amp,I had a v4b in my first band,heavy amp to carry around but worth it

[@loraljohnson]

I will never not own an Ampeg V4 or V4b amp. Heavy as everyone elses equipment in the band, but built like a tank. Did I say heavy? I have used this amp for everything; keyboards, guitars, bass, and even when a PA amp went out, this thing drove the monitors with clarity and power. Good eye, George!

[@JoshDone]

Kind of would rather hear Becker play the freaking bass.

[@Joel_Powell]

Reelin' in the Years solo was peformed and created by Elliot Randall. Skunk did overdub the harmony sections. I love it and play it daily in practice. Unfortunately Donald and Walter don't like the song as much as me, yet they perform it still. Jon Herington does it justice.

[@StephenLafferty]

12:34 He doesn't say what year the 50W Marshall head is but it does look like a 1987x as seen on the Marshall website = productId=9

[@ketchup5344]

I was playing Steely in my drop top cruising down town today, here in London UK. I mean I really am reeling in the years.😎✌

[@tillwesenberg1178]

R.I.P. :(

[@NintendoSinceBirth1]

whats the name of that gold firebird?

[@josephmizzi9895]

Interesting all the behind the scene work that goes on

[@jonathon1334]

@7:55 yep alot of people feel like that right out of the box now adays

[@rickfrost5594]

ok, so he has 6-8 amps he might use. Different cabs, he might use. Jon Harrinton the main lead player, uses one Bludatone. He has the tone with one amp. Do I need to say more?

[@dthellland9738]

as an audience member, I want them to bring out all their toys, like in show and tell

[@MusicalManchild77]

Well Said.

[@chicapajarita1]

thats right, but Herrington plays the music that the man with 6-8 amps , different cabs created and certainly doesn't make the amount of money per show that the man with all that gear uses

[@Naniamania3]

Ok, so he could have 100 different amps of cabs if he wanted to. Jon's a great player, but Jon is a sideman playing the music that Donald and Walter wrote, arranged, produced, and created. They were a band that used a lot of different equipment and a lot of different players in the studio to create something textured, varied, and extraordinary. You can't do that with just one amp.

[@EricBlackmonGuitar]

Wow.

[@stipeur]

is that a marshall 1987 re on top? couldnt hear it in the video

[@fonzimendoza1979]

RIP WALTER

[@Notthatevilguitarguy]

The techs hair is some pure win going on!

[@TheGalwayFarmer]

um, isn't the V like a 1983 reissue? why wouldn't it be Gibson?

[@slangofagespodcast]

Fantastic insight!

[@miamigroove]

I felt like I should call some sort of intervention hotline for those poor roadies after watching this.

[@JF-em6hr]

I like the problem solving, of using a booster to decrease the fatness, or you could say, increase the clarity, of the Gibson. That's cool.

[@Mudge07]

I admire their patience, yes they're employees but when you've got an artist with soooo many spurious choices to throw at them then you've gotta hold some chill in reserve. This looks like they were prepping for a show so although we had some few valuable moments of their attention it's soon back to the grind for them. In contrast to other rundowns, this one says Walter was perpetually looking at the fidelity of his instruments rather than locking down what worked to a major degree beforehand. Yes, a soundcheck would minimize this but as the guys said switching this, that and the other live, still made it a melting pot. This is borne out by the number of alternate amps, heads and pedal boards together with guitars on hand at any time during a song. The picks looked real chunky typically great for a bass never mind a lightly-strung 6-string. Maybe we'll get another gifted YTer to give a demo as to what made the "Becker Sound" in practical terms.

[@TheDirtyyoungman1]

Jeese... Try finding one of those 3 Monkey Virgils for sale.. 😣

[@saucedevourer8858]

Is that Fagen going "is that Dumpster Dave," at 1:50?

[@bob733333]

SauceDevourer Nite Bob

[@Rikk303]

an amazing insight...brilliant

[@MrDrewbies]

I have the same t shirt from the montreux jazz festival!

[@monmixer]

ahh they found a purpose for those old countryman DI's. I still use them. they are great.

[@MrUltraworld]

Nite Bob is an interesting person.

[@alanwann9318]

The janitor interview

[@bingefeller]

My mum has the same haircut as Dave does here. She's 73 years old.

[@rippingrudy]

By the way... Dave Rule used to be the tech for Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick - Those roughed-up hands come from changing 10 billion guitar strings over the years!