Why Joe Bonamassa Loves Fender Tweed Amps

[@bluzzjazz]

If you're a guitarist and love all things gear, listening to Joe talk about amps/guitars, never gets old. Light years better than the garbage on TV!

[@braddietzmusic2429]

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. So great for someone this talented, famous, knowledgeable to be so down to earth, approachable and without airs. Whether you love his playing, or singing or blues or or you don’t, or whatever... a rare combination in musicians, and it should be celebrated and cherished.

[@Beserker3737]

I could listen to him talk about gear all day long honestly.

[@notbraindead7298]

Bonamassa is light years ahead of many so called “guitar gods”. You can tell he LOVES what he does and the equipment he uses.

[@paperhanger29]

"Just stick it in there. If its working, its a win." -Joe Banamassa 2020

[@bailey.matthewr]

Joe is a class act. Humble and Helpful!

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

“Sometimes I use four twins, sometimes I throw a couple of Dumbles in”. Yeah, me too, Joe.

[@sidiox7857]

😂

[@jeffs7482]

@@angusorvid8840 I've also read that they were hand-built by Dumble for each specific customer's preferences, so the ones now bouncing around the used market are all slightly different. Nice hobby if you live in that rarified atmosphere, but that's not where I'd spend my money.

[@mlnem2k]

Dumbles really only sound best in Quad. Save up to buy 4 of them lol

[@andrewafonso1]

HAHAHAHA

[@teresathomley3703]

Yeah

[@noahcolwell1772]

Joe deserves to be on the main channel! So glad this was on my recommended. This guy is as much as nerd genius as he is a talented musician. I’ll never understand the hate he gets.

[@anthonycrystal33]

It's those suits he performs in and that super-squeaky-clean image he has coupled with being a strictly white bread, white-soul, musician whose songwriting and singing is uninteresting and his Joe-shows seem to be a platform for just showing off his guitar licks.

[@noahcolwell1772]

@@anthonycrystal33 Different strokes for different folks 🤷🏻‍♂️ I enjoy his shows, they are unlike any other blues concert I’ve attended. I’ll have to disagree with your run-on regarding Joe’s talent as his success speaks for itself. Revert to my first sentence!

[@ahiwalter9153]

Joe does go on sometimes (to most of our enjoyment) I could see why he put the full interview on his second channel to keep the main video focused on the excerpts that pertain to the tweed sound

[@noahcolwell1772]

@@ahiwalter9153 True, I personally think 2 channels can be silly and confusing. I wouldn’t have known of his second channel unless this video was recommended.

[@macdaddyblues1]

@@noahcolwell1772 always gonna be haters... stems from jealousy mostly. Joe owns about 4 million dollars worth of Gibson sunbursts.... I could perform in a suit for that...:-)

[@maxwellblakely7952]

Joe is an absolute wealth of knowledge and he’s not all burnt out like some old rocknroller. Great interview.

[@andrewstaward6878]

I love Joe bonammsa... I saw him live in Cambridge England with my guitar playing friend in 2011... He was awesome... And he propled me into the word of fender tweed... Its a live performance experience which will stay with me for the rest of my life... He even was very generous in signing a 20 dollar note, after performance in the comfort of his show bus... Great guitarist!!

[@mcord76]

Funny about the Robben Ford thing. Years ago Robben gave a "masterclass/Q&A" at a local music shop sponsored by Fender. He used one of the amps straight off the floor, no pedals, effects, etc and (suprise,suprise) sounded exactly like Robben. It was all in his technique and style etc.. I even asked if that amp was customized and he said "Nope its stock, as a matter of fact, it's the store's stock and i'm sure they would be happy to sell it to you". Really great guy, my dad and I got to chat and my dad got his "Inside Story" LP Signed.

[@alancosens]

I saw Joe play with Bloodline in '94 in Lansing, MI. I believe he was 15 at the time and he was a virtuoso. Never heard anything like it. If you can get your hands on a copy of that first Bloodline album and listen to the extended solos that he did on the album and realize he's 15, it's incredible. Based on his playing at that show I"m pretty sure he improvised most of the work on that album. I mean, he was shredding and improvising at as high a level as I've ever seen and yet, today he'd probably say he didn't play well then. lol At that time he was a teenager and was doing long uber-fast runs up and down the neck. Not a bad note, ever. No flubs, ever. I was playing in a band at that time and my entire band, our friends and girlfriends went to the show and every single one of us were completely blown away. I thought, I can practice/play for the next 40 years and I'll never be that good.

[@notbraindead7298]

There’s many so called “guitar gods” that will never be that good either.😂😂

[@bertgetner9397]

I could sit and listen to Joe talk gear for hour's. You can always tell when a person eat, sleeps and breathe's something. The nomenclature used, and the diversity of equipment knowing every little nuance of each. I admire his admiration for amp's and guitar's and know that everyone has been put to good use. Thanks Rhett!

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Joe has come full circle. I can remember a time when he was all about the Dumble amps and AxFX processors and a pedalboard that weighed 40 lbs. Then it just all went away. Guitar into a tuner pedal, a clean boost for solos and then straight into the front of an amp.

[@csharpminorseven]

Can't thank you enough Joe for sharing your knowledge and insight, and Rhett for running this excellent interview - a really great contribution to guitar players everywhere...all fired up I'll get back to my 5 watt tweed amp hooked up to the EQ 😂🤣👍

[@SpartanPridePod]

Jo Bo loves to talk guitar, and so many of us love to listen every single time

[@sassycat]

Joe is ALWAYS a great interview. Ring the bell, school's in session!

[@babagadoush1]

This is such a unique and fun way to interview Joe. Nothing typical about this approach. Really specific and something not being done often. Great job dude!

[@fendermcmarshall]

Joe is such a great guy and his love and enthusiasm for tone always shines through anytime he discusses music.

[@kentb8621]

Man joe is such an awesome guy. Love hearing him share his wisdom. He’s a true expert in his craft.

[@jaybee4694]

How weird. Danny used to work on my Dad’s guitars back in the day. What a small world. Great interview. I don’t listen to Bonamassa‘s music, but I love watching his interviews. Great interview, Rhett. Thanks again!

[@Murry_in_Arizona]

Joe's recordings are an interesting spectrum of tone, his early stuff isn't to my taste, to my ear it was very "effecty" The album before Different Shades of Blue he started parring back the pedals and going for a more classic Blues/rock sound and for straight up American Blues/rock his Blues Of Desperation album is my favorite. The three Kings Live at the Greek theatre Muddy/Wolf at the Redrocks are spot on classic tone from that era and two of my favorite live albums. If you want to have the neighbors scratching their heads during Saturday morning yard work follow up Joe's Redrocks with Iron Maiden 's new live release (I'm 61 and just "discovered" Iron Maiden) last weekend I had a couple looking over the fence to see if it was me still living there.

[@MichaelSmith-gd1ig]

Joe is totally right about high powered speakers and Marshall amps. I ran a 100 watt jcm 800 through an old twin reverb cab with 2 JBL d120f speakers in it once and I can’t get that tone out of my head. It was so good...

[@TomTobin67]

Little known fact about low wattage Fender amps: When Kiss was recording their iconic Dressed To Kill album (Rock & Roll All Nite), Simmons, Stanley and Frehley were using Fender Champs for the entire album.

[@jeffs7482]

I've got an attic full of clapped-out 100 watt tube amps I used decades ago when I played in clubs. I was too dumb to realize I wasn't coming close to driving those amps at their sweet spot. I'm now waiting on a 5-watt Supro to arrive.

[@ralex3697]

So ?

[@joesimpson7588]

No amp sounds better than a Fender Champ. I absolutely Love my '77 silverface. Its all you need for practice. George Harrison Used 4 of them, EVH had one in the Green Room. It takes pedals like a "champ". They are the twin reverbs little brothers.

[@randalclarke5487]

Really????

[@martinreid1740]

Great interview with Joe, I've been playing for fifty years and what he says is so true. It's all in the the hands.

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

But, you can't sell "hands."

[@ClaudioMartella]

So lucky for you to have phaser+delay fingers.

[@limpindug]

Top interview Rhett and Joe. Editing exquisite, didn't see Rhett taking notes once. 😂 That was like young nerd interviewing granda nerd😂. More please. Respect and stay healthy all.

[@olivernorthguitar]

Great video, Joes thoughts on (his) tone and the knowledge of amps and guitars and how to use them to reach out for your perfect tone is awesome.

[@nicolamontoro]

Great interview Rhett! Joe seams genuinely nice, and gives very detailed answers.

[@boatingforbeginners7949]

Joe's bang on with what he's said in this video.. Everyone has a sound / Tone in his head that he likes, So just plug into a simple Boss EQ pedal, a distortion pedal and tweek those sexy frequences until you hear that sound. Pretty much job done!

[@ShawnTubbs]

This was awesome Rhett! I've been running down the idea of getting a high powered Tweed Twin.

[@davebarone506]

Caitlinbread makes a couple of cool Tweed sounding pedals, I bought the Formula 55 , gets a nice vibe, and then theres a 5f6 not sure what it's like. But then I'm sure nothing like the real amp. www.ebay.com/itm/203177308510

[@MichaelMoore-od4jz]

Love this interview great job Rhett showing us what we want to see

[@sid35gb]

If you’re a gear ⚙️ geek Joe’s the man. I love his view if you want the tone and you don’t have a dumble here’s what you do.

[@robert_starling]

Great interview Rhett! Joe B for the win! Good questions, great follow up questions and I think your natural curiosity comes forth as well. Thanks!

[@ptalley316]

My dad was a steel guitar player in the 50s-60s and he had a Pro 57 Tweed and now I know why! The 15 Jensen rocked!!

[@ronwolenski-n8wcr]

I love listening to Joe, that man has so many stories and information. Now that you turned him on to KZbin hope we see more of him on your channel, and who knows, maybe a guest spot on a live show? Maybe?

[@charliewesley94]

Joe Bonamassa is a fantastic human being. I know some people rag on him for his playing, but I think the guy is damn talented and passionate as f##k about guitars. He has that endless enthusiasm about gear that keeps so many of us hunting. The thing is, he can afford to do it like very few of us can. I admire the guy and look forward to seeing him play live again.

[@RickMcCargar]

Nice to hear from guys who have decades of experience playing live in all sorts of settings. Thanks!

[@Horner181]

I loveeeeee joe, he’s smart as hell and I would say a genius especially when it comes to music and sounds he can pin point what most people can’t even hear

[@scottm121]

This is such great information. Im kind of astonished i feel like I actually understand what you fine gents are talking about. Im even more stoked i have a 64 HW princeton verb now.. oh yeh im gonna experiment with speakers. And yeh i play to hard at times. Thankyou so much Rhett.. snd thankyou Joe.. especially for the lesson on guitar pots in another video

[@Crinkle65]

One of the best JB interviews I’ve seen. Hit all the questions I had on this topic as relates to Jb. Nice Job Rhett. As always

[@Jakal-pw8yq]

Joe is the ultimate gear geek and I could listen to him talk for hours! I don't get how people rag on this guy unless it's just from jealousy or some insecurities on their part for not measuring up as a player or something. Myself, I've always loved this guys playing and to hear him talk about gear it's like going to the mountaintop!

[@astrog7361]

Would love to see "The Marshall sound". Learning about the history and sound of those amps would make an awesome video!

[@Dang...]

Best tip in this whole video for gtrsts: LISTEN TO JACK PEARSON!!! Thanks to Rhett and Joe for sharing this cool interview.

[@Terbs-24]

Cant wait for the Chess records video. Congrats on the new channel, great interviews. Geeking out on this new long form version of what you do. Cheers.

[@alekp6822]

Your streams are top notch quality!

[@doctorscoot]

"his toolkit is just there to accentuate his playing" ... truer words never spoken

[@sixbsteve]

I should spend more time practicing and less time on KZbin. Would really like one of those Tweed Deluxes though.

[@rudiganter5691]

Great interview, thanks Rhett. The Celestion CL80 is a great Speaker. Also love the Tweed sound. Joe's comment "don't listen with your eyes" should be a Mantra on every Guitar Forum. Just finished listening to Joe, some really great advice, as in common sense advice.

[@padrakomaille3430]

This was a very generous interview, Joe seem really interested in sharing how anyone can get close to the sound in their head,

[@davidbakerscuba]

Awesome interview Rhett. I learned a lot. Thanks to you and Joe. He’s amazing. Can’t wait to see him live when people decide to get on with life again. He puts on an amazing show!

[@pttrent123]

This is a great video, both of you are great players, thank you!

[@maniacalion6170]

Joe seems like one of the genuinely nicest people!

[@jeffhutchins6874]

Thanks Joe for the great interview! Thanks Rhett!

[@Baca1976]

This is what I do at low volume!! My Laney lionheart l20-112 stock settings, some clone style pedal set to: gain 9 a clock, tone 3 a clock, volume 12 clock, greer amps lightspeed for over drive and clean boost for even more. Whit stratocaster, I get a great midhomp.

[@Jeronimo.67]

Thanks Rhett, this is great. I love those early tweed amps.

[@alanscharrer5255]

Such an accommodating man, humble and a wealth of really good information.

[@troymoss4515]

Really good interview! Great questions and great wisdom. Thanks guys!!

[@joshuao2548]

Rhett !! very cool getting Joe on your channel. Nicely done interview.

[@roblassila63]

Thank you Rhett thank you Joe. My knowledge of creating great tones Tween tones and their history has increased immensely. I have become a fan of the Grammatico Amp model in the HX Stomp.

[@jimleininger8963]

Great stuff! I've been slowly backing away from the gear addiction. When Joe mentioned finding your one tone and having that come from your fingers... priceless! Current finding that on my Iridium, using a Tweed tone for lead and a scooped blackface for rhythm.

[@Rudromukherjeenerv]

The Bluguitar Iridium? Or the Strymon Iridium?

[@jimleininger8963]

@@Rudromukherjeenerv Strymon. I really dig it.

[@mattgalbraith3050]

I'd Like to see "The HiWatt Sound" I know Rick Beato has some nice ones, correct?

[@PANICBLADE]

Absolutely agree.

[@Foolian1332]

please

[@erajad]

The boys on That Pedal Show have featured Hiwatts from time to time. Here's one nice example: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJ-bfKN8qJKgpac Enjoy!

[@sambekins]

Unique comes to mind. I never cared for the hiwatt soynd myself. Clean, loud as hell, bright, takes pedals well. Did I mention very clean ? Not fender sparklely spanky clean it's more of a big fat bright super clean big round sound. A Clone would be a sound city amp or the ultra rare West amp that Mark Farner used during the grand funk years.

[@robertclarkguitar]

Yup!!!!

[@rogeralleyne9257]

Great video lesson!!! Interview brought out a lot of "hidden"knowledge from a master!!!🙏🙏🙏 Good job!!!

[@Splattle101]

I like Joe. I always get so much from him. When I saw video of him using baffles on his rig years ago, it reminded me of a recording I did 20 years earlier using a really loud Marshall, a Tele, and a baffle to make it bearable in the studio. Only took 20 years but when I saw the vid of Joe the penny finally dropped: 'Why don't I use baffles live?........*crickets*.....' Been using them ever since. One of many things I've picked up from him.

[@garyharrison8891]

Joe is so right, on the cheaper speakers. With My 50’s tweed deluxe reverb clone, I was given several suggestion including the pricey alnico blue. The best sounding speaker and the one I ended up using is a used $20.00 Chinese stamp frame speaker that came out of a Fender Frontman that was no longer working. It mic’d up in the studio and live better, and than the others. Smoother top end, not overly bright, and just the right amount of low end, with no flubbiness.

[@mattmueller1921]

Great video. Learned a lot. You can always tell when someone really lives and breathes something. Joes amp and overall guitar knowledgeable is nuts

[@Norton5996]

I think your tone is best with the tweed twins and baseman's. Beautiful tone!

[@akasgsvirgil9503]

I watched a recent video that featured Joe B. and Eric Gales play together. After watching that video, I brought my guitar back to the music store to get my money back because there were a few notes missing.

[@ralex3697]

There will always be better, it’s not a competition. Play because you enjoy it.

[@akasgsvirgil9503]

@@ralex3697 It was a joke, Dr. Phil.

[@nathanpickett202]

AWESOME STUFF! Thanks Rhet

[@DBakar]

Thank you Rhett, really awesome interview and it's quite insightful.

[@sseltrek1a2b]

love this....another amazing player that just seems very down to earth...and great insights into gear set-up vs how you approach playing...

[@babagadoush1]

Dude thanks for having Joe on!!!!!!!

[@whenvioletsturngrey9597]

Not a big JB fan but, this was a great interview with so much good info. Thanks!

[@see7music261]

Robben Ford has retired his Dumble and now uses Little Walter Tube Amps live and on every track of new album!

[@paulcowart3174]

Indeed and LW amps kick ass big time

[@gabrieln3613]

@@paulcowart3174 That's because they are named after Little Walter!!!! I am a harp player (45 years, pro by age 19), have owned about 8 original Tweed Bassmans and bunches of other Pros, Deluxes, etc.

[@LP-qi8hs]

Good comparison between tweeds and blackfaces. Blackfaces are mid scooped mainly because of tone controls. By opening the tone controls circuit of the blackfaces you get the tweed sound out of it. Of course, there won't be any tone adjustment anymore. But the mid range appears again. Putting a switch there, is an option. If I'm not wrong the information is on Rob Robinette web site. Great site on amp mods. Great guru. I made this in my amp and it works great. Caution with dangerous high voltages. Two sounds in the very amp.

[@misterknightowlandco]

If you haven't heard his new album yet, you should. It's his best one yet. 🍻

[@lancefritz552]

Joe Bonamassa is the best blues guy going for sure love his stuff

[@kane6529]

The end of that video is pure gold! I just had this realization recently, have fell down the rabbit hole of fiddling with my HX Stomp more than just playing 🤣 I’ve been playing Blue Sky by the Allan brothers and realized it’s a light touch thing and nailed it playing my LP (agile actually) with no amp!!!!! Then plug in and bam! I got it

[@BlueSkies32]

I saw JB in about 2004 at the Canyon Club, opening for Robben Ford w/ Mike Landau, and I’d never heard of him- but I sure left that night knowing him, and have been a fan ever since. It was a sit down steak dinner. Joe was playing a translucent Telecaster guitar thru a Park 100 watt with a 4-12 cab, behind plexi-glass, and my ears were bleeding. It was a great night.

[@JonNewquist]

This was super cool, Rhett, thanks! And big thanks to Joe, I learned some valuable lessons today. Like, it doesn't matter how many bands are on your EQ, as long as the bands you need to emphasize are there. And since my band has 5 singers, and our own sound crew, the vocal wedges are getting a new EQ curve! I'm going shopping right now. Wish we could gig again.

[@PANICBLADE]

I picked up a Clark Beaufort (1x12 tweed deluxe "boutique" clone) from a pawn shop and it happened to have a UK Celestion G12H-80, which is a ceramic 80 watt speaker. It's pretty odd ball choice for it, but I like it so much I can't really fathom changing it, as tempting as the alnico speakers are.

[@jasonbone5121]

This was a great/informative video - thanks Rhett.

[@kevinoconnor1396]

good job Rhett & massive respect for Joe. That's some nerd-zilla - right there!

[@kingpossie]

Good interviewing Rhett, impressive - one slight critique maybe cut down on the number of questions and first give feedback on what your given as answers instead of rapid firing to the next . Makes for some real emotional interaction. And let Joe say he’s strapped for time which he clearly isn’t.

[@MrTimdcarroll]

Awesome Rhett ... very, very informative.

[@dogguitarbluesman]

Very cool, dug the tweed vid as well.

[@chillbill638]

Two channels for the price of one ;) just subscribed thanks for the amazing content

[@kennycaligula3081]

I said before and I’ll say again: I’m not a fan of Joe’s music but can listen to him talk and shred on guitar all day. He’s a wonderful historian with a great sense of humor. I almost feel the same way about John Mayer to a lesser extent.

[@babagadoush1]

Sad to admit I didn’t know much about Jack Pearson until you mentioned him. Checking him out now!

[@hgostos]

My ideal tweed tone is Clapton's Riding with the King album. Basically, a tweed at about 4 of the volume knob. I can get close with my 5F2A clone (sans NFL) with a Jupiter American-voiced ceramic speaker. I have tried it with Celestion Greenbacks as suggested by JB... nice tone but I prefer the Jupiter which is more of a vintage Jensen vibe to it.

[@davidamooreii1805]

Fender amps just don't need a NFL!!! It just screws up the output tube overdrive tone. It just brings in that icepick tone.

[@vladzubac5360]

listening to this...I can only say that 1. Joe knows a lot..I mean A LOT of stuff about everything guitar related and 2. It is amazing to hear the history of the amp, getting a glimpse on how the first professional amps were and it is amazing how amps today are so fine..so much finesse in amp-making industry with the top brands..just amazing...

[@Sasketchejuana_man]

Toy caldwell used twins live. Then made its own custom head for the twin and ran it into a 4x12 marshall cab with JBLS. Get the fender glassy/high end, and the low end boom of the 4x12.

[@t-boog2173]

If you want the Tweed sound on the cheap, the Joyo American Sound(Tech 21 Blonde clone) is a great choice. I own it & I love it. Of course, a real cranked Tweed has some extra mojo but the Joyo def puts you in the ballpark.

[@jasonlee8497]

T- Boog ....the 'cork sniffing ' tone snobs will cringe ....but it's true....I bought mine for $20....a little verb and comp and in a mix you really can get good Fender tones...believable tones.... The Joyo British is my favorite...into the send of my Hot Rod 3....Killer Marshall tones...

[@t-boog2173]

@@jasonlee8497 I hear you. I actually had the British too but I didn't care for it. I liked it's overall tone & response but I found it lacked the high end presense & cut of a real amp. I own a few MIAB pedals and they all have a nice cutting presence but the Britsh sounded somewhat muffled which made it feel lifeless to me. I'm glad it works for you though.

[@jasonlee8497]

T- Boog ....yeah, the British is dark sounding overall....but I dig that...

[@t-boog2173]

@@jasonlee8497 Yeah, "dark" is the perfect word. It's a great tone, just not quite bright enough for me. Rock On Brother!

[@walterwright580]

Tweeds are great, Right now I use a 63 bandmaster pre amped by an early champ., but no matter what the amp, it's all in the hands, just like he says.

[@salviadivinorum1762]

I got the Bloodline 1994 CD and played it straight for a year. The first 5 tracks are off the chain. The band had a chemistry and I think it was his best stuff. The track 'Since Your Gone' with that outtro solo, and 'Bad Girls' w/ the envelope filter solo...which I asked Joe about but never saw the answer. Still love that auto-wah solo.

[@aidank2]

What a super Guy taking out the time to helps us mere motals thats why so many people like Joe Bonamassa

[@jasonlee8497]

Yeah, Fender amps....I fell in love with a Princeton in 1985....bought a 65 for $350....other amps are great....but I always feel at home on a good Fender tube amp....

[@division17]

Great interview ... love your channel

[@Funkybassuk]

What a coup getting Joe! Fantastic!

[@Cjwilly333]

Best video yet 👏 more like this please and thank you Rhett

[@professorhamamoto]

Highly informative. Now I know how to better exploit the Grammatico deluxe I've had for a number of years but could not bond with fully. It was instant love, however with the Fender "E.C." Vibro-Champ. Also, Bonamassa's observations has expiated all guilt I ever had for never accepting into my life the higher-gain god of Marshall (which originates with Fender anyway.) Finally, how 'bout a convo with Jack Pearson? His name has cropped up more than once in reference to the lack of gear fetishism involved in making music-art.

[@mikeaustin4138]

Saw Joe play in the early 2000s. He didn't sell enough tickets for the upper venue, so they put him in the smaller venue. He played a custom guitar, a Budda amp and he had - seriously! - 30+ pedals on the floor. He had a plexiglas shield in front of his amp and he was still very loud.

[@remb9614]

The notorious green hoodie makes another appearance

[@irmasil3]

"Hey Pa, can we have a bedtime story???- Well, I had a twin high power with 2 Chinese celestions that I found in a mini market......" I could listen to Joe ALL day talking guitars and amps....

[@randyjames1828]

Now JB is doing KZbin interviews! Rhett, look at what you started