Rig Rundown - ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons

[@christopherjamesblackwell]

Legend has it someone is still checking the snare to this day.

[@ELEVATETHESKY]

The legend is true. I still hear him checking the snare faintly in the background no matter where I go.

[@joeurbanowski321]

😂.. I HATED drum sound check on gigs..!! Also vocalists who can’t think of something more creative to say during their sound checks..!😳.. “Check…. Check…Check…Check…Check 1..2…Check..” AAGGGHHHHHHHH

[@PutItAway101]

OK, I think the snare is working...

[@ChrisFeener]

There's generally more to a sound check than making sure everything "works". ;)

[@redbeanfactory7562]

Obviously someone's never done a sound check

[@ChrisFeener]

Red Bean Factory Is that in reference to PutItAway101 or myself?

[@redbeanfactory7562]

PutItAway101

[@PutItAway101]

Red Bean Factory Obviously someone's never heard of a joke

[@elongatedmusket7430]

Years and years ago I met Elwood when he was tech for a friend's band on tour. Dude knew a LOT and had work ethic & a great ear. Was fantastic. Glad to see he works with the big dogs! Deserves it.

[@Tim8tei]

I really liked this interview, Elwood being as relaxed and talkative as possible. Cool guy.

[@chopperdeath]

That spectrum analyzer trick works.

[@thomasjohnson7735]

Now carrying on the bottom for the Zz Top.

[@Peter-zw8yn]

My all time favourite guitarist, was brought up listening to zz top as a young lad and never grew out of them, I was lucky enough to see them play around 15 years ago here in the UK, what a night. R.I.P. Dusty 💙

[@kimrunic5874]

7:14 ha - a Prince Albert tobacco tin. In case anyone doesn't know, that's how the dealers would measure out weed back n the day. They would fill up the can to the indentation of where the lid would snap on, hence a 'lid' of weed. Pretty cool having your wireless pack in one -

[@jacobsteenkarlsen495]

Hehehe

[@tarasbulba3190]

That's where Billy keeps his weed.

[@44eelz]

"its not perfect science, its guitar player science. so, it 'sorta' works." epic line.

[@Emlizardo]

15:35 “We have a way, it’s . . . it’s really weird how . . . you know, it’s almost - it’s non-verbal now.”

[@chopperdeath]

EQ curve trick is a great idea.

[@MAP448]

Wow to see how Elwood has aged in the last 12 years alone is so cool. It's even cooler that Billy chose Elwood to play bass with him after Dusty passed. Just Wow!

[@danielktdoranie]

Dusty choose Elwood Francis, it was Dusty’s wish

[@srcastic8764]

Elwood doesn’t really play though. Go see them live and you’ll see what I mean. I was very disappointed. I watched him closely and it was clear most of the base was just a tape. It was playing without him touching his instrument, then every once in a while he would pouch a string or two and you could hear what he actually played in addition to the tape track. So I was incredibly disappointed to find he wasn’t actually playing base, but pulling a Milli Vanilli bullshit deception. I still thoroughly enjoyed the show though because I was really there to watch a true guitar hero perform while he still could and was glad to have been able to. Billy still has it for sure. He doesn’t miss a beat!!

[@rlm4471]

​​@@srcastic8764 Billy doesn't sing live on a lot of tracks either. So lame. I wish Billy would just focus on his solo career and leave ZZ behind.

[@mrpbody44]

Elwood has worked with Billy a long time. Totally professional guy and great guitar player in his own right. He knows his stuff about guitars and music.

[@nightwing1823]

so no one is gonna say this guy sounds like dr evil. well he does

[@KidShirayukiYoshiroCharaUchiha]

shh its a secrete

[@Roundtrip23]

HaaaaaaaaHaaaaaaaa

[@toonzboss]

Yes he does! LOL! "number 2"?

[@BufordT-ji6zg]

Sharks with frickin Lazer beams attached to their heads. 😂

[@allee6096]

the frickin' headstock is changed to Lucky Mo.. Jo?.. bwahahaha

[@VictoireBuffet]

" Heavier string for Billy, a gauge of 8's ! " ahahaha

[@shaqeelzainalabdeen231]

Ikrrrrr

[@mickdestiny6542]

Huge respect to Rebecca. Always great thorough and on the money reports. It's a shame Rebecca isn't around..

[@rebeccadirks]

I know! We had so little time, we were doing the Skynyrd videos at this same show... sometimes, you just have to work with what you've got.

[@RockyH.]

I think you did great, but then again you always do Becca! 1 more thing you are in a live atmosphere what does people expect a mime playing ZZ TOP!!!!???? Haaa

[@Stevewatson3]

Billy's always been in my top 5 influences he's the most famous underrated guitarist "don't be affraid to pick with your fingers"

[@ericwalters5382]

Billy Gibbons underrated?!!! You're out of your mind.

[@Stevewatson3]

@@ericwalters5382 have a Diet Coke man👍

[@thereignofdando]

Elwood Francis is hilarious! [On the Bigsby] "Its just there to insure that it wont be in tune"

[@usaflagraybans]

Awesome rundown. After about three seconds of the snare, I didn't even notice it. Elwood seems like a really cool guy, too.

[@adriandavidpayne]

Man, that Snare sounds Good!

[@nattyboyo2404]

Here we now have ZZTop's new bottom end 😥 Best of luck Elwood 👍🏻

[@TheMysticlaw]

these guys are doing something right because zztop sounds awesome live

[@ironpirites]

Too bad they are putting in the pilings for the new bridge in the back round.

[@ryuujinmajutsu7772]

Thanks for making this happen Rebecca! I know conditions for filming weren't optimal but you did a great job! I've watched this video MANY times since it was posted and I've always found something useful and enjoyable. :)

[@arthurblackhistoric]

7-gauge strings?? Holy shit! I'd break them taking the guitar out of the case! That fact alone makes it all the more amazing that Billy can get the tone he gets. That'd feel like playing with human hair and rubber bands on the guitar. One thing I do like is his JMP-1 settings, I use similar myself and play a lot of ZZ Top songs. It's a revelation to see his settings are similar.

[@austinartist0608]

Enjoyable interview. Tks! The guitar that SRV plays in his video for cold shot that has Stevie Ray Vaughan written on the fret board was given to him by Billy. I saw Billy on Thanksgiving night in 2019 at the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Tx. I'm from Austin and only saw ZZTop play once. The Eliminator tour 1983 at the Drum in Austin. The headlights of the old 30's coupe behind Frank lit up brightly.

[@jeauxl4051]

Love the sound of that Mojave Scorpion on the older (clean - ya right!) stuff. And it ain't a Hiwatt style amp. It's a '69 plexi circuit with the inputs wired together internally so it's just a 4 holer with only two holes. Also, an extra preamp tube is added so the two input stages can each have two sections of the AX7s in parallel. The power dampening is just a 50K pot between the phase inverter cathodes and the bias resistor. A 100 watt plexi repro transformer wired to reflect the right impedance when using EL34s puts the last bit of spice into the secret sauce!

[@Eventual420]

He has a great sense of humor. I laughed over and over at his sarcasm, but she missed most of them. She laughs at weird times; and when he's pranking her it's deer in the headlights. For a second I thought she was the receptionist at Shenanigan's...

[@rhllnm]

"We don't want you to be able to tell that he's playing a Telecaster"

[@rhllnm]

It's just a giant modeling amp!

[@MKULTRAism]

Billy Gibbons is a guitar player's guitar player. Not only has he been a gearhead from day one, he still gets that low down snarlin' tone, whatever amp/guitar set up he uses. I've been a fan since Rio Grand Mud. They are like America's version of Cream.

[@MsLilyhorse]

When I saw ZZ Top in Central Park in 1975, Gibbons was plugged straight into his amp. And he sounded awesome. Good old days.

[@BigTyronie]

He was aggressive in the old days. Heavy playing too....

[@Vaughn6886]

At 11:45 you can hear the bass soundcheck playing What’s Your Name, then Workin for MCA, then I Aint the One, then Simple Man in the background 😃👍

[@pschierhorn]

If you're used to it... I play 009s in D tuning on guitar and .045-.105 in Drop C on bass, and it works. Very low string tension, but as I said, it's not a problem if you're comfortable with it. Now the sound might be better with thicker strings, but for me it's a compromise - I always sound better on an instrument I'm comfortable with than on one that sounds awesome but that I can't play well.

[@seasonedtoker]

love this tech, you can see him on the texas live dvd :) what I like about guitar tech like eddie is that he's not just a cable and string boy, he's a skilled luthiers/repairmen. that bench looks like two guitar went through a fret surgery just before the interview started. :)

[@mrnicholasgray]

You guys need to do a new Billy Gibbons rig rundown, his rig is always changing and this is one of the best!

[@grizmit]

Just saw them Sun night in MD (nearly 30 years after the first time I saw them). Still incredible! Billy is such an effortless player and you can just tell he's still having a great time playing for us all. You gotta see them live if you get the chance - you will have witnessed a true American legend.

[@morgancross5481]

To all you guys bitching about the drums, spend some time in the studio. You don't just hit a drum twice and give a thumbs up "Yup, it's working!" unless it is amateur hour. You have to spend time balancing mics, setting compression ratios/attack/release, choosing and mixing the correct reverbs, EQing to remove resonances from both the drum and room, etc etc etc. And that is assuming that everything is working perfectly, let alone if there are any technical issues. ZZ Top is not going to tour with some amateur FOH guy, hes going to tell the drum tech/stage hand to hit the drum until he says stop.

[@MrArchonta]

Very well said.

[@psudomystic]

Just to be a troll, bull shit. After I tune up the kit. I can pretty much throw any Mic on it an it'll sound awesome. If you have to hit the snare more than ten times, either the snare suck or it's tuning or both.

[@MrBobinAZ]

I love the negative comments from "nobody knows who the Hell I am and never will". You guys crack me up.

[@shango02005]

This was my favorite Rig Rundown to date!! Great job, PG!!! :)

[@aussiegooner]

@Liamyyz My understanding is that they do it to set the guitars so they're all at the same volume as Pearly Gates, not duplicate the entire frequency.

[@jamescassidy3995]

Little could Elwood imagine years later he’d be onstage rockin’ the beard & bass in the band.

[@lzftiz]

She knows her stuff.

[@DavidLee07]

As a Gretsch G5120 player, I can say that loud volume makes a hollowbody guitar (which just about all of Billy's guitars are) sustain more--it's great when you're not quite feeding back but keeping a note or chord going for a looong time. Given the number of speakers cabinets he usually has going, I'd guess that's where the sustain comes from.

[@dolde]

Gonna see this dude play the bass with ZZ Top on Sunday. :)

[@russpalmer1282]

I use 8 gauge strings on my Strat. Bend 'em like crazy. Haven't broken any strings either.

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

Bought 7s, wonder what they will fill like after 9s.

[@SombraPiloto]

Chambered neck?

[@lukeololol]

Nice. I found it really interesting hearing about how light his string gauge is!

[@TonyWhelanSLIDES]

I met this Elwood Francis twice a zz shows and he is a class act.... just like billy.

[@darylfresno1032]

Great job Elwood. You're fascinating and enjoyable. Love your rundowns and unique take on things.

[@keithsa41]

Billy has secured a great Guitar Tech!!! has kept him since 1995.

[@Mistertbones]

Elwood is now the bassist for ZZ Top after Dusty passed away.

[@jettramel]

Those iso cabs are great you get that real distortion from just the type of speaker, put in a 25 watt green back and get a nice tone, I am playing through and old silvertone and I get some great natural distortion from the amp itself and the low watt paper speaker.

[@raymondroberts8709]

Now Elwood has gotten a promotion....👍👍👍

[@feelthebowes]

Love Billy, Love guitars, Love Rebecca... Great vid!!!

[@jeffrozak2435]

Awesome insight into the mind of the reverend. :) PS: I love that soundcheck was playing some Joe Walsh at one point too. haha

[@KyleJChamberlain]

Great questions Dirks! I love the "on-the-fly" production with sound check and fan questions from the phone. Content is key. I plan to check out more vids!

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

"..bass all the way up. Gain all the way up. There's like no treble, all mids.." Very important step in getting that Gibbons tone.

[@ppoonjr]

I seen Elwood jam with Billy and he can keep up with Billy… great guitarist in his own right.

[@surfgod509]

Yes^ Hendrix once said said (Billy is one of the Best Guitarist he's ever Heard)

[@Djarra]

@Avalanche1368 It's not the diameter but the weight that counts. Take a set of Billy's strings cut three inches out of them and pop them on a jewelers scale and they probably weigh more that some larger diameter strings. Billys strings are based on Dunlop's Jazz stings which are compression wound so sound heavier. As for Page back in the day he made up sets with an 8 Banjo string.

[@alphasxsignal]

Got to have a light touch for those 7's strings. I might have to try them some time just for the fun of it. Im going to pick one of his new Billy Bo Jupiter.

[@hawg427]

I ordered my El Dorado custom strap and it is Premium Made bar none, worth every penny. I know Billy has a light touch hence the very light string Ga but I was wondering if he was having any arthritis problems in his hands and had to go that light. I have bad arthritis and use 10-46.

[@ehcmier]

@impala327 The weight, action, feel, and the tuning are also important. It's about muscle memory and the expressiveness required for the particular song, among other things. It's a lot more than the tone itself, but how it fits as an extension of the player's hands.

[@arthurblackhistoric]

Me too. I do have a couple of guitars strung with 9-gauge strings for when I've been gigging for days in a row and my fingers are real sore. The 9s are so light by comparison that no matter how sore my fingers are I still can't even feel them. I find it much easier to pull out those "squealers" on heavy strings. The pinched harmonics are harder on 9s. For me, getting squealers on 7s would be mission impossible! And the sustain Billy gets . . all the more amazing if it's done on 7s.

[@eduardoprieto5267]

Thanks, Rebecca (Tierita preciosa) God bless n more rocking tips wanted.

[@JDPri77]

Billy adds a new John Bolin custom guitar a year and sometimes two. In a recent video with Sammy Hagar, Billy has a custom SG that has a sculptured body in a cherry color. I am thinking of getting John to do that guitar in black for me. But he has over two years of orders before he will get to it.

[@SuperCrackerjacks]

Very interesting. Do you guys believe in that 07 string talk? I think I do. And Willie G.´s sound is so big.

[@wkunderwood2003]

if guys love the thick strings....more power to them....but billy proves you can get tone for days with thin strings...he has had some of the best(if not the best) heavy tone in all of rock...

[@Hawkifyed]

I have two Les Pauls, on brand new 2012 straigth from the shop and a 2000 model that i've played and it's kind of worn. I LOVE my worn guitar it's so much more "personal" and it feels like it's mine.

[@gratao25]

I was specting some vintage plexis and boutique amps but he's just rocking a jmp1 hard!

[@andrewt248]

No mics on stage with the iso cabs? That's a pretty cool setup.

[@vileguile4]

Great and educative interview, thanks!

[@l07smitty]

Great job Rebecca! Courage invites critics that can kiss it.

[@KozmykJ]

Not a fault but a feature mate. I love the SG too. Instead of going out of tune when whammied, the necks flex. A feature first shown to me in the 70's

[@Instramark]

Billy Gibbons, great player, songwriter as well. Saw him play in Richmond VA. in the '70's when a biker threw a cherry bomb on stage. He was pissed and you could here it explode, which is something because ZZ Top is so loud! NObody plays Richmond anymore unless they have to.

[@MrRaijinsama]

The tech said it was the pearly gates prototype. Just a normal Les Paul tailored to what Gibbons original burst was/is.

[@sword649]

Luv the new Billy Bo's with stop tails & 13 floor elevators paint/artworks designs! I'd like to take that ride!

[@joeserin9593]

Yikes! I hope this dude is making a good living. I can't imagine having that much going on! Great job Mr Francis.

[@mrbambam326]

blues letterman , you are exact . i was playing a bar , went to take my 69 lp custom off ,strap overhead and hit a light rig that was way too low and knocked a small piece of bindeing off the head stock , small piece but big enough to make me sick . but its my main ax . comes with the territory

[@EdVidz]

Dewar was amazing, this is a gorgeous and mournful song, there's nothing like RT.

[@bubbanderson]

Well that was enlightening ! Elwood clearly know what he's doing and what a great job to have ! With 450 guitars in one location and more elsewhere I'm guessing that his boss goes to bed with a big grin on his boat race ! My missus gets angsty as I approach double figures with the collection. On a similar topic if any guitarists out there haven't seen "It Might Get Loud" go watch it now. The Edge, Jimmy Page & Jack White playing together & talking gear. Proper guitar porn.

[@uncleledbetter5680]

11 years later and rumor has it they're still checking that snare.

[@luigichurch6262]

oh dude, that drums are killing my thoughts

[@clayhorsemusic]

Where do the sequencers fit into the system, used for songs like "Legs"? Are they controlled from the main mixing/lighting boards? That makes sense from a flow standpoint, but I wonder where the actual sequencers are located, who sets them up, and what kind they are. Anybody know?

[@Guitar4blues]

He's always been a light string guy. Albert King also played ultra light strings. Stevie Ray really revived the heavy gauge movement.

[@davidbrucemusicvideo]

I’m very glad that they conducted this interview while the guy just kept hitting the snare drum for the sound check. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@EventHorizonPrdctns]

It's just not as awesome when you guys do these and the actual artist isn't doing the talking. It's not just about the gear, just like music isn't just about the notes as they'd appear on paper. Hearing the guitarist's side-thoughts, reasons and evolution for gear choice, history, factoids, personal opinions on approach and tone - these are the reasons we want to watch "Billy Gibbons Rig Rundown"

[@TheSammyreynolds]

Billy has other things to do besides talking to a person about his gear.

[@TheDannyGrause]

I guarantee you this guy knows more about Billy's sound than Billy does.

[@EventHorizonPrdctns]

Toxic Potato sometimes it takes a while, but eventually someone else states the completely obvious for me to rebut the stupid remarks other people leave. Big thanks.

[@ecollins92]

dude theres two gear videos in the side bar with gibbons himself in it.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

Maybe because Billy's rig doesn't need the band? It's pretty simple.

[@TrashMojo]

i love the songs in the background. all great songs

[@iggy9955]

Gretch fenomenal.I like this guitar and in Billys hand 7-32 but sound is awesome.

[@ReneeNme]

Are those wireless packs seriously housed in Prince Albert canisters ?? lol

[@12askerr]

What an awesome tech!!

[@chowin52]

Fun to watch this again. Uses 7's and has never busted a string he said. Unbelievable. Stevie Ray V. would not approve, but whatever really. Rebbecca is a sweetheart, genuine article.

[@tgfabthunderbird1]

You're absolutely right; the LP can take it, and no professional would take an axe out there on the road if it wasn't meant to handle the wear and tear. I'd give a lot to have a custom LP like that one.

[@mcnivdawg]

I've switched over to .08 's on alot of my guitars , haven't broke a string yet either . Think I'll try a set of Billys . 07 's .

[@MrTheGOW]

Had a Billy Bo Jupiter T-bird a few years ago, but sold it. Great guitar - wish I still had it. Unfortunately the single pickup Billy Bo "Pro" models that Billy is using on tour, are just a custom design for him. There is no production counterpart from Gretsch. Too bad they don't build a production version of that guitar - I 'd probably buy one. I'm not sure they sell a ton of the regular Billy Bo's tho, so they may think producing a variant of that instruement, would not be cost effective.

[@hughsexton]

@premierguitar or anybody who knows - What's that rack unit they're using to capture the wave of Pearly Gates, and what's that EQ unit they're using to match it ???

[@rexterrocks]

7 gauge strings ? He has some great guitars. I have one of the Gretsch rectangular Bo Diddley guitars. I always wanted one since I could remember. The Billy Bo guitar (originally called the 'Cadillac' )is another I used to want but its different to Bo's original. Billy's original one was made by Tom Holmes and he makes great guitars.

[@WarriorMigs24]

Classic ZZ Top

[@jimsteele2072]

That would be a wild episode.... Guitar Hoarders. I like that.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

Awesome interview Rebecca...

[@jackl-g6181]

12:30 Skynyrd bass riffs in the background. :)

[@Stangil1]

Workin for the MCA :)

[@arthurblackhistoric]

Yeah, that really works for Ted Nugent. I have an Epiphone Broadway Jazz guitar with humbuckers and I sound passingly like Ted when I crank it up. In Billy's case, as you said with all the speakers around him, he wouldn't have to try too hard to find a sweet spot on which to stand to get that feedback-assisted sustain. When you just gig in small venues with a 1 x 12 combo you don't get that opportunity. As well as the Gibsons and Epiphones I also own a Gretsch 5122 that I love playing.

[@stevencirone8927]

After a bit I got into the drums and bass, which is really what the clip is all about by accident.

[@dzidolgitara]

I have question , digitech 28 programable equalizer is before preamp or after preamp ? i am talking about signal chains