Waitin' for the Bus - ZZ Top | Guitar Lesson

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Super Thanks (see below the video screen)
Patreon: / 12footchain (tabs and chord charts on patreon)
Learn how to play Waitin' for the Bus, as performed by ZZ Top and the great Billy Gibbons released on their Tres Hombres album.
The lesson covers all the rhythm and lead parts with detail on the guitar lead and demo of the parts played slowed down (to 80 bpm) to catch all the greatness that flies by at the normal 101 bpm.
The amp I used is a converted Bell P.A. 40w amp from the early 1950s - conversion done by Vaughn Skow www.vaughnskow.com/, and check out on youtube @VaughnSkow . He builds great pickups and does other guitar equipment greatness for many here in Nashville. Thanks Vaughn!
Gear used in this video (if you purchase via these links I will earn a small commission):
Dunloap crybaby wah wah: imp.i114863.net/WDjQn3
Xotic EP Boost: sweetwater.sjv.io/R5Py09 (full boost)
Boss EQ: imp.i114863.net/AoOO0o (mid/highs boosted a couple tics)
Gibson Les Paul Classic imp.i114863.net/Vy5mAk (mine is actually a 2011 R8)
Amp used in this video was a custom Bell converted PA from the early 1950's by Vaughn Skow in Nashville.
00:00 Demo
00:36 Introduction / What to expect
01:59 Tone - my Bell PA!!!
05:31 Lesson - opening & verse riffs
13:00 Guitar solo approach
15:31 Lesson - guitar solo
20:21 Demo - guitar solo at 80 bpm
21:00 Final thoughts
Also...
WIN FREE GEAR:
imp.i114863.net/9WoMd3
DEALS ON MUSIC GEAR:
imp.i114863.net/a1dxGM
USED GEAR:
imp.i114863.net/3P19aB

[@sterlingmcvay2469]

If you do Waiting For The Bus, you got to follow with Jesus Just Left Chicago!!

[@dwstoeckel4740]

I second this

[@gergemall]

He’s bound for New Orleans .

[@gergemall]

I remember an amp like that when I was a kid . Are they expensive ?? It sounds amazing…

[@TopFitnessInfluencer]

Classic Texas blues from the masters ZZ Top & Billy Gibbons. grew up in Texas hearing ZZ Top everywhere. For sure one of the best to have rocked the music scene!

[@ST-xg3gy]

Had one of those in a band many years ago. Opened for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. He was blown away by the contraption. Loud and fierce!

[@jasonashley4579]

I cant play the guitar but I bet I listened to this everyday while I stood at a bus stop on Admiral boulevard in the River Quay, so good.

[@groovemonkey2498]

Good golly! You have nailed Billy's tone and broken down his genius for the rest of us mere mortals to understand! Bravo! Thank you for your master class and BTW, I have got to get one of those 40's PAs.

[@rjb7260]

NAILED IT. This is by far the best Waitin on the Bus Lesson I have seen so far. You have excellent teaching style.. so many like to talk you have just enough of an explanation not over worded.. I think you found your skill set besides playing of course thanks for sharing!

[@cupidstunt66]

Awesome! Any more from Tres Hombres is most welcome...

[@moonshot1999]

👍🏽Jesus Just Left

[@street_cheeks]

there's a lot of guitar channels and videos but yours is top tier. thank you

[@chuckcaton6603]

Enjoying the heck out of your presentations/lessons. Just discovered you Oct 30 2023. I went to see Ten Years After in Oklahoma City Nov 1972. The Top was the second band to play that night before Alvin Lee came out. They rocked the house so hard, people were going nuts. I mean it. It was just as awesome as seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan that first time in 64. The Top was precise as a laser and loud as hell. And the sound guy was mixing everything perfectly, which can make or break a show. The only bling on stage was Billy Gibbons sequin guitar strap. They had their cowboy hats and boots on. I had never heard of ZZ Top. Rio Grande Mud had just been released. Been a fan ever since. Just saw them last week at a casino, the first show I saw in 72 is still my favorite. Thanks for showing us all Billys bag of tricks.

[@12footchain]

Wow, you saw them super early!

[@bluzzjazz]

Still have it on vinyl. Such a great recording. That change straight into Jesus Just Left Chicago is brilliant.

[@michaelpal7641]

That "change" into Jesus Just Left Chicago was actually a studio mistake I've heard-still, it really is brilliant that they kept it in live versions

[@Weshopwizard]

I miss the days of monkeying around with the balance knob on the old turntable. Great freaking video dude!!!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@robertshirley3422]

Great playing!! Love that Les Paul tone with the half-depressed wah pedal!!

[@BradRocker]

That wah is righteous.

[@jimmywagstaff190]

Spot on lesson. Been playing for many years and your lessons are great! Thank you!

[@DavidBagshaw]

Excellent lesson.

[@timh7156]

Absolutely amazing! Thank you!

[@seanhayes2998]

Fantastic. Thanks for the tips in the turnaround, much easier than the way I’ve been struggling with! 😊

[@darrylwhitesall5847]

AWESOME JOB! LOVE THAT YOU CAPTURED BILLY'S SPECIAL SAUCE! Thanks for sharing.

[@vince9771]

You got it down man! I was hearing all sorts of notes, you cleared it out with the panning guitars.

[@briansbrain426]

When it comes to my practicing breaking down songs, I've been on a ZZ Top binge for the past 6 months or so. Thanks for the vid!!

[@johnsanchez3607]

Totally cool great explanation on turn around super cool thank you sir!

[@sterlingmcvay2469]

Thanks!! That Whole Album is PURE MAGIC!!!! Move It On Down The Line!!!

[@randyandamberthompson9972]

Love that tone.

[@1982joe1982]

Great work man - very good interpretation of that song - really enjoying these

[@gary6449]

I've never before noticed how "Zappa-esque" the solo is for this tune..

[@jrockofages5413]

Nice. Never thought about it till now

[@gib59er56]

You know that the crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe? Cuz I got a girl with Camarillo Brillo!

[@gib59er56]

Frank and Billy?? You goin kookoo? lol, love em both equally but they are miles apart as far as their approach and style. Billy is pure Texas boogie and Frank is Frank.

[@douggauzy6258]

Your right about the tone . Make a person want to see play . Awesome song , great lesson . 👍

[@custom.0860]

Great lesson. Have been browsing through the channel and decided I'll learn to play some of my favs correctly, and appreciate the tone tips. Subscribed to Patreon . thx

[@teddyspaw]

You the Boss!! Nice work!!

[@FMorgigno1]

Every single lesson you demo is POINT ON! You are the very best at articulating exact interpretations of classics. I LOVE this channel.

[@12footchain]

Thank you! tell your friends 😀

[@Mikemeshell63]

great playing,love zz.oh and i subed,thanks for shareing with us.

[@hkguitar1984]

For early Billy Gibbons tone I use my 1947 Magnatone/MEC Troubadour M-192 amp, guitar straight in and the amp cranked. The little Troubadour puts out about 13 Watts with a single 12" field-effect speaker. Great Lesson, thanks for the content.

[@gergemall]

Man , do you nail that . Patreon rocks ❤. Oh yeah

[@rjjen1696]

excellent lesson - great job -thanks

[@joachimlachmann3487]

Perfect and detailed lesson. Thank you so much. Greetings from Germany.

[@rickharmon3513]

thank you for this and the other zz top lessons, as mentioned in another comment, you teach quite well , your method is great for my short attention span.

[@user-re9wd3re5o]

Great lesson! Thank you!

[@bobnolin9155]

love me some ZZ. This was great

[@jameswilson6374]

Great job man! Rock on!

[@james-gang]

Super lesson on THAT evergreen (love evergreen!) ¡Muchas gracias!

[@timbaker1320]

Into super bad! I envy your talent. Fell in love with Fandango in '74.

[@moose6676]

That amp is sick 🙈 I want one so much 👍🏻 thanks once again. 👍🏻

[@user-jz6to8md3c]

Have mercy.

[@stratman9449]

ha...great stuff...been waiting for that bus for a loooong time coming....will get down to it soon.....sounds very promising....cheers....again

[@jasonhenderson6544]

Badass bro

[@rickfromberlin1722]

Even if you think you know how to play the song, 12FC brings the nuances to the table and takes you from good to great! Thanks!

[@markdesod561]

awesome Bell Sound, might be a throwback to old Leslie West Days?? Thanx for taking the time to break this guitar part down the RIGHT way!!

[@lamgefyoutoob]

This guy is the worx. His Patreon is awesome.

[@realmiketroyer1700]

Such precission and brevity. Earned a subscribe.

[@12footchain]

welcome!

[@MackAxyzz]

great job as always brother; have mercy 😎 the reverend willie g always has such great choice of notes; nothing flashy just down and dirty cool ha

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Daaaaayum! Hell Farrrrr! Means I dig the hell out of it. Seriously this is Outstanding and thanks for sharing. Moooom, Dad’s upstairs Rockin’ the House again…

[@davisdeen-ty4so]

Well Done, WHAT I learned is I've been playing it WRONG for years !! Good stuff

[@gib59er56]

I did not expect to find such a good breakdown of the solo here my friend! You are a fine geet-ar player! Thank you for the post. I have been playing 40+ years and forget much that I knew and I am too lazy to go and fing a tape, CD or record to get it back again!! So Thank you man!! You have a new subscriber!

[@12footchain]

welcome!

[@gib59er56]

@@12footchain Not tryin to spam ya here but I just saw 3 other dudes teaching this and they are a mile away. I have been playing since 1979 and know my shit (but I am getting lazy so I go to vids if a student asks for a tune I know "kinda". Again, you have it as well as the way I remember rewinding the tape back in H.S. and playing 6 to 8 hrs a day. Finding your channel is a bunch of good rock and filthy , greasy riffs!

[@12footchain]

@gib59er56 thanks man! I try to get it as accurate as I can. I basically try to be the guitar teacher I never had, and speak to my 15 year old self.

[@gib59er56]

@@12footchain Love that man!! We are both generation for sure!!

[@bytwyzz]

Now I have a reason to pop my REAL Mcoy Vox pedals Cherry! This and Needle Damage Done Skynerd on my bucket list ...love ur stuff br'r !

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

That tone...Have Mercyyy...

[@h.i.5333]

Great job sir!! New subscriber.✌️

[@12footchain]

Welcome aboard!

[@FMorgigno1]

Thanks!

[@12footchain]

Thank you very much!

[@pilledsenior1389]

Great job. Huge Top fan ever since seeing them as the opening act for Mountain. You capture the feel, as you know Billy's tone is in his hands. I would love to see you pick apart his cover of "Tramp" from Mescalero.

[@jdrogers9054]

Dude ur badass I don't think Billy could have done it any better it's easy to learn from you nice Les Paul too.

[@Reedc16]

I learned how to play can’t get there from here by R.E.M on electric guitar it’s really good song to play

[@12footchain]

Love Peter Buck, I know pretty much every album through Monster. Great stuff

[@PonziZombieKiller]

Wicked track 4 sure

[@PonziZombieKiller]

My Mama gave me this album as a Xmas present. God bless her soul.

[@2skyland]

I've seen them a couple of times at the Ryman and Billy said "We've played the same three chords for the last 30 years but people keep coming so we keep doin it" 😆 It's easy to overlook how great a guitar player he is at first though because things he does though are brilliantly and deceptively simple.

[@RoosterCogburn1]

Just discovered this channel- good stuff I feel like I’m siting getting a private lesson.

[@12footchain]

Welcome aboard!

[@brucehelppie6119]

Really cool…

[@rca6409]

Danke!

[@12footchain]

Thank you very much!

[@teresathomley3703]

That is some little PA!! Damn

[@user-jt8sw8jm5n]

Damn, cool about the p.a. I think many things built in that era were truly built to last. And they weren't fancy..... Just solid. Mmhh, well so much for reminiscing. I don't know how the F*#c I never came across your channel before. I love it, not full of bells and whistles, just solid guitar playing that lasts. Thanks. I've seen this song taught by 20 to 30 in instructors on KZbin. they all tell you how to play it correctly but they leave out one thing: feel and tone, (well that's 2)and that's what you got going on here

[@user-jt8sw8jm5n]

Okay f*** it I'm going to reply to myself. I said there's 20 or 30 that teach it correctly I have to retract that statement after watching your video they didn't get near the subtleties in nuances

[@12footchain]

Thank you!

[@sterlingmcvay2469]

And, Master Of Sparks, is almost Blues Prog!!

[@nuggetsupreme2194]

Amazing work man! I'd love to see you teach Weather Report Suite from the Grateful Dead, or any Grateful Dead, for that matter.

[@bobnolin9155]

Eyes of the World

[@carlosbotto3913]

buenisimo

[@robtoc]

Love this tune....thanks for posting!!!!! You know you'll have to do 'Jesus Just Left Chicago' next!

[@12footchain]

for sure will happen

[@robtoc]

@@12footchain You're a good teacher, and you can tell you love not only playing the guitar, but instructing. I really enjoy your channel! Keep up the good work! Cheers! - Rob Toc

[@12footchain]

@@robtoc thanks very much! I do love doing this

[@spaceboojum]

F'ckn brilliant

[@user-hl6xy6ug4i]

Really like this. Other tabs for this song really miss the mark. I’m from Oklahoma, so a big fan of ZZTop. They used to play in OKC once or twice a year. One I’d like to see you do is ‘Keep Your Hands to Yourself’ by the Georgia Satellites. Really, a double stop masterpiece. I’ve been a Patreon member for 2-3 months, and really have learned a lot from your work.

[@12footchain]

great idea! you're right great rock leads on that song, will look into that. love Battleship Chains too - super fun tune.

[@LukasDozer]

Great ,I'm moee than impressed, can you recommend a ZZ Top tab book for most or all of their catalog?

[@kennethmccann630]

ON FIRE!! Great tone, man. I'm gonna go dig out my 55 Gibson GA-20 and plug a Les Paul into it and see if I can keep up 😄

[@12footchain]

Wow, super cool amp. Bet that sounds great.

[@kennethmccann630]

It does. It was on the top of my list for must have amps and I got the chance to get one about a dozen years ago. Closest thing I have to tweed. It's like a narrow panel tweed deluxe in build. Except, it's got a.... I call it a, thick chocolate milkshake tone lol It's got the original speaker. It's definitely a gem. I wish I would have also gotten a GA-20 from the early 50s.... the brown suitcase/crest style. They have a more Wide Pannel type of build with Octal preamp tubes. They used to be really affordable. Not so much anymore. I love that PA you're playing through. I'm bit of a tone hound lol Great lesson. Great playing. Keep em coming!

[@tonytigertwenty]

The people from Dubai don't like the Flintstones, but the people from Abu Dubai Do!!!

[@guypierce6323]

It's cold gin time again, such a fantastic tone

[@duster71]

He plugged into a Marshall 5002 lead 12 solid state in the studio

[@matteovrizzi]

the hum from your PA sounds like Doc Brown's mega guitar amp

[@Stinkycheeseman93]

God, great lesson. Subbing, and hoping to see Jesus Just Left Chicago!!

[@12footchain]

Welcome, and yes it's coming

[@1bluesmanj]

Great tone from that Bell PA man! I believe you mentioned using an attenuator but I didn't see one listed. What do you use? Thanks!

[@12footchain]

Fryette Power Station 2

[@steelbender58]

I had a pa from a high school football stadium years ago. Neighbors called the cops on my LOL

[@peterm3964]

Do you mean TRES HOMBRE as in .”tray ombray” As in “Three friends” ? Love your tone too.

[@smalllicks]

very cool ...what strings are those, gauge and brand?

[@12footchain]

Ernie ball 9s

[@barrysayer9751]

I love your lessons and you're a great teacher but you could you give a lesson on a straight, simple Blues , please? Something like Key To The Highway perhaps?

[@westernrider100]

Ever play thorough a 35 watt Bogen PA amplifier? A preChallenger black or a Challenger PA amp?

[@12footchain]

I've got a Bogen too, yeah. Think it's more like 22 watts. But great

[@soulrebelno1]

Ever heard of Bill Nelson from Be-Bop Deluxe? A massively underestimated guitarist, and wrote some absolute crackers!

[@12footchain]

No, but will check it out, thanks

[@mikeblair4017]

Man.. I need a wa-wa, and bunch of more brains n stuff.

[@toomanywaystofall]

🎵r0ck0n with ya bad self 🎵

[@qua7771]

Damn Billy, you shaved, and took off your hat.

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Topics specialcbrewxon guitar wah does it

[@Jah_Rastafari_ORIG]

One thing that's always distressed me, thinking about being in ZZ Top; the knowledge that you could never really run a drill press or a bench grinder and be in that band...so sad...

[@danburger1287]

Dude , you talk waaay too much. Six and a half minutes in and you barely taught anything. Get to teaching the riffs right away and you’ll have more hits.

[@greatreset3]

I think Billy would have used Magnatone amps, not Fenders. 🤷‍♂️

[@12footchain]

Today he does, but not sure about early 70s

[@jdrogers9054]

Dude ur badass I don't think Billy could have done it any better it's easy to learn from you nice Les Paul too.