Best acoustic guitar for Elliott Smith tone?

[GuestIN]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

Wow, there’s a lot there! I didn’t mean to suggest he owed us anything else. I just like a happy ending sometimes and just wish he didn’t have to suffer so much in the process. But the ending is happy in the sense that we’re left with all of his music. I am not at all an engineer, but it’s interesting to me that the same people and approaches were used on xo and figure 8. To me figure 8 just sounds, different. Xo still had that raw transitional feeling. Maybe fewer instruments or just a more raw mix. Independence Day, and baby Britain, just sound a little earlier. So sweet. I like figure 8 maybe just as much, busomething about the production sounds more polished or something. And I can imagine how hard it is for you to hear basement. It may not be all his, but there’s a lot of him on there that sure is beautiful and such complex songwriting. Really pretty. I’ll have to read what a trident a range is. Anything specific that machine gave to those tracks?

Ps, wow, 85 pages peppered w Elliott’s producer Rob S. All about SOUND. Thanks!
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear...b-schnapf.html

Sorry if I came across as salty. I didn’t mean that at all. Any of Rob’s posts on GS are going to be the most informative on that period. And you’re correct in “Figure 8” being more polished sounding. “XO” was definitely transitional in sound. But I really loved every single song Elliott recorded. A Trident A-Range is a recording console that they only made around a dozen of. It was Elliott’s big purchase of his life. It has a story all it’s own, and now once again lives in Elliott’s resurrected New Monkey Studio that has been a real labor of love by some people who really love Elliott. I’ll just close by saying it’s really nice talking with someone who genuinely holds Elliott in such high regard and has let him into your life for so long. I’ve probably derailed this thread enough from technical questions deep into existential territory. Thanks for letting me ramble. Take care, and again, keep listening for the good stuff.

Best,

I.A. Newhart

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by I. Newhart

Sorry if I came across as salty. I didn’t mean that at all. Any of Rob’s posts on GS are going to be the most informative on that period. And you’re correct in “Figure 8” being more polished sounding. “XO” was definitely transitional in sound. But I really loved every single song Elliott recorded. A Trident A-Range is a recording console that they only made around a dozen of. It was Elliott’s big purchase of his life. It has a story all it’s own, and now once again lives in Elliott’s resurrected New Monkey Studio that has been a real labor of love by some people who really love Elliott. I’ll just close by saying it’s really nice talking with someone who genuinely holds Elliott in such high regard and has let him into your life for so long. I’ve probably derailed this thread enough from technical questions deep into existential territory. Thanks for letting me ramble. Take care, and again, keep listening for the good stuff.

Best,

I.A. Newhart

Your insights are greatly appreciated!

Guitar stuff, found it on pg 12...

“elliott didnt get his J45 until after figure eight.
on xo we used a combination of a 60's gibson hummingbird and a '63 epiphone texan.
on figure eight its the texan and a '57 gibson J50.”

[GuestIN]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

Your insights are greatly appreciated!

Guitar stuff, found it on pg 12...

“elliott didnt get his J45 until after figure eight.
on xo we used a combination of a 60's gibson hummingbird and a '63 epiphone texan.
on figure eight its the texan and a '57 gibson J50.”

There you go. Texan and a Hummingbird. He’s the one who’d know. Take care, buddy.

I.A. Newhart

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by I. Newhart

There you go. Texan and a Hummingbird. He’s the one who’d know. Take care, buddy.

I.A. Newhart

That he used a Hummingbird for much of XO is a pretty profound insight.

The Hummingbird is pretty universally hailed by its enthusiasts as having a very distinct, classic "bird" tone like no other guitar. People say the Keith Richards got the sound he did on Angie, in part, due to that guitar. Critics call it a "one-trick-pony" guitar, but for the point I'm trying to make, that's all to say the Hummingbird undeniably lends a distinct tone. All that is to say that DESPITE that fact, Elliott Smith got XO tone out of it! I don't think I've ever heard or read of anyone saying "Oh yeah, that Elliott Smith track on XO sounds like he might be using a bird." This is all to reinforce your point that his technique, recording, and overall vision had more influence on his recorded sound than any of the guitars he used. That he used a Hummingbird on that album--of all guitars--is testament to that.

He does get real bendy with his notes on Basement on a Hill, which did lead me to conclude he's probably using a short scale instrument on that one. I guess I'm not super surprised a J-50 showed up on that album. But I agree with you, the guitars really just seem a conduit for Elliott to transmit his sound.

[guitar12]

As an Elliot Smith fan myself I find this to be one of the most fascinating and informative threads I have ever read on the AGF. The gear discussion is interesting but the insight into the man, his techniques, and his struggles are truly enlightening.

Rob

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by zoopeda

Your insights are greatly appreciated!

Guitar stuff, found it on pg 12...

“elliott didnt get his J45 until after figure eight.
on xo we used a combination of a 60's gibson hummingbird and a '63 epiphone texan.
on figure eight its the texan and a '57 gibson J50.”

For completeness, here’s a later quote from Rob S...

“either or was the yamaha cant remember the model number
XO was a 60's gibson country and western and a 63 epiphone texan
and the yamaha
figure 8 was the '63 texan and a '57 J-50.”.

By the way, this gearslutz thread is a brutal 85 pg slog for minimal Elliott related reward, but the pearls are good. https://www.gearslutz.com/board/gear...b-schnapf.html

Question for anyone out there: Rob mentions Elliott, to get his double tracking effect on vocals and guitar, would literally sit with the guitar and perform The Whole song, play it back, and sit down and play it again to get the second layer. Sometimes not with a metronome. How is that possible? Did he really not even listen along through an earpiece while he played the second take?

[romancandle]

I bought a Yamaha FG-160 if anyone is interested...

[zoopeda]

Originally Posted by romancandle

I bought a Yamaha FG-160 if anyone is interested...

Super cool! One of the older ones, or the recent rerelease? Photos???