I've heard several stories recently metioning Grady Martin. Honestly I couldn''t pick him out of a line-up but I've been listening to him all my life. I appreciate channels like this that give more of the backstory. Merci beaucoup.
Thanks, Zac; cool story. A few years ago, listening to Satisfaction with headphones, I noticed various points in the recording where you can hear Keith clicking the fuzz off and on, and the clean tone is just as awesome.
Great when you hear those quirks in recordings. I distinctly remember Roy Buchanan’s recordings in which you can hear his pickup switching very distinctly; talk about a sensitive guitar...😉
Thanks Zac for a cool history lesson. I have known for years the story of the "accidental fuzz find" but it was nice to hear it again from you and have some names added along with it. I assume this happened in RCA Studio B? I loved Marty Robbins, got to see him up close in concert here in Cincinnati not long before he passed. Thanks again sir!
@@vayabroder729 you can hear the pickup switching in The Beatles ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ also there’s an audible squeak off Ringo’s kick pedal in a few of their BBC recordings
Thank you for posting this. I was so shocked at the 4:25 mark. Born and raised Nashvillan. 60 now. When I was 16 yrs old and a young rock guitar player, a wonderful gentleman at my church who was in the music business and ran/owned a studio in East Nashville put in a real sound system at church and recruited me to run it on Sundays. Being a big music guy, I asked if I could visit the studio and he said sure. I went and had a great day and sat in on a few sessions in the control rooms. The guy? Glenn Snoddy. I didn’t know until this video he designed the first fuzz box. Glenn was so unassuming. Never talked about himself! One of the nicest men I ever knew.
I see that someone mentioned The Ventures 2000 Pound Bee. That was 1962 i believe and before that, Anne Margret had a song called, "I Just Don't Understand", with fuzz on it. That was 1961, The Beatles covered it too in '63. "Heart Full of Soul" came out like right after "Satisfaction" and Jeff Beck played the fuzz guitar because that was the sound they wanted. The sitar didn't sound right on it.
Hey Zac. I actually knew this story and told it on our local radio. I love YOUR story because of the details. Thank you for what you bring to the forefront. I remember Marty using the Tennessee State Police to excort him in for an Opry performance. Grady Martin is phenomenal, ask Willie Nelson.
Nailed that don't worry tone! First time I heard it, we were setting up in a little dive bar some time in the 80s. The whole band just froze in place and listened to it. None of us had ever heard it but this bar happened to have it on their jukebox.
Great story Zac! As a 70 year old, who started playing at 12, I had no idea about anything you speak of here. I, like many others, always thought that fuzz guitar was inspired by Link Wray slicing his speaker cones. Plus, I haven't even seen a photo of a BASS VI in years, and the one you have looks like it just came from the factory. Thanks for the great upload, & I'll look for any other historic tales you have on your channel.
The same fuzz tone was used on an Ann-Margret session cut of Marijohn Wilkins' "I Just Don't Understand" early in 1961, with Grady and Charlie McCoy on blues harp. With the Jordanaires on backup vocals. Later covered by the Beatles.
Great video! I was 15 when Satisfaction came out. All us young rockers played it. I had read Keith got that sound with a Maestro, but what really made me buy one was Don't Bring Me Down by The Animals, although I think that was coupled with some sort of tremelo.
Very cool to get the full background on this, Zac. I bought a copy of the Martin Robbins record where Grady Martin first played fuzz on 6-string bass guitar. I have the 45 framed on my rehearsal studio wall along with a few other historic records like Prince Conley's "I'm Going Home" which I believe featured Steve Croppers first session recording.
Anybody remember the "Fuzzrite" from Mosrite Guitars ? It came in very handy playing the "psychedelic" music of the 60's, and was a GIGANTIC pedal, about 3 times the size of anything that BOSS makes. You could actually stomp on this stomp box without hurting it, as it was built like a tank. When it came time to kick it in for my solos, it never let me down, as long as I kept a good battery in it, of course.
Great Vid Zac. I guess that kills the story of cutting a slit into the speaker with a knife. I like the white pick guard on your 57. Always look forward to watching your Vid's. Thanks for sharing!
I’m 77 years old, and started guitar by ear at 10. I bought one of the first maestro’s and it had instructions how to set it to emulate a horn or whatever (not too convincing 😂).. one thing I didn’t like was you had to play one note at a time; playing a chord would be a mess - so I returned it….dumb ol’ me! 🤷♂️….Thanks for all you do ~ Jack Bond
Satisfaction was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, Ca., while The Stones were stateside. So Keith probably became familiar with the device while they were over here.
I love the black guard on the Esquire, it has a lot of character! It also brings out the beautiful maple shade on the neck and the wear of the whole guitar overall. It somehow reminded me of a Syd Barrett tele kind of vibe, I prefer it so much to the white guard!
Great ! I remember the Marty tune as a kid (65 now). ha, story i read recently delved deeper into Keith's take on the Maestro. I guess they were on tour in the US and London released the single without the 'Stones knowing about it. They're driving to a hotel after a show and Satisfaction is playing. Keith is horrified. True ? Apochryful? Who knows. Happy New Year, y'all !
First time I heard “Don’t Worry…” was in a booth around 2:30 a.m. at the Hermitage Cafe I think in the summer of 96. Mind Blow’d. I proceeded to play it about 10 more times.(Not all at once tho!)
I was impressed with your discussion and history on the fuzz pedal. You did a nice job of explaining it and making it interesting as well. I just stumbled across this video and I’m thankful I watched it. Keep up the great work.
I have a Maestro FZA-1 fuzz, it's the 2nd iteration. I was told it's the preferred version with upgrades to the first version. It's broken down and has been since I bought it 40+ years ago.
The Maestro Fuzz was readily available in Southern California when it came out! There was no Hendrix ,Cream or Doors yet but there was The Yardbirds who also used fuzz.
Great story! I am building a "Keef' Tele now with the single ply blackguard and alnico !! humbucker neck p/u and 56 bridge p/u, so I like the black guard.
The story goes that when the Stones were recording at Chess in Chicago during the summer of 1964, someone at Gibson loaded a bunch of stuff in a van or a station wagon and drove it over from Kalamazoo. Included were two Firebird VIIs, a number of the bigger piggy-back amps, and a Fuzztone (and some other stuff). This version of events appears in Andy Babiuk's excellent "Stones Gear," and it is supported by photos taken at the time. Apologies if someone else already chimed in on this.
my Squire bass VI is my favorite instrument of the moment; plays like a guitar; I can ‘orchestrate’ counterpoint melodies and lots of other stuff just using my guitar knowledge; the neck is no fatter than an old Tele
Hey Zac very cool to learn & pin point exactly where the first fuzz tone came from & I live hearing it was on a Marty Robbins record with Grady Martin playing it !! So talking about your 57’ esquire I always prefer the black pickgaurd on a white tele for one it looks great but my all time favorite player / songwriter / singer plays I think a 57’ tele with a black pickgaurd which I’m talking about Vince Gill so I say keep it on there!!!
I really like the tone of that pedal, it’s fuzz without being over the top. The black guard kinda gives that guitar a Vince Gill look. Not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion, but I kinda got used to the white guard look. Great content as always Zac!
I thought they weren’t aware of the channel failing, and didn’t notice until after they finished recoding “Don’t Worry”. The producer didn’t like the sound, but Marty dug it, and made them keep it. That’s how I understood the story at least.
You have to take musician stories with a grain of salt. As an engineer myself there's NO WAY that part wasn't intentional once they heard what the channel was doing.
@@AskZac exactly... To me it sounds like Grady came up with part to fit the sound itself or at least adapted it from his original idea. Fortuitous for sure.
@Ask Zac You may have heard this story before, but when The Cramps were recording their debut at Sun Studios, Alex Chilton took them to meet Grady Martin. They asked Martin how Marty Robbins reacted to it, and Grady replied that Robbins said "Hell, it worked for Link Wray... leave it in!"
Paul's fuzz bass on Think For Yourself on Rubber Soul, 1965.That was in the Keith Richards era. Interesting to hear the first was a bass. nobody ever mentions Paul's fairly early licks. btw The original Rubber Soul album (in mono) my sister bought in 65 in Canada, a different version than US said on the back Check out Paul on fuzz bass on Think For Yourself. So knew about fuzz since I was 10, heh heh.
I think Keith used his Les Paul for Satisfaction, in the middle position possibly. I do this with the Satisfaction pedal from EHX. I know it's not a Maestro circuit, it's a Bosstone circuit minus a couple parts. I love the sound of that combination, with the guitar volumes turned down to 6 or 7. I also like how Zac's telecaster sounds with the Sun Face pedal. Fat fuzz with single coils, compared to humbuckers and thin fuzz. Many ways to have fun.
Without Grady Martin's Fuzz Solo, we wouldn't have Satisfaction, we wouldn't have Hendrix, we wouldn't have had a whole bunch of the great guitar sounds of the sixties and seventies.
Since you asked :) I definitely like the black on blonde contrast, but for your Tele I think the white pick guard looks the best. When I first saw it I was blown away, you don’t see that combo too often yet it still looks totally authentic and super cool.
I was waiting to see if you were going to mention Jimmy Page's fuzz session on PJ Proby's song "Hold Me". Pretty sure it was months before "Satisfaction ". Good site.
I'm probably not alone, but - My Ma was teacher of advanced piano - Univ. and above, beginning 50s, while Pa finished Engineering degree, in Detroit. Thus, I was FORCED to listen to Mozart, Bach, Brahms, etc., from the WOMB. The only kids she taught was "Music Appreciation", which I joined, 4 sessions. Learned to make little instruments, ID different instruments in symphony, etc. ** I was 12 in 1965, and the first time I heard "Satisfaction" on AM radio, I thought it was a super- cool guy, somehow making his saxophone "buzz" - maybe with cellophane or somethin'... - Ma taught adv. Piano, ( incl. performers, grads ) FOR 70 YEARS, until recent illness, dementia. THANK YOU, for the history, Keith had presumed horns, and my 12 yr old ear was not far off...
Grady Martin recorded (at least) six tracks featuring fuzztone guitar between 1961-1962: Tippin’ In/The Fuzz (recorded on January 12, 1961 and released in January, 1961 on Decca 31211); Twist and Turn/Good, Good, Good (recorded on February 8, 1962 and released in April, 1962 on Decca 31381) and Ramblin’ Rose/Big Bad Guitar (recorded on February 8, 1962, but released in the US in July, 1965 under the name Beauregard and the Tuffs on Decca 31820). Curiously, all six tracks were never compiled onto an album for US release (even today), but all tracks were on Side B of the Grady Martin, His Guitar, And The Slewfoot Five’s 1963 album “That Good Grady” which only had a release in Australia and New Zealand. Some other early overdriven/distortion/fuzztone tracks -- 'What'cha Know Joe' by Johnny Lee Wills and His Boys (Decca 5948; 5/12/1941) 'Fat Boy Rag' by Bob Willis/Texas Playboys (Tiffany Transcription; rec 5/20/1946) [both above feature Junior Barnard on overdriven guitar] 'Rock Awhile' by Goree Carter (Freedom Recording 1506; rec 4/1949) 'Devil's Jump' by Texas Slim [John Lee Hooker] (King 4315; rec. 8/1949) 'Boogie In The Park' by Joe Hill Louis (Its The Phillips 9001; 1950) 'Train kept a-rollin' by The Johnny Burnette Trio -- (Coral 9-61719; rec 7/2/1956) 'Honey hush' by The Johnny Burnette Trio -- (Coral 9-61719; rec 7/3/1956) [I'd argue Paul Burlison is playing the distorted guitar parts on the above two] 'Go On Home' by Sanford Clark (London UK HLW 9095; 4/8/1960) [with session guitarist Al Casey -- preceding Marty Robbins' 'Don't Worry' by months] 'The Big Race' by (Ron Barrett with) The Duals (Juggy 321-A; 1962?) 'Don't Stop Now' by Frankie Avalon (2m58s version - Chancellor C-1139; 6/1963)
I ordered one of the Fender Micros a while ago. So cool to hear you say you like it! (I am still waiting for it to arrive, they are completely sold out here in Germany.) All the best to you. Cheers.
The story goes that the producer came in the next day and wanted to add another verse to Witchita Lineman but he didn’t know that glen played the bass line and finished the song the night before. And thank God Glen did because that song is a Classic for the ages…
I dig that esquire zac. Im guessn you do too. I notice alot of folks mentioning vince gills but jeff becks esquire imediately comes to mind. But that guitar and you look like the best of friends man...cheers
Here is the fabulous Mandy Barnett singing Don't Worry About Me with Duane Eddy supplying the fuzz. Mandy has the best friends anyone could wish to have! th-cam.com/video/c5n_XiYEGjQ/w-d-xo.html There was a Gibson video about Travis Wammack where he talked about his early hits and he had created his own fuzz system- and mentioned that Gibson approached him after Firefly and Scratchy were hits about him sponsoring their Fuzztone but he declined. As he said, "He was just a kid" and had no idea what he was doing. Unfortunately, that video is not on YT any more.
Cool to see you playing a Squier 6. Believe it or not I have a Squier Affinity Strat that I absolutely love the neck on. I appreciate higher end axes, but at the end of the day a great playing guitar is a great playing guitar, don't let the name on the headstock effect your ego.
Great story Zac! Enjoyed the video….very cool…and didn’t think I could love that 57 anymore than I already did…..but the black pickguard puts it over the top…….definitely a tone improvement……lol….
Cool story, I hadn't heard this before and had to go out and look it up, very cool. However, the fuzz sound had been around for a long time, blues guitarists playing big hollowbody guitars through tweed Fender and old Gibson amps had a lot of that fuzzy or farty tone just by the guitars overdriving the crude amps of the time. It wasn't something they were trying to do, it just happened due to the amplitude of the signal hitting the front end of the amp hard enough to drive the amplification non-linear. Even 10 years before this Marty Robbins song Ike Turner played with a lot of fuzz on Rocket 88. So not to take anything away from this ground breaking Marty Robbine, Grady Martin recording the advent of fuzz tone was building for quite some time, decades even.
Howlin' Wolf's guitarist Willy Johnson and other bluesmen around Memphis predated Marty Robbins with the fuzz tones back in the early 1950's. Check it out.
I love fuzz, and I bet I wore out my mom's copy of Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads." So, this one was a real treat, Zac.As for the guard on the Esquire, if it's good enough for Jeff Beck, it's good enough for you...or me- I've done it to every white blonde Tele I've ever had, save the Hahn Model C. I think they look so great. Like a Tux!
Am I cheating by clicking "Like" before even watching the video, Zac? I haven't been wrong yet. My introduction to fuzz was the Rolling Stones and Satisfaction. Every band in Jr High (including me) was scrambling to figure out how that was done. My drummer and his dad eventually built a kit fuzz box, except the button you pushed with your foot had to be held down to get the effect.....release pressure, and it turned off. Not very convenient if you wanted to dance around the stage with your fuzz going. My second exposure to "fuzz" was when I got pulled over for speeding in my parents' car.....but I won't go into that. Thanks again for a sweet video, Zac.
This story was at the beginning of the Pedal Movie. Have you seen it? Did they do an accurate job of explaining it in your opinion? Very cool that it started in Nashville. Who would have thought!
Please, which current pedal (which can be easily found) is most similar to the original Gibson Maestro Fuzz? great episode. Thank you very much from Spain!
@2:22--And let's not forget Martin's intro and fills on nylon string guitar on "El Paso." From nylon to fuzz; now that's quite a range. "The Fuzz" on excellent CD anthology on Atomicat (Germany?): Grady Martin, "Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves and Hot Guitar." Btw. "fuzz" meant police in the slang of the time.
Grady Martin's contribution to modern music has been so forgotten its sickening. I have found a few examples of his playing on youtube and he was a Genius. He is the only guitarist to have backed the big 3 - Hank Williams, Elvis and Buddy Holly in the studio. He also played with so many greats of country and pop of the 50's and 60's. Here's just a few.. Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Kris Kristofferson Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee and Willie Nelson. Just his contribution to Patsy Clines hits ( on his Wikipedia pg.) is staggering.
Snorty, Snotty's good friend, gave Snotts the idea to market the sound. Some thought the sound was too nasal, but when the transformer started blowing, Snots loved the result. On a side note, It was also the birth of the Kleenex.
That is an important recording. I believe I stated that the Robbins session was in 1960, and a hit in 1961. It caused Glenn Snoddy to create the Maestro Fuzz, and Red to create the Fuzzrite. However Red had no connection to the song and session in question.
Zac, I just found out that Grady Martin played on early(1956) Buddy Holly tracks. I nearly fell over. Buddy was good, but some of the best guitar work on Buddy songs was done by Tommy Allsup and (now I know) Grady!
I love the Esquire with the black guard. That’s what they all looked like in the early 50’s. Fuzz is almost a requirement for everyone to own. The different types get totally unique sounds. I prefer the non gated non octave type, like a Tone Bender or Fuzzface. I do have an octave fuzz, the JHS Supreme and I do enjoy it for lead playing. Horrible for chords and rhythm though.
I played a lot with older cats growing up in Texas. That was fantastic, except for every once in a while an older tune that I just did not get would get on the setlist. "Sportcoat" was one I just did not dig playing. Loved everything else Marty Robbins, except that one.
Never realized that the original Grady Martin track was a baritone (6 string bass), cool riff. The Sunface is derivative of the Dallas Arbiter Fuzzface, which is a different circuit than the original Maestro Fuzz Tone. Those old boxes had a kind of ugly decay and didn't do the guitar volume control clean up in the same fashion as the Fuzzface.
Just to clarify: I have both a 6 string bass and a baritone. They are not the same guitars.(although the bass 6 is often called a baritone, it is not) My baritone is tuned B to B but works great A to A. Different octive than the bass. The 6 string bass tunes E to E and is the same octive as a bass guitar. My 6 string bass is tuned
I've heard several stories recently metioning Grady Martin. Honestly I couldn''t pick him out of a line-up but I've been listening to him all my life. I appreciate channels like this that give more of the backstory.
Merci beaucoup.
Thanks, Zac; cool story. A few years ago, listening to Satisfaction with headphones, I noticed various points in the recording where you can hear Keith clicking the fuzz off and on, and the clean tone is just as awesome.
I need to re-listen
Great when you hear those quirks in recordings. I distinctly remember Roy Buchanan’s recordings in which you can hear his pickup switching very distinctly; talk about a sensitive guitar...😉
Thanks Zac for a cool history lesson. I have known for years the story of the "accidental fuzz find" but it was nice to hear it again from you and have some names added along with it. I assume this happened in RCA Studio B? I loved Marty Robbins, got to see him up close in concert here in Cincinnati not long before he passed. Thanks again sir!
@@vayabroder729 you can hear the pickup switching in The Beatles ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’ also there’s an audible squeak off Ringo’s kick pedal in a few of their BBC recordings
@@franktaconelli9095 That’s so cool, isn’t it?
I was listening to Marty's album the other day and I thought, "I bet that was pretty innovative song/solo." Good to see this video pop up.
Thank you for posting this. I was so shocked at the 4:25 mark. Born and raised Nashvillan. 60 now. When I was 16 yrs old and a young rock guitar player, a wonderful gentleman at my church who was in the music business and ran/owned a studio in East Nashville put in a real sound system at church and recruited me to run it on Sundays. Being a big music guy, I asked if I could visit the studio and he said sure. I went and had a great day and sat in on a few sessions in the control rooms. The guy? Glenn Snoddy. I didn’t know until this video he designed the first fuzz box. Glenn was so unassuming. Never talked about himself! One of the nicest men I ever knew.
I am glad to hear this about him. Nice
Fuzz-worthy, huh? That's a lost Seinfeld episode right there.
Watching this from the hospital. Great American music history video!
I hope you feel better soon, and thank you for the kind words. Zac
I see that someone mentioned The Ventures 2000 Pound Bee. That was 1962 i believe and before that, Anne Margret had a song called, "I Just Don't Understand", with fuzz on it. That was 1961, The Beatles covered it too in '63. "Heart Full of Soul" came out like right after "Satisfaction" and Jeff Beck played the fuzz guitar because that was the sound they wanted. The sitar didn't sound right on it.
Hey Zac. I actually knew this story and told it on our local radio. I love YOUR story because of the details. Thank you for what you bring to the forefront. I remember Marty using the Tennessee State Police to excort him in for an Opry performance. Grady Martin is phenomenal, ask Willie Nelson.
My mom was a huge Marty Robbins fan, got to listen to all Marty's original records as a kid!!
Nailed that don't worry tone!
First time I heard it, we were setting up in a little dive bar some time in the 80s. The whole band just froze in place and listened to it. None of us had ever heard it but this bar happened to have it on their jukebox.
Great story Zac!
As a 70 year old, who started playing at 12, I had no idea about anything you speak of here.
I, like many others, always thought that fuzz guitar was inspired by Link Wray slicing his speaker cones.
Plus, I haven't even seen a photo of a BASS VI in years, and the one you have looks like it just came from the factory.
Thanks for the great upload, & I'll look for any other historic tales you have on your channel.
The same fuzz tone was used on an Ann-Margret session cut of Marijohn Wilkins' "I Just Don't Understand" early in 1961, with Grady and Charlie McCoy on blues harp. With the Jordanaires on backup vocals. Later covered by the Beatles.
I just bought a Squier Bass VI and will use it when my band plays "Don't Worry".
Great video! I was 15 when Satisfaction came out. All us young rockers played it. I had read Keith got that sound with a Maestro, but what really made me buy one was Don't Bring Me Down by The Animals, although I think that was coupled with some sort of tremelo.
Very cool to get the full background on this, Zac. I bought a copy of the Martin Robbins record where Grady Martin first played fuzz on 6-string bass guitar. I have the 45 framed on my rehearsal studio wall along with a few other historic records like Prince Conley's "I'm Going Home" which I believe featured Steve Croppers first session recording.
Very cool!
My dad worked for that insurance company - National Life and Accident. Nice detail that you knew that!
Anybody remember the "Fuzzrite" from Mosrite Guitars ?
It came in very handy playing the "psychedelic" music of the 60's, and was a GIGANTIC pedal, about 3 times the size of anything that BOSS makes.
You could actually stomp on this stomp box without hurting it, as it was built like a tank.
When it came time to kick it in for my solos, it never let me down, as long as I kept a good battery in it, of course.
The origins of fuzz is so fascinating! Great episode, Zac!
Great Vid Zac. I guess that kills the story of cutting a slit into the speaker with a knife. I like the white pick guard on your 57. Always look forward to watching your Vid's. Thanks for sharing!
That story is also told about Dave Davies of The Kinks. It might be true in his case.
Yep, I heard the "cut" speaker story, too. This story is a good one, too.
I’m 77 years old, and started guitar by ear at 10. I bought one of the first maestro’s and it had instructions how to set it to emulate a horn or whatever (not too convincing 😂).. one thing I didn’t like was you had to play one note at a time; playing a chord would be a mess - so I returned it….dumb ol’ me! 🤷♂️….Thanks for all you do ~ Jack Bond
Satisfaction was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, Ca., while The Stones were stateside. So Keith probably became familiar with the device while they were over here.
I love the black guard on the Esquire, it has a lot of character! It also brings out the beautiful maple shade on the neck and the wear of the whole guitar overall. It somehow reminded me of a Syd Barrett tele kind of vibe, I prefer it so much to the white guard!
Great ! I remember the Marty tune as a kid (65 now).
ha, story i read recently delved deeper into Keith's take on the Maestro.
I guess they were on tour in the US and London released the single without the 'Stones knowing about it.
They're driving to a hotel after a show and Satisfaction is playing. Keith is horrified.
True ? Apochryful? Who knows. Happy New Year, y'all !
First time I heard “Don’t Worry…” was in a booth around 2:30 a.m. at the Hermitage Cafe I think in the summer of 96. Mind Blow’d. I proceeded to play it about 10 more times.(Not all at once tho!)
I was blown away the first time I heard it. I knew it was a bass 6, but the tone just blew me out of the water.
Not the first sound I expect to hear on an Ask Zac episode! So cool
Yes but the first sound actually is that wonderfully original “intro riffage” by Z Man himself!
I was impressed with your discussion and history on the fuzz pedal. You did a nice job of explaining it and making it interesting as well. I just stumbled across this video and I’m thankful I watched it. Keep up the great work.
Thank you kindly!
Great video, Zac. Love that Bass VI & Fuzz sound when Glen Campbell played it on Wichita Lineman.
I have a Maestro FZA-1 fuzz, it's the 2nd iteration. I was told it's the preferred version with upgrades to the first version. It's broken down and has been since I bought it 40+ years ago.
The Maestro Fuzz was readily available in Southern California when it came out! There was no Hendrix ,Cream or Doors yet but there was The Yardbirds who also used fuzz.
Zac another great episode. I am a huge Stones fan . That fuzz riff is such a great hook so Keef. I really liked the white guard on your 57.
Yes, I am leaning more and more towards going back to the white.
Awesome story, thanks for sharing it Zac! I had heard bits and pieces of these history before but never the details around Grady Martin's actual song.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great story! I am building a "Keef' Tele now with the single ply blackguard and alnico !! humbucker neck p/u and 56 bridge p/u, so I like the black guard.
Who knew? Zac you really know some stuff! Thanks for another great episode.
Always love the videos Zac. The way you tell stories makes you seem like the most authentic TH-cam personality that I watch.
The story goes that when the Stones were recording at Chess in Chicago during the summer of 1964, someone at Gibson loaded a bunch of stuff in a van or a station wagon and drove it over from Kalamazoo. Included were two Firebird VIIs, a number of the bigger piggy-back amps, and a Fuzztone (and some other stuff). This version of events appears in Andy Babiuk's excellent "Stones Gear," and it is supported by photos taken at the time. Apologies if someone else already chimed in on this.
I need to get Andy's book!
I love that book though it cuts off the circulation to my legs when I read it 😎
my Squire bass VI is my favorite instrument of the moment; plays like a guitar; I can ‘orchestrate’ counterpoint melodies and lots of other stuff just using my guitar knowledge; the neck is no fatter than an old Tele
Nice story !
Thanks Keith !
Tnanks Zac !
Hey Zac very cool to learn & pin point exactly where the first fuzz tone came from & I live hearing it was on a Marty Robbins record with Grady Martin playing it !! So talking about your 57’ esquire I always prefer the black pickgaurd on a white tele for one it looks great but my all time favorite player / songwriter / singer plays I think a 57’ tele with a black pickgaurd which I’m talking about Vince Gill so I say keep it on there!!!
Thanks, Zak, Fascinating Episode, Stellar ~! Harold Lane Howell/ Philadelphia Mississippi
Big fan of Squire guitars, only fuzz pedal I have is the Dynamic Distortion which when gain is turned up moves into fuzz territory.. great stuff...
I really like the tone of that pedal, it’s fuzz without being over the top. The black guard kinda gives that guitar a Vince Gill look. Not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion, but I kinda got used to the white guard look. Great content as always Zac!
I thought they weren’t aware of the channel failing, and didn’t notice until after they finished recoding “Don’t Worry”. The producer didn’t like the sound, but Marty dug it, and made them keep it. That’s how I understood the story at least.
You have to take musician stories with a grain of salt. As an engineer myself there's NO WAY that part wasn't intentional once they heard what the channel was doing.
They probably figured it out when running through the track, and then decided how to use it for the recording.
@@bloozedaddy who knows for sure, without actually being there? Those were just the versions I’ve heard of the story, from effect builders.
@@AskZac whatever the case, it’s a great tune. That happened to spawn the idea for the fuzz pedal, and made history.
@@AskZac exactly... To me it sounds like Grady came up with part to fit the sound itself or at least adapted it from his original idea. Fortuitous for sure.
@Ask Zac You may have heard this story before, but when The Cramps were recording their debut at Sun Studios, Alex Chilton took them to meet Grady Martin. They asked Martin how Marty Robbins reacted to it, and Grady replied that Robbins said "Hell, it worked for Link Wray... leave it in!"
Paul's fuzz bass on Think For Yourself on Rubber Soul, 1965.That was in the Keith Richards era. Interesting to hear the first was a bass. nobody ever mentions Paul's fairly early licks. btw The original Rubber Soul album (in mono) my sister bought in 65 in Canada, a different version than US said on the back Check out Paul on fuzz bass on Think For Yourself. So knew about fuzz since I was 10, heh heh.
I think Keith used his Les Paul for Satisfaction, in the middle position possibly. I do this with the Satisfaction pedal from EHX. I know it's not a Maestro circuit, it's a Bosstone circuit minus a couple parts. I love the sound of that combination, with the guitar volumes turned down to 6 or 7. I also like how Zac's telecaster sounds with the Sun Face pedal. Fat fuzz with single coils, compared to humbuckers and thin fuzz. Many ways to have fun.
Without Grady Martin's Fuzz Solo, we wouldn't have Satisfaction, we wouldn't have Hendrix, we wouldn't have had a whole bunch of the great guitar sounds of the sixties and seventies.
I think we would, things might have just happened a little differently...
Keith Richards came up with the fuzzy riff on a sleepless night in a Florida motel room. So that tone/riff was born in the USA, also.
Yes Fort Harrington Hotel. Clearwater FL. 5 minutes from where I sit as I type this comment
Since you asked :) I definitely like the black on blonde contrast, but for your Tele I think the white pick guard looks the best. When I first saw it I was blown away, you don’t see that combo too often yet it still looks totally authentic and super cool.
I was waiting to see if you were going to mention Jimmy Page's fuzz session on PJ Proby's song "Hold Me". Pretty sure it was months before "Satisfaction ". Good site.
I'm probably not alone, but - My Ma was teacher of advanced piano - Univ. and above, beginning 50s, while Pa finished Engineering degree, in Detroit. Thus, I was FORCED to listen to Mozart, Bach, Brahms, etc., from the WOMB.
The only kids she taught was "Music Appreciation", which I joined, 4 sessions. Learned to make little instruments, ID different instruments in symphony, etc.
** I was 12 in 1965, and the first time I heard "Satisfaction" on AM radio, I thought it was a super- cool guy, somehow making his saxophone "buzz" - maybe with cellophane or somethin'...
- Ma taught adv. Piano, ( incl. performers, grads ) FOR 70 YEARS, until recent illness, dementia.
THANK YOU, for the history, Keith had presumed horns, and my 12 yr old ear was not far off...
Great information as always, really enjoy these episodes
Awesome, thank you!
Black pickguard - it's the Vince look
Grady Martin recorded (at least) six tracks featuring fuzztone guitar between 1961-1962: Tippin’ In/The Fuzz (recorded on January 12, 1961 and released in January, 1961 on Decca 31211); Twist and Turn/Good, Good, Good (recorded on February 8, 1962 and released in April, 1962 on Decca 31381) and Ramblin’ Rose/Big Bad Guitar (recorded on February 8, 1962, but released in the US in July, 1965 under the name Beauregard and the Tuffs on Decca 31820). Curiously, all six tracks were never compiled onto an album for US release (even today), but all tracks were on Side B of the Grady Martin, His Guitar, And The Slewfoot Five’s 1963 album “That Good Grady” which only had a release in Australia and New Zealand.
Some other early overdriven/distortion/fuzztone tracks --
'What'cha Know Joe' by Johnny Lee Wills and His Boys (Decca 5948; 5/12/1941)
'Fat Boy Rag' by Bob Willis/Texas Playboys (Tiffany Transcription; rec 5/20/1946)
[both above feature Junior Barnard on overdriven guitar]
'Rock Awhile' by Goree Carter (Freedom Recording 1506; rec 4/1949)
'Devil's Jump' by Texas Slim [John Lee Hooker] (King 4315; rec. 8/1949)
'Boogie In The Park' by Joe Hill Louis (Its The Phillips 9001; 1950)
'Train kept a-rollin' by The Johnny Burnette Trio -- (Coral 9-61719; rec 7/2/1956)
'Honey hush' by The Johnny Burnette Trio -- (Coral 9-61719; rec 7/3/1956)
[I'd argue Paul Burlison is playing the distorted guitar parts on the above two]
'Go On Home' by Sanford Clark (London UK HLW 9095; 4/8/1960)
[with session guitarist Al Casey -- preceding Marty Robbins' 'Don't Worry' by months]
'The Big Race' by (Ron Barrett with) The Duals (Juggy 321-A; 1962?)
'Don't Stop Now' by Frankie Avalon (2m58s version - Chancellor C-1139; 6/1963)
Great info. Thanks for the research!
I had a listen to the Marty Robbins song. That’s a nasty good sounding bass!!
I ordered one of the Fender Micros a while ago. So cool to hear you say you like it! (I am still waiting for it to arrive, they are completely sold out here in Germany.)
All the best to you. Cheers.
I love it!
Great story. Big Muff (Joe Walsh) is the only pedal for me. Mostly with lap steel. Glen Campbell used a bass VI on Wichita Lineman solo I heard.
The story goes that the producer came in the next day and wanted to add another verse to Witchita Lineman but he didn’t know that glen played the bass line and finished the song the night before. And thank God Glen did because that song is a Classic for the ages…
@@larryyork1146 Some of the best music happens on accident. Buddy Guy played guitar through a Leslie on Hoodoo Man album because his amp broke.
Keith wrote Satisfaction in Clearwater Florida after getting a new fuzz box. Probably picked it up somewhere in Tampa.
Sounds like, on the original song, the six-string bass was also used for the "tick-tack" part through a normal channel.
I dig that esquire zac. Im guessn you do too. I notice alot of folks mentioning vince gills but jeff becks esquire imediately comes to mind. But that guitar and you look like the best of friends man...cheers
Love the blackguard, it’s like a tribute to Roy Nichols tele on the cover of live in Philadelphia!!
Exactly!!!!!
Perhaps the Ventures "The Ninth Wave" from their surfing album was done on a bass 6?
My name is ZACH also. I’m in NE TN, though. So we got that going for us
Nice
Here is the fabulous Mandy Barnett singing Don't Worry About Me with Duane Eddy supplying the fuzz. Mandy has the best friends anyone could wish to have! th-cam.com/video/c5n_XiYEGjQ/w-d-xo.html There was a Gibson video about Travis Wammack where he talked about his early hits and he had created his own fuzz system- and mentioned that Gibson approached him after Firefly and Scratchy were hits about him sponsoring their Fuzztone but he declined. As he said, "He was just a kid" and had no idea what he was doing. Unfortunately, that video is not on YT any more.
I had one in 1966
I did too😳
I prefer the white pick guard … also a MASSIVE amount of thanks for sharing your knowledge with us
Cool to see you playing a Squier 6. Believe it or not I have a Squier Affinity Strat that I absolutely love the neck on. I appreciate higher end axes, but at the end of the day a great playing guitar is a great playing guitar, don't let the name on the headstock effect your ego.
Great story Zac! Enjoyed the video….very cool…and didn’t think I could love that 57 anymore than I already did…..but the black pickguard puts it over the top…….definitely a tone improvement……lol….
Love it!!
Great vid as always, gotta say I LOVE the black pick guard!
I've heard the story but you added a little detail. Thanks!
Thanks for listening
Great story, a lot of the rock world gives Keith credit for the first fuzz song.
I'd always heard it was Keep On Running, but no matter, this was years before either of them.
Cool story, I hadn't heard this before and had to go out and look it up, very cool. However, the fuzz sound had been around for a long time, blues guitarists playing big hollowbody guitars through tweed Fender and old Gibson amps had a lot of that fuzzy or farty tone just by the guitars overdriving the crude amps of the time. It wasn't something they were trying to do, it just happened due to the amplitude of the signal hitting the front end of the amp hard enough to drive the amplification non-linear. Even 10 years before this Marty Robbins song Ike Turner played with a lot of fuzz on Rocket 88. So not to take anything away from this ground breaking Marty Robbine, Grady Martin recording the advent of fuzz tone was building for quite some time, decades even.
Rockett 88 1951
Howlin' Wolf's guitarist Willy Johnson and other bluesmen around Memphis predated Marty Robbins with the fuzz tones back in the early 1950's. Check it out.
I love fuzz, and I bet I wore out my mom's copy of Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads." So, this one was a real treat, Zac.As for the guard on the Esquire, if it's good enough for Jeff Beck, it's good enough for you...or me- I've done it to every white blonde Tele I've ever had, save the Hahn Model C. I think they look so great. Like a Tux!
Thanks, Maggie!
Am I cheating by clicking "Like" before even watching the video, Zac? I haven't been wrong yet.
My introduction to fuzz was the Rolling Stones and Satisfaction. Every band in Jr High (including me) was scrambling to figure out how that was done. My drummer and his dad eventually built a kit fuzz box, except the button you pushed with your foot had to be held down to get the effect.....release pressure, and it turned off. Not very convenient if you wanted to dance around the stage with your fuzz going.
My second exposure to "fuzz" was when I got pulled over for speeding in my parents' car.....but I won't go into that. Thanks again for a sweet video, Zac.
Great story, and thanks for the early like.
Ithink the Ventures used a fuzz by Ed Sanner in 63 on the the fabulous Ventures album.
This story was at the beginning of the Pedal Movie. Have you seen it? Did they do an accurate job of explaining it in your opinion? Very cool that it started in Nashville. Who would have thought!
I have not seen the Pedal Movie yet. I heard there were lots of gaps in the timeline, and many manufactures were left out.
Keep the black pick guard! Can’t beat that look in my opinion. It really brings out the great wear pattern on the neck
N'ville picker types reportedly used cut speakers and contra-rant vacuum tube conditions for pre 'fuzz' box sound
Great, informative video!
Thank you!
I love the black guard!
I've always heard that it was a busted speaker on an amplifier. Good to learn the facts.
Same here, this is a good story.
I heard it was the steel guitar players amp speaker and if you watch videos of the song it is the steel guitar player playing the solo,
@@matthewklovenski2407 Listen to Ike Turner's Rocket 88 in 1951
Please, which current pedal (which can be easily found) is most similar to the original Gibson Maestro Fuzz? great episode. Thank you very much from Spain!
Black pickguard on that Esquire. Contrast is key!
The story I heard was that Kieth got that cuz from cranking the volume on a small recorder that was put inside of an acoustic guitar.
That is the story for "Street Fightin' Man."
I prefer the white pickguard on most fenders, but I do like the black pickguards on the mocha finish.
@2:22--And let's not forget Martin's intro and fills on nylon string guitar on "El Paso." From nylon to fuzz; now that's quite a range. "The Fuzz" on excellent CD anthology on Atomicat (Germany?): Grady Martin, "Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves and Hot Guitar." Btw. "fuzz" meant police in the slang of the time.
Grady Martin's contribution to modern music has been so forgotten its sickening. I have found a few examples
of his playing on youtube and he was a Genius. He is the only guitarist to have backed the big 3 - Hank Williams, Elvis and Buddy Holly in the studio. He also played with so many greats of country and pop of the 50's and 60's. Here's just a few.. Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Kris Kristofferson Patsy Cline, Brenda Lee and Willie Nelson. Just his contribution to Patsy Clines hits ( on his Wikipedia pg.) is staggering.
Agreed!!!
Rocket 88?
Snorty, Snotty's good friend, gave Snotts the idea to market the sound. Some thought the sound was too nasal, but when the transformer started blowing, Snots loved the result. On a side note, It was also the birth of the Kleenex.
Thanks Zac for another very interesting topic, think I prefer the whiteguard look, like the black on a nice butterscotch blonde !
You seem to have forgotten that in 1961 , The Fuzzrite pedal and it was used in 1962 by the Ventures on 2000 pond Bee....
That is an important recording. I believe I stated that the Robbins session was in 1960, and a hit in 1961. It caused Glenn Snoddy to create the Maestro Fuzz, and Red to create the Fuzzrite. However Red had no connection to the song and session in question.
Typo - 1966, not 1963.
I like a blackguard on a white tele and white guard on blonde teles. White on a Butterscotch Blonde is relatively rare and really pops IMO.
Blackguard looks pretty sweet
Zac, I just found out that Grady Martin played on early(1956) Buddy Holly tracks. I nearly fell over. Buddy was good, but some of the best guitar work on Buddy songs was done by Tommy Allsup and (now I know) Grady!
Cool!
Can you please do a review of the Fender Mustang Micro .
That Bass VI had me fooled thinking it was a Jazzmaster....although the body definitely is borrowing from the offset fender design...
I love the Esquire with the black guard. That’s what they all looked like in the early 50’s.
Fuzz is almost a requirement for everyone to own. The different types get totally unique sounds. I prefer the non gated non octave type, like a Tone Bender or Fuzzface. I do have an octave fuzz, the JHS Supreme and I do enjoy it for lead playing. Horrible for chords and rhythm though.
Now I'm angry with every history teacher I've ever had. The crap that they wasted my time with when this was out there. Fascinating story.
Zac, what was going through your mind at the 2:18 minute mark re "White Sports Coat / Pink Carnation"?
I played a lot with older cats growing up in Texas. That was fantastic, except for every once in a while an older tune that I just did not get would get on the setlist. "Sportcoat" was one I just did not dig playing. Loved everything else Marty Robbins, except that one.
Funny....I was thinking Jimmy Buffet and White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. :)
I dig the black guard, can't say which I prefer though.
Never realized that the original Grady Martin track was a baritone (6 string bass), cool riff.
The Sunface is derivative of the Dallas Arbiter Fuzzface, which is a different circuit than the original Maestro Fuzz Tone. Those old boxes had a kind of ugly decay and didn't do the guitar volume control clean up in the same fashion as the Fuzzface.
Just to clarify:
I have both a 6 string bass and a baritone. They are not the same guitars.(although the bass 6 is often called a baritone, it is not)
My baritone is tuned B to B but works great A to A. Different octive than the bass.
The 6 string bass tunes E to E and is the same octive as a bass guitar.
My 6 string bass is tuned
Sorry for the misfire, 6 string bass tuned E to E same octive as a 4 string bass.