I saw GE for the first time in a video registration concert with H&O. I was blown away by his killer sound. Do you know what his set-up was in those days? The video didn’t reveal much of his secrets. Would be great! Concert was Liberty Concert 1985!
Premier Guitar hey. You did an interview with someone when they said “I don’t even plug the things in anymore. I just pluck the string and feel the body” who was that? And can you post. A link. I can’t find it anywhere
My favorite thing about hearing G.E. Talk, is that he doesn’t have to embellish. It’s all real, he’s been there for all he’s talking about. He doesn’t name drop for the sake of it, and he is just an absolute wealth of knowledge. He’s somebody we want to hold onto.
@@TmcIIIvideo hey dude idk. i mean i've seen a bunch of videos of him just telling stories and such. probably most of them were interviews but this was like 2 years ago and i can't really remember what i've seen or haven't seen of him on youtube lol. good chance i did tho cuz like i said, i could listen to his stories all day. :D
I saw GE and T-Bone Wolk backing Dylan back in...'89 I think. At Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia. GE did a solo during "All Along The Watchtower" that made my jaw drop. Absolutely the best solo I've ever heard. And even better? The evening fireworks were going off at the same time! Glorious. Steve Earl opened. The next night we went back to the park. Jeff Healey opening for Little Feat. Hell of a weekend.
Love the way he hugs the old Esquire that his mom bought him. I mean he holds em all way up high, but you can tell he's really holding that one close to his heart.
Man, growing up without cable TV in the late 80s/early 90s meant the ONLY real guitar player I ever saw was G.E. Smith on SNL. This is the guy that gave me the guitar bug.
I loved that too about SNL when he was on there. I couldn't wait to see what guitar he was playing and that shit eating grin he had on. You could tell he loved his job. It was always great to see that and even inspirational in it's own way. G.E. has a ton of class and is the real deal.
GE's work on Hall and Oates H20 and Big Bam Boom are for me his best ones. AT times the guitar didn't sound like a guitar. But the sound was so cool. For someone so traditional in terms of background it was amazing how he came up with such modern cutting edge sounds. Those were landmark records. Anyway you put it. Stand out song would be Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid. Yes there was some great guitar in there.
I really like it when the guitar player does the rig rundown instead of the tech. Nothing against techs, it is just more interesting when the player does it. GE Smith is totally cool and an incredible player. He is also totally humble.
It's only appropriate if the musicians are "really" busy... everything else is snobbery...you play your instrument, you should break it down for the people that make you relevant
I like it better when the musicians talk about the music, and the techs talk about the gear. Most of the time the musicians have no idea about techie stuff
I saw Eddie in Nawlins during Jazz Fest. He made a cameo appearance with Neville Bros at TIPITINAS. AWESOME STUFF and I saw Aaron Neville sign Gospel with a choir... AWESOME
I walked up behind GE at The New York Guitar Show (in the basement of a Church on the Lower East Side) as he was holding an old Telecaster. This was about 1990 or so. He looked at me and said "so whattya think?". I answered "Hmmmm...slotted screws, serial number on the bridge, original paint...nice 51". He looked in my eyes and said "I like a man who knows his Teles".
is it strange, i dont even PLAY guitar, but i love to hear any artist talk about the details of their craft, i learn theres so much more there than meets the eye, neck & body design, certain pick-ups, strings , pedals...but few have the talent of THIS guy to know how to put it all together, AND speak about it in a clear, easy way, the joy of it shows in his speech and performance, long may you run, G.E. !
John's enthusiasm and respect is contagious. When the video was over, my face was sore because I had been smiling the whole time and didn't realize it. The same thing happened when he interviewed Doyle. The only thing that was missing here is I wish he could have arrived a bit earlier and had been able to start the video with them both jamming a bit.
I got to meet G.E a few years ago and he is one of the most gracious and humble big time musicians I have ever met. It was great to see that the guy that I grew up watching on SNL was even cooler than I thought he was when I got to meet him.
This is bar far my favorite rundown. GE Smith is an awesome musician and I love his very down to earth personality. I am an even bigger fan of his now. Thank you for covering him.
One of the most real down to earth people I ever had the good fortune to interact with. A wealth of knowledge and talent and the most extensive guitar and amp collection I’ve ever seen. G.E. Is a national treasure.
G.E. is one of the most laid back guys who has a really vast knowledge of these old guitars, wouldn’t ya love to sit and spend a few hours talking to him about old gear. Man, the stories he could tell !
Thanks for this rundown.. G.E. Smith is a maestro, legend, refined tone man, well mannered, and always filled with joy when he is playing. Hats off to the man!!!
Its so cool G E is doing the interviews and stuff now. He communicates so well with such knowledge and his background but with a natural humerus he shares with us fellow lovers of the guitar.
G.E. never added the rest of the letter in his first name G.E.N.I.U.S, what a player and such a nice humble guy with no bulls**t, I see why everyone who plays with him speaks so highly of him, As always JB does a stellar job.
I saw Chuck Berry live at BB Kings in NYC back in 2002 and G.E. Smith opened the show. For that show he played a Gibson ES-335 and I think his amp was a Fender Super Reverb (I could be wrong about that but to my best recollection it looked like a black-face Fender 4X10 combo). That was some of the best sounding live electric guitar I ever heard....both tone-wise and just his playing. G.E. is such an awesome player.
I am a 17 year-old brazilian, never watched SNL in my life, but i couldn't have more respect for GE. He's so experienced and overall nice and wise guy. Thanks, PG, for presenting me to such a great player through his Roger Waters Rig Rundown, and various other incredible bands and players!
Link Sayajin You are missing so much - SNL has been a true reflection of American culture since the mid-70s. Go back and watch all the episodes online - and take the time to google all the references - you’ll love it.
"It's sideways 'cause I don't have a cord that's long enough." There's a big lesson there for all us gear hounds who spend thousands on all kinds of stuff and can't hold a candle to guys like him.
100 dollars in 1963 was a small fortune. Lucky kid. Nice of his mom. In 1994 i was 14 and ready for my first good electric guitar after playing a pos for 2 years. I really wanted a Gibson Les Paul, but we were poor but mom managed to get me a new Epiphone Les Paul standard in a beautiful burst from Sam Ash in Queens for around 550. I still have it. Sweet guitar.
I saw G.E. Smith play with Bob Dylan at Mud Island in Memphis, TN. in 1988. G.E. definitely left a lasting impression on me as a player. The Alarm opened up and I actually carried Mike Peters on my shoulder with another guy during “Strength”. I was 19.🎸🇺🇸
One of the funniest things the Simpsons did in their golden age was to immortalize G.E. Smith playing his SNL bumper licks. They did such a hilariously-good job. And I can actually still to this day perfectly hear the generic blues riff they had him playing in my memory.
So glad you asked G.E. to demo his pedal board. I like to HEAR this stuff not just look at it. What a great interview. Thanks, John and G.E. Such a nice humble player.
This is SO awesome! Love G.E. Smith. His face and soul light up when he plays. :D Saw him with Hall and Oates a million years ago and always loved tuning in when he headed the SNL band! Such a great player and such a kind and generous interview subject.
G.E. Reminds me of the days when I was about 12/13 years old back it 61/62.I would be trying to make a little money with my shoe shine box and walk around down town shining shoes in the pubs and stuff.There was a couple music stores around and I would look in the store windows and see Fender strats and Telies.Yellow Black.They were so beautiful.Then 1964 came and everything changes.The Beatles had arrived..WOW..What a time man.Amazing..
I never heard of this guy until youtube. Man, is there any rock legend he has not performed with in the sixties to eighties? or beyond. He seems like a nice guy that could be in a band and not cause trouble - the perfect sideman. I would love to try all his guitars and pedals and amps. I have a 65 Fender Jaguar and Twin Reverb bought new. I played it in an open stadium once and the lead singer cranked it to 10. Now, the only change I made was to swap out the original pickups for hot Seymour Duncans (saved the originals) The setup sounded like heaven. No distortion, no breakups, just clean Fender tone the way Leo Fender designed it. Fender had an ad campaign called "you won't part with yours (Fender)" and he's right. I've been offered crazy money for my setup and I say, "I don't have a time machine to go back to 1965 and buy another one". Hell, I'd put it in my coffin but I know someone would dig the guitar up. I guess if Bill Gates made an offer I couldn't refuse, I'd think about it lol. Anyway, I'd love to show my rig to G E Smith and watch him smile as my Jag playing through 100 watts of pure Fender heaven come pouring out.
Met G.E. at Chelsea Guitars in 1999 when I was 21. Walked in to ask about the Ace Frehley in the window, looked to the right and he was sitting next to the register. Shook his hand and holy crap, his hands were HUGE!!!!!!! Super friendly, a moment I will never forget. 😎
What I have always liked about G.E. is that he has the old vintage guitars and he "plays" them. You can tell he really likes his equipment. I'm not GE Smith but I have some old Fender equipment and I play it.
G.E. Smith was leading the SNL band when I was just getting going with guitars, and he definitely set a good example for me (not that I've lived up to it :D) in terms of tasteful playing and great tone.
I saw G.E. at the Slippery Noodle in Indy back in the 90's, right after he left SNL. What a humble guy: to go from the NBC gig, to touring blues clubs being his own roadie. And what a player. I was mesmerized by his tone/skill back then, and still am. He should be recognized more fully.
great rundown with a true legend. I met G.E. in the vintage guitar store on 48st. 25 or 30 years ago. what a nice and humble guy. he helped make S.N.L. great back in the day.
What a great Rig Rundown. GE Smith is one interesting guitar player with a ton of history. I never knew why the GE Smith Telecaster was built that way. Another great job by John who loves guitars (as much as we do) and knows what all of us want to know about the gear and the artist. Keep the Rig Rundowns coming John.
@@Jeffsafe How could your parents have possibly raised you so poorly that you believe that everybody is required to like the same arts and entertainment that YOU like, and that insulting those who don't is the appropriate course of action???
Dave Carsley I think you’ve misinterpreted my comment. I was replying to a statement made by the previous commenter who questioned people who gave this video a thumbs down no to the video itself
Modified my plex's so that they ran recordable 8-track tapes. On all set. Worked 5 nights a week and only had to replace the cartridge every 6mo or so. :)
The man is just showing off the sound of a pedal on his board and he can't help but smile ear to ear. G.E. Smith just loves to play his guitar. He was my favorite era of the Saturday Night Live band... which is hard for me to say considering how much of the Blues Brother band was part of the first SNL Band.
GE Smith has forgotten more than I will ever know about gear. Love watching his videos and listening to his stories about playing with the legends of music.
Very few people are this cool and accessible. G. E. Smith followed a mold set by Mike Bloomfield. Just an amazing guy that because of his talent he gets to play for a living, but even more gets to share what he has learned and passes it on. Love that guy, thanks Mr. Bollinger.
This man convinced me to play a tele. I had that same dilemma when I was choosing an electric that I wanted to own (back then I just rented a jobby no-brand strat) and after I saw that Fender video from WAAY back where he had his first sig model (it's still on youtube btw) he mentioned Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield Blues Band record. I knew nothing of the blues nor was into blues-rock at that point but I got a copy anyway and listened to that record and from there, I knew I just had to get a Telecaster! Thank you G.E Smith. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Smith for taking your time & sharing your thoughts & some of your experiences with us. You have put smiles on more faces over the years than almost anyone else I can think of. I just wanted to thank you for your time. I would love to see someone like you doing a show on guitars, amps & effects. There may only be a handful of people left on Earth with the knowledge & experience that you have & from what I can tell. No-one is sharing that knowledge & spreading it out and around with the younger generations. You would be great for something like that.
Had the pleasure of visiting Rick Kelly at Carmine St many times, the guy who built the pine tele. A really friendly and humble person, very much like GE
I love how John probably already knows so many of these details, but plays it neutral and allows the featured artist or their gear to speak for themselves in service of narrative and good connection.
For anyone interested, go to youtube and type in guitar brilliance 10 seconds at a time , some of his best of his ten year stint as the snl bandleader, flying v's, tele, strat ,les pauls, oh my
G.E. Smith is a national treasure. The man should partner with a great writer and write a book about his life and his many stories. Could probably make a 10 volume set and still couldn't tell half the story. I'd read everyone too.
This is always been a problem at fender. What's the point of a custom model if they're just going to make it like all their other guitars. Fender should realize if you're doing a custom model based on an artist. it may have limited appeal. However. it's those artists who keep fender on the map. I'm thinking based on what we know of Leo fender.if he were alive and still in charge of his own namesake company. Artist model guitars would be done exactly to the artist specs!! GE Smith is an absolutely wonderful guy! I had the pleasure of meeting him after a Hall and Oates show. A ttruly great player who deserves an authentic model to his specs!!
I grew up watching SNL on NBC and on comedy central(re-runs). I always remembered a long haired man who always played the guitar with a grin with the SNL house band between skits and commercials. Now it's awesome to hear that guy talk about his gear and stories from his career.
Article & photos: bit.ly/GESmithRR
Flot-A-Tone Master
I saw GE for the first time in a video registration concert with H&O. I was blown away by his killer sound. Do you know what his set-up was in those days? The video didn’t reveal much of his secrets. Would be great! Concert was Liberty Concert 1985!
We tried, but they politely declined because they didn't have time. Thanks for the suggestion!
We need an updated Lukather Rundown..... just sayin
Premier Guitar hey. You did an interview with someone when they said “I don’t even plug the things in anymore. I just pluck the string and feel the body” who was that? And can you post. A link. I can’t find it anywhere
My favorite thing about hearing G.E. Talk, is that he doesn’t have to embellish. It’s all real, he’s been there for all he’s talking about. He doesn’t name drop for the sake of it, and he is just an absolute wealth of knowledge. He’s somebody we want to hold onto.
He probably is a great dude to know.
Absolutely!
G.E. Smith is a sage. I cannot listen to him without feeling he resides in some mystical space where guitar wisdom known to only a few resides.
man i could listen to G.E.'s stories all day long.
Right?!?!.....Dude could read me the phone book and have me hanging on every word.
A master story teller....
Im willing to bet Bonamassa watched this and started making plans to acquire those teles from GE lol
@@mragunathan1627 haha yea spoiled lil rich boy buys whatever he wants.
Kewl Beans have you seen the series of interviews here on YT
@@TmcIIIvideo hey dude idk. i mean i've seen a bunch of videos of him just telling stories and such. probably most of them were interviews but this was like 2 years ago and i can't really remember what i've seen or haven't seen of him on youtube lol. good chance i did tho cuz like i said, i could listen to his stories all day. :D
I saw GE and T-Bone Wolk backing Dylan back in...'89 I think. At Kings Dominion amusement park in Virginia. GE did a solo during "All Along The Watchtower" that made my jaw drop. Absolutely the best solo I've ever heard. And even better? The evening fireworks were going off at the same time! Glorious. Steve Earl opened. The next night we went back to the park. Jeff Healey opening for Little Feat. Hell of a weekend.
I love G E Smith. What a fine musician who is just about the music. No arrogance or fakery here. Thanks for a great video!
👏👍👊
He’s for real for sure
GE Smith is a national treasure. Such a cool dude!
Love the way he hugs the old Esquire that his mom bought him. I mean he holds em all way up high, but you can tell he's really holding that one close to his heart.
It's one of the sweetest I've seen in a while.
G.E. is my hero. He is cooler than the cool cats. No one rocks a tele and a brass section like G.E Smith. Pure feel and joy.
Man, growing up without cable TV in the late 80s/early 90s meant the ONLY real guitar player I ever saw was G.E. Smith on SNL. This is the guy that gave me the guitar bug.
The best part of SNL was coming back from commercial and the SNL band was always jamming out.
Todd Glosser that’s true
Probably GE is my my first true “guitar hero” for this reason.
G.E. with a big ass smile on his face, loving it. This guy is so cool. He's a legend, but he's as down to earth as they come.
Todd Glosser yup
I loved that too about SNL when he was on there. I couldn't wait to see what guitar he was playing and that shit eating grin he had on. You could tell he loved his job. It was always great to see that and even inspirational in it's own way.
G.E. has a ton of class and is the real deal.
This is one of those people who you just want to sit and listen to stories from them endlessly
GE's work on Hall and Oates H20 and Big Bam Boom are for me his best ones. AT times the guitar didn't sound like a guitar. But the sound was so cool. For someone so traditional in terms of background it was amazing how he came up with such modern cutting edge sounds. Those were landmark records. Anyway you put it. Stand out song would be Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid. Yes there was some great guitar in there.
I really like it when the guitar player does the rig rundown instead of the tech. Nothing against techs, it is just more interesting when the player does it. GE Smith is totally cool and an incredible player. He is also totally humble.
It's only appropriate if the musicians are "really" busy... everything else is snobbery...you play your instrument, you should break it down for the people that make you relevant
I like it better when the musicians talk about the music, and the techs talk about the gear. Most of the time the musicians have no idea about techie stuff
@@Ottophil I think GE Smith knows about everything. I doubt he was using a tech on this tour.
@Ottophil yes I agree … love it when both tech and guitarist explain both of their areas!
I saw Eddie in Nawlins during Jazz Fest. He made a cameo appearance with Neville Bros at TIPITINAS. AWESOME STUFF and I saw Aaron Neville sign Gospel with a choir... AWESOME
You may think you are cool. And, truth be told, you may actually be quite cool. However, you are not as cool as G.E. Smith.
Mister Tee 👍
Nobody's cooler than him!
I concur.
I assembled a pine body tele and I can tell you, they are just cool!
nobody's as cool as G.E. man
I walked up behind GE at The New York Guitar Show (in the basement of a Church on the Lower East Side) as he was holding an old Telecaster. This was about 1990 or so.
He looked at me and said "so whattya think?". I answered "Hmmmm...slotted screws, serial number on the bridge, original paint...nice 51". He looked in my eyes and said "I like a man who knows his Teles".
@The Cowboy Um, yes I did.
One of my good friends since 1978 plays Bass for Nugent. Yes he did.
@@IPLAYLOUD so cool
@@IPLAYLOUD what's the bass players name?
@@andrewkramer4021 Who knows. Ask the fish he is always holding.
I could listen to G.E. tell stories all day. Please write a book G.E.
“I’ve worked with legends, I am not one” GE is SUCH a legend!
Absolutely!
is it strange, i dont even PLAY guitar, but i love to hear any artist talk about the details of their craft, i learn theres so much more there than meets the eye, neck & body design, certain pick-ups, strings , pedals...but few have the talent of THIS guy to know how to put it all together, AND speak about it in a clear, easy way, the joy of it shows in his speech and performance, long may you run, G.E. !
Cesar was a good friend during his DC days.Before he made pedals.Still use the Deluxe Reverb he built for me in ‘81.He always told GE stories.
John's enthusiasm and respect is contagious. When the video was over, my face was sore because I had been smiling the whole time and didn't realize it. The same thing happened when he interviewed Doyle. The only thing that was missing here is I wish he could have arrived a bit earlier and had been able to start the video with them both jamming a bit.
O'Doyle Rules.
This guy says he's not a legend, my my wut a humble guitar slinger! Love me some GE Smith!
Anthony W without question....a legend.
the thing about legends is that they don't decide if they are legends... we do..... and you are a legend!
I got to meet G.E a few years ago and he is one of the most gracious and humble big time musicians I have ever met. It was great to see that the guy that I grew up watching on SNL was even cooler than I thought he was when I got to meet him.
Well that was the best half hour I've spent today...What a great guy GE is !
Not just a professional guitarist, an absolute legend.
Tears thanks 🙏 GESmith remember that name super Star 😢 ol'school
Honestly GE Smith smile an Onify
This is bar far my favorite rundown. GE Smith is an awesome musician and I love his very down to earth personality. I am an even bigger fan of his now. Thank you for covering him.
One of the most real down to earth people I ever had the good fortune to interact with. A wealth of knowledge and talent and the most extensive guitar and amp collection I’ve ever seen. G.E. Is a national treasure.
I couldn't wait to listen to G E Smith. His ease of living is an example to us all.
That’s a fact, he loves life man✌️
G.E. is one of the most laid back guys who has a really vast knowledge of these old guitars, wouldn’t ya love to sit and spend a few hours talking to him about old gear. Man, the stories he could tell !
G.E. Smith is a LEGEND!
I met GE ar Oak Int airport having a smoke & he was the coolest, down to earth, genuinely nice person.
I wish him all the best.
What an absolute gentleman. So pleasant, generous and knowledgeable.
Whenever G.E. Even just strums his guitar he always has a huge smile on his face! A true musician!!!!
Thanks for this rundown.. G.E. Smith is a maestro, legend, refined tone man, well mannered, and always filled with joy when he is playing. Hats off to the man!!!
Its so cool G E is doing the interviews and stuff now. He communicates so well with such knowledge and his background but with a natural humerus he shares with us fellow lovers of the guitar.
He just radiates humility...Very cool and informative...I'd love to be able to pick his brain...
G.E. never added the rest of the letter in his first name G.E.N.I.U.S, what a player and such a nice humble guy with no bulls**t, I see why everyone who plays with him speaks so highly of him, As always JB does a stellar job.
I saw Chuck Berry live at BB Kings in NYC back in 2002 and G.E. Smith opened the show. For that show he played a Gibson ES-335 and I think his amp was a Fender Super Reverb (I could be wrong about that but to my best recollection it looked like a black-face Fender 4X10 combo). That was some of the best sounding live electric guitar I ever heard....both tone-wise and just his playing. G.E. is such an awesome player.
I am a 17 year-old brazilian, never watched SNL in my life, but i couldn't have more respect for GE. He's so experienced and overall nice and wise guy. Thanks, PG, for presenting me to such a great player through his Roger Waters Rig Rundown, and various other incredible bands and players!
Link Sayajin You are missing so much - SNL has been a true reflection of American culture since the mid-70s. Go back and watch all the episodes online - and take the time to google all the references - you’ll love it.
Link Sayajin PS I was 15 when SNL was born ,and can count the episodes I missed on one hand.
Norm Macdonalds weekend update was the only funny thing about SNL to have been aired, in my opinion
"It's sideways 'cause I don't have a cord that's long enough." There's a big lesson there for all us gear hounds who spend thousands on all kinds of stuff and can't hold a candle to guys like him.
G.E. IS ONE OF THE GREATEST GUITARIST EVER............ TRULY, A MUSICIANS......MUSICIAN............
He seems like a super chill dude
This is so great. Love his approach, simple and just gets down to playing. A legend
Nick Granville yes he is nick
...well said
Like Waddy Wachtel, G.E. is a legend that guitarists and those who love guitars know, and respect.
G.E, you sir are a class act. Humble, talented, cool, friendly and everything we should all aspire to be. Thanks for doing this rundown!
100 dollars in 1963 was a small fortune. Lucky kid. Nice of his mom.
In 1994 i was 14 and ready for my first good electric guitar after playing a pos for 2 years. I really wanted a Gibson Les Paul, but we were poor but mom managed to get me a new Epiphone Les Paul standard in a beautiful burst from Sam Ash in Queens for around 550. I still have it. Sweet guitar.
My god, the genuine humility. What a conversation!
I saw G.E. Smith play with Bob Dylan at Mud Island in Memphis, TN. in 1988. G.E. definitely left a lasting impression on me as a player. The Alarm opened up and I actually carried Mike Peters on my shoulder with another guy during “Strength”. I was 19.🎸🇺🇸
One of the funniest things the Simpsons did in their golden age was to immortalize G.E. Smith playing his SNL bumper licks. They did such a hilariously-good job. And I can actually still to this day perfectly hear the generic blues riff they had him playing in my memory.
The look of bliss and happiness on his face when he is playing that Tremolo pedal is priceless! Just having good ole fun! And the pedal sounds great!
G.E Smith IS a legend.
One of the most enjoyable rig run downs with Mr. Cool himself. G E has always had a beautiful sound
Yes G.E...you are a legend. A very unassuming one which somehow makes you shine even brighter. Saw you with Dylan in Ottaw in 89 or 90.
GE - legend’s legend.
Yes GE, you are a legend.
BFahz he’s so humble, but yep, totally a legend
My parents gave me a mu-tron phase shifter just like that one in 1973. Still have it and the original box. It’s built like a tank..
GE is a great guy, known him for years, he love to hang out in music stores and talk guitars and amps all day long
So glad you asked G.E. to demo his pedal board. I like to HEAR this stuff not just look at it. What a great interview. Thanks, John and G.E. Such a nice humble player.
This is SO awesome! Love G.E. Smith. His face and soul light up when he plays. :D Saw him with Hall and Oates a million years ago and always loved tuning in when he headed the SNL band! Such a great player and such a kind and generous interview subject.
G.E. Reminds me of the days when I was about 12/13 years old back it 61/62.I would be trying to make a little money with my shoe shine box and walk around down town shining shoes in the pubs and stuff.There was a couple music stores around and I would look in the store windows and see Fender strats and Telies.Yellow Black.They were so beautiful.Then 1964 came and everything changes.The Beatles had arrived..WOW..What a time man.Amazing..
Love the story of his first guitar and the fact that he still uses it!
I never heard of this guy until youtube. Man, is there any rock legend he has not performed with in the sixties to eighties? or beyond. He seems like a nice guy that could be in a band and not cause trouble - the perfect sideman. I would love to try all his guitars and pedals and amps. I have a 65 Fender Jaguar and Twin Reverb bought new. I played it in an open stadium once and the lead singer cranked it to 10. Now, the only change I made was to swap out the original pickups for hot Seymour Duncans (saved the originals) The setup sounded like heaven. No distortion, no breakups, just clean Fender tone the way Leo Fender designed it. Fender had an ad campaign called "you won't part with yours (Fender)" and he's right. I've been offered crazy money for my setup and I say, "I don't have a time machine to go back to 1965 and buy another one". Hell, I'd put it in my coffin but I know someone would dig the guitar up. I guess if Bill Gates made an offer I couldn't refuse, I'd think about it lol.
Anyway, I'd love to show my rig to G E Smith and watch him smile as my Jag playing through 100 watts of pure Fender heaven come pouring out.
GE Smith is the coolest and most humble musician out there. Excellent RR Interview.
Met G.E. at Chelsea Guitars in 1999 when I was 21. Walked in to ask about the Ace Frehley in the window, looked to the right and he was sitting next to the register. Shook his hand and holy crap, his hands were HUGE!!!!!!! Super friendly, a moment I will never forget. 😎
G.E You have plays with legends but you're Definitely a Legend
This is my favorite rig rundown! G.E. is the greatest. Thanks guys.
Love GE, he's such an incredible player, cool dude and man I could listen to his stories all day long.
I love how he constantly smiles when he plays. Dude, you're an inspiration to us lowly gig musicians...
"Man, that's a really good hammer, I think I'll leave it at home" - G.E. always has something funky and logical to bring to the table.
What I have always liked about G.E. is that he has the old vintage guitars and he "plays" them. You can tell he really likes his equipment. I'm not GE Smith but I have some old Fender equipment and I play it.
G.E. Smith was leading the SNL band when I was just getting going with guitars, and he definitely set a good example for me (not that I've lived up to it :D) in terms of tasteful playing and great tone.
The man’s love for all things guitar is contagious.
I saw G.E. at the Slippery Noodle in Indy back in the 90's, right after he left SNL. What a humble guy: to go from the NBC gig, to touring blues clubs being his own roadie. And what a player. I was mesmerized by his tone/skill back then, and still am. He should be recognized more fully.
man i can listen to this guy talk about gear and tell stories all day
great rundown with a true legend. I met G.E. in the vintage guitar store on 48st. 25 or 30 years ago. what a nice and humble guy. he helped make S.N.L. great back in the day.
What a great Rig Rundown. GE Smith is one interesting guitar player with a ton of history. I never knew why the GE Smith Telecaster was built that way. Another great job by John who loves guitars (as much as we do) and knows what all of us want to know about the gear and the artist. Keep the Rig Rundowns coming John.
Who thumbs downed this? This is the best one yet! Thanks for the video PG!!!
Guits And Gats there’s ALWAYS a “tool” in the shed.
@@Jeffsafe How could your parents have possibly raised you so poorly that you believe that everybody is required to like the same arts and entertainment that YOU like, and that insulting those who don't is the appropriate course of action???
Dave Carsley I think you’ve misinterpreted my comment. I was replying to a statement made by the previous commenter who questioned people who gave this video a thumbs down no to the video itself
GE is 1 year older than me but I have learned a lifetime of knowledge from just this one interview. Thank you.
Yes, Maestro Echoplex. Amazing interview, thanks G.E. - love your stuff man.
I have one and it ran all the time; the tape gets hissy and you replace them.
Modified my plex's so that they ran recordable 8-track tapes. On all set. Worked 5 nights a week and only had to replace the cartridge every 6mo or so. :)
I can listen to G.E. Smith talk guitars and equipment 24/7. And yeah, I bought one of his Fender teles, too.
The man is just showing off the sound of a pedal on his board and he can't help but smile ear to ear. G.E. Smith just loves to play his guitar. He was my favorite era of the Saturday Night Live band... which is hard for me to say considering how much of the Blues Brother band was part of the first SNL Band.
GE Smith has forgotten more than I will ever know about gear. Love watching his videos and listening to his stories about playing with the legends of music.
This tele, holly shit, beautiful
Very few people are this cool and accessible. G. E. Smith followed a mold set by Mike Bloomfield. Just an amazing guy that because of his talent he gets to play for a living, but even more gets to share what he has learned and passes it on. Love that guy, thanks Mr. Bollinger.
BTW: an Esquire with both pick ups in it, is the Born to Run guitar
This man convinced me to play a tele. I had that same dilemma when I was choosing an electric that I wanted to own (back then I just rented a jobby no-brand strat) and after I saw that Fender video from WAAY back where he had his first sig model (it's still on youtube btw) he mentioned Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield Blues Band record. I knew nothing of the blues nor was into blues-rock at that point but I got a copy anyway and listened to that record and from there, I knew I just had to get a Telecaster! Thank you G.E Smith. Thank you.
Thank you Mr. Smith for taking your time & sharing your thoughts & some of your experiences with us. You have put smiles on more faces over the years than almost anyone else I can think of. I just wanted to thank you for your time. I would love to see someone like you doing a show on guitars, amps & effects. There may only be a handful of people left on Earth with the knowledge & experience that you have & from what I can tell. No-one is sharing that knowledge & spreading it out and around with the younger generations. You would be great for something like that.
Had the pleasure of visiting Rick Kelly at Carmine St many times, the guy who built the pine tele. A really friendly and humble person, very much like GE
Man, I loved seeing those brass pedal connectors - I had those when I first started playing in the 80's...
GE Smith, great guitarist and nice person.
Thank you so much Mr. Bohlinger. I was waiting this rig rundown and finally you guys made it. G.E Smith is a true legend :)
I love how John probably already knows so many of these details, but plays it neutral and allows the featured artist or their gear to speak for themselves in service of narrative and good connection.
For anyone interested, go to youtube and type in guitar brilliance 10 seconds at a time , some of his best of his ten year stint as the snl bandleader, flying v's, tele, strat ,les pauls, oh my
That was a great episode, thanks to you both, and GE is so right about EVH and what set him apart from the other guitar pyrotechnic-players.
GE is a national treasure. I'd watch more of these if someone else hosted them.
G.E. Smith is a national treasure. The man should partner with a great writer and write a book about his life and his many stories. Could probably make a 10 volume set and still couldn't tell half the story. I'd read everyone too.
Sucks about how Fender was not serious about working with G.E Smith's signature Telecaster requirement specs
Likely the reason Mayer went to PRS for a new and modern 64’.
This is always been a problem at fender. What's the point of a custom model if they're just going to make it like all their other guitars. Fender should realize if you're doing a custom model based on an artist. it may have limited appeal. However. it's those artists who keep fender on the map. I'm thinking based on what we know of Leo fender.if he were alive and still in charge of his own namesake company. Artist model guitars would be done exactly to the artist specs!! GE Smith is an absolutely wonderful guy! I had the pleasure of meeting him after a Hall and Oates show. A ttruly great player who deserves an authentic model to his specs!!
They didn't want to give greg koch a signature tele either..
I grew up watching SNL on NBC and on comedy central(re-runs). I always remembered a long haired man who always played the guitar with a grin with the SNL house band between skits and commercials. Now it's awesome to hear that guy talk about his gear and stories from his career.