Bill Kirchen, King of Dieselbilly, talks Tele!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- Titan of the Tele: Bill Kirchen explains why he flips his control plate backwards, and shows how he got the famous sounds he recorded on Hot Rod Lincoln.
About the guitars in this video: Dan's baritone Tele is a custom body of catalpa wood that's light like swamp ash, with a Bajo Sexto neck made by Fred Stuart at the Fender Custom Shop. Bill played it at the Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch, loved it, and talked Dan into selling it. Bill's pine guitar was built by Rick Kelly of Carmine Street Guitars in New York City.
The folks who keep Bill's Tele twanging:
Steve Ripley, The Guitar Doctor, Falls Church, VA
Mike Dove, Silver Spring, MD
Ben and Chazz, South Austin Music, Austin, TX
Larry Smoak, Wooden Wizard Guitars, Fairfax, VA
Jon Thacher, JT Saddles, Fairfax, VA
Ed Reynolds, Austin TX
If you have questions, please contact us through our webpage www.stewmac.com... or visit our Facebook page / stewmac
For more information on tools and parts:
CTS Control Pots
www.stewmac.com...
Golden Age Knotty Pine Body for Tele
www.stewmac.com...
Tele Style Control Plate
www.stewmac.com...
Orange Drop Caps
www.stewmac.com...
Compensated Bridge Saddles for Tele
www.stewmac.com...
Wiring Kit for Telecaster
www.stewmac.com...
Bakelite Pickguard for Tele & Esquire
www.stewmac.com...
Hot Rod Lincoln, one of the biggest songs of
all time. Essential listening. All these years,
I hadn't realized that his horns were from his
guitar. Epic!
Bill Kirchen is one of the nicest guys in music.
I go back every so often and watch this video. It's so relaxing, informational and I even learned a couple new techniques. And now I want that Tele!!
This may be one of the best 3 minute guitar lessons of all time. God bless Bill Kirchen. Absolutely one of the best things I've seen on ewetoob.
Seriously...you guys should have your own TV show...priceless entertainment and info. Love this stuff!
Had the pleasure of playing bass for Bill years ago at a gig in Baltimore...great musician and a real gentleman...keep picking partner.
Bill was my guitar teacher when I was in high school in Virginia circa 1990. He has some great stories!
Its so cool when us old guys get together and find we still have stuff to learn. Tell Bill greetings from Spain. After many decades of being died in the wool bass player I just went back to my very old Telecaster- Thanks for another cool time with you bro!
I came here to learn about the tele but I could just watch you guys mess around and talk all day.
Bill Kirchen, the titan of the Telecaster!
I met Bill at a bar and he treated me just like he treats Dan, like we were old friends. He absolutely astonished me by being an amazingly nice, friendly, and authentic person, plus his awe-inspiring intellect and musicianship were impossible to miss. Fan for life!
Flipping the plate around is a great mod as you can see. I did this to my Tele about 5 years ago when I ran across someone who had done it to theirs. It took me about an hour, but it is not as simple as just flipping the plate and controls. The biggest issue is that several of the interconnecting wires that run to the caps, pots and switch are too short to just flip everything around; I had to replace 3 or 4 wires with longer ones. It is not too difficult, you just need to know how to solder well or it could turn into a disaster. I'm serious, DON'T do this if you cannot make a solid, clean solder connection, take it to a pro.
Here is the basic procedure:
You need to document current wiring, remove all controls from the plate, be very careful they will still be connected to one another , with plate in new orientation (switch at bottom) flip the pickup selector switch 180 degrees from original mounting and reinstall, if you try to flip the position of vol and tone pots you will see you can't because several wires are too short, you need to replace these. Carefully unsolder and remove the wires you need to replace. I'm sorry I don't remember the exact ones but it will be obvious because you can't mount the pots. Install the vol pot at the top and tone pot inboard. Carefully size for length and solder in the new wires. Make sure everything is tightened down, remount the plate with vol at top and switch at bottom, reinstall your tone and vol knobs. Check for correct operation of vol and tone controls and pickup selector switch.
You are now ready to play Hot rod Lincoln with horn effect!
Go Daddy!
were the pickup wires long enough?
That was awesome...Bill and Dan both are so cool.
Definitely
"We recognized each other because we both had articles in Fretboard Journal" and "All wood all day long, no truss rod". That's bona fide right there. And a shoutout to fellow Michiganders!!
Bill Kirchen : a great musician and artist. Thanks for all you have given us.
This vid needs to be 10x longer, I could listen to these gentlemen for hours! I would really like to see more about that old pine body tele.
Hey Bill, I met you through Chris and Joanne Hackney in Sonoma California. At a place called Sky Blue Studios, I was the studio rat.
But I remember you man.
I love what you do. Thank you
Why has it taken me far too long to hear this man playing? Needless to say, I'll be listening to him for a long time to come.
Total respect !! Bill, you have inspired me and countless other lives with your guitar playing. What a legacy you leave for future generations to enjoy!
I learned more from this guy in 6 min. Than what normally would take years, awesome advise and demonstration in his craft.
I saw this guy (Bill Kirchen) play a month or so back, what a true pro, great player and great entertainer.
My pappy said “Son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’ if you don’t stop driving that Hot... Rod... Lincoln!” A truly legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll song!
I was lucky enough to see you live Bill at Funky Quarters in 1972. Hot Rod Lincoln was a great song and your band put on a fantastic show. Thanks for the great memories.
Ever since I first saw this video, I wire all of my Tele's backwards like Bill does. That orientation just makes more sense to me.
I used to see Bill in the 70's with Commander Cody....you knew the music was special the first time you saw the band, and heard Bill play....as a Tele player, I have great respect for his musicianship
This guy blows about 90% of shredding posers online. And I'm a Paul Gilbert fan. Great idea with the tone knob. Proper player!
dadude7 I think you meant to say that he blows them... out of the water perhaps? Your wording gave me a chuckle.
@christopher ryan
Thanks for clearing that up, chief! xD
dadude7 you shouldn't say that cuz it's just not true there are many many absolutely incredible guitar players online I understand you liking your style of music that you like but for a person like me who loves absolutely all music and has been a musician for 60 years guitar player I see young kids that are absolutely incredible
dadude7 Paul Gilbert has so much fun!
Just saw Bill playing at Gruene Hall last Saturday at a free show. He was having a great time and the crowd did, as well. What a player!
I hope people understand that this guy is and has long since been an absolute BEASSSST of a guitar player. Just monstrous chops
Thank Mr DAN FOR PRESNTING US THIS WONDERFUL PLAYER
For those who don't know, this guy is a rock and roll legend.
I could watch and listen to these guys all day!
I never heard of this guy before. But Bill Kirchen you're the man. That's was awesome. Loved the sound and the licks.
Man this awesome! A beautiful and legendary moment...hopefully this energy is passed on for future generations.
the warmth of conversations in this video is better than the tube amp hidden harmonics. you don't try to sell anything and i don't feel like a chicken. "i think wa-wa is just a tone knob" you're so right and thanks for saying that.
He was right! Wah is just a tone knob. Tone knobs are equalisers. Equalisers are Filters. Wah is a band pass filter iirc, but there are a couple of dozen types (Filter) to choose from, then it all just repeats and becomes variations on a theme. A 'Notch' filter is the opposite of a band pass - it's inverted iirc. Sometimes called a 'Band-Reject' filter. Does the same job.
Anyway, he was right!
Will Gelvin of Gelvin Guitars has a really super-duper Tone knob built in to some of his guitars, and that does act like a proper parametric EQ/Filter - so when you do that 'violining' or riding the tone knob, you really would get a proper Wah Wah effect going on. I think. Don't quote me. Kind of. Not far off really though.
Just agreeing with you kirkmetkirk!
thx for sharing your thoughts, i know gelvin. but i never tried one of his good guitars.
kirkmetkirk - I saw Rocket Ritchotte demoing one of his guitars in the studio, and he really worked that tone knob. I think Will designed a special kind of pickup called a VIP. It has an incredible tonal range.
Funnily enough, he plays a bit of country too and is a real virtuoso (Rocket).
But yeah, nice to see some people talk about guitars for a change, without wanking up and down the fretboard (as if no one has ever done that before).
cheers.
Lovely, refreshing, and authentic. I love the idea of a telecaster harvested from old pine. Fab!
Dan, you're about a mover as well... and once again you've charmed me ta pieces...
and thanx fer bringin' yer pal Bill on board...
cheers
This is inspiring, going to swap my Tele's controls over as soon as I finish watching this! Thank you Bill, I remember Hot Rod Lincoln very fondly from way back in the early 70s.
Nice one Jim
Tnx Mark, did realise my TH-cam comments were ending up here. I'd better watch out, or at least look at my prefs! Anyway glad you enjoyed it, the man's great, ain't he just!
I absolutely love it, great video! Respect to these silver-haired guitarists. What a breath of fresh air on a TH-cam full of young guitar ego.
More of you and Bill please!
In the late 70's Commander Cody played at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR. I was working the concert, and got to talking to Bill. He came up to my dorm room and almost bought my Les Paul from me, but changed his mind because he wasn't able to try it out on a gig. Bill is a super nice guy and we talked about living in Michigan, which I had also. I'm glad to see Bill is still pickin'!
These two are Great! I could watch them all day! Thanks
I been diggin' on this dude for 40 years!
Great chat. Thx. C'mon down to Greensboro or Danville VA, Bill. We'd love to hear you.
I regret that I've never gotten to see you play live yet, about as much as I regret not catching Danny Gatton or Roy Buchanan when I was stationed at Ft Meade during the 1980's when they were still around & gigged nearby. Keep on pickin'!
Bill Kirchen could make any guitar sound great. Wonderful player.
It was great fun watching & listening to these two old mates. Clearly they love what they're doing & for me that's the key.
Dan should have his own TV show like those guys from Orange County with the motorcycles...
+Thomas De Lello I wouldn't miss a single episode, that's for sure.
Totally. That said TH-cam is probably the best place for it. Sort of like Roadkill and Live From Daryl's House. Stuff that a network executive wouldn't understand but normal people love to watch.
Both shows are on my go to list. We must shop at the same store.
"American Pickers": great title, wrong theme.
Great Idea!
I love it when luthiers source vintage, very well seasoned timber to build their guitars like that.
You guys are playing the tunes I played all my life…I also did the same thing with my controls in HS 1972 wood shop class (Got an A+) with my 1st Tele, only I went a few steps further an put it thru the plainer then did contours like at Strat and put a humbucker in the neck. I had no idea how great it was, still I wanted a Strat so I traded it in on one, a huge big mistake. After I did the deal, the guys asked me…"who did the custom work on the Tele"…er me duh...Maximum Respect
I saw Commander Cody in Waterbury CT in 1979...there were 250 people at the "Wooden Goblet"...I'll never forget That Show!!🎵🎶🎵
Cheers, Bill Kirchen.....monster tele player. Love the volume swells.
Saw Bill last night in London. Absolute magic!
Hot Rod Lincoln = one of the coolest songs/raps ever!
Yeah.. Another example of rap stealing from "old school" music....Sampleing anyone?
This guy visited a class of mine, and he was fantastic, I can't believe he is on my favorite luthier site. I loved his song where he just names tele players!!
Tarak McLain I love that too!
It's an inspiration watching you guys play, keep rocking.
.
Bill is such a great player. Always thinking outside the box.
Great playing I love that steel guitar sound on the volume. What a great Telecaster.
Oh man you guys are great. I i've never seen the swells be played like that... such an inspiration. Thank you so much for this video, you are an inspiration to me. I want a Telecaster now.
This is so cool. What a video. Thanks!
I enjoyed that. I remember going to a jazz fest and seeing this old man walk stooped across to his chair on the stage and i thought "we're in for some substandard music tonight." Boy was i wrong. He had all the licks. Its guys like you who invented the licks. If u did a 24 hour gig i think i would still want more. Very interesting. I made one of those tele's in the 70's. Went mad and made it in teak but sculpted it for comfort more like the strat on the back. Everytime i watch a video of yours, i always want more. Keep it going.
Must have been b4 volume pedals were all the rage. I just can't do the vol knob thing. IF I were playing live, I'd use a pedal on the floor and free up my brain. hahah interesting mod, though.
What a blues player ! I'm glad that I came across this video randomly 😎
Dude's goofing around is hotter than everybody else's trying hard.
No he's not.
Robert Hunt you must not know how to play. The guy is good but nothing special.
@@DaPoopIsInDaPudding with a reply like that, then, respectfully, you must not do that much comparative listening. Mr. Hunt's observation is spot on. Bill Kirchen is one of the most incredible guitarists ever, and a national treasure. Got about 7 minutes? Please check this out: th-cam.com/video/wxjvlB26Rgw/w-d-xo.html
(You have to sit through 2:00 minutes of "normal" before it really gets good, but then...whoa. Talk about a guitarist encyclopedia. All sounds produced by Mr. Kirchen's fingers and the smelly old tellie...and nothing else.)
Bill's a very sweet guy. Many years back at an award show, I was invited to perform with him in his Guitar Army. 40 of the better known guitar players from the Maryland/DC/Virginia area.
As far as I knew, I was the only one who was the street musician/busker in the group. After the soundcheck/ rehearsal, he came over to me and invited me to have dinner with him and his family.
I had a very pleasant experience.
old school right here
The definition of Old School!
the face of Old School!
billville111 I
Dan O'Riordan Saw bill playing in the Golden Lion in Bristol, awesome player, great band, good muso's pub. He tours small venue's in the UK every couple of years.
It's called TRUE SCHOOL, Bill. Someone I knew used to say that.
Basically the history of progression of the guitar, what an amazing video...I am from Michigan and these guys make me proud to say that...pine Telecasters, coolest things around
I'm 61 and my tele (1960) has been set up this exact way since I was in my early '20s. Who woulda thunk? Go Bill Kirchen!
You switched the plate around? I came up with this idea independently of ever seeing it when I first tried modulating the volume and tone controls while playing. I was surprised when I saw other people doing it already. Makes perfect sense. I use the tone knob more than the volume knob for effects... still not very good at it.
Buelligan88 My tele has been set up exactly like this for about 40 years. I also thought I was the only one doing that. Apparently it just makes more sense in a practical way. Also, my strat only has two controls. I took out the volume knob (the one closest to the bridge) so I can mute the strings and strum without whacking that knob all the time. The strat is wired like a Tele and I think I'm the only one who does that too. lol
Bourne Accident Interesting! I remember the first time I played a Strat, I kept hitting the volume knob and the guitar got quieter and quieter. Thought it was the amp at first. I also had trouble with the pitch changing; I kept resting my palm on the tremolo bridge. There was no whammy bar installed and I didn't realize at first what the hell was going on.
I've never really been comfortable with a Strat.
Buelligan88 Yep. It takes time. Everything's always moving around. Strats go out of tune real easy. Aside from removing the volume knob, I am always checking the bridge and making sure I'm in tune. That's why you can't beat a good Tele. Reliable, stays in tune, and as solid as a rock.
Bourne Accident Do you remember how much you paid for your '60 Telecaster? Is your Strat an older one? I imagine it must be really amusing for players who held onto their guitars to see how prices have skyrocketed.
I was a garage (produce) hauler back in late 70’s and 80’s. West coast and AZ and TX. Back to the mid west. Commander Cody and the LPA always kept me company. Thanks for all the great trucking tunes. Peace
There's a trick to volume swells that few people know. It's what made Phil Keaggy the king of swells.
By the way, Zalman Yanovsky was doing volume swells with the knob on his guitar way back in the mid 60s with The Lovin' Spoonful. He was no Phil Keaggy, but he was the first.
Rick Kelly makes the best guitars! I used to live near his shop in the village and have bought 3 over the years. simply beautiful.
Great video! :)
Well said! :)
Saw Bill Kirchen recently at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas. What an amazing show!
That is quite a pronounced "popping" sound happening here: 3:48
I don't believe I've ever heard that effect before.
+bluesborn I heard that too! I thought it might be the the strings slapping off the pickup covers, or maybe the reverb unit being overdriven by his heavy snapping of the strings. Either way it's a very unique sound!
+Alex G I think you're right. I'll have to try that next time I plug in!
It is the string bouncing off of the pickup... I used to do that with my old Westone Thunder II. Cool sound.
TheIndigobo
huh that's interesting.I guess the strings would have to be fairly close to the pickup? You can't get too close or it starts to sound out of tune.
I think he's resting his thumb on the string then flicking the muted string with his fingernail, I'm too lazy to grab my guitar and try it though. 😊
Lucky enough to attend a wedding where Mr Kirchen and Too Much Fun played at in 2013. Grew up with him in Northern Virginia. As good as it gets.
CAN'T BEAT THE SOUND OF CHICKEN PICKIN ON A TELE.
I thought it fantastic also...
What that’s a guitar not a chicken
Always a treat to learn from a true Legend.
HOT ROD LINCOLN is till a blazing cool song!!!!
Bill, you're awesome! Thanks for taking the time.
I love stuff like this....My volume pot is too stiff for me to do swells like that....
But I like the idea of turning the plate around, and the switch, and pots.....
I've listened to 'Hot Rod Lincoln' many many times....and I admire the fast picking on it....
Also, love the 'horn' effects that Bill demonstrated....
There's still so much to learn.....
Just spray inside your pots with contact cleaner, and turning it to use it as lubricant, it will remove friction
volume pedal is crucial for expressive playing. I don't play guitar, but play clavinet, the keyboard guitar, and cutting out the attack (in my case with a filter controlled by an expression pedal, which acts like a volume and tone control, and a sort of wah) is a very expressive tool
Hahaha I love Dan's impish request to lift the control plate and then, when asked about the action, immediately asks "...why, do you think it's too high?" Priceless!
Seems like he’s done those volume swells once or twice.
canadablake three times
Bill K is a great performer. I saw him this past Spring. He signed my tele and I'm in the process of the doing a Kirchen switch on it! Had a great time and got great pics.
Wish this guy would put some lessons on DVD .....
Richard Crocker Bill has a course of ‘30 Hot Rod Licks’ available as stream/download/DVD through Truefire.
The guy's a genius. He does it all with no effects (save reverb) or loops. Check out his album "Lookin' at the World Through a Windshield" and the live version of Hot Rod Lincoln. I've tried to play "Big Mack's off the Blocks" but can't get the feel right with the bands. Still gonna work on it, though...
I remember being in the opening band For one of Bills shows in Catskill New York in the Early 90's I as like.....Who the hell is Bill Kirchen!! LOL A damn good guitar player that's who!! I think I have a video from that night maybe Ill post a song or two with Bills permission of course!!!
Never get tired of "Hotrod Lincoln". Fantastic.
Capacitors make all the difference in the world on a clean guitar signal. Most of these good ol' boys use a Tele plugged into a Fender (or some vintage amp) and changing the caps will really change the sound. An Orange Drop .047 uf will smooth out your tone. You can play around with different microfarad values but remeber this: It only works if you USE the tone pot. If you are one if those guys who rolls everything up to 10 and leaves it there (like me) then the tone pot is basically useless. If you roll the tone off, you engage the potentiometer and there is where the cap magic starts. Guys like Jeff Beck and Eric Johnson are huge adjusters of the volume and tone controls on a guitar. I will not bore you with all the details, look it up. There is a really good article on this called Change Your Caps, Change the World! (or at least your tone pot response) Just Google that and read.
That is so badass.Thank you I am building a Tele right now and I never would have thought of that mod.
Looks like he's got an inductor from a wah-wah pedal that he's using for a tone pot. Never saw that before, but that's most likely why his tone swells were so extreme. Cool idea. But then again, maybe that is just the dust cover from an inductor.
Saw Bill a few weeks back. He was playing this tele, and I went up to ask him about it. He grabbed it and handed it over to me. Wow. Great guitar. Pretty light. Huge neck!
This'll kill ya....I'm a lefty...I'm @ a buddy's place 2 years ago (he's backwards...oops, I mean "right-handed"), he's got this rosewood tele...I played it most of the afternoon, upside down, backwards....what'so funny? Well, I 've tried to play the "hot-rod Lincoln" riff for years, and best I can get it is about 75-90%, on my lefty guitars (strung left-handed)...that day, I grab that rosewood tele, right-handed, upside down, backwards, and discover that I can play "hot-rod.." PERFECTLY!! what a hoot! my two buddies just sat there, with their jaws hanging down!!
Wow! Smell that diesel.....don't light a match!!! What a truely great guitarist! Around 1985 I bought a 69 Tele with the control plate turned around, just like that.
I remember when you went head to head with the late great Danny Gatton.
Stewmac is a company with integrity. I truly enjoyed watching this peice. Long live the Tele!
My hero of hero's! Bill Kirchen
I loved the little Jam at the end! Great to see the two of you having so much fun together on such a unique guitar.
You couldn't buy the knowledge these two guys have about guitars.
They'll sell you small amounts.
Very true buddy!!
More importantly they're are some knowledge they couldn't sell you even if they wanted to! These guys are classic and iconic as the guitars they are playing
Payin'/playing, dues is about the only way you can get there and keep your hands on your instrument...practice (×3)
I can barely buy groceries come on now
I love this style it's so fun to play with the volume knobs on a Fender Telecaster that metallic truck sound
When they're gone , they're GONE......SOAK it all ip.
You are right, the ranks of guys like this are thinning, but thanks to youTube future guitarists can still listen to these pioneers forever, until the Apocolypse.
Soak it all ip!
With Clapton and Fripp!
Good riddance. Generation entitled aisle blocker has got to go!
@@madcowusa4277 ....as opposed to the creative plagerist morons of today......gfy
@@irredeemabledeplorable5227 ok, boomer. gfy right back.
I saw this guy play live in Lowell, Mass. a couple summers ago and he rocked his ass off!
3:43 awesome popping sound
Brilliant! Adds whole new levels of versatility without much work. Brilliant! Thanks for Posting!