How to play guitar like Mick Ronson
David Bowie created such an undeniable sound, which was massively supported by his excellent vocal tone and exciting stage performance. The instrumentation of his music, of course, also contributes towards the unmistakable sound he manages to establish, which was brought to life by the guitarist Mick Ronson.
While he might not be as big a household name as some other guitarists at the time, Ronson’s work speaks for itself, and his influence can be heard just as prominently. His work with Bowie and also on Lou Reed’s Transformer make up the record collection of fans young and old all over the world.
Ronson’s playing style was incredibly expressive and melodic as he was able to forge unique guitar parts as a guitarist but thinking as both a producer and a composer. His guitar tone is distinctive but not impossible to recreate, so if you want to play guitar more like him, achieving the sound is undoubtedly doable.
Ronson enjoyed using a Marshall amp and wasn’t afraid to increase the volume for a more aggressive sound. That power usually comes from the 200-watt amp that has KT88 output tubes. He turned it down in the studios but was comfortable to ramp it up for the live sound.
Regarding guitar itself, Ronson liked to use the 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom. He would strip the finish off the body, not just for a rugged look but also because he believed it allowed the guitar’s sound to resonate more. Ronson also removed the pickup covers from the stock humbuckers, which resulted in higher volume and a more aggressive tone.
Ronson also wasn’t afraid of using many different effects to make his sound as varied and exciting as possible. A lot of the actual peddles won’t be made anymore, but it’s not hard to find modern substitutes that will do a similar thing if you are looking at trying to recreate his style closely.
Firstly, he used fuzz, a flatter and less aggressive distortion style. The rumble accompanied a lot of Bowie’s musical style. He used a Sola Sound Tone Bender MKI, which previously belonged to Pete Townsend, but he purchased second hand. This was one of the first fuzz pedals ever made, preceded by the Maestro FZ-1.
Ronson also used a Wah pedal, which was standard at the time as the likes of Hendrix favoured it, but Ronson was one of the first to use the cocked wah sound. This is where the right sweeping spot would be found, and the wah would be left there, rather than oscillating between no effect and heavy effect like it was commonly used.
Finally, Ronson enjoyed an echo sound, which became especially popular during the Ziggy Stardust tour. The Roland Space Echo was his favourite preamp, allowing him to use the sound effectively whilst pushing it harder.
Mick Ronson wasn’t just a good guitarist; he experimented with his sound until he achieved something unique and exciting. Thanks to his efforts, it’s easy to achieve the same sound he had, as long as you have the right equipment and are willing to persist with getting everything right.
