The guitarist so good he scares Billy Gibbons: “An absolutely terrifying player”
We often take the guitar for granted. When we listen to solos from people such as Billy Gibbons, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, we nod along and enjoy them, but don’t appreciate just how much had to go right for us to end up at the guitar solo culture we now celebrate. It all started with one man in a jazz band, who felt as though the sound of his six-string was lacking somewhat and required improvement.
In 1936, Charlie Christian attached a pickup to his acoustic guitar. He liked how it sounded, but felt like he needed a bit more volume to play an occasional solo when performing in a band. This is widely regarded as the first ever electric guitar. Advancements were made in this design so that it eventually became a solid body guitar and could be plugged into amplifiers, which paved the way for what we know now.
The electric guitar led to the creation of various effects. This began with sounds such as reverb, then fuzz, distortion, and tremolo. Now, we have a range of different styles and sounds available so that every guitar player can have their own unique sound and really make their instrument their own.
When the electric guitar was first created, many people felt it was cheating. You can understand where these people are coming from, somewhat, as romanticism dictates that to make happy or sad music, the burden lies on the musician to channel that happiness or sadness. When we add effects, we create a b-line for this emotion, which a lot of musical purists saw as a hack.
This could have been an interesting conversation in the ‘30s, but now, we fully understand what the electric guitar and these various effects give us as music lovers. They don’t just amplify a sound; they give artists access to an exciting range of different emotions that are undeniable in both their uniqueness and exciting sound.
When we listen to ZZ Top, there is an undeniable blend of pop and rock guitar, which makes them such a tour de force in merging heavy genres with something more funky. The slight distortion that complements Billy Gibbons guitar is the cornerstone of a lot of ZZ Top’s music, and it’s great to listen to. As such, Gibbons has an ear for guitarists who use effects to their advantage, and there’s one musician who stands out above the rest in this regard: Eric Johnson.
“Eric is an absolutely terrifying player. He has a great tone that he once called his own attempt to become a 100-pound violin… which I think is brilliant,” said Gibbons, “I remember reading that and absolutely loving the idea behind it.”
He continued, “He has this warm sound that comes from multiple amps, delays and reverbs. I would definitely say he’s someone who has tamed the twang of his Strat – there’s not as much high-end in there. He’s a very schooled player; there’s a lot to be learned from him.”
