John Martyn Small Hours

John Martyn Small Hours played on a '57 Les Paul Junior

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Music

Tags:

• John
• Martyn
• Les
• Paul

[bigblacktomcat]

Glad to help feghead, I thought it best to spare you my singing! The volume pedal is a sixties Vox, still looking for a boomerang. I've since got myself an echoplex EP3 & a watkins valve copicat, see my other vids for a shootout.

[bigblacktomcat]

Hi Pip, I'm not familiar with a maestro boomerang, shame on a pedal head like me, I'll check it out. I did have an echoplex EP4 but I sold it before I did this clip, doh.

[johnjosephgreenwood]

Great stuff, but where are the geese?

[bigblacktomcat]

I can do seagull noises but geese remain beyond me.

[bigblacktomcat]

Hi Ian, yup, once I'd figured out the tuning (CFCCGD) I just watched JM's chordings on the reading vid butg I tried to include the bottom string all the time for a fuller sound (JM plays the top 4 strings on the run downs) not easy to keep in tune with the low E tuned down to C, a bit flappy. I've tried every delay unit available & the best, imho, is the Trex replica which is what you are hearing. this is my fave JM song & we all miss him, RIP John.

[Feghead]

Thank you! excellent lesson, as they should be.

I never thought I'd be able to play Small Hours!

[Rikk303]

@piptaylor99 Remember making my own tape loops for the Copycat as the branded ones were so expensive and wore out so quickly. The splice nearly always started some sort of a beat! Yay, the Echoplex/drum machine is born!

[piptaylor99]

@Rikk303 Never seen him use a Roland Space Echo but my list goes 70's Echoplex EP2, E3, never seen him use an EP4, 80's Korg SDD3000 digital echo, one then two Alesis Quadraveb GT's (not loaded with the sounds of Hank Marvin my guess!) back to an EP2 and possibly a disguised Fulletone Tape Echo and a Boss digital delay. I later gigs he used the tape echo and Boss digital in the set up. T rex digital echo's are close Nova better and forget Line 6 I found them too fiddly bt I am a luddite!

[piptaylor99]

@Rikk303 Never seen him use a Roland Space Echo but my list goes 70's Echoplex EP2, E3, never seen him use an EP4, 80's Korg SDD3000 digital echo, one then two Alesis Quadraveb GT's (not loaded with the sounds of Hank Marvin my guess!) back to an EP2 and possibly a disguised Fulletone Tape Echo and a Boss digital delay. I later gigs he used the tape echo and Boss digital in the set up. T rex digital echo's are close Nova better and forget Line 6 I found them too fiddly bt I am a luddite!

[piptaylor99]

@bigblacktomcat Hi Tom, This pedal is sometimes called a Gibson Boomerang or a Boomer. It is a Maestro Vol/Wah pedal with an action stop by rubber buffer. In normal mode the pedal sits on the rubber buffer but pushed down it extends the vol or wah range. JM pushed down with his toe in his 70's board. Took me years to find one. E ended up with a few De Armond lookalikes along the way that I sold to Charlie Chandler. Good hunting.

[Rikk303]

@piptaylor99 Wound 3rds are a tricky prey, JM played in D Open initially with tape..Echopets, Echoplexes, Roland Space Echoes in various guises...then Boss stuff and eventually studio plates and springs. Timing is everything. I could never do this track until it was after 3 in the morning and was tanked on Special Brew.Another hint....Spliffs and mushrooms....but don't lose it...it'll go horribly wrong

[UFOIST]

Respectable attempt at small hours.......

[piptaylor99]

Great version, try wound 3rd and 4th strings of the same guage in the CFCCGD tuning which works for me. I agree the TRex is the closest delay pedal avialblE today. If you are REALLY jm addicted try to get an old Maestro Boomerang Vol/Way pedal on ebAY. Thank for posting