Re: Big Walter's live rig? (was: Re: Chromatic Blues Technique)

["Bob Maglinte" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "M. N." <mnessmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 9:09 AM
Subject: Big Walter's live rig? (was: Re: Chromatic Blues Technique)


>
> G. wrote:
> "Horton seemed to play through whatever he sang through, so ..."
>
> ===================================
>
> I've been listening to "Big Walter Horton Live at the Knickerbocker" a lot
> lately and I'd be curious to hear about Big Walter's stage rig from those
of
> you who were lucky enough to see him play up close and personal.
Eyewitness
> accounts ONLY, please. BBQ Bob? You saw him a number of times, right?
> Curious,
> MN

Hi,
Having seen Big Walter Horton many times during the 70's, not ONCE did he
ever use a chromatic harp at all, but used a Marine Band Soloist (the
original version that was discontinued in 1975, and NOT the crappy solo
tuned 364 Marine Band they substituted for it in since the eary 80's, which
having owned and played both, is a clearly inferior product). In the times I
worked with Jimmy Rogers, he also told me Big Walter NEVER used a chromatic
whenever they worked together, and whenever I saw Muddy during this same
time period (the 70's), and had a few duscussions about his personnel,
especially harp players, he also confirmed what Jimmy Rogers had told me,
which was that Big Walter NEVER played a chromatic during his time with him.
I had asked Walter about him ever playing one, and he often would say that
he gave it up because it took too much wind for him. Well, knowing him
personally, as great a player as he was, he also won my award for being the
biggest BS artist that I've ever met, so some things he said you had to take
with a grain of salt.

Now as far as his rig is concerned (something I think too many of you are
FAR too obsessed with), most of the time he used an Astatic JT30 (the older
version with a screw on connector) that used a crystal cartridge (and he's
the one who hipped me to using one) with a Switchcraft #329 volume control
adapter (discontinued since 1978), and sometimes used a few different Calrad
mics, but as far as the amps go, since he mainly used pickup bands, he used
whatever amps were available at the moment, so there was no one single rig.
He had a long cord that was a home made setup so he could walk freely into
the crowd, and the only time he sang thru his harp mic was when he walked
thru the crowd whenever he had an amp to use, and he sometimes would place
the mic against his neck in a "sweet spot" that would give quite a different
tonal quality, reminiscent of the old throat mics that were sometimes being
used in the 40's (which I remember reading about it in an interview of
Blackie Shackner many years ago). On a few occassions he played entirely
thru the PA, and he got pretty much the same sound thru the PA as he did out
of an amp, and it was serious harp tone class 101 right there, meaning that
you could say this: IT AIN'T THE RIG, STUPID, IT'S THE ACOUSTIC CHOPS AND
TONE FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS!!!! (I guess it's my harp version of formner
President Bill Clinton's old campaign slogan in 1992, "It's the economy,
stupid!")

On the "Live At The Knickerbocker," being backed by Sugar Ray & The Blue
Tones there at that club in Westerly, RI (still there, but not doing much
live music at all), Walter was using his crystal JT30 with the Switchcraft
volume control into Sugar Ray's REAL '59 Bassman he was using back then (you
could get them for about $250-300 back then) with NO effects.

There are a number of people who still believe that it was Big Walter
playing chromatic on two Muddy tunes, "Don't Go No Further," "Diamonds
'Round Your Feet," but according to Muddy, no way. The only three players
that it could be would be either Little Walter (doubtful because he almost
NEVER used the button), George Smith (but according to Muddy, it couldn't be
because he wasn't in the band at the time, and had never recorded with Muddy
as a band member at this period), or Junior Wells (who in the only time I
ever saw him play a chromatic, he was DEFINITELY using the button, and
becomes my most obvious choice).

I hope this answers some questions and helps put this thread to rest.

Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com

PS,
During the 70's, he played in the Boston area an average of 3 times a year
and so between 1975-1981, I saw him many, many times, and learned more about
harp tone and tone control from seeing this man that many times than with
all the recordings I've ever bought or listened to.