[Harp-L] gear vs tone etc.

[Steve Merola <srmerola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Harp-L Digest
In the mid 70's I had the good fortune to speak with Mr. Paul 
Butterfield about his gear. We were the only two people sitting at a bar 
in Woodstock, NY. Everyone else in the place was having breakfast. 
Having at least one bad habit in common, I got up the nerve to talk to 
him. I foolishly asked the question, "How can I get to sound like you?". 
He shook his head and almost cracked a grin and simply said "You can't". 
I persisted and asked why not. He eventually said I could use his mic, 
amp, and even his harp, but I'd never sound like him, and he could never 
sound like me. He said that the sound is "in your head". By that he 
meant tonal resonance in your skull, and the other parts of the body 
used to play. If your "head", as Mr. Butterfield put it, doesn't "sound" 
good, neither will you. Pretty simple.
Peace
Steve Merola