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Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → How does Joe get that violin tone?
A great example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUdXFo-KNXM
But you probably know what I mean. How does he achieve it? It doesn't look like he presses a pedal or anything, just hangs onto his volume on his guitar...
If you take down the volume to zero, and then at each note increase it, it takes the initial pluck of the string out, only leaving the sound of the note. This is where the violin tone comes from. I believe Joe calls it volume swelling.
Thanks guys. I like this technique a lot, so I think I'll just practice the hell out of it until I get it. Thanks a lot.
hope you got a strat.... its a little far of a reach on other guitars...
Although apparently he can do it with his Gigliotti.
and the neck pu of a Les Paul
Yeah I've got a strat.
Not to toot my own horn, but I've started playing around with that technique about the time of Joe's birth trying to mimic a passage from Yes's "Sound Chaser" from the Relayer album, with my pre-pre-factory PRS, and I got pretty good at it....but nowhere near as good as Joe.
I believe Joe may have picked the technique up from Roy Buchanan, other than Joe, Pat Travers does a pretty cool one too on "I La La La Love You" and the long intro to his encore "Born Under a Bad Sign". Rockin' Ron and Silver Haze, chime in if ya hear me :-)
CarljMD
Apparently there's a story about Walter Trout. I know he can do the technique. I'm sure somebody knows that one and can post it.
Duanne Allman, Jeff Beck - 2 more.
It's really a pretty well used technique by a few great players. I know Roy Buchanan used the hell out of it to great effect. That's probably the first person I personally heard use it extensively anyhow.
I saw Walter Trout make the guitar sound like a violin and tried the volume knob technique on my strat but had a hell of a job getting the timing right. Then I saw JB producing the sound in his concert at Morecambe last Friday. He didn't touch the volume knobe but seemed to stroke the pick across the strings rather than pluck them.
Went home and tried it, it works but more volume required due to less attack on the strings.
As with most of these things.... there is nothing new under the sun, you can nearly always track it back further(x did it before y and so on). Alex Lifeson did/does it using a volume Pedal, I have to add though ..... not sure i've ever heard anyone do it quite as well as Joe.
You really need an ultra-sensitive volume control, my PRS does it nicely but my Strat would need a custom pot replacement i think(its too stiff as it is). I occasionally dabble with this when the mood takes me(or the singer buggers off and leaves me soloing 'till god knows when and I'm running dry on ideas, I swear he's gone for a pint sometimes).
Nightfly
Yeah I saw Walter Trout do that in Memphis last year, my first thoughts were if Joe got that from him...he's not nearly as good as Joe though...now the Rockpalast show has to be the ultimate
Dave
Keep your eyes on Joe's and Walter's right pinky finger. Actually, I'm sure all of you know that, so never mind. I'll go back to something I know like shoveling snow.
Roy
Yep.
Joe's way better at it than just about everyone else on the planet.....how he does it with the extended reach on the Gigliotti is beyond me.
I think the other key is to have a REALLY loud amp setting so the slightest movement of the volume knob gives a large contrast in volume.
Robben Ford cheats!....he uses a volume pedal! Great player either way.
On the Guitarist Magazine DVD Joe explains the technique and says that " it's the easiest thing I know". If I can work out how to I will put it up on You Tube!
millhouse 
:D:D:D:D:D
Great post. I'm new here, but since I love and use this technique a lot, I figured I'd chime in. Not at all that hard to do, and a Strat is the easiest guitar to use for it I've found. The trick is to actually play the note ahead of the time you want it to come in. Takes a little practice but you'll get it pretty quick. You don't really need that much volume on your amp, but a little gain and a touch of delay really fattens it up. I picked it up from Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton, and although I can't hold a candle to those guys, I still love pulling it out live. Here's our web site, and the tune that comes up is an old Etta James song. If you wait till the end of the tune you can hear me do my poor impersonation of Roy.
By the way, great site here, and thanks for letting me join....Joe
Joe Bonamassa Forum → Joe's Guitars, Amps and Gear → How does Joe get that violin tone?
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