Robert Johnson FAQs

[Robn]

Hi, I have a few questions on Robert Johnson and I'm sure you guys will have the answers.

Firstly, what type (bronze, pure nickel?) of strings was RJ likely to have used on his guitars (Kalmazoo/ Gibson L1?) - and what gauges?

Secondly, did he tune up to A and E on these wood bodied guitars or tune to G and D and capo at fret 2? If he tuned up (I note that the Gibson he is seen with in one of the two photos of him is a 12 fret) why/how did the guitar take the tension?

Thirdly - What modern, cheap, wood bodied guitar would you recommend for a similar set up to RJs. I'm thinking about something like the A&L Ami (possibly the with the cheaper cherry laminate top for stability although the sound of the cedar or spruce top versions may be preferable). But perhaps such a guitar would require light guage strings (12-54) for A & E tunings with a 13 first string to get a stronger slide tone?

At present I'm learning RJs catalogue on my Resound Blues (wood bodied single cone). I use medium gauge strings (Newtones 13-56) and it seems to take all tunings - standard G,D,E,A - I always put it away in standard after each session. I love it but my woman likes me to go and sit on the prom to practice with the seagulls (and its been a cold winter!) when I'm not playing in the pub! I could do with something wood bodied for playing around the house.

I lost part of my left hand index finger in a climbing accident and have some left shoulder problems so a shorter scale (24.75), smallish body and 12 fret neck is pretty much essential. A wood bodied guitar the size of my Resound Blues would be perfect.

[Michael Messer]

Hi Robn,

It sounds like you are getting seriously into RJ. Welcome to our forum, rather than be a guest....join up and join in!

I can answer some of your questions, and I am sure the ones I can't will be answered by other forum members.

In those days they would have used nickel strings and probably something close to a medium gauge, maybe a bit lighter.

RJ may have tuned his guitar up to E & A for certain songs, but probably used a capo like the rest of us for the higher keys. It is impossible to tell if a song in B flat was tuned that high or capoed....and it doesn't really matter. The fact that you have seen RJ holding a certain guitar does not prove that he recorded using that guitar. Lots of photos of blues musicians were taken using the photographer's house guitar. On the front of my album King Guitar I am photographed playing an electric National archtop guitar. Quite a few people have commented that...."MM plays an archtop National"......it was a guitar that I borrowed to do the photo-session. I was in Canada without my guitars and that one looked pretty cool. I never played a note on it! So whether RJ used the guitars he was photographed with is not known, what is known is that whatever guitars, tunings, keys or capoes he used; that he was one of the greatest and most infuential American musicians of the 20th century.

I have been studying RJ's music for most of my adult life and almost every time I hear it another door opens and I notice something new. Along with Son House, Charlie Patton & Muddy Waters, RJ is one of my favourite delta blues singers.

In addition to your questions: One or two of RJ's recordings do run a fraction fast - for example Preaching Blues sounds much better pitched down a semitone to E.

Shine On,
Michael.

[robn]

Thanks Michael,

I've woked out how to register now!

RJ certainly is fascinating. I love his cross-rhythms, timing changes and the separation of his singing and guitar that add such a powerful sense of being in the moment. I have found that when you listen to a lot of the old blues masters what you hear is simple music that's actually highly complex. Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker's acoustic pieces are great examples of how to make a few simple notes on the guitar sound absolutely extraodinary.

The nickel string factor makes sense - in RJs recordings the guitar has distinct attack and note separation rather than the warmth and overtones you get from modern phosphor bronze strings. RJ rarely plays cords and when he does they are picked or percussively vamped.

Does anyone have an idea for a small bodied guitar that would suit my needs?

[Michael Messer]

Hi Robn,

I am sure someone will come to the rescue and recommend a good budget Robert Johnson guitar.

I think when you are analyzing any musician's work and looking at the tools they used they used to get their sound, it is important to remember one thing....that RJ sounded like RJ on every guitar he played. I have noticed this with my own playing, that no matter what guitar I choose to record a song with, the playing is always distinctively my own.

I agree with you about the sound of his guitar playing, it does have a distinct tone, but don't forget Don Law was the recording engineer and he knew his stuff. The fact or myth that RJ faced himself into the corner of the room to record was not because he was shy, but because that is how to get as much signal as possible funneled into one microphone. In addition to the technical input from Don Law, we have possibly the greatest blues singer & guitarist ever at the helm! All these factors are very important to consider when examining a musician's sound. 80% of the sound is the musician, not the hardware. My advice would be to concentrate on the music, that will keep you busy for 20 years or so! Also....whatever you read about how RJ played each song, you should try to examine it it with a fresh pair of ears and as few preconceptions as you can. Listen to the players that he was copying and learning from, it opens it all up. The more you listen to the music, the more you will learn about it. Charlie Patton, Son House, Willie Newburn, Willie Brown, Muddy Waters, Lemon Jefferson, to name a few....you will see many similarities in these peoples' music. Jefferson's playing on the surface sounds very different to the delta players, but.....he was a big selling artist and everyone heard his records. Son House had a lot of Jefferson's rhythms & riffs in his playing. It's a big old subject!

As you say, it appears very simple on the surface, but dig beneath the surface and try to play it and you soon realize how complex delta blues is. Some of the most complex pieces are just one chord; Preaching Blues is a good example of that.

Keep in touch,

Shine On,
Michael.

[robn]

Thanks for the advice Michael,

I have a good collection of country and delta blues CDs and I'm absorbing as much as I can! I'm finding that listening is a skill in itself, and I'm having to learn how to do it. Some aspects of auditory discrimination and recall are hard work for me - and need a lot of concentration. Naturally, I'm a visual/kinaesthetic activist - for me, knowledge isn't knowledge until its in the muscle. I have a lot of DVDs of blues players and I learn quickest when I watch those with a guitar in my hand (but I have to wait until my good lady is out to use my reso!) or by following others during jam sessions.

The information you have provided on the guitars, strings, recording methods and influences of RJ is a great help for me in conceptualising what I am hearing on his recordings. It helps me to build mental pictures and feelings to go along with the sounds and makes my own playing more complete and personally rewarding.

Mmm - I seem to have gone on a bit! You may have guessed that the study of how we learn stuff is my bag baby!

Thanks again

Robn

[Michael Messer]

Hi Robn,

I am glad to been of some help. Keep in touch,

Shine On,
Michael

[fitchmeister]

Hi Robn

I use a AMI cedar top parlour for slide. I found using 56-13 gauge strings causes the nut to bind and chokes up the guitar, so after some advice from Mike M i switched to 54-12 and replaced the 12 with a 13. My slide is a cut down 19mm Socket wrench (£3 from halfords and a pain in the butt to cut down with a hacksaw). For slide i really like the sound though i find playin other stuff. fingerstyle etc.. a bit weak. It's also my take it camping, away on holliday etc. guitar so i didnt want anything too flash.

I don't know where you live but i got mine from Hobgoblin music which have a chain of stores up and down the country and they were happy for me to try with a slide before i bought It. Came with a cool little gig bag. Hope that helps.

Roj

Roj

[Alan]

If you look around you might be able to get a cheapish Kay Kraft (not in the UK), also strangley enough some archtops like Harmony Montereys etc can sound really Johnson-like (to my ears) and are'nt massively expensive. They are light on the construction side though, thats probably why.

Everyone knows that Johnson played an archtop!

[snakehips]

Hi there

Some of the string separation sound mentioned may actually be to the type of guitar used rather than the strings.
I refer specifically to ladder-braced acoustic guitars (eg. Stella guitars). Stellas and other brands also made by Oscar Schmidt company had an earlier internal bracing pattern, compared to modern x-raced guitars.

Ladder braced guitars are great for this type of music - fingerpicking etc. Check out Blind Blake's playing to hear the string separation (for example)

Of course, I might be talking rubbish here !
(My band mate, Prof Scratchy, is more of an expert in this area).

[robn]

Thanks everyone,

I'm on the lookout for an AMI (which seems to fit the bill) but I've also tried a couple of examples of the Tanglewood TW-73. The TW-73 is more expensive (£330) and has a very full, rich sound for a small guitar (not at all like RJs sound but very sweet and expressive). It is cedar and mahogany which is where the depth comes from. The construction is light, giving great resonance but I doubt it would take kindly to camping without a very god case.

The final decision will rest with my better half. And I think that the sweet sound of the TW-73 will win over anything with a more traditional blues flavour. It is, after all, primarily a "house" guitar to be played instread of my reso without waking the dead!

Thanks again,

Robn

[Mairena Red]

Hi Robn,

Welcome to the forum. I too have heard nice things about the Tanglewood TW 73 though I have not had a chance to try one yet. I have also heard nice things about the Crafter TA 050. This has a solid Sitka spruce top and rosewood back and sides so will no doubt sound a little different to the Tanglewood but it is in the same price range and would also be worth a test drive. Alan sold one earlier in the year on Tin Can Alley so he might venture an opinion (what do you say, Alan?).

Something else in the same price range is the Epiphone EL 00. It certainly looks the part as it comes in a lovely sunburst finish and it has a solid spruce top. However, I tried one in London last summer and was hugely disappointed. It sounded very thin and had no volume to speak of. Maybe I was unlucky and just came across a dud one. It only reinforces my view that you should try a guitar out before you buy one.

On the subject of playing in the style of RJ, I can definitely recommend the Rory Block tuition DVD. Its full title is "Rory Block teaches the guitar of Robert Johnson" and it is full of interesting and useful tips on how to play in RJ's style. The DVD is available from Homespun Tapes at www.homespuntapes.com. If you do not have it yet I suggest you order a copy ASAP.

Happy plucking,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[robn]

Thanks Joe,

I tried a Crafter TA - 050 a while back. Nicely built guitar with quite a ragtime sound. I missed out on one on ebay a few months ago and it certainly would do the job. The TW-73 has a more mellow tone but both seem great guitars for the money.

I've tried to track down a second hand Epiphone Bluesmaster but with no luck. I've not tried the EL-OO as it has a 14 fret neck (I need a 12 fret for comfort) whereas the Bluesmaster had a 12 fret neck and the bridge further down the lower bout - but Epiphone only produced them for a short while.

I have Rory Block's DVD (very good) and also the RJ Signature Licks DVD by Scott Ainsley. Both cover different songs from the RJ catalogue. Scott plays a National in his DVD and looks at standard tuning songs like "Kind Hearted Woman" and "Sweet Home Chicago" as well as open A stuff like "Come on in My Kitchen" and "Crossroad Blues". I've picked up a lot from both DVDs - You can get them 0 Region rated from Musicroom.com in the UK.

Still, it's been a sunny weekend here in West Wales so I've been able to sit out on the Prom with the seagulls and play my reso to my hearts content - nothing better!

Robn

[Mairena Red]

Hi Robn,

Looks like you're well ahead of me in the RJ stakes. Hope you track down your parlour guitar soon.

A sunny weekend in West Wales eh? That must be rarer than finding a Nick Lucas Special on e-bay for 300 quid I come from Colwyn Bay so I speak from experience. Fortunately, where I live now every weekend is sunny ;D

Taranow

Joe (aka Mairena Red)

[robn]

Joe,

You'll not believe this but it's sunny this afternoon as well However, there's a cold north westerly wind blowing off the Irish Sea. Still, it's off to the beach for me this evening for a chill out blues session with my reso. We've some surf forcast for Wednesday/Thursday so perhaps I'll get the opportunity to exercise my other passion as well this week!

I expect in Seville you have not been sitting outside in your duvet with your woolly hat on to play guitar all winter! I'm heading for the Picos de Europa on a climbing trip at the end of this month so bring on that Spanish sun!

Cheers

Robn

[Mairena Red]

Hi Robn,

A surfer in West Wales, eh? Hope you've got a nice thick wet suit I wonder if Dick Dale ever played a resonator. Miserlou would certainly sound different on a National ;D

I have a south-facing balcony, so I can play out-of-doors most of the year. In fact, the only time I don't use the balcony is in July and August because it's too hot ;D By the way, what's a duvet and a woolly hat?

Hope you enjoy the Picos. Asturias is a lovely part of Spain. Very like Wales but with better weather I have flown hot air balloons in the Picos in May and the weather was pretty good. You should notice a difference from West Wales.

Happy climbing,

Joe (aka Mairena Red)