Producer thinks John Mayer “might be better than George Harrison” when it comes to creating distinctive guitar tones: “It ain’t gonna sit well with people”
Producer Don Was thinks John Mayer’s ability to create unparalleled guitar tones sets him apart from other players, even The Beatles’ George Harrison.
As he acknowledges himself, it’s a hot take that may rile up a large sum of Beatles fanatics. But not only has Was worked with Mayer across three of his successful records – Born and Raised, Paradise Valley, and Sob Rock – but he also worked with Harrison on Bob Dylan’s Under the Red Sky, when he contributed a slide guitar solo for its titular track.
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During an interview with Everything Mayer on YouTube, Was is asked if there are any elements to Mayer’s work that might be missed by a casual listener, and Was notes his copious amounts of ideas and warm guitar tones as the key aspects that make his work unique.
He begins [via Guitar World], “He’s a great arranger. The thing that separates John from everybody else that I’ve worked with, in terms of the process we go through, is I’ve never seen anyone with that many ideas for arrangements.”
Was adds, “His guitar tones are unparalleled. They’re not just evocative, cool sounds, but they’re thick and they’re warm and they jump out of speakers – and I’m not sure how he does it.
“Yes, he’s got the best gear you can have, but I’ve played his guitars and I don’t sound like him. I think people might take that for granted… George Harrison was good at stuff like that, getting distinctive sounds that you only hear once on a certain song. That’s a strength of John’s. It’s the same thing.”
He concludes, “I was loath to say John’s better than George Harrison. It ain’t gonna sit well with people, but he might be better than George Harrison.”
Check out the full interview below:
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
