Since it first hit the scene in the 1950s, rock and roll has
taken many unexpected turns in style and substance. Along with those
turns, the gear that rock bands used naturally had to change as well. In
some cases, it was the development of new gear that spawned new forms
of rock and roll. For instance, who in the 1950s could have predicted
the way synthesized music and the instruments that create it would
impact popular music? But rockabilly music started out simple and for
the most part it remains simple today. And that simplicity requires
relatively simple musical gear. Modern rockabilly cats might use a few
more tricks to create their sound than the original pioneers did, but
still the setup remains pretty simple.
The gear musicians used to create rockabilly in the 50s was indeed simple. The most complex pieces of gear were typically the guitar and amplifier that the lead guitarist used. These players didn't have ready access to all of the "stomp" boxes today's guitarists use routinely. These devices are typically floor pedals that create special effects in the guitar-to-amplifier signal chain. This is how guitarists get an echo sound or that "wha-wha" sound you hear in some forms of rock. And there are many other types of stomp box that create compression, fuzz tones, distortions, volume adjustments, and on and on.
While many modern guitarists utilize these devices to create their unique sound, the original rockabilly guitarists typically played without anything like that except for a reverberation sound that might be built into their amplifiers. This is one of the things that gave those guitars on rockabilly records such a simple and "clean" sound. It also meant that to be a good rockabilly guitarist, a guy really had to have some technical skill and accuracy.
While some purists argue that modern guitarists spend too much time "hiding" the deficiencies in their technique behind all of the fancy effects they put on their guitar sound, I prefer to think of it more as a different type of creativity. A modern guitarist who's really good uses those effects not as a veil behind which to hide his shortcomings as a player, but as another tool with which to create new and interesting sounds. And I like many of the sounds I hear.
Still, to me, there's nothing like the pure, clean sound of a great rockabilly guitarist. It's just him (or in some cases her) and the notes. Listen to Cliff Gallup, who played with Gene Vincent's Blue Caps on their first couple of albums and you'll hear some of the most amazing guitar work in rock and roll--very clean, very fast, and very innovative for the time. Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Scotty Moore, Grady Martin, and many other great guitarists played some amazing solo work without all of the stomp boxes to creat their sound. They really relied more on their technical abilities as guitarists than effects.
That's not to say that these players wouldn't have used these tools if they'd had them! Some of them were innovators in electric guitar sounds. For instance, although it's an argument that can probably never be settled, many claim that Paul Burlison (who played guitar for the Burnette Brothers Rock and Roll Trio) was the first player to use distortion on his guitar. The story goes that it happened by accident and he and the studio engineer liked the sound so they kept it. Other players experimented with tape-loop echoes on their guitars to get that rockabilly echo sound that Sam Phillips of Sun Records made so famous.
Although it's very difficult to know who was the first to do any of these things, it's clear that rockabilly guitarists were experimenting with their sound and that they were as innovative as they were talented. Still, in comparison with today's modern guitar sounds, the original rockabilly players kept their gear simple. An electric guitar, and acoustic stand-up bass, sparsely played drums (if drums at all!), maybe a piano, and an acoustic guitar once in a while. These were the instruments that went into making the authentic rockabilly sound of the 1950s and are still used today to make modern rockabilly.
The gear musicians used to create rockabilly in the 50s was indeed simple. The most complex pieces of gear were typically the guitar and amplifier that the lead guitarist used. These players didn't have ready access to all of the "stomp" boxes today's guitarists use routinely. These devices are typically floor pedals that create special effects in the guitar-to-amplifier signal chain. This is how guitarists get an echo sound or that "wha-wha" sound you hear in some forms of rock. And there are many other types of stomp box that create compression, fuzz tones, distortions, volume adjustments, and on and on.
While many modern guitarists utilize these devices to create their unique sound, the original rockabilly guitarists typically played without anything like that except for a reverberation sound that might be built into their amplifiers. This is one of the things that gave those guitars on rockabilly records such a simple and "clean" sound. It also meant that to be a good rockabilly guitarist, a guy really had to have some technical skill and accuracy.
While some purists argue that modern guitarists spend too much time "hiding" the deficiencies in their technique behind all of the fancy effects they put on their guitar sound, I prefer to think of it more as a different type of creativity. A modern guitarist who's really good uses those effects not as a veil behind which to hide his shortcomings as a player, but as another tool with which to create new and interesting sounds. And I like many of the sounds I hear.
Still, to me, there's nothing like the pure, clean sound of a great rockabilly guitarist. It's just him (or in some cases her) and the notes. Listen to Cliff Gallup, who played with Gene Vincent's Blue Caps on their first couple of albums and you'll hear some of the most amazing guitar work in rock and roll--very clean, very fast, and very innovative for the time. Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Scotty Moore, Grady Martin, and many other great guitarists played some amazing solo work without all of the stomp boxes to creat their sound. They really relied more on their technical abilities as guitarists than effects.
That's not to say that these players wouldn't have used these tools if they'd had them! Some of them were innovators in electric guitar sounds. For instance, although it's an argument that can probably never be settled, many claim that Paul Burlison (who played guitar for the Burnette Brothers Rock and Roll Trio) was the first player to use distortion on his guitar. The story goes that it happened by accident and he and the studio engineer liked the sound so they kept it. Other players experimented with tape-loop echoes on their guitars to get that rockabilly echo sound that Sam Phillips of Sun Records made so famous.
Although it's very difficult to know who was the first to do any of these things, it's clear that rockabilly guitarists were experimenting with their sound and that they were as innovative as they were talented. Still, in comparison with today's modern guitar sounds, the original rockabilly players kept their gear simple. An electric guitar, and acoustic stand-up bass, sparsely played drums (if drums at all!), maybe a piano, and an acoustic guitar once in a while. These were the instruments that went into making the authentic rockabilly sound of the 1950s and are still used today to make modern rockabilly.
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