Guitar Effect Pedals

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Marc Bolan

Biography

Early life and career

The son of a lorry driver, Bolan grew up in post-war Hackney, East London, amongst a Jewish family, and later lived in Wimbledon, southwest London. He fell in love with the rock and roll of Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Arthur Crudup and Chuck Berry[citation needed] at an early age and became a Mod, hanging around coffee bars such as the 2 I's in Soho. He appeared in an episode of the television show Orlando as a Mod extra.

At the age of nine, Bolan was given his first guitar and began a skiffle band shortly after, and at fifteen, he left school "by mutual consent."

Plaque marking Marc Bolan's childhood home, 25 Stoke Newington Common, Hackney. (November 2005)

He briefly joined a modelling agency and became a "John Temple Boy," appearing in a clothing catalogue for the menswear store. He was used as a model for their suits in their catalogues as well as a model for cardboard cut-outs to be displayed in shop windows. "TOWN" Magazine featured him as an early example of the Mod movement in a photo spread with a couple of other "faces".

Marc Feld had changed his name to Toby Tyler when he met and moved in with child actor Allan Warren, who was to become his first manager. Warren saw Toby Tyler's potential whilst Toby spent hours sitting cross-legged on Warren's floor playing his acoustic guitar. Warren then took him to the photographer Michael McGrath and commissioned a series of photographs. Warren then hired a recording studio and had Bolan's first acetates cut. One track being the Bob Dylan song ' Blowing in the wind'. Also a version of Betty Everett's "You're No Good" which was later submitted to EMI for a test screening but they turned down the then Toby Tyler. Warren later sold Marc's contract and recordings for 200.00 to his landlord, property mogul David Kirch, in lieu of three months back rent. Kirch was far too busy with his property empire to do anything for him. A year or so later, Marc's mother pushed into Kirch's office and shouted at him that he had done nothing for her son. She demand he tear up the contract and willingly he complied.

The tapes produced during the Toby Tyler recording session vanished from thought and mind for over twenty-five years before resurfacing in 1991 and selling for nearly eight thousand dollars. Their eventual release on CD in 1993 made available the earliest of Marc's known recordings.

After changing his name again to Marc Bolan (via Mark Bowland) while with Decca Records he released his first single "The Wizard." In early 1967 Manager Simon Napier Bell added him to the Pop-Art/mod band John's Children, which achieved some success as a live band but sold few records. A John's Children single written by Marc Bolan called "Desdemona" was banned by the BBC for its line "lift up your skirt and fly." His tenure with the band was brief. Bolan claimed to have spent time with a wizard in Paris who allegedly gave him secret knowledge and could levitate. The time spent with him was often alluded to but remained "mythical"; in reality the wizard was probably U.S. actor Riggs O'Hara with whom Bolan made a trip to Paris in 1965. His songwriting took off and he began writing many of the neo-romantic songs that would appear on his first albums with Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Besides Berry, Bolan's influences included Bob Dylan, Syd Barrett, Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

When John's Children collapsed (amongst other problems, the band were stunned to discover their equipment had been stolen from a studio, according to a Bolan biographer), Bolan and Steve Peregrine Took created Tyrannosaurus Rex, a psychedelic-folk rock acoustic group, playing Bolan's songs, with Took playing assorted hand and kit percussion and occasional bass to Bolan's acoustic guitars and voice.

This version of Tyrannosaurus Rex released four albums and four singles, flirting with the charts, getting as high as number fifteen and getting airplay and support from Radio 1 DJ John Peel. One of the highlights of this era was playing at the first free Hyde Park concert in 1968. Drug-taking and free spirited Took was fired from the group after their first American tour. A rock and roller at heart, Bolan began bringing amplified guitar lines into the duo's music, buying a vintage Gibson Les Paul guitar (later featured on the cover of the album T. Rex in 1970). After replacing Took with Mickey Finn, he let the electric influences come forward even further on A Beard of Stars, the final album to be credited to Tyrannosaurus Rex. It closed with a song, Elemental Child, featuring a long electric guitar break influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

Then Bolan, by now married to his girlfriend June Child (a former secretary to the manager of another of his heroes, Syd Barrett), shortened the group's name to T.Rex and wrote and recorded "Ride a White Swan," dominated by a rolling, hand clapping back-beat, Bolan's electric guitar and Finn's percussion.

T. Rex and glam rock

Bolan and his producer Tony Visconti sorted out the session for "Ride a White Swan" and the single changed Bolan's career almost overnight. Recorded on 1 July 1970 and released later that year, making slow progress in the UK Top 40, it finally peaked in early 1971 at No. 2. Bolan and Visconti largely (and, in many ways, unwittingly) invented the style that would become glam rock and helped restore a brash and exciting feel, when rock bands had grown increasingly self-important.

Bolan took to wearing top hats and feather boas on stage as well as putting drops of glitter on each of his cheekbones. Stories are conflicting about his inspiration for thisome say it was initially introduced by his PA, the late Chelita Secunda, although Bolan told John Pidgeon in a 1974 interview on Radio 1 that he noticed the glitter on his wife's dressing table prior to a photo session and just casually daubed some on his face there and then. Other performersnd their fansoon took up variations on the idea.

The glam era also saw the rise of Bolan's friend David Bowie, whom Bolan had come to know in the underground days (Bolan had played guitar on Bowie's 1970 single "Prettiest Star"). Before long, even Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Grand Funk Railroad dabbed on a little glitter.

Bolan followed "Ride a White Swan" and T. Rex by expanding the group to a quartet with bassist Steve Currie and drummer Bill Legend, and cutting a five-minute single, "Hot Love", with a rollicking rhythm, string accents and an extended sing-along chorus inspired somewhat by the Beatles's "Hey Jude". It was No. 1 for six weeks and was quickly followed by "Get It On", a grittier, more adult tune that spent four weeks in the top spot. The song was renamed "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" when released in the United States, to avoid confusion with another song of the same name by the American band Chase. The song reached #10 in the United States in early 1972, the only top 40 single the band ever had in America.

In November 1971, the band's record label, Fly, released the Electric Warrior track "Jeepster" without Bolan's permission. Outraged, Bolan took advantage of the timely lapsing of his Fly Records contract and left to EMI, who gave him his own record label, the T. Rex Wax Co. Its bag and label featured an iconic head-and-shoulders image of Bolan. Despite Bolan's lack of endorsement, "Jeepster" still peaked at #2.

In 1972, Bolan achieved two more British No. 1s with "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru" (the latter of which stopped Elton John getting to the top with "Rocket Man") and two more No. 2's in "Children Of The Revolution" and "Solid Gold Easy Action". The total of four No. 2 singles particularly galled his fans as three were held off the top spot by novelty singles recorded by Clive Dunn, Benny Hill and little Jimmy Osmond. In the same year he appeared in Ringo Starr's film Born to Boogie, a documentary showing a concert at Wembley Empire Pool on 18 March 1972. Mixed in were surreal scenes shot at John Lennon's mansion in Ascot and a super-session with T. Rex joined by Ringo Starr on second drum kit and Elton John on piano. At this time T. Rex record sales accounted for about 6 percent of total British domestic record sales. The band was reportedly selling 100,000 records a day; however, no T. Rex single ever became a million-seller in the UK, despite many gold discs and an average of four weeks at the top per No. 1 hit; documentation of actual sales has been lost.[citation needed]

In 1973, Bolan played twin lead guitar alongside his friend Jeff Lynne on the Electric Light Orchestra songs "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" and "Dreaming of 4000" (originally uncredited) from On the Third Day, as well as on "Everyone's Born To Die", which was not released at the time but appears as a bonus track on the 2006 remaster.

Decline

By late 1973, his pop star fame gradually began to wane, even though he achieved a Number 3 hit, "20th Century Boy" in February and mid year "The Groover" followed it to No. 4. "Truck On (Tyke)" missed the UK Top 10 only reaching #12 in December. However, "Teenage Dream" from the 1974 album Zinc Alloy And The Hidden Riders of Tomorrow showed that Bolan was attempting to create richer, more involved music than he had previously attempted with T. Rex. He expanded the line up of the band to include a second guitarist, Jack Green, and other studio musicians and began to take more control over the sound and production of his records.

In 1974, Bolan played guitar for Ike & Tina Turner. He appeared on "Nutbush City Limits", "Sexy Ida (Part II)", and "Baby Get It On". Tina Turner confirmed this in a BBC Radio One interview.

Eventually, the vintage T. Rex line-up disintegrated. Legend left in 1973 and Finn in 1975 and Bolan's marriage came to an end because of his affair with backing singer Gloria Jones. He spent a good deal of his time in the U.S. for much of the next three years, continuing to release singles and albums which, while less popular to the masses, were full of unusual lyrics and sometimes eccentric musical experiments. Although Bolan's health began to fail as he put on weight, the former glam rock icon cleaned up and continued working, producing at least one UK chart hit every year until his death in 1977.

Resurgence

Gloria Jones gave birth to Bolan's son in September 1975, whom they named Rolan Bolan (although his birth certificate lists him as 'Rolan Seymour Feld'; compare David Bowie's son Zowie Bowie). That same year, Bolan returned to the UK from tax exile in the U.S. and Monaco and to the public eye with a low-key tour. Bolan made regular appearances on the LWT pop show Supersonic, directed by his old friend Mike Mansfield and released a succession of singles, but he never regained the success of his glory days of the early 1970s. The last remaining member of Bolan's halcyon era T. Rex, Currie, left the group in late 1976.

In early 1977, Bolan got a new band together, released a new album, Dandy in the Underworld, and set out on a fresh UK tour, taking along punk band The Damned as support to entice a young audience who did not remember his heyday. Granada Television commissioned Bolan to front a six-part series called Marc, where he introduced new and established bands and performed his own songs. By this time Bolan had lost weight, appearing as trim as he had during T. Rex's earlier heyday. The show was broadcast during the post-school half-hour on ITV earmarked for children and teenagers; it was a big success. The last episode featured a unique Bolan duet with David Bowie during which Bolan fell off the stage. With no time for a retake, this occurrence was aired and Bowie's amusement was clearly visible.

Death

Bolan's shrine, on what would have been his 60th birthday, 30 September 2007.

Bolan died on 16 September 1977, two weeks before his 30th birthday and on the same day as Maria Callas. He was a passenger in a purple Mini 1275GT (registration FOX 661L) driven by Gloria Jones as they headed home from Mortons drinking club and restaurant in Berkeley Square. Jones lost control of the car and it struck a sycamore tree after failing to negotiate a small humpback bridge near Gipsy Lane on Queens Ride, Barnes, southwest London. Bolan died instantly, while Jones suffered a broken arm and broken jaw and spent time in the hospital; she did not learn of Bolan's death until the day of his funeral. Neither was wearing a seat belt. Bolan's home, which was less than a mile away at 142 Upper Richmond Road West in East Sheen, was quickly looted. Fans quickly turned the site of the crash into a shrine and in 2007 the site was officially recognised as Bolan's Rock Shrine

At Bolan's funeral, attended by David Bowie and Rod Stewart, a swan-shaped floral tribute was displayed outside the service in recognition of his breakthrough hit single. His funeral service was at the Golders Green Crematorium which is a secular provision in North London. Bolan himself stated that he was Jewish, the religion of his father. However, because his mother was not a Jew he would be considered a gentile under Jewish law (Halakha). His ashes were buried at Golders Green Crematorium.

Bolan never learned to drive, fearing a premature death. Despite this fear, cars or automotive components are at least mentioned in, if not the subject of, many of his songs. He also owned a number of vehicles, including a famed white Rolls Royce, which had been lent by his management to Hawkwind on the night of his death.

Fellow T. Rex member Steve Currie also died in a car crash less than four years later.

Equipment

Marc Bolan was mostly seen playing Gibson Les Pauls. His main Les Paul was refinished in an opaque orange to resemble Gretsch guitars played by his hero Eddie Cochran. He was also seen playing a Gibson Flying V with tremolo and a Fender Stratocaster.

Legacy

In 1979, Siouxsie and the Banshees released a cover "20th Century Boy" as the b-side to the single "The Staircase (Mystery)".

In December 1980, "Telegram Sam" was the fourth single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. The A side is a cover of T. Rex's song of the same name. It was released in 7-and 12-inch format, the latter featuring "Rosegarden Funeral of Sores" as an extra track. The Bongos were the first American group to cover a T. Rex tune, "Mambo Sun" and enter the Billboard charts. Since then, Bongos frontman Richard Barone has recorded several other Bolan compositions, is working with producer Tony Visconti for his forthcoming solo album and has himself produced tracks for Bolan's son Rolan Bolan.

In 1981, Department S released a cover of "Solid Gold Easy Action" as the b-side to the single "Is Vic There?".

In 1984, The Replacements released a cover of "20th Century Boy" as a B-side to the single "I Will Dare"; it is also included on the reissue version of their album Let It Be. In 1993, Adam Ant (born, Stuart Leslie Goddard) covered the track live on the Limed Edition live disc of his Antmusic: The Very Best of Adam Ant collection.

In 1985, Duran Duran splinter band Power Station, with Robert Palmer as vocalist, took a version of "Get It On" into the UK Top 40, the first cover of a Bolan song to enter the charts since his death. They also performed the tune (with Michael Des Barres replacing Palmer) at the U.S. Live Aid concert.

In 1986, the Violent Femmes performed "Children of the Revolution" on their third album The Blind Leading the Naked, for which they also recorded a music video.

In 1990, Baby Ford did a cover of "Children of the Revolution" that appeared on the album Oooh, The World of Baby Ford.

In 1994, Billy Idol wore a t-shirt reproducing The Slider album cover in his popular video supporting the song "Speed". That was a clear homage to Marc Bolan, who helped Generation X to rise at the very beginning of their career.

In 2006 Def Leppard released their album Yeah which are covers of their favourite bands while growing up, the first song on this album is 20th Century Boy. Joe Elliott wanted to sing Metal Guru while Vivian Campbell wanted Telegram Sam but end up agree to 20th Century Boy, it's not the first time that Def Leppard has sung a T.Rex song, there is a live version of Get It On.

"Children of the Revolution" was similarly performed by Elton John and Pete Doherty at Live 8, 20 years later. Bono and Gavin Friday cover "Children of the Revolution" on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.

In 2000, Naoki Urasawa created a manga entitled "20th Century Boys" that was inspired by Marc Bolan's song, "20th Century Boy". The book is a multiple award-winner, and has just been released in the United States through VIZ media.

"20th Century Boy" introduced a new generation of devotees to Bolan's work in 1991 when it was featured on a Levi's jeans TV commercial featuring Brad Pitt, and was re-released, reaching the UK Top 20. The song was performed by the fictional band The Flaming Creatures (performed by Placebo, reprised by Placebo and David Bowie at the 1999 BRIT Awards) in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine. In every decade since his death, Bolan has placed a greatest hits compilation in the top 20 UK albums and periodic boosts in sales have come via cover versions from artists inspired by Bolan, including Morrissey and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Similarly, "I Love to Boogie" was briefly used on an advert for Robinson's soft drink in 2001, bringing Bolan's music to a new generation. Mitsubishi also featured "20th Century Boy" in a 2002 car commercial, prompting Hip-O Records to release a best-of collection CD titled 20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection.

His music is still widely used in films, recent notable cases being Breakfast on Pluto, Death Proof, Lords of Dogtown, Billy Elliot, Jarhead, Moulin Rouge!, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Breaking-Up, Hot Fuzz, Click & School of Rock. Bolan is still cited by many guitar-centric bands as a huge influence (Joy Division/New Order's Bernard Sumner has said that the first single he owned was "Ride a White Swan".) However, he always maintained he was a poet who put lyrics to music. The tunes were never as important as the words.

Bolan used to hang around in our office and sit on the floor, strumming his guitar, flirting with our secretary, June, who, of course, he later married. He was a great Syd [Barrett] fan. I was quite fond of him. He was a big pain in the arse, of course, very full of himself. I always liked that thing where he called himself the Bolan child, this magical, mythical name. It was really from his doorbell in Ladbroke Grove. It had his name and our secretary's surname, Child, so it read Bolan Child and fans used to think, wow, he is the Bolan Child!

Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour,[citation needed]

An altogether less welcome legacy for his friends and family is the ongoing row about his fortune. Bolan had arranged a discretionary trust to safeguard his money. His death left the fortune beyond the reach of those closest to him and both his family and journalists have taken an active interest in investigating the situation, so far with little result other than bringing the story to wider attention. A small, separate Jersey-based trust fund has allowed his son to receive some income. However, the bulk of Bolan's fortune, variously estimated at between 20 and 30 million pounds (approx $38 $57 million), remains in trust. As of 2007, Bolan's family is supposed to have a house paid for by the trust, and Rolan is supposed to receive an allowance.

Bolan returned to the top of the UK charts in 2005 when the remastered, expanded Born to Boogie DVD hit No. 1 in the Music DVD charts.

Steve Kilbey a self-confessed Marc Bolan fan and singer for renowned Australian art-rock group The Church performed Bolan's "One Inch Rock" on the Steve Kilbey Live DVD, released in January 2008.

In 2006, it was revealed that English Heritage had refused to commission a blue plaque to commemorate Bolan, as they believed him to be of "insufficient stature or historical significance". There is, however, an existing plaque dedicated to Bolan at his childhood home, put there by Hackney Council.

There are also two plaques dedicated to his memory at Golders Green Crematorium in North London. The second one to be displayed was placed there by the official Marc Bolan fan club and fellow fans in September 2002, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his passing. The inscription on the stone, which also bears his image, reads '25 years on his light of love still shines brightly'. Placed beneath the plaque there is an appropriate ceramic figure of a white swan.

In 2006, TV series Life on Mars, an actor portrays Marc Bolan, circa 1973, in a bar in Manchester. Time-travelling Sam Tyler recognises him, has a fan boy moment, and warns him to be careful of riding in Minis. In the American version of the series, the character is replaced by that of Jim Croce, who died later that year in a plane crash, and Sam warns him. However, the T. Rex version of "Get It On" is played in the New York dance club in that scene.

One of Bolan's guitars, a Gibson Flying V, recently turned up on Antiques Roadshow in the hands of a private collector. The appraiser estimated the value of the guitar to be approximately 50,000-60,000.

A school is planned in his honour, to be built in Sierra Leone: The Marc Bolan School of Music and Film.[citation needed]

Discography

Singles

Nov. 1965 The Wizard/Beyond The Rising Sun. Decca F 12288.

June 1966. The Third Degree/San Francisco Poet. Decca F 12413.

Dec. 1966. Hippy Gumbo/Misfit. Parlophone R 5539.

John's Children:

May 1967. Desdemona/Remember Thomas A Beckett. Track 604 003.

July 1967. Midsummer's Night Scene/Sara Crazy Child.

Aug. 1967. Come And Play With Me In The Garden/Sara Crazy Child. Track 604 005.

Tyrannosaurus Rex:

April 1968. Debora/Child Star.(34). Regal Zono RZ 3008.

Aug. 1968. One Inch Rock/Salamada Palaganda.(28). Regal Zono RZ 3011.

Jan. 1969. Pewtor Suitor/Warlord Of The Royal Crocodiles. Regal Zono RZ 3016.

July 1969. King Of The Rumbling Spires/Do You Remember.(44). Regal Zono RZ 3022.

Jan. 1970. By The Light Of A Magical Moon/Find A Little Wood. Regal Zono RZ 3025.

March 1970. Debora/One Inch Rock/Woodland Bop/Seal Of Seasons.(7). Magnifly ECHO 102.

Dib Cochran And The Earwigs:

1970. Oh Baby/Universal Love. Bell 1121.

T. Rex:

Oct. 1970. Ride a White Swan/Is It Love/Summertime Blues. Fly BUG 1.

Feb. 1971. Hot Love/Woodland Rock/King Of The Mountain Cometh. Fly BUG 6.

July 1971. Get It On (Bang a Gong)/There Was A Time/Raw Ramp. Fly BUG 10.

Nov. 1971. Jeepster/Life's A Gas. Fly BUG 16.

Jan. 1972. Telegram Sam/Cadillac/Baby Strange. T.Rex Wax 101.

May 1972. Metal Guru/Thunderwing/Lady. EMI Marc 1.

Sept. 1972. Children Of The Revolution/Jitterbug Love/Sunken Rags. EMI Marc 2.

Dec. 1972. Solid Gold Easy Action/Born To Boogie. EMI Marc 3.

March 1973. 20th Century Boy/Free Angel. EMI Marc 4.

June 1973. The Groover/Midnight. EMI Marc 5.

Big Carrot:

Aug. 1973. Blackjack/Squint Eye Mangle. EMI 2047.

T. Rex:

Nov. 1973. Truck On (Tyke)/Sitting Here.(12). EMI Marc 6.

Jan. 1974. Teenage Dream/Satisfaction Pony.(13). EMI Marc 7.

Marc Bolan:

June 1974. Jasper C. Debussy/Hippy Gumbo/The Perfumed Garden Of Gulliver Smith. Track 2094 013.

T. Rex:

July 1974. Light Of Love/Explosive Mouth.(22). EMI Marc 8.

Nov. 1974. Zip Gun Boogie/Space Boogie.(41). EMI Marc 9.

July 1975. New York City/Chrome Sitar.(15). EMI Marc 10.

Sept. 1975. Dreamy Lady/Do You Wanna Dance/Dock Of The Bay.(30). EMI Marc 11.

Nov. 1975. Christmas Bop/Telegram Sam/Metal Guru.(Scheduled for release but canceled). EMI Marc 12.

Feb. 1976. London Boys/Soul Baby.(40). EMI Marc 13.

April 1976. Hot Love/Get It On. Cube BUG 66.

June 1976. I Love To Boogie/Baby Boomerang.(13). EMI Marc 14.

Sept. 1976. Laser Love/Life's An Elevator.(41). EMI Marc 15.

Marc Bolan and Gloria Jones:

Jan. 1977. To Know Him Is To Love Him/City Port. EMI 2572.

T. Rex:

March 1977. The Soul Of My Suit/All Alone.(42). EMI Marc 16.

May 1977. Dandy In The Underworld/Groove A Little/Tame My Tiger. EMI Marc 17.

Aug. 1977. Celebrate Summer/Ride My Wheels. EMI Marc 18.

See also

Blackhill Enterprises (Peter Jenner and Andrew King)

David Bowie

John's Children

Gloria Jones

Simon Napier-Bell

References

^ "Feld, Mark". Births Registered in October, November and December, 1947. London: General Register Office. pp. (page 394). http://content.ancestry.co.uk/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=8964&path=1947.Q4-Oct-Nov-Dec.F.9. Retrieved 2008-10-08.  Scanned image of the original document. Restricted access.

^ The confessions of a society photographer - Allan Warren (Jupiter, London, 1976) ISBN 0904041689 ISBN 9780904041682

^ Dukes, Queens and Other Stories - Allan Warren (New Millenium Books, London, 1999)

^ http://members.cox.net/dregenold/marc/early.html

^ Rhino Records (2008-02-15). "The Replacements Remastered". Press release. http://www.rhino.com/rzine/pressrelease.lasso?PRID=546. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 

^ Wigg, David (2007-09-20), "My Daddy of Britpop by Marc Bolan's son", Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-482969/My-Daddy-Britpop-Marc-Bolans-son.html 

^ Steve Kilbey Live

^ "English Heritage thinks Ignatius Sancho means more to you than Eric Morecambe". Telegraph.co.uk. 30 December 2006. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/12/31/nplaques31.xml. Retrieved 2007-01-15. 

Notes

2. Riggs O'Hara interview, Record Collector Magazine, September 1997

3. Mentioned in The Who song "You Better You Bet", (to the sound of old T-rex)

4. Celebrity Fans include Oasis, David Bowie, and Chris Cummings.

External links

Marc Bolan and T. Rex information website

Marc Bolan School Of Music And Film

Marc Bolan Myspace

Website concerning Marc Bolan's TV and film appearances.

Marc Bolan and T. Rex information website

Marc Bolan at the Internet Movie Database

Marc Bolan at Find a Grave

v  d  e

T. Rex

Marc Bolan  Mickey Finn  Steve Currie  Bill Legend

Steve Peregrin Took  Miller Anderson  Herbie Flowers  Jack Green  Gloria Jones  Davey Lutton  Tony Newman  Dino Dines

As Tyrannosaurus Rex

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... but Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows  Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages  Unicorn  A Beard of Stars

As T. Rex

T. Rex  Electric Warrior  The Slider  Tanx  Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow  Bolan's Zip Gun  Futuristic Dragon  Dandy in the Underworld

Related articles

Discography  John's Children  Born to Boogie  Blackhill Enterprises  Great Jewish Music: Marc Bolan  Marc  Mickey Finn's T-Rex

Persondata

NAME

Bolan, Marc

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Feld, Mark

SHORT DESCRIPTION

DATE OF BIRTH

1947-9-30

PLACE OF BIRTH

Hackney, East London, England

DATE OF DEATH

1977-9-16

PLACE OF DEATH

Barnes, London, England

Categories: 1947 births | 1977 deaths | Bisexual musicians | English Jews | English male singers | English rock singers | English singer-songwriters | Glam rock | Jewish musicians | LGBT musicians from the United Kingdom | People from Stoke Newington | Road accident deaths in England | Protopunk musiciansHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from October 2008 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 | Articles with unsourced statements from August 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from October 2008 | Articles with unsourced statements from January 2009
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Stratocaster or les paul?

I've had a crappy strat knockoff for 2 years and im ready to get a quality guitar. Right now im leaning toward a strat because my 3 favourite guitarists use them (David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, and
John Frusciante however i also like some jimmy page stuff).

I've read that les pauls are best for metal and have a thicker sound but i won't ever play metal. The sound im trying to get is (not surprisingly) John Frusciante meets Jimi Hendrix and some pink floyd psychedelic stuff

Another reason i like strats is that it has the whammy and i NEED a whammy bar to nail this sound.

Also I heard replacing the pickups in the strat can make it sound beautiful. So any pickup suggestions to get this sound that im looking for

Thank You!

And for what its worth, i have a Peavey Classic 30 and i usually play through a wah and im in the process of getting a fuzz factory.

Hello there,

Frequently I response to questions like this by saying to upgrade the amp. In your case, that is not necessary. The Classic 30 is a decent sounding amp. It is a 1x12 with a Blue Marvel speaker that has a decent rich full tone. It is a pretty darn good amp. So, let's look at your guitar options.

If you have been playing a Strat clone for a while and like how it plays (not how it sounds), then I think it makes sense to stick with a Strat or Strat clone. The Les Paul has a much different feeling neck and is a 24 3/4 inch scale. You are used to playing the Fender 25 1/2 inch scale. There are plenty of good guitars with the Fender scale. So I don't think you need to change to a Gibson scale guitar.

While the Les Paul is a very good guitar, it does not have a strangle hold on the metal market. Ibanez, Jackson and Schechter all make very good guitars also.

I hear lots of folks on here saying that if you replace the pickups in a Strat it will sound better. For what it is worth, Jimi Hendrix played stock pickups and in my opinion, he sounds just fine with them. I think player skill is grossly under estimated when it comes to how someone sounds. I could play Jimi Hendrix's own guitar, or SRV's own guitar, or Eric Clapton's own guitar, and definitely not sound like them. it is not all in the guitar.

Here are some guitars for you to test out. Try these and see if one of them has the sound you want when you play it.

Fender Standard. The old workhorse. The MIM Strat is a good guitar. It has handle about anything in the right hands.

Fender Lone Star Strat. This Strat was originally made in the US and then production was shifted to Mexicon. But the MIM version still has the same US pickups. It has Texas Specials in the neck and mid position. Those are an overwound single coil. They are hotter than stock pickups. Those are the pickups Fender also put in their SRV Tribute Strat. In the bridge position is a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Plus. That is a heck of a good sounding humbucker.

Ibanez RG350DX. This has a HSH pickup configuration. A 24 fret neck (in Fender 25 1/2 inch scale). A locking tremolo.

Jackson JS32R Dinky. This has a HH pickup configuration. A 24 fret neck (in Fender 25 1/2 inch scale). A locking tremolo.

Schecter Omen Extreme 6. This has a HH pickup configuration. A 24 fret neck (in Fender 25 1/2 inch scale). A locking tremolo. Basswood body with a maple cap.

Each of these guitars are good. They will feel slightly different and the necks will vary in how they feel. But all should not feel really strange to you. Each has a slightly different tone. Also, you can decide if you are up to handling the adjustments for a locking tremolo.

Later,

Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Face & VOX V847 MOD