LOUD!

[cobalt]

I just saw the Robert Cray Band. Man was it loud! Roberts front line is:
2, yes 2 Matchless Clubmen, AND a Fender Vibro King. Pointed right at me 40 feet away! He got some really icepick tone. My left ear(the good one), will hurt for awhile.
Richard had his usual SVT.
Jim was awesome as usual.
All in all a good show.

weirddave

[selloutrr]

!!! OUCH !!!

[stratcat62]

I've always felt like Robert Cray was a great player, but I really do not like his tone. Awesome singer, he's got some good songs, and does some interesting stuff musically, it's just that his tone turns me off from listening to him for any length of time. Unfortunately I feel like it's gotten worse over the years, and is now apparently very bright and icepick-y. Mostly it's, IMO, uninspiring and sounds like he wasn't allowed to turn it up as loud as he wanted, if that makes any sense. Like I said, excellent musician, great singer, there's a reason he plays on the same stage as Clapton and those guys, but I just don't get his tone. It's not that it's clean, I just saw Jimmie Vaughan who used two tweed Bassman-style amps totally dry and he sounded awesome, such a classic, old school sound. I don't know, I guess being a real gear and tone junkie makes it hard for me to conceive of a guitar player not being that way.

[Big Jim]

+1 with everything said so far. I've always kind of thought of Robert as the natural successor to BB's crown. Phenomenal singer, showman, and player. His rhythm playing has always really impressed me. His leads are kind of choppy, but in his own style and a good way. I've heard him comment that he likes his tone clean as he can get it. It's bright and over the top ice pick city. I've seen him twice live in big venues, so volume was never too big of an issue. Problem is, I have tickets to see Robert April 6th at the Plaza theatre in Orlando (tiny venue). Dead center, 5 rows back. Oh well, the Express is gonna get whats left of my hearing anyway.
Jim

[Gibsonman63]

I've always been a fan, expecially of his singing. I saw him once in the 80's in a relatively small club not too long after Strong Persuader was released. At that time, he was playing a Super Reverb, which was clean and bright sounding. He had a really long instrument cable and hopped off the stage and walked into the center of the crowd, with his cable parting the crowd like Moses and the Red Sea.

Now when I go to a show, I bring Hearos (sp?). They're beige so they don't stand out too much. I just throttle them in my ears until I get the right amount of attenuation.

[cobalt]

This was the third time I've seen them, all in small venues(2600 max). First time he had a twin, second time a super, but he never had this tone before. Maybe some kind of tribute to one of his mentors Albert Collins. Both other times he had a second guitarist, maybe he's compensating for not having the support of 6 more strings. Something else is he used 2 guitars, I believe they were both his signature model, one gunmetal, the other SB. He played one song, then his tech give him the other, he changed every song.
Yes, good singer, great player, good showman, but man he needs some bottom end.


weirddave

[vibratoking]

If you are sitting directly in the speaker beam you are going to hear max harsness regardless of the amp used. He could probably use some beam blockers or shield, especially with the tone he dials up. Cray does play very clean and he has some great tones IMO, but they are the kind of tones that I don't want to listen to for too long or be in the wrong spot for.

In the end, he is a very good talent, but his music just doesn't speak to me.

[Structo]

I saw him a few years back at our local amphitheater but I didn't feel he was too loud.
Probably the local noise ordinance kept it down.
His tone wasn't too trebly either.
I didn't notice what his backline was.

As far as his guitar tone, he pretty much lives in switch position #2 so you get that quack tone, it's his trademark.

But I do wish he would switch to the neck or bridge for solo's, that would be cool.
As mentioned a great singer with some great songs.

The only problem was that the crowd was a bit unenthusiastic and this bothered Robert for some reason.
I think everybody was tired. It was a late Friday gig and most were probably exhausted after the work week.
I got the feeling he was disgusted with the audience.

I would go see him again for sure.

[Big Jim]

The last time I saw him, he was touring with Clapton & Derek Trucks. I walked out of there thinking " man, Clapton just had his ass handed to him". Trucks and Cray just absolutely stole the whole show. I suggested to my wife that maybe Eric was sick or something. A few years later, I was reading Eric's autobiography on a flight back from Wyoming. Low and behold, Clapton makes mention of being sick as a dog on the entire eastern leg of the tour. Anyway, Robert really did a great job. Especially on "Time takes two". I think that is the title. Great song/ great singer. That concert is when I noticed how great his rhythm playing was. Very Chicago funky blues feel to it. Lots of mojo
Jim

[Big Jim]

This is a follow up to this thread. The Robert Cray show was last night at the Plaza Theatre in Orlando. Small venue abou 2000 seats I guess. We were dead center, 5 rows back. He killed...... Robert had his amps (usual dual Matchless/aqua colored VibroKing) set up off center, to the left, and in front of the drum riser. They were angled to hit the wall to the Right front of the venue. His tone was bright, as usual, but he sounded really good. It was no louder than it needed to be. I think the bright tone of his guitar plays well off his big smooth singing voice. If he had a dark smooth guitar tone, I think it might compete for the same space. Anyway, great show and not as loud as I thought it would be.

[Baltar]

If you are sitting directly in the speaker beam you are going to hear max harsness regardless of the amp used.

i thought the same, when i read cobalts post.
when i saw robert cray on stage last time (older steup: a tweed bassman
instead of the vibro, if i remember correctly), the sound wasn't sounding icypicky at all.
maybe additionally it's the alu dome of the fender?