Bernard Butler interview: guitar star on his '61 Gibson ES-355 and '62 Fender Stratocaster

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10 жыл бұрын

Britpop legend talks guitar
Gear demos playlist: goo.gl/30cAf Subscribe for more from Guitarist: goo.gl/2PRXE
In a recording career spanning 23 years, Bernard Butler has gone from guitar whiz-kid in Suede to award-winning producer with the likes of Duffy, The Libertines, the late Bert Jansch and many more.
In a rare guitar interview, the most exciting player of the Britpop generation recently sat down with Guitarist magazine and talked through the instruments with which he made his name. Butler also explains how a football injury helped him fall in love with the instrument all over again and form a new band into the bargain.
For much more from Bernard Butler, including an in-depth look at more instruments from his incredible guitar collection, buy Guitarist magazine issue 379, on sale in print and digital forms on 7 March 2014: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk...
Visit our website: www.guitarist.co.uk
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Пікірлер: 102

@MiyagiTurboAction 9 жыл бұрын

There are not enough videos of Bernard talking and playing.

@Tonetwisters 5 жыл бұрын

This one was one to many, that's for sure. Who IS this character?

@andrewmccloud8581 4 жыл бұрын

@@Tonetwisters Why did you click on the video? Unless you're joking?

@steamskynoise 9 жыл бұрын

Bernard.... has earned the right to do what he wants to any guitar.

@Tonetwisters 5 жыл бұрын

By doing WHAT?

@EzyRider177 3 ай бұрын

@@Tonetwistersbuying it 👍

@cynzia_d 9 жыл бұрын

This man is a Great Musician and i think he's also a good person, love the way he talks, love his accent, his hair and especially his ART ... since 1992

@guitarist 10 жыл бұрын

For the record, the Lake Placid Blue finish that Bernard stripped off his Strat was a refin, not the original factory colour, so fear not, he hasn't massacred the original finish...

@allanjohnsen1034 10 жыл бұрын

thanks for the info, I will put my baseball bat back in the closet :0)

@louiso.4325 8 жыл бұрын

+Allan johnsen Haha. Easy there

@Tonetwisters 5 жыл бұрын

Doesn't matter. Lack Placid Blue is FAR better than that plank ...

@Dead-Eye 4 жыл бұрын

Who cares. It's a guitar, a tool, and it's his to do what he likes with. Still sounds great so fuck the paint job. Precious wankers.

@vampeiyre 4 жыл бұрын

Hearing that is an enormous relief, ha.

@mattmullens3215 8 жыл бұрын

I was 14 in Australia when I bought Animal Nitrate on cassingle. I didn't know anyone else who liked Suede - they weren't that popular down under. But I loved the noisy pop sound and still do. To hear Bernard describe how he wrote the song is just gold. I particularly like the change of pick-ups between the verse and chorus. Genius!

@roberthaynes4923 5 жыл бұрын

I love Butler's style and tone. He (and Richard Oakes) are two guitarists I would love to have an afternoon with to just pick their brains--briliant both!!!

@OlegCapovani 5 жыл бұрын

Bernard, such a naturally talented and musical guitarist...

@lenasmirnova5241 10 жыл бұрын

Musical GOD! Thank you, Bernard! I love you since the times of early Suede and you never disappointed me!;)

@desmondteague2441 7 жыл бұрын

I see Johnny Marr's 335 12 String lurking in the background

@Repairyman 5 жыл бұрын

Yeah .Bernard, 'Is that the one you played on 'Sheila take a bow?' Marr, 'Yeah, I knew you'd know that, here take it!'. Me.'FFS, HOW ABOUT A CHEEKY 335 FOR ME?'.

@EDDBUD 9 жыл бұрын

Hilarious comments here. If some of you would bother to listen to the tones he achieves on his Trans recordings you would change your tune. I would however state the BB does need to hear that 355 through one of the few Stereo Gibson amps that were designed for it. Amazing results! I'm happy to bring it round his studio to test it! :)

@turricaned 10 жыл бұрын

The thing with Strats - even old ones - is that they are mass-produced, working musicians' instruments. If you buy an old Strat, odds-on it will have been refinished more than once and had parts replaced and repaired several times over. Fender didn't really do "special editions" or anything like that in the '60s - and by the early '70s (according to Clapton) they could barely give them away. Bernie hasn't done anything to that Strat that hasn't been done before several times over, and it'll be a happy guitar just to keep working. :)

@chrisjames6327 3 жыл бұрын

The paint jobs on Teles and Strats are as basic as it gets. I have friends who have stripped and repainted their fender, themselves, to the exact same standards as the Fender factory! So you're right - original paint isn't that big a deal on a Strat. And to be honest, the first thing a lot of people do when they buy a used Fender is strip the paint and repaint it themselves

@TheHumbuckerboy 10 жыл бұрын

Bernard achieves beautiful tones here from both guitars .

@crunchyfrog555 10 жыл бұрын

I understand perfectly what he means about his expression using tremolo a lot - listen to the latter end of "You just know" if you want example of this.

@matthewjdouglas6471 3 жыл бұрын

Wow, what a great guitar player. And what a collection. Seriously I could only dream of owning any guitar like that. 62 fender strat. Sounds expensive.

@tomscotland 5 жыл бұрын

Why won’t this man age? My favourite player of the 90’s, and now I look older than him. WTF?

@matthewjdouglas6471 3 жыл бұрын

He's lives a clean and healthy lifestyle. He's vegetarian? Vegan?.

@petrsteinmetz 10 жыл бұрын

Bernard is synonym for the ES355 and Bigsby. Wizard.

@Tonetwisters 5 жыл бұрын

Good grief.

@standinsilence 3 жыл бұрын

Hes also got an old black Gibson ES-330 that hes probably used a lot too.

@swervebandmusic 6 жыл бұрын

Greatest british guitarist of the 90s easily, and way better than john squier

@Two_Seat_Pete_FatA55 6 жыл бұрын

I'll take Graham Coxon over both

@paulsteele2432 5 жыл бұрын

Graham and Nick McCabe!

@Dreyno 5 жыл бұрын

Lads, lads. They ALL have lovely bottoms.

@sinnerboy6009 2 жыл бұрын

Fact.

@billyrogers4855 4 жыл бұрын

My parents used to know Bernard butler

@sinnerboy6009 2 жыл бұрын

Wow 😯

@willyyimable 5 жыл бұрын

Bulter ! U r my very gd old days 😊

@luisferreira3398 4 жыл бұрын

now those are some gigantic hands

@Twirlyhead 4 жыл бұрын

Note all. It is a Bigsby + Tune-O-Matic combo and not a roller bridge. Roller seems like a good idea but Tune-O-Matic is better. Like on my DeArmond Starfire Special worth a tine fraction of his one there.

@ytmember2136 2 жыл бұрын

Hi , good said. I just wonder how the heck he puts so much strength onto bigsby and it stays in tune, where many other Bigsby users complain about tuning. Is it the way you handle this ?

@jackdempsey9644 5 жыл бұрын

I love Lake Placid Blue.

@Hangman-pv4fw 2 ай бұрын

And what about the 355 guitar that they used with Suede in 1992-1993?

@alanmorrissete6594 11 ай бұрын

hes the coolest! im a huge fan of bernard: so unconventional but writes great music. love his hair style

@jamongu4534 6 жыл бұрын

He got that es 355 1994? But what about live in brixton in 1993??

@thejacquoranda 6 жыл бұрын

That guitar was stolen off Suede's tour bus in the US in 1993.

@CarlosCuevasCantautor 8 жыл бұрын

You know you're winning.

@taktikkotortraveler 10 жыл бұрын

what is the song at 3.33 and 3.52 ???

@FretLegendSmithy 9 жыл бұрын

Yes by McAlmont and Butler

@jamongu4534 7 жыл бұрын

3:47 what is that song??? name pls

@801guitar3 7 жыл бұрын

McAlmont & Butler - Yes...The bit you are hearing with the riff is the part where McAlmont is singing " Am I looking better...."

@jamongu4534 7 жыл бұрын

801 Guitar wow!! i know that song but i didn't recognized it! thankyou^-^

@RastaSaiyaman 5 жыл бұрын

Butler's replacement in Suede, Richard Oakes had to get himself a 355 like Butler's since that sound was just such an integral part of early Suede. But Oakes being a Fender Jaguar guy actually hated the 355, the style and the shape totally didn't suit him.

@granto6738 5 жыл бұрын

Okes mam was in brookside TV drama in the 80xz

@dane279 4 жыл бұрын

On recent Suede albums he does use the Gibson though, so maybe he learned to like them.

@standinsilence 3 жыл бұрын

How could you not like a vintage ES-355? I had a cheaper version of that model(335-style Yamaha with Ebony-board and added Bigsby) and even that was a very nice guitar too.

@ianhowlett4682 Жыл бұрын

I saw Suede at Cambridge on 7th March 2023, and Richard Oakes was playing a big red Gibson 355 for at least half of the set. It looked and sounded great.

@RastaSaiyaman Жыл бұрын

@@ianhowlett4682 Yeah, as I said, that sound is just integral to Suede's music. I want to see them too, I'll be singing along so loud. "Just tra-ha-hash, you and me, we're the litter on the breeze, we're the lovers on the street..."

@yanghan1094 11 ай бұрын

What did he said at last?..

@BEHEDETY 10 жыл бұрын

Mustang Red !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@dazuk1969 4 жыл бұрын

Why do all great Guitar players have massive hands ?....it just aint fair man. Mr Butler, you are a legend that most don't realise yet....but not this tiny handed dude.....Respect.

@pzolsky Ай бұрын

Needs some compression for that Strat

@GazMoz78 10 жыл бұрын

Love Bernard, he's a great talent. I know guitars are tools for expression and ultimately it's about the man that plays them, what he want's them to be, as it were. But he's RUINED that lovely 62 Strat!!!!

@Steeve9292 10 жыл бұрын

I agree...personal opinions and all, but, I really don't think the words Lake Placid Blue should be preceded by the word 'terrible'.

@GazMoz78 10 жыл бұрын

Ah i see. So he's getting off on a technicality then..... Still prefer the LPB though, refin or no! ;-)

@vampeiyre 4 жыл бұрын

I agree, but also, Guitarist magazine mention the LPB he stripped wasn't the original finish, so in that case it is at least not sacrilege.

@buddyollie180 7 жыл бұрын

Mr Orange???

@Twirlyhead 4 жыл бұрын

A "Y" cable.

@jcsk8 4 жыл бұрын

Poor lake placid one.

@shamrockshoredublin179 6 жыл бұрын

I love my cheap knockoff made in china strat plug in crank up and off you go

@jerrymorganjr 5 жыл бұрын

It only hurts the value if it's for sale.

@sharonlee4773 3 жыл бұрын

Bernard Butler-The Ken Barlow of Indie Rock!

@elephantricity 10 жыл бұрын

That 62 has gone through what many would say is a travesty!

@patrickparrish769 9 жыл бұрын

I kinda thought the A Major chord sounded better before you tastelessly used that vibrato arm.

@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer 5 жыл бұрын

Patrick Parrish you mean tremolo arm

@robin_holden 5 жыл бұрын

@@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer Even Fender and Gibson got confused about the definition of tremolo and vibrato. It really should be called a vibrato arm, as it modifies pitch. Tremolo is a modulation of amplitude, or volume, and that's not what that arm does. You'll see vibrato channels on Fenders amps which are, in reality, tremolo functions.

@martonjancsak 3 жыл бұрын

sorry, but i think that strat is so ugly

@davidryan9496 6 жыл бұрын

Is that a wig?

@Johnny_Doe 11 ай бұрын

His hair is so thick and he gets a stupid haircut style to make it look like a wig.

@jerrymorganjr 7 жыл бұрын

Strip the finish on that 355 too. 😑

@Rideandlively 6 жыл бұрын

Wow that’s something you do to a squire not a real 62’ I don’t care if you don’t like LPB. If you’re going to strip the paint off at least take it all off.

@Rideandlively 6 жыл бұрын

TELE6220 auto correct changed it to squire. Have nothing better to do than correct peoples grammar on KZfaq. Wow, get a life.

@rocksteady9115 5 жыл бұрын

Beginner level player, get some lessons wiggy

@sinnerboy6009 2 жыл бұрын

Overall god level musician though ..

@Tonetwisters 5 жыл бұрын

You destroyed a Lake Placid Blue '62 Stratocaster finish?? Yes you did go mad. At least you still have it. And you and I are both in the ES-355 club; but son, you have some bad ears if you think those guitars sound bad running through two amps. Something is seriously wrong with you. Sorry, but where did you get all those bad ears and eyes from? I generally encourage people. But not you. Good grief.

@robin_holden 5 жыл бұрын

Considering this man created some of the most exciting guitar music of the 90s, I'd say your encouragement is entirely meaningless to him. Son.

@Tonetwisters 3 жыл бұрын

@@robin_holden Considering that I have never even HEARD of the guy and have been playing guitar for 59 years (even if I DIDN'T create some of the most "exciting music"), I have enough experience and wisdom to know how NOT to ruin a prize piece of guitar treasure, and your criticism of me is entirely meaningless to me. Son.

@robin_holden 3 жыл бұрын

@@Tonetwisters Well, Mr. Thirty Subscribers, a lot fewer people have even HEARD of you. It seems to me that all that experience and wisdom your 59 years of owning guitars has given you adds up to valuing the instrument itself over the art you create with it. That makes you a collector, not a musician.

@woodpigeonsong 3 жыл бұрын

@@Tonetwisters are you british

@renegadechic 3 жыл бұрын

Firstly, the lake placid blue was a refinish, according to Guitarist in the the comments. Secondly, there are a small handful of guitar heroes in British music from the 90s, but Butler was the best. Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead was also good, and I'd also argue James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers was also up there. Graham Coxon of Blur was alright, and though not a wizard of a guitarist, it's arguable that Noel Gallagher of Oasis caused a significant uptick in guitar sales at the time of their early records.