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Interview with Randy
Volin
provided by ToneQuest.com
randy@randyvolin.com
Randy Volin was
born in the late 50s in Detroit Michigan and his first memory
memory of becoming hooked on pop music started the night the Beatles
debuted on the Ed Sullivan Shoe. For some reason he still doesnt
quite comprehend, Randy became totally enthralled with music, especially
the Blues, but he didnt learn how to play an instrument until
1971. After Jimi Hendrix died,
Randy bought his first guitar, a used Fender Jaguar (which he still
has), and within 2 years he had acquired his first gig as a bass
player. In 1977, Randy landed a record contract with A&M records
with his band The Look, and toured extensively while releasing three
albums. In 1986, Randy finally went back to his roots, and dedicated
his life as a player to the Blues. From 1986 till now, Randy has
played in the Tri State area of Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio continuously,
while releasing 2 solo CDs. He has played with and opened for artists
such as Joe Cocker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Money, Koko Taylor,
Junior Wells, Albert King, Lonnie Brooks, Cheap Trick, Steve Marriott,
John Mellencamp, The Kinks, Greg Kihn, Peter Frampton, April Wine,
Mitch Ryder, Sonny Landreth, Johnny Johnson, John Mayall, Jeff Healy,
Hubert Sumlin, J. Geils and many, many others. Randy is a self-confessed
gear head and also operates Rockin Daddys Vintage Guitars,
Inc., just north of Detroit. One visit to his web site and youll
quickly discover that Randy also has an envious stash of some of
the most desirable vintage gear ever made.
Randy, tell us about your favorite
gear setup for clubs, guitar, amp, speakers tubes, effects.
Given the fact that you could use virtually anything
thats ever been made, this should be interesting.
Most recently for club work I have
been using my 1964 Super Reverb loaded w/JBL D 110s. I hired back
my old pal, Richard Allen, a great southpaw drummer, who likes to
hit his drums really hit his drums. So my 65 Vibrolux Reverb, also
loaded w/JBL D 110s would get a little mushy trying to hold
their own I am not a volume guy really. I like to hit the back wall
but I dont play loud just to play loud. Regarding tubes, I
gig so much that I dont want to spend $150 on NOS 6L6 tubes, just
to have them banged around in my truck. So Ive been using
an older Sovtek GZ34, standard matched 5881XTs, and NOS 12AX7s.
For years Ive used Vintage II cloth cables from Horizon. I
think they won the guitar cable shootout. Tortex picks, 1.14mm,
the thicker the better. I also use Ernie Ball strings and have for
28 years. Cant change now. I make up my own sets. High to
low its .11, .14, .18, .32, .44, .60, and I always tune to concert
pitch, or A 440 .
My guitars vary. I usually use an
original 1957 sunburst Strat, 100% original, an original 1960 sunburst
Strat, 100% original, and a 1989 Squire Strat that I had routed
for 50's Danelectro lipstick tube pickups. I use that for slide.
The gauges on that are big. High to low, .15, .19, .22 plain, .36,
.48, .60. For electric slide I use the Dunlop slide, #215. Love
the combination of really thick glass on big strings.
On resonators or acoustic guitars,
I use old Mighty Mite slides. On occasion, I'll play PAF loaded
335s or Sunburst Les Pauls. But I have to say this, its getting
rarer for me to bring those out than it used to be. A stupid mishap,
or just the babysitting factor takes away from the part I like best,
hitting the standby switch, and just taking off. These guitars see
more action in the recording studio, because its a lot more
controlled and safer environment.
For effects, I have a few things.
A prototype Fulltone Fat Boost, or a Zvex SHO, both just like the
MXR Micro Amp, its the original SuperHard On! A TS 9 (an original
one with the 4558 chip), an Ibanez CS 9 for my whirly bird sounds.
Its a lot easier on the back than a Leslie. And a RMC3 Wah that
I've had since 1994. I am a fan of all kinds of boxes used correctly.
Teese, Klon, MXR, Electro Harmonix, Fuzzfaces, Univibes, Zvex, you
name it, I have 3 of each.
Do you use a pick religiously?
Yes. And I also use my fingers,
thumbs, back of my hand, elbow, womens garter belts. Whatever!
Whom do you admire most as a
player and why, Randy?
Asking a simple question now, huh?
There are just so many fine players...I always loved Albert King
the most. His touch and tone said it all. He played heavy
blues. Deep down in the well blues. I owned his Flying V in the
80s, the original Lucy. What a guitar it was. I'd say thats
the most famous guitar of all now. Muddy, BB, Freddy King, Little
Walter, Jimmy Rogers, T Bone, Louis & Sam Meyers, Gatemouth,
Wayne Bennett, Danny Gatton, Sonny Landreth, Jimi, SRV, Jimmie Vaughan,
Mr. Clapton, Mr. Ronnie Earl, old Johnny Winter, Leslie West, Beck,
Page, I can go on and on. Its really not a fair question.
When youre playing a larger
venue or an outdoor gig, how does your usual set up change, specifically?
We are doing lots of festivals and
outdoor shows this summer, and I'll take another amp with the Super
Reverb or a 1955 (low power) Twin w/ P12Qs. Its strange, when
I take 2 amps, I can turn both of the amps volume down, Twin
on 4 and Supers on 3. If Im using only one amp, the Supers
volume would be on 4. The Twin on maybe 5.
With as many amps as you have
(see Wall of Shame), why no Tweeds, thats unusual for a Blues
guy isnt it?
I use tweeds, just not live. But
unless I have a big enough road crew, we just have 1 guy whos
a 'do all', its the babysitting factor again. I'd rather play
than feel like I have to keep looking back over my shoulder to make
sure somone isnt walking off with a Bassman or a Twin. I never
saw SRV with any tweed, or Ronnie Earl. I think I prefer the clean
headroom of blackface gear overall.
Aside from your strats what are
some of your other favorite guitars and why?
I love Teles, cause there so blocky.
They really are huge sounding. I love blackgaurd boatnecks and those
bridge pickups. 335s and Les Pauls. They have this quality in workmanship
and tone that just cant be beat.
Any tricks or tips youve
picked up over the years that you can share in regard to getting
(and keeping) killer tone?
Yeah. Big wire, big ears, great
tools, as in guitars and amps, and good living. All of this chain
of command starts between your ears. Dont kill the train of
thought with pills, powder, drink, and whatever. If your head and
heart are in the right place, your tone will soon follow. And play.
Listen. And play some more. Did I forget to mention that you've
got to play?
Youve played with an impressive
group of guitar legends over the years. Have you observed anything
in particular in regard to their setups or technique that you can
share with our readers?
Yeah. All good players have developed
a technique thats pivotal to their tone. SRV had such strong
hands. His tone was as strong. When I was 15, I got a call to back
up Mr. Kansas City,
you know, Wilbur Harrison. He played electric guitar and beat on
a big old bass drum at the same time. He liked his drink too. But
he had a style that sounded like a train to me. Hed get going
and get this momentum going and play and sing such effortless sounding
things. That is until I tried to play it. He taught me a lot in
just one gig. There were no rehearsals, and I was only 15 years
old. He'd look at me a little cross, and I knew he thought I was
playing like a young white kid. Then he'd smile, and roll his eyes
back into his head, and I knew my playing was staying out of the
way of his singing, and he'd start whooping and hollering, spurring
me on. He taught me to make my ears big, and to be aware of everything
around me. He also taught me to enjoy life. And especially the girls.
If the women don't dig it, nobody will. They don't have to know
why they like what their hearing, they just have to like it. And
if you play a club filled full of women, then there's also a club
filled with men. Now, there's a happening going on. Not exactly
rocket science here.
Who have you enjoyed being on
the same stage with the most and least?
One of my most astounding moments
was playing in Cincinnati in the mid 80s. I dont remember
the place, but I was playing the old song "Hallelujah"
by Ray Charles. My guitar guy kept waving his hands up in the air
trying to get my attention. Jeez, standing right there in the wings
was Steve Marriott from Humble Pie. I grabbed his arm and took him
center stage, and he was just grinning. Then he opened his mouth
and I heard that voice. The hair on the back of my neck just stood
up. Who ever was singing at the moment in my band, can't quite remember
who, just slid under a rock, probably where they belonged! I almost
shit myself and literally fell into a trance. That voice froze time
when it came through the monitors. His voice was as huge as Muddy
Waters. Another astounding moment was with Junior Wells. It was
about 5 years before he got ill and died. He started his set, played
3 songs, then started his set over. Played the 3 same songs and
started his set over again. Same 3 songs. All in all he played the
3 same songs 3 times. I was not happy to see that.
Any specific recording techniques
you can share (other than backing a truck up to the studio with
your obscene stash of amps and axes). Have you done much experimenting
with mic placements to add depth to your guitar tone on tape?
When I record, I want it real. Set
up in a large room and focus on two things. First, a good clean
drum sound. Second, and this could be first, a good performance
of a good song. And play it with feeling. Once I got a take I like,
I listen to the bed tracks, drums and bass, and make sure time,
tempo, and feel were all there. Fix up what wasn't right. I developed
a specific studio technique about 10 years ago. I would be in the
studio standing in front of my amp, and it was all good. I liked
what I was getting. Then I'd go into the control room and to my
utter horror, hear tones of cows copulating. I would try it again
and get that same damn funky sound. Finally I said to the engineer,
look, put that damn mic right here where my ears are and you'll
hear how it sounds to me. So we did just that. Put a mic six feet
in the air and it finally sounded the same in the control room as
it did 10 feet away in front of my amp . Stuck another mic right
on the amp, and another about 25 feet away for ambient tones and
nailed it. I never had to spend anywhere near as long to get a tone
for my guitar as you would a drum!
If there was one thing that you
let get away (or sold) that you wish you could have back, what would
it be?
The one thing that got away
probably
my innocence. But in regard to gear
I had a blue Metal flake
62 Strat, just saw it on another dealers list for almost $30K.
I bought it in the 70s for $300. Maybe a couple of sunburst
Les Paul Standards and a blonde 335 dot. Maybe a Dumble or two.
Randy, lets talk about
your other life as a dealer for a bit.
Ive been playing 30 years
and I still try to play every gig like its my last one. I
want to play everything, I want to make it mean, soft, sweet, rough,
tender and heartfelt, the whole range of feeling. Ive been
really lucky, I do just what I want to do, play great old guitars
and amps, and Ive got a shop full of them. Its heaven
for me, doing what I love to do. Both gigs are terrific. Guitars
are great because theyre functional tools, but theyre
also so cool to just look at, and some of em are true works
of art like a painting, but better. Guitars are another story. You
can just sit and admire them, play them, collect em, really
play them for a living, all of it.
Any advice for people buying
guitars sight unseen over the Web?
You gotta cover all of the bases,
ask all of the right questions. As a dealer, I want every deal to
be a win/win for everybody and when I sell a piece, I try to be
overly critical, as if I was buying it. Ideally, Id like my
customers to be pleasantly surprised when they open the case.
Theres an old saw in the
ad business that says, for every person you make happy, theyll
tell 10.
Yeah, and piss one person off and
theyll tell 100. Ive seen it! But if youre buying
a guitar or amp unseen and unheard, create a picture of it
in your mind and mentally note everything youll want to ask
about it, everything. Ive bought guitars that didnt
turn out to be as described. Now what? Some people are cool about
it, some arent. You gotta be very careful and thoroughly know
everything you can about what youre buying. I wish there was
a standardized rating system. Tom Van Hoose has been interested
in trying to create something like that, and Id like to see
it done. But in reality, I doubt it will ever happen. This is a
strange biz. At guitar shows, anybody with 3 guitars now, is a dealer.
Gruhn said it best, something like trying to get a roomful of cats,
the feline kind, to run and chase a ball. They all just sit there
and look at you like your crazy. Hence, I no longer do guitar shows.
Where are the good deals these
days?
I think of things that havent
come into their own yet, Fender Squires, Silvertones, the original
Danos. Dont get me wrong
Im not slamming the Danelectro reissues,
but Id prefer the old ones and they arent that far off
in price from the new ones.
What about refins?
Yeah, when theyre all original
refins can be a great deal. But a lot of guys dont like to
take any vintage guitars, refins or not, out on gigs because theyre
too valuable. But Ive always had a problem finding reissues
that sound as good and play as good as the real thing. Ive
tried original vintage pickups, Van Zandts, and Fralins in reissues
and it just hasnt worked for me. Ive tried everything.
Would it be fair to say then
that youve never found a reissue or Custom Shop guitar that
could match up with your vintage guitar of choice?
Yes. And theyre making the
best instruments they have in years, but the materials and the sound
just seem different to me. Maybe when the reissues are 40 years
old
Youd think it wouldnt
be that tough to nail a vintage Fender in all respects
Well, I think a 40-year old guitar
just sounds better for a lot of reasons, some of which no one understands.
The finishes were different. Theyve aged and mellowed, seasoned.
Maybe theres just no substitute for time, but I havent
found a reissue that I could be happy with.
What about good deals on amps
these days?
Prices on Fender BF amps have gone
screamin and I think its just that more people are realizing
how good they are. Silver face amps are still a good deal but theyre
going up. I mean, just 5 years ago or so blackface Vibrolux Reverbs
could be had for $1150, and now Ive sold them recently for
as much as $2500 and seen them higher than that. I found out a long
time ago that VRs were just about the perfect club amp. Ive
got 5 of them and Im not letting any of them go.
Has the Web changed things? We
used to find guitars going to pawn shops, great way to spend the
afternoon wasnt it? But inefficient by todays standards.
Oh, yeah. Id hear a rumor
about this guitar or that one and off Id go. But is the Internet
affecting and changing the market? I dont know, hard to say.
You know how this business is, you find something you like and you
say OK, let me think about it for 20 minutes. You come back, its
gone! Its gone! Happens to me all of the time. Demand is high.
The thing is, you gotta know as much as you can, as much as possible.
I also have a rule of thumb, if I ever have second thoughts, I dont
do it. If a guy cant answer a question, Ill usually
pass. And if I buy something and I discover a few things, I have
them fixed right or I tell the customer whats up with it.
With amps, you should expect to have to do some maintenance regardless
of condition. Its just part of buying amps. And I wont
sell an amp that hasnt been totally checked out and serviced.
Whats up with all the dealers
on the Web classifieds and Ebay advertising and buying? Theyre
all over the place. Doesnt all that friendly competition among
dealers ultimately drive up prices?
Sure, competition on desirable gear
is tough, and the margins are not what they used to be, either.
Theyre really silly. I have guys that bring stuff in my shop,
and I know they arent going to sell what they have to me.
They just want to get an idea of what retail value is so they can
take it to a guitar show or something like that. Theyll offer
to sell me a guitar for $100 under retail, but I obviously cant
keep my lights on for that. If I buy a Super Reverb for a grand
and sell it for $2000, Im by no means getting rich. Especially
when Ive had it serviced and cleaned up. The margins generally
speaking are pretty slim most of the time.
Whats your opinion of the
pricey historic reissues?
I love Gibson guitars
the
old ones. Selling any? I am always looking to buy the right one!
So call me at 248-420-8499.
randy@randyvolin.com
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