Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Me and my guitar: James Bay and his Epiphone '1966' Century. So it could be the actual wood that’s different. Bay himself admits he is very choosy about guitars because, in his head, he thinks “every guitar should be perfect. Thank you for signing up to Musicradar. I can’t lie – in the back of my mind, I thought these things might help me achieve what I want to achieve. “It’ll be a good challenge”). 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James Bay has joined other musicians in the world of Instagram Live, going back to his roots by teaching guitar to self-isolating fans - something he says was “really quite a scary thing to do.” It can’t just be the second pickup, an extra P-90’s not that heavy. Dunno why! https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/james-bay-40922.php James Bay greets NME over Zoom from his home in London, guitar plectrum in one hand, mug of tea in the other. James Bay - Peer Pressure (Acoustic / Audio) ft. Julia Michaels. We went down to Matt Umanov Guitars there, it’s been there since 1965. In our final part of our look at the stylings of the legendary Three Kings, we tackle the searing style of Freddie King. “And even though the brown one is older, there’s something about the red ’66 that is lacking in lacquer that makes it breathe so nicely. I'll be going live again tomorrow (Friday 27th March) for lesson 2 at 5pm UK time. An Epiphone Century, like any guitar, isn’t going to suit every situation. He’s taking a well-earned hour away … James Bay - Peer Pressure (live on the Ellen DeGeneres Show / 2019) ft. Julia Michaels. Offering a spectrum of vintage to modern fuzz sounds. Yeah, I’d love to be wailing away, improvising over a 12-bar for three hours – that’s how I spent my teenage life in my bedroom! “He couldn’t play it, though. It depends what you want out of playing, what you want from the outset, I know that. The brown one responds better to a plain G string than the red one. I did go noiseless, though, because I want to play that guitar on TV. They’ve come for a chorus, a lyric, a melody, a feel… and a fancy bit of guitar if they can take it. The Northern Irish bluesman’s kinetic style fused blues and rock with a virtuosity that inspired scores of guitar players – here are the fundamentals of his technique. “One thing I love, that is so hard to find out about, is that my red one seems to have a particularly narrow headstock. It still sounds like a P-90. With new finishes, and the first appearance of the Custom 24-08. Following in the footsteps of 2020’s hugely impressive Inspired By Gibson solidbodies, Epiphone turns its attention to the mighty ES-335. “My life was maaaade [laughs]. “True. This week's playlist features forgotten recordings, new reissues and monster riffery. But I kept the original and had one modelled exactly on it by a guy in New York. “I went back on the Matt Umanov website when I got back home, as I’d promised myself I would buy the Century when, or if, I was next in New York. Easy acoustic guitar tab by James Bay. It wasn’t just flat red. He tells G&B how he did it, where he’s going next, and how his 1966 Epiphone Century was nearly the one that got away…. “But I certainly don’t have any problems with them. And he’d got his Century. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. © James Bay on guitar tones, his second album and why he’s so excited about his signature Epiphone ‘1966’ Century “I’m a huge P-90 fan; this is actually a Kinman Noiseless [Sweet Neck] P-90. James Michael Bay (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. So, I finished music college when I was 20, turned 21, and I was looking at my life clock. “When I was 18, I had a year where I finished school and I wasn’t doing anything else yet - so I taught guitar for a year the best I could,” he says. The Limited Edition James Bay "1966" Century Outfit includes a Kinman Noiseless "Sweet Neck" P-90 single coil pickup, a Sixties-era Rosewood bridge with brass wheels, Wilkinson machine heads, USA electronics and a Sixties-era-inspired hard case. But they also had this beautiful red Epiphone. I’d just picked up this gorgeous guitar with a wound G string when I thought I was going to be buying this cool soloing guitar, and it wasn’t that at all, really… But I also thought, this could be what I need for my playing, this could give me that more ‘fighting’ approach. Suffice to say, if he finds another Royal Burgundy ’66 Epiphone Century, James Bay will now be able to afford it. Familiar shape, familiar dimensions, opened it up, and there was the guitar, sent by Republic.” James Bay had got his record deal. It’d be naïve to say, ‘Ohh, it all just happened’. Every era has its own inseparable duo of star and guitar, and while 25-year-old Bay is some way yet from the stellar company listed above, he’s undoubtedly looking up. He simply loves music. Indeed, it was one “rule” Bay did adopt for Chaos And The Calm. Print and download Scars sheet music by James Bay. “I still think a lot of even really experienced guitar players appreciate that an acoustic is a good thing to learn on. The genre-bending trio smash together alt-rock and jazz to create a fresh, interesting space somewhere in between…. But this was particularly special beyond the colour. And TV studios suck for P-90s. “Later, I had an Epiphone EJ-200…” By his late teens, Bay was playing live and was a student at the Brighton Institute Of Modern Music (see also, Tom Odell, George Ezra, The Kooks). SPARKS song guitar chords & lyrics by artist James Bay and +52 more. But its era means his Century is a ‘Kalamazoo’ Epiphone, that is to say, one made in the main Gibson factory of the time. BIMM is justifiably proud of its student, but Bay is at pains to point out he’s no production-line popstar: “I left early. 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It wasn’t very good…” his voice tails off, diplomatically. Hey everyone who is learning this brilliant song by James Bay. Who knows, though, where I’ll be in 10 years? Different to any other Epiphones, LG shape or dreadnought shape that I’ve had. James Bay tabs, chords, guitar, bass, ukulele chords, power tabs and guitar pro tabs including hold back the river, let it go, best fake smile, if you ever want to be in love, incomplete Every era has its own inseparable duo of star and guitar, and while 25-year-old Bay is some way yet from the stellar company listed above, he’s undoubtedly looking up. James Bay and his red Epiphone Century? Ridiculous, right? Though the timing going into the bridge may initially feel strange, I find it's best to think of the tempo throughout the song as around 140 as opposed to the 70 it might feel like. “I wasn’t a super-efficient teacher, but I was decent.”. But that’s enough in a set where it’s not really in the blues ‘genre’. Learn to play guitar by chord / tabs using chord diagrams, transpose the key, watch video lessons and much more. You can find all the lessons on his YouTube channel, and a sample of some of the most popular ones below. 1969 was the last year that Gibson made Centurys… there were 11! I’m sorry this is last-minute, but I’ve got to go to New York and sign a record deal’,” Bay remembers, laughing. He immediately went there: “I had the time. I just hope I’m still here, playing.”, Despite his growing knowledge of production runs and Epiphone Century history, James Bay remains intrigued by his ’66’s uniqueness. I’ve since found out there were 366, I think, made in ’66. It’s now a very different story. James Bay fans rejoice! “My basic point is, when you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s when people can come up with truly brilliant things. An Epiphone Century…” Bingo. In 2014, he released his single "Hold Back the River", which has been certified platinum, before releasing his debut studio album Chaos and the Calm (2015). I don’t know. His debut album, Chaos And The Calm, is now so ubiquitous you’d be forgiven for thinking every track has been a single; in fact, it’s ‘only’ six out of 12. I just wanted to say it.” Gigging in and around London followed, supported by money from bar work: “Hated it. Aged 14, that’s what floated my boat. And the rest, as they say, is the rest…”. Why are these guitars not more?’ I mean, there’s no reason to make them more expensive, even as ‘vintage’ instruments, but they are fascinating to me. Quite a few guitar players had never even heard of an Epiphone Century. I had a lot of time back then.”, The package was “a big box. Bay’s since bought another, his brown ’65 Century with dual P-90s and what he believes to be a factory-fitted Bigsby. Choose and determine which version of Let It Go chords and Guitar tabs by James Bay you can play. “Even the solos I do play in the set at the moment are somewhat written, they’re not out-and-out improvisation. But there will be more overt guitar work on my records in the future, if I can help it. I wanted to get my songwriting chops across. And there it was: but with a ‘Sold’ notice on it.” It was unwieldy, not easy to play… it sets you in good stead for whatever comes after that.”. Stay safe, and come back next Wednesday at 5pm for lesson 3 x James Bay, A photo posted by @jamesbaymusic on Mar 28, 2020 at 10:28am PDT, Had a great time breaking down Let It Go with you all on Instagram live yesterday! In February 2015, Bay received the Brit Awards "Critics' Choice" award. “I’d only been to New York once, with my parents. And we can say from our experiences filming James in the past, he's a natural and engaging talker. Check back for more lessons at James Bay's Instagram. I was sort of obsessed with Greenwich Village, this notion of the beautiful, idyllic, creative place, right? Crackly, fuzzy, buzzy… give me that’. Can the tone of an $80,000 amplifier be captured in a stompbox? “What is it about guitarists and red guitars?” he questions himself. Now he's putting his downtime to use in a positive way on the current COVID-19 lockdown by taking to Instagram Live to give guitar lessons – and the first two are on his biggest hits. I’ve always adopted the Keith Richards approach. Bay’s red (or, officially, Royal Burgundy) Epiphone Century is from 1966. Please refresh the page and try again. I was coming round to electric guitar again, but I wanted to do shows on my own, still. I thought, ‘Hang on, I’m not some 19-year-old who’s signed a huge record deal like I dreamed about. How to build a basic Fuzz Face clone from scratch and turn it into a ‘boutique’ version with precision biasing, transistor switching and more. I’m 21!’ It sounds harsh, because I know you can get into music at any point in life, but I became very aware that I was doing not much more than working in a bar.”. Apr 5th 2019. He’d got it off my uncle… he didn’t play either.” Inspired by hearing his dad’s Derek And The Dominos Layla album – not exactly the zenith of cool at the turn of the century – young James discovered he had some talent. In case you missed it or want to give it another go, here’s the full video. Tune in for Hold Back The River! P-90 pickups replaced the New York model pickups in 1960, before the guitar was discontinued in the USA in 1969/70. I have been to see Epiphone since, up at the company [now in Nashville], and they had all these amazing old booklets and lists of stuff. We provide insight and opinion about gear, artists, technique and the guitar industry for all genres and skill levels. Introducing to play "Let It Go Tab" by James Bay. “They both originally had a wooden bridge, but I’ve put a metal bridge with individual saddles on the brown one just to mess with it a bit – sort of make it more of an electric guitar. © 2021 Guitar.com is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. Plugged into “one of those little cigarette box amplifier things”, Bay played the Century and was instantly smitten. And Matt’s still running that place, I think. There was a problem. I only did two years. That guitar, and me, basically wrote the whole album. And it was hollow-bodied, which was great, as I was just one man and an acoustic guitar at the time. No deal, no new/old guitar. Beck’s 2002 break-up album is a haunting listen that blends direct and simple songwriting with sophisticated, emotionally charged guitar playing. Sales and praise have become constant companions: three Grammy nominations, Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello, mentoring from The Rolling Stones, the on-message charity single (Running)… and so it continues. Fixing a tiny guitar presents unique challenges. As soon as the men in white coats come in – I know that doesn’t exist anymore – and any dial goes into the red, they’d turn it down. Sorry, tangent there! He seems to be fighting with his instrument. The December 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! They asked to meet Bay. It was funny when I first picked it up, though: I was simultaneously broken-hearted and elated. Born in the small market town of Hitchin – population 33,000, “famous” for pioneering the use of black bin bags – he started playing guitar, aged 11, on an old nylon-string classical of his father’s. The Wild Love and Let It Go singer has started a series of guitar lessons teaching viewers how to play some of his hits. James Bay's gear and equipment including the Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar and Shure SM7B Vocal Dynamic Microphone. Get the gear to sound like James Bay and get their tone. We take a look at what happened during the first half of the 60s and compare amplifiers from the brown and black-panel eras. “The brown one was 900 quid in a sale, in England. It was potent. Eric Clapton’s solo career since 1970 has encompassed everything from rootsy JJ Cale-alike shuffles to shiny AOR to stark acoustic blues. Eddie Van Halen and his masking-taped ‘Frankenstrat’. I have had to change the pickup on my (red) Century, though: it gave up the ghost last year. Guitar-Link.com, Guitar Chords and Lyrics. “The walnut one is a bit of a backup for the red ’66, really. Instead of his favourite Hamstead head and cab, he must ‘settle’ for Fenders (“That’s fine!” he chirps. Heavily overdriven and distorted electric guitar tones have been around a lot longer than you might think. “It sounds a bit knobby, but I think the crowd deserve better than that. Neil Young and his ‘Old Black’ Les Paul… James Bay and his red Epiphone Century? James Michael Bay (born 4 September 1990) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. For a start, you could really see the grain of the wood. It was a few days later when Bay got a call saying a package had arrived at his manager’s office. Last updated on 11.17.2016 The smaller shape still offers a full sound thanks to Taylor’s C-Class bracing. But, for now, I’ve made the concerted effort not to be a ‘noodler’. Bay used to be a guitar teacher and now he's showing fans how to play Hold Back The River, Let It Go and more. And Keith would say: ‘turn it up! All rights reserved. Here’s an overview of the best and his highly influential classic gear, too... We head into psychedelic territory in our second part of our John Lennon lesson, as we explore the chords and sequences used by a man spreading his creative wings. What came next was a Yamaha Pacifica electric – but “I wasn’t feeling anything remotely ‘Strat’ in me, so I sold it” – and then an Epiphone Les Paul Special II: “from the money for the Pacifica and pennies I’d saved from working down the market. I appreciate they’re not coming for guitar solos. Bay understands these things are important. The November 2020 issue of Guitar Magazine is out now! It’s a debut album. “I really believe in aesthetics, imagery, iconography, branding if you want to call it that,” he explains. No-one’s complained. And the base of the headstock on other Centurys I have seen is wider. Anyway, they had a load of Strats, Gretsches and so on… and behind the counter all these old Martins, Gibsons. US Chords by James Bay. Fortune would have it that a friend had posted a video of one of Bay’s pub performances on YouTube, and unlikely interest was piqued from New York label Republic Records. Bay insists the Century’s visual allure was only part of the package. This was more on my own terms. Download our free apps for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC and interact with your sheet music anywhere with in-app transposition, text & highlighter markup and adjustable audio/video playback. Not a bad return for one man and his guitar. James Bay all, Official, Chords, Tabs, Pro, Power, Bass Tabs, Video, Ukulele Chords tabs including let it go, hold back the river, us, if you ever want to be in love, move together It’s just a bit better.”. I took the Bigsby off recently just to have a closer look, and it’s a heavier body, definitely. The ballad-y songs and the rockier ones like Hold Back The River… all written on that guitar.”. 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