Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Mr. Air on March 18, 2011, 05:07:37 PM

Title: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Mr. Air on March 18, 2011, 05:07:37 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a30ThNCrEek&feature=related

Title: Re: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Philly Q on March 18, 2011, 11:22:00 PM

Enjoyed that.  Interesting that he plays a "proper" left-handed Strat but uses upside-down stringing.

Title: Re: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Ian Price on March 19, 2011, 08:28:12 AM

Quote from: Philly Q on March 18, 2011, 11:22:00 PM

Enjoyed that.  Interesting that he plays a "proper" left-handed Strat but uses upside-down stringing.

I noticed that too, very odd indeed. Are there any benefits to doing that or is it something that he might have just got used to?

Title: Re: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Mr. Air on March 19, 2011, 08:43:37 AM

Quote from: Ian Price on March 19, 2011, 08:28:12 AM

Quote from: Philly Q on March 18, 2011, 11:22:00 PM

Enjoyed that.  Interesting that he plays a "proper" left-handed Strat but uses upside-down stringing.

I noticed that too, very odd indeed. Are there any benefits to doing that or is it something that he might have just got used to?

I think it's just something he's used to from his early days of playing. I think I read somewhere that a part of Hendrix's sound was that he played a right hand up side down but normally strung. This gave a special tone because of the pickup configuration. I think it's because of the angled bridge pickup on a strat, but I'm not sure.

Title: Re: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Philly Q on March 19, 2011, 11:13:41 AM

I can see where he's going with the Hendrix thing, sound-wise.  The "Hendrix setup" also gives different string tension because the low strings have a greater length behind the nut (if you're playing a Strat or Tele, obviously doesn't apply if it's a V or Les Paul!). 

But Hendrix still had the strings the normal way up (with the low strings furthest from the floor!).  By also having the strings upside-down, Uffe Steen is more in Albert King territory - it must be very weird playing chords that way.

Fender made a Strat called the Voodoo Strat for a while - it was a normal right-handed model, but with a reverse headstock and reverse-slanted bridge pickup.  So you could get the components of the "Hendrix sound" without having an upside-down body or having to adapt to upside-down controls.  I think for a while Robin Trower was using a normal Strat with a reverse-slanted bridge pickup, too.

Title: Re: Uffe Steen - World class guitar player
Post by: Mr. Air on March 19, 2011, 08:57:17 PM

I must say that I have always disliked the look of a reverse headstock. It just screams: WRONG!