Lenny Kravitz

[Obed]

So, I was watching Lenny Kravitz performing on MSN.com... he's playing an Eiphone in a couple of songs. Looks like a ES-175 Reissue

[Guest]

So' date=' I was watching Lenny Kravitz performing on MSN.com... he's playing an Eiphone in a couple of songs. Looks like a ES-175 Reissue[/quote']

 

The guitar used on "Let Love Rule" is a vintage Kalamazoo Epiphone Sorrento (made between 1960 and 1970-Lenny's was made after 1962 judging by the headstock). The later Asian reissue Sorrentos were quite different from the originals since they used P-90's making them more like a single cut Casino. The Sorrento was the Epiphone version of the Gibson ES-125T and came with either one or two PAF mini humbuckers. The Gibson ES-125T came with P-90's.

 

...and Al's your uncle

[JefferySmith]

They had one of those in my local guitar place a little while back.

 

 

It think it was going for about $2.5K.

[SkEpTiKaL]

They had one of those in my local guitar place a little while back.

 

 

It think it was going for about $2.5K.

 

Sweet guitar but wow, that is one bright couch.

[JefferySmith]

That's International Vintage Guitars, sort of a hippie leftover from the 60's. I use the guy there for setups, but don't buy anything because everyone and their mother goes in and plays the guitars while sitting on that sofa. Thus, everything is "used".

[layboomo]

Nice guitar...but LK sucks! He's way over-rated IMHO.

[brad1]

Nice guitar...but LK sucks! He's way over-rated IMHO.

 

Lenny plays drums, piano and keyboards, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and does all the vocals on most of all his albums.

And all you can say is "LK sucks!" and he's over-rated.

Well, you certainly have a right to state your opinion.

But IMO You are out of your mind!!!

I have always thought he was very much UNDER-rated!

I'd really like to hear you do better.

 

It's so easy to just say somebody sucks.

And give no reason or info to support your statement.

[Biff]

I sure hope LK doesn't suck these days since I already have tickets for a gig here in June.

 

I remember I was truly blown away when Let Love Rule came out, his sound and simple but effective songs were something amazing. Since then he's had both a few hits and misses but his funky '60s/'70s analog 8-track sound is still almost the same. In my books he is still one of the few genuine rock stars, a professonal musician with passion instead of a corporate hand puppet for a giant marketing department ...

[Epiphany]

 

Lenny plays drums' date=' piano and keyboards, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and does all the vocals on most of all his albums.

And all you can say is "LK sucks!" and he's over-rated.

Well, you certainly have a right to state your opinion.

But IMO You are out of your mind!!!

I have always thought he was very much UNDER-rated!

I'd really like to hear you do better.

 

It's so easy to just say somebody sucks.

And give no reason or info to support your statement.

[/quote']

 

Agreed.

[layboomo]

To each his own I guess.....if you like him go see him and buy his albums....I just don't see the virtuoso in LK that some do. I don't base my opinions on my playing in relation to anyone elses.......that's not what I'm saying here at all. My statement has absolutely nothing to do with my playing ability or lack there of. I've read reviews that make the guy sound like the next Hendrix and for me it's just not so.....and yes I've seen him live and I was pretty underwhelmed by the band to be totally honest with you. Particularly the drummer. He obviously doesn't suck.....that was a poor choice of words....but he doesn't blow me away as a guitar player either.

[bear222]

I kind of agree with ya Boom, everything of his I've heard I kinda go "heard it all before" nothing new or exciting to me.

[JefferySmith]

To each his own I guess.....if you like him go see him and buy his albums....I just don't see the virtuoso in LK that some do. I don't base my opinions on my playing in relation to anyone elses.......that's not what I'm saying here at all. My statement has absolutely nothing to do with my playing ability or lack there of. I've read reviews that make the guy sound like the next Hendrix and for me it's just not so.....and yes I've seen him live and I was pretty underwhelmed by the band to be totally honest with you. Particularly the drummer. He obviously doesn't suck.....that was a poor choice of words....but he doesn't blow me away as a guitar player either.

You did say IMHO, which shouldn't require an apology. An opinion is an opinion.

[JRicoC]

The guitar used on "Let Love Rule" is a vintage Kalamazoo Epiphone Sorrento

 

Most of Let Love Rule sounds like a John Lennon tribute. It's not surprising Lenny primarily used an Epi to record it.

[layboomo]

You know the funny thing is.....I heard the drummer.....I believe her name is Cindy playing Jazz and she was Amazing! Just in that band.....I don't know maybe it was a bad night,but they just didn't blow me away. Can you suggest a track or 2 for me to listen to that showcases Lenny's guitar playing a little more? I'll give it another shot.

[JRicoC]

Can you suggest a track or 2 for me to listen to that showcases Lenny's guitar playing a little more? I'll give it another shot.

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a track that "showcases" Lenny's guitar playing. Lenny's a songwriter whose primary instrument is guitar. I don't think anyone, Lenny included, would call him a "guitarist", any more than you would do so for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen or Prince.

[PP_CS336]

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a track that "showcases" Lenny's guitar playing. Lenny's a songwriter whose primary instrument is guitar. I don't think anyone' date=' Lenny included, would call him a "guitarist", any more than you would do so for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen or Prince.

[/quote']

 

JRico...hold on bro'! I don't think that Prince should be mentioned in the same sentence as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and

Bruce Springstein. Granted all are songwriters. And although I'm not a fan of Prince, the man, IMO, can play a guitar in the sense that you could call him a guitarist as well as an artist. Like I said, I'm not saying this because I'm a Prince

fan. I really don't care for his music style, but he is a guitarist, IMO.

[Obed]

 

The guitar used on "Let Love Rule" is a vintage Kalamazoo Epiphone Sorrento (made between 1960 and 1970-Lenny's was made after 1962 judging by the headstock). The later Asian reissue Sorrentos were quite different from the originals since they used P-90's making them more like a single cut Casino. The Sorrento was the Epiphone version of the Gibson ES-125T and came with either one or two PAF mini humbuckers. The Gibson ES-125T came with P-90's.

 

...and Al's your uncle

 

If that's the guitar in the picture above, I don't think that's the one I saw him play. Looks similar in body shape, but it had two pickups. And I don't know about you, but I wouldn't bring my '62 vintage guitar on tour. That baby would be strictly for recording! I think in the concert, "Let Love Rule" was a song he was just singing on and then switched to playing some slap bass to jam with the horn guy.

[Obed]

 

Lenny plays drums' date=' piano and keyboards, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and does all the vocals on most of all his albums.

[/quote']

 

Yeah, I got a lot of respect for him on that front. I've done recordings where I play everything, and I gotta tell you, it usually sounds like my creativity has been spread thin. I do much better with a real band.

 

I like a lot of Lenny's stuff, but some of it I don't. He's real diverse. It's hard to pigeonhole him into any style.

[Big Norm]

Just to mention that in the UK magazine "INCUT LEGENDS" there is a listing of the top 100 guitar players...and Neil Young is #4 just after Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Keith Richards...I'm not giving my opinion overhere...just telling you what I've read in this magazine...#5 is George Harrison, followed by Eric Clapton, Johnny Marr (That I don't know at all ), Angus Young, Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend... It sound surprising to me that you named Neil Young not being a Guitarist !!!!

The Magazine is from UK...so maybe they don't think like the North American that we are, but still...

[Big Norm]

Just went to Wikipedia...and read this...

In a "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list in the June 1996 issue of Mojo magazine, Young was ranked number 9.

[layboomo]

 

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a track that "showcases" Lenny's guitar playing. Lenny's a songwriter whose primary instrument is guitar. I don't think anyone' date=' Lenny included, would call him a "guitarist", any more than you would do so for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen or Prince.

[/quote']

 

Well Prince IS one hell of a guitar player whether you like his writing or not....don't really understand the list or the analogy completely. Why is it that songwriters get a pass on musicianship so often? I'm sorry but I really don't think Lenny is in the same league as Dylan,Young or Springsteen to be quite honest. Those guys were all innovators and while Lenny pays homage to the 60's and 70's in his writing and playing........it's not particularly innovative or fresh to me. I do however find his music refreshing and I would much rather listen to LK than much of what his contemporaries are putting out. I'm probably just old..........that happens to everyone eventually!

[JRicoC]

That was not an analogy, nor was it any attempt to measure the relative creativity or proficiency of any of the artists mentioned. It was just a categorization. Those artists' guitar playing does very little to define who they are as musicians, and stands in stark contrast to comparable (i.e., primarily guitar-playing singer-songwriting) contemporaries of Kravitz such as Dave Matthews, Matthew Sweet and Ben Harper; each of whom has a highly-recognizable and defined guitar style.