How Did Late MOUNTAIN Legend LESLIE WEST Get Such A Great Guitar Tone?

Greg Prato, reporting for Ultimate-Guitar.com:

It's impressive how many notable rock guitarists listed Mountain's Leslie West as either an influence or an all-time favorite - everyone from Randy Rhoads to Johnny Ramone. In addition to his second-to-none vibrato and phrasing (not to mention being an underrated vocalist and riff master), it was his massive guitar sound in the early '70s that remains unmatched.

However, there is a misconception concerning how he achieved his massive tone (give a listen to such guitar-heavy rockers as "Never In My Life," "Don't Look Around," and of course, "Mississippi Queen," to catch my drift). Although many seem to think that it was due to his Gibson Les Paul Junior, it was due in large part to his unorthodox amplifier set-up.

Former Guitar World editor-in-chief Brad Tolinski, and author of such books as Light And Shade: Conversations With Jimmy Page and Eruption: Conversations With Eddie Van Halen, certainly knows what he's talking about when it comes to equipment. And he explained the exact ingredients to create the classic "Leslie West guitar tone" in the book "Iconic Guitar Gear."

"He used a Les Paul Junior [1956], but what was interesting about Leslie was not so much about the guitar - it was his amplifier. Leslie was getting ready to go on tour, and he had an endorsement deal with Sunn amplifiers. And Sunn - by accident - sent him a PA head [quite possibly a Sunn Coliseum PA that ran on 6550 tubes] and speakers. And he had to go out and play, so he was like, 'What the fuck am I doing to do?'"

Read the full feature at Ultimate-Guitar.com.

(Photo - Justin Borucki)