Ibanez JEM Forum banner

Wes Borland, like him or not, he was...

23K views 50 replies 20 participants last post by  elcid 
#1 ·
I'm not a huge LB fan. I have the greatest hits CD from Walmart, so it's edited for language. I really like what Wes plays. I don't know if he's got shredability or not. But he's got amazing tone and plays all the right parts. But, the reason for this post is. I wanted to point out his ability to entertain.

Watch this my friends. It doesn't matter if you can play or not. If you can do THIS stuff, you got the audience eating out of your hand. This is the antithesis of Eric Johnson.

Funny thing is, he looks so goofy as a regular guy after seeing him made up for stage.



This video "Rollin" is one of their trademark hits I'd say. I really really like what Wes plays on the chorus, where the guitar does some kind of dropped pitch thing. I have no idea how he does it. I'm assuming it's a processor of some kind. Like a whammy pedal in reverse.



Also diggin the heck out of the snare on that song.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Ah, I had suspected he played a 4 string guitar in this video, just confirmed it with a little google search. Very cool. If you're playing low chords, no reason to have strings you don't need.



(from http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-884.html )

Wes Borland does not use EMG pickups. He uses the standard PRS Custom 22/24 pickups loaded into his guitars. He never used EMG's on the Ibanez 7 strings either. They were stock passive pickups that Ibanez helped formulate with Wes for his guitars to bring out the harmonics a lot more. He does play Mesa Boogie amps...specifically Triple Recto heads chained in a pair and uses a Dual Recto as a backup. He also uses the Roland JC-120 as the clean amp. He never made his 4 string guitar with his own hands either. That "Nookie" guitar was custom made and is strung with bass string sized guages to accmodate the slap and pop sound of the song.
 
#11 ·
I happened to see Limp Bizkit live - back in the day - and it was phenomenal. My gf at the time bought me the ticket - so I was obliged to go. But man did they put on a show. The lights were fantastic, and they definitely got the crowd going. Kudos to them for that at least. And Wes is crazy dude.
 
#21 ·
I think, regardless what anyone may think of Mr Durst, everyone will admit that Limp Bizkit did great pop-metal, nu-metal, whatever type of music it was. It certainly seemed to make the guys enough money and catapult their front man into the spotlight, which is exactly what he wanted.

Wes was a lot of fun on stage and in the UK at least seemed to be someone who was chasing out the shoe-gazing "britpop" phenomenon.

I think he had a great technique that was usually hidden behind his and the rest of the bands antics.
 
#23 ·
I think, regardless what anyone may think of Mr Durst, everyone will admit that Limp Bizkit did great pop-metal, nu-metal, whatever type of music it was.
I would disagree completely. LB and great are 3 words I would never put together under any circumstance. Maybe I would say they were the greatest brain dead frat boy rock band of their time. They opened for Faith No More on their last tour and it was just awful, maybe if I was 14 I would've liked them.
 
#26 ·
Yeah, Limp Bizkit is one of my guilty pleasures. Never cared a bit for Durst but dug the drumming, dug the bass lines, and what got me about Wes Borland wasn't really his 'technique' but rather his creativity. I really liked how he kind of painted these little soundscapes within the songs. Great use of technology/effects to achieve what he was going for. He did a HELL of a lot with some fairly simple but creative riffs.
 
#27 ·
Gilk.... you could always got to one of his combination art class/ guitar clinics! Watch a master at work.... I'd sure pay good money for that, wouldn't you? :lol:

I'll bet that sketch he does in this video will be worth millions someday! Multi talented..... guitar virtuoso/genius/artist! (Hope I got the order of those right) :lol:



Limp Bizket? I saw/heard a bunch of middle class white boys wanting to be all bad up with themselves, acting angry for no good reason, other than to dupe a youth crowd and make some money.

Gotta give them credit though..... it worked! What can you say.... marketing at it's best! ;)

Now I've got to go work on my "brush stroke" strumming technique..... I'm working on painting a new soundscape! ;)
 
#44 ·
That's what it's all about! To this day, I can pull out the dusty LB cd's and enjoy a listen. Wes did what Munky & Head did with their music, built layers by playing in an uncharacteristic way. Isn't that the kind of stuff that keeps us all listening intently?? Really, you hear a tune like "back in black" so many times and that's it....same few chords...over and over... When somone such as Wes can come up with innovative ways to texture songs...That stuff will hook me in every time, no matter who the front man is! Someone else is guiltyof the same thing....used to have a band named "Rage against the Machine"
BTW I do agree though the new stuff from Wes B's new band isn't very good.
 
#33 ·
Wasn't Fred the guy who gave Puddle Of Mudd a start? I thought I remembered hearing one of the lead singers demo CD's (tapes?) got to Fred at a concert and Fred got him started in the biz and helped him out quite a bit. So if nothing else, if this is true, Fred got a talented artist signed and recorded.

Anyone goto the auditions they had 6yrs ago in Jacksonville, FL when they were trying to replace Wes?

I considered going but never went.
 
#35 ·
Middle class white boys? Whatever preconception yiu have of these guys. It doesn't take away fro there talent. Until anyone here busting on them writes more hits, you got no argument. Also, what do you really know about them. Only what others want you to believe and have told you. Information is a commodity. You are only givin information about anyone in the public light that thise giving it to you want you to havel Unless you know them personally, it's a stretch to say what their motives are. Besids, who of us wouldn't play Rollin to make a load of cash. Its their job to write, record, sell, and preform music. No band should ever be minimalized for trying to make as much money as possible.
 
#37 ·
You're absolutely right about information..... what is available states that Wes Borlands father was a preacher..... nothing about poverty, or the ghetto. I haven't met a preacher or his/her family that was destitute!

Same with the others.... only Freds early years mention poverty. Then at 2yrs old, his mom remarried a policeman. I don't think many policemen fit into the poverty category either.......

But you have a point..... I don't personally know any of them! But again what is publicly known seems to fit the persona.

As far as the money..... gotta agree there too! (but play "rollin"?.... No!) To call them great musicians, no! Being a great musician has nothing to do with success or wealth, or for that matter platinum records! They worked good together, they had a marketable sound and the public was ripe for a change in music direction! Nothing more, nothing less.

Again, I give them props for being successful. But sorry, I still seen and heard middle class angst actin all bad up! But I also give them credit for blending HM with rap type lyrics..... But the angry rapper (with a valid reason) was around long before!

Oh, Darin..... one more thing, anyone who's a record/CD buying member of the public has every right to voice an opinion. Criticism is not something exclusive to just the hit makers, musicians in the limelight or record producers/exec's. All it takes is an ear, some objectivity, and the ability to justify your position based on the facts available...... ;)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top