Dr. Phil
Roxy Music is one of the most sick and cool Glam Rock Bands that existed. Featuring the vocal stylings of Bryan Ferry and also Brian Eno (before he left), there was also a very sick and original guitarist in the band whose name was not Brian. It was Phil Manzanera. His unique rock guitar tone took the world by storm on classic records suck as Country Life, Siren and For Your Pleasure. You may think it would be difficult to achieve the Phil-tone on guitar without spending lots of money, however that’s not true. Using this simple guide you can sound like Phil & Roxy music on a budget.
Get a Guitar
The first step to sounding like Phil is to get the right guitar. He plays expensive guitars such as a Gibson Les Paul, a Fender Stratocaster along with his signature Gibson Firebird VII. These guitars likely cost over $500 each and are clearly out of the price range for the aspiring guitarist on a budget who wants to sound like Phil. So why not go for something a little cheaper? All guitars sound the same, so it won’t make a difference if you get a cheaper one.
Why not try this 38″ Black Acoustic Guitar Starter Package from Best Choice Products. It’s a cool looking sleek black guitar that looks like something Phil would probably play. It is small, only 38″ which is less than 4 feet, so you can carry it around with you. It also comes with a great set of accessories, including a Pitch Pipe which is a thing you blow on to find the notes you supposed to tune to. It’s much easier and more convenient than a digital tuner and doesn’t require batteries or power. For less than $40 you can sound alot like Phil Manzanera.
Amps
Rock guitarists need amps to make the loud rock sounds and amplify the guitar signal to make it loud and fill the stadium with their noise. Everyone from Phil to Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen has used amps to amplify the guitar sound they made.
Why not go for the classic, the Marshall JCM800
It’s the classic “Phil” sound in a box, and at under $3000 that’s a price that cannot be beat. This is the amp, but you will also need to get a cab for this too. But once you get it you will sound very, very loud and fill out all the rooms with the Roxy Music songs you are playing.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness
Phil’s guitars are always nice and shiny so you’ll want yours to be that way too.
Get the Ernie Ball guitar polish to make your new Best Choice Products acoustic shiny all year round. Don’t embarass yourself with a dusty guitar facade. This is a big no-no among people in the music industry.
You Are What You Eat
If you want to be like Phil, part of that will involve eating foods similar to what he would eat. Since he’s an Englishman from London, why don’t you get your hands on some Baked Beans, Hot Dogs, Tomatoes and Eggs (and that’s for breakfast).
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For dinner, you should have either Fish and Chips or a Yorkshire pudding
All of this and more can be found in the recipe books on British cooking.
In Conclusion
Following these steps and picking up this gear will help you to be more like Phil and sound like a Roxy Music type of sound.