Song Rig

To Swing or Not to Swing

Barney Kessel · To Swing or Not to Swing · 1955

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

The most technically ambitious early Kessel recording — a longer, exploratory improvisation that shows his ability to sustain interest over an extended solo form. The ES-350 tone remains consistent throughout, demonstrating that the jazz guitar tone ideal of the 1950s was a fixed, consistent warmth rather than a dynamic, variable colour.

Signal Chain

1Gibson ES-350
2Clean amp

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume1

Bass6

Mid7

Treble6

Reverb2

Consistent throughout the extended improvisation — jazz guitar tone in the 1950s was treated as a fixed instrument voice, not a variable expressive element. The guitar's inherent resonance provides all tonal variation.

Technique

How to Play It

Extended solo development — over a long improvisation, Kessel structures his solo in waves: a relatively simple opening, increasing complexity through the middle sections, then a return to melodic simplicity for the resolution. This 'sonata form' approach to jazz improvisation creates satisfying long-form solos.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

ES-175 → clean amp → practice recording improvised solos longer than 2 minutes and then analysing them: where did you reach maximum complexity? Did you resolve satisfactorily? Structure extended solos the way a classical composer structures a movement.

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