Tone Timeline
Mike Bloomfield — Tone Evolution
Mike Bloomfield was the first American rock guitarist to gain critical acclaim for technical ability — his work with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Bob Dylan introduced the British blues approach to American audiences before Clapton or Page were widely known in the US.
1964–1967: Butterfield Blues Band / Highway 61 Revisited
Bloomfield's East-West (1966, Butterfield Blues Band) was a landmark — two side-long tracks (East-West in particular) showed American blues-rock guitar capable of jazz-level improvisation. He used a 1954 Les Paul Custom through a Fender amplifier, establishing his warm but cutting tone. His appearance on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited (1965) — particularly Like a Rolling Stone — introduced him to a massive audience.
Signal Chain
1968–1981: Electric Flag / Solo Work
↑ Late Bloomfield varied between recording contexts — acoustic blues explorations and electric rock sessions; the Les Paul remained constant but the creative focus was intermittent.
Bloomfield's Electric Flag was ambitious but short-lived. His solo work of the 1970s is inconsistent but occasionally brilliant. He struggled with drug addiction throughout the decade. His best late work — Analine, If You Love These Blues — shows the Les Paul/Fender tone intact and a musician still capable of extraordinary playing when focused. He died of a drug overdose in 1981 at age 37.
Signal Chain