9/11/22

Playthrough: Blue Bell by Merle Travis

This is my cover of Merle Travis' "Blue Bell" -- specifically the version on Travis' "Walkin' the Strings" album. Like many Merle Travis tunes, he recorded this song several times, and each version is a little different. The "Walkin' the Strings" version of "Blue Bell" is quite upbeat, clocking in at about 220bpm.

While the front cover of "Walkin' the Strings" features Travis holding Gibson archtop (Super 400) with P-90 pickups, "Blue Bell" is clearly played with an acoustic guitar -- most likely Merle's Martin D28.

The mic I am using to record this cover is a Royer R-121 ribbon mic going into an AEA RPQ 500 preamp.

I hope you enjoy this little playthrough!

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