John Bonham

Bonzodownunder said:
He's actually put out a book 📚📖 detailing aforementioned mics used in recording Bonham,
Or get a hold of Rythmm magazine 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin I V,
It's got a interview with Glyn John's
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I’ve got the book and it doesn’t go into it a great deal as he mentions he stumbled across the technique “by accident”

He mentions using Neumann U67’s (and later 47’s or Telefunken 251’s) on the drums when talking about moving mics to record guitars and that’s about it - but you “must have a drummer who gives you good sound in the first place”

Then there’s a photo page of the technique

It’s really not that in depth
 
For what its worth, all my recordings since 2017 have been done via the Glyn Johns method as well (I do have a snare mic so I guess technically 4 mics, but its not that loud and just provides some minor beef to the tone)
 
LittleDrummerMan said:
I've been wanting to kind of go with a John Bonham mic setup (which i know would be hella expensive considering the mics are vintage at this point), but I couldn't find much regarding his Glyn Johns method. I've done some research, but the most credible source was from Jeff Ocheltree on "Trust Your Ears", but the miking setup wasn't the Glyn Johns method, as he set up 2 bass drum mics, (one batter and one in the front), 2 overheads, 1 central overhead, and 2 room mics, and those mics were specified by name and model, as well as from another forum that said Bonham was fully miked up with SM57's at Showco. Does anyone possibly know what 3 mics he could've used with the Glyn Johns method? Most people say that he used an AKG D30 for the bass drum, and possibly the Beyerdynamic M160 and/or the Neumann U67 as the overhead and the back floor mic. I don't really need an exact setup, since his mics would change around in different studios, but i want an approximate resemblance of his setup.
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The Glyn Johns' setup used two large capsule Neumann tube condenser mics, from what I remember they were "M50's" But U47's or even U67's (tube U87's) would work.
The single overhead was set to "figure 8" with the sides of the mic orientated like the drummers ears over the kit.
The second M50 was set to either omni or cardioid pattern, set low in back of the 18" floor tom looking forward towards the ride.
Not sure of the kick drum mic, (D12?) but it wasn't close! Bonham did not want to be close miked!

Ron Nevison, physical graffiti:
Nevison only used two U67's or U87's as overheads on Bonham's kit, NOTHING ELSE!
custard pie, in my time of dying, trampled, KASMIR, in the light, 10 years gone, sick again, all recorded with only 2 overheads!
That is why his kick drum and toms sound so "distant" in kashmir........................

If you want to hear the difference between the two engineers back to back on the same album, listen to "in the light" (Nevison) and then "down by the seaside" (Jons)

Houses of the holy: D'Yer Mak'er (Eddie Kramer he did most of the album), No quarter (Johns).
 
Yep, Anthony, Tony, Marcus, William, Fred……

Whatever the name, too bad the guy is not showing up anymore….

Maybe how he said things was a problem for some, but WHAT he said always made lots of sense….

And the guy stays a nice player too btw…
 
To listen to him inspires me to the hilt yet if I listen long enough I feel tense?..is that the right word?..because he is so unbelievable that I'm like forget about it..youll never come close. The one thing that helps a bit is that I realize no one else will either then I can breathe a little. 😥.
 
I have 'borrowed' so much from Bonham for my own playing it's getting cheeky at this stage. He's the triplet king; hat, kick, kick or the snare, tom, kick are stonewall classics and are go tos for me for both grooves and fills. The FITR shuffle is a must learn imo.
He had power, but he was smooth and tasteful, just like a Rolls Royce.
 
scottser said:
I have 'borrowed' so much from Bonham for my own playing it's getting cheeky at this stage. He's the triplet king; hat, kick, kick or the snare, tom, kick are stonewall classics and are go tos for me for both grooves and fills. The FITR shuffle is a must learn imo.
He had power, but he was smooth and tasteful, just like a Rolls Royce.
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There was a local drummer in my town who even did the groovy facial expressions.
 
Bonzodownunder said:
This : Sound Man: A Life Recording Hits with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles , Eric Clapton, The Faces . . .
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I did read a book by Johns but not sure if it was that one. The one I read was kind of an autobiography/technique type book. He mentioned he was using a 3 mic system for the drums. I remember him saying David Geffin was trying to get him to go see The Eagles when they were just starting and he didn't want to go as he had seen them and didn't think much of them. Geffin wouldn't let up though and finally he went and realized he was looking at 4 lead singers. He ended up producing the first three or four albums.

Ok back to John Bonham.
 
I'd say John Bonham owes quite a bit to Jimmy Page's production skills. That's not to say Bonzo wasn't a monster... possibly "the" monster in regard to rock drumming. But Page's production skills really made his drums just leap out of the grooves of Zeppelin's LPs.

The thing about Bonham was that I get the feeling that quite possibly the best was yet to come. He sadly left us way too soon.

Ted Nugent:

"Kieth Moon, Janice Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix... incredible musicians. They all did drugs and they're dead. I didn't and I'm still Ted."
 
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