lead guitar from “james bond theme” by the john barry seven & orchestra (guitar by vic flick) | ToneDB
james bond theme
the john barry seven & orchestra (guitar by vic flick)
lead guitar
From The Benchv2.0
SOURCES 3 · DOCUMENTED 6 · REPORTED 1 · INFERRED 1 · VERIFIED SEP 2026
Tone Profile
A hard, round, plectrum-driven archtop tone with a fast attack and short sustain, more twang than growl, sitting inside a brass section rather than on top of it. It sounds like a big hollow guitar hit hard through a clean amp in a live room.
Gear
- Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxeinstrument
- ReverbSweetwater
- Fender Vibroluxamp
- ReverbSweetwater
- DeArmond volume pedalprocessing
- ReverbSweetwater
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The Story
The James Bond Theme for Dr. No was recorded at CTS Studios in London in June 1962, composed by Monty Norman and arranged by John Barry. Vic Flick played the motif on his 1939 Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe, an English archtop built for dance-band rhythm, with a DeArmond pickup near the bridge and a crushed cigarette packet wedged under it to bring it closer to the strings. The pickup ran through a DeArmond volume pedal into a Fender Vibrolux he had bought that year, just before the session. The orchestra cut it in one take in what the studio called compatible stereo, so the guitar sits in the room with the band. Some accounts credit a Vox AC15 instead, which is unconfirmed; Flick's own account names the Fender Vibrolux.
Production Credits
Recorded at: CTS Studios, London
Signal Chain
Instrument: Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe
Amp: Fender Vibrolux
Processing: DeArmond volume pedal
Other: DeArmond pickup
Recreation Tips
- Use a big hollow or semi-hollow archtop with a floating or bridge-position single-coil pickup; a solidbody gets you close but loses the thump.
- Pick hard with a heavy plectrum near the bridge and mute lightly with the palm so the notes stop quickly.
- Run into a clean, mid-powered tube amp with the volume low enough to stay clean and the treble up; no overdrive, no pedal grit.
- If you have a volume pedal, ride it into the phrase rather than swelling; the point is dynamics, not effect.
- Record in a live room with a little natural reverb and a distant mic, or add a short room reverb rather than a plate or hall.
- Play the motif slightly ahead of the beat and let the brass carry the weight underneath.
Original Gear
- Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe(guitar)
- Fender Vibrolux(amp)
- DeArmond volume pedal(pedal)
Substitutions & Recommendations
Alternative to: Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe
A full hollow body with the acoustic thump the motif needs; the bridge pickup does the twang.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe
Closer to a dance-band archtop in size and voice.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: DeArmond pickup
A current reissue of the floating pickup family Flick used.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Fender Vibrolux
The same name and a clean, bright Fender platform; keep the reverb almost off.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Fender Vibrolux
Clean enough at low volume and cheap enough to own.
ReverbSweetwaterSources
- Vic Flick, Vintage Guitar magazine (interview)
“Mostly, I used a DeArmond pickup through a DeArmond pedal and then into a Fender Vibrolux amp.”
- Vic Flick, guitarist behind the iconic James Bond theme, has died, Guitar Player
“I placed the DeArmond pickup near the bridge. I put a crushed cigarette packet underneath it. That helped to get that round sound.”
- James Bond Theme, Wikipedia
“played by Vic Flick on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier.”
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