Four on Six

The recording

Four on Six was recorded for Wes Montgomery’s 1960 Riverside LP *The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery*. The session featured his brother Monk Montgomery on bass, Albert Heath on drums, and Tommy Flanagan on piano. Montgomery’s tone was captured by thumb‑picking his Gibson L‑5 archtop at the neck position, run through a clean Fender amp, producing a warm, rounded mid‑range that sits prominently in the mix.

Tuning Standard (E A D G B E)

Reported gear

Gibson L-5

Guitar

Montgomery used his signature Gibson L‑5 archtop on the original 1960 recording, delivering the warm, neck‑pickup tone heard on Four on Six.

Fender Super Reverb

Amp

A clean Fender Super Reverb is commonly attributed to Montgomery’s tone on Four on Six, providing a bright, low‑distortion platform for his archtop’s output.

Alternatives

Grote Jazz Electric

Budget alternative · for the Gibson L-5

$150 to 180

Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue

Reissue · for the Fender Super Reverb

$1,500 to $2,800

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Use the fleshy tip of your thumb for picking, not a plastic pick.
2. 2.Play at the neck pickup position to capture the warm, rounded tone.
3. 3.Apply the octave technique by fretting the same note on a higher string while simultaneously sounding the octave on a lower string.
4. 4.Mute unwanted strings with the fretting hand to isolate single notes.
5. 5.Focus on smooth, legato phrasing and let the amp’s clean response ring out.