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rhythm guitar from “bad moon rising” by creedence clearwater revival | ToneDB

bad moon rising

creedence clearwater revival

rhythm guitar

75% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A raw, slightly overdriven guitar tone with a bright, cutting edge, characteristic of early rock and roll. The sound is direct and punchy, fitting the song's driving rhythm.

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The Story

John Fogerty recorded the rhythm guitar for "Bad Moon Rising" using a Gibson ES-335 through a Kustom K200-A4 amplifier at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. The Kustom solid-state amp, with its characteristic bright and cutting tone, provided the mild overdrive that gave the track its driving, punchy sound without excessive saturation.

Production Credits

Producer: John Fogerty

Engineer: Russ Gary

Recorded at: Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a semi-hollow guitar with humbucker pickups.
  • Use an amp known for its clean but easily overdriven sound.
  • Keep the gain relatively low for a mild overdrive that doesn't get too muddy.
  • Adjust EQ to favor the high-mid frequencies for that cutting tone.
  • Experiment with cabinet simulation plugins or impulse responses to emulate a close-mic'd amp in a small room.

Original Gear

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Substitutions & Recommendations

Epiphone ES-335Shop on Reverb$500-$600

Alternative to: Gibson ES-335

Semi-hollow construction with humbucker pickups delivers the same warm yet bright tone as Fogerty's original Gibson at a fraction of the cost

Roland JC-40 Jazz ChorusShop on Reverb$650-$750

Alternative to: Kustom K200-A4 amplifier

Solid-state design provides clean headroom with natural breakup and bright character similar to vintage Kustom amps

Universal Audio Kustom K200 pluginPlugin Boutique$149-$199

Alternative to: Kustom K200-A4 amplifier

Official UAD recreation of the exact Kustom K200 amp model used on the original recording

Gibson ES-335 SatinShop on Reverb$2,400-$2,800

Alternative to: Gibson ES-335

Modern version of Fogerty's exact guitar model with the same semi-hollow body and PAF-style humbuckers

Boss Blues Driver BD-2Shop on Reverb$100-$130

Alternative to: Kustom K200-A4 overdrive character

Provides mild, musical overdrive that can push a clean amp into the territory of natural Kustom breakup

Sources

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