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lead guitar from “free bird” by lynyrd skynyrd | ToneDB

free bird

lynyrd skynyrd

lead guitar

90% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A searing, articulate, and highly sustained lead tone with a bright, biting edge, driven by a cranked tube amp and often colored by an Echoplex preamp, famous for its soaring quality and raw power.

Signal Chain

Instrument: 1964 Gibson Firebird I (bridge pickup)

Amp: Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface era) with JBL D120F speakers, cranked

Microphone: Shure SM57 (close-miked on speaker cone) and possibly a Neumann U67 or U87 (for room ambiance)

Processing: Maestro Echoplex EP-3 (primarily for its preamp coloration, with minimal delay effect engaged), Natural tube overdrive from the cranked Fender Twin Reverb, Subtle studio plate reverb (added during mixdown)

Other: Guitar volume and tone knobs likely on full. Aggressive pick attack. Sustain heavily reliant on high amplifier volume, the amp's natural compression, and Collins' playing technique.

Recording Notes

  • Recorded in 1973 at Studio One, Doraville, Georgia.
  • Produced by Al Kooper, who has mentioned Allen Collins using a Fender Twin with JBLs.
  • Allen Collins' iconic outro solo was largely improvised and recorded at very high volume to achieve the desired sustain and intensity.
  • The Gibson Firebird I, with its unique mini-humbucker pickup in the bridge position, is crucial to the bright, cutting aspect of the tone.
  • Minimal outboard effects were used on the guitar track during recording, with the core sound coming from the guitar, Echoplex preamp, and overdriven amplifier.
  • The long fade-out solo features multiple layered guitar parts by Collins, though the primary lead line is the focus here.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a Gibson Firebird or a guitar with similar bright, powerful bridge pickups (e.g., mini-humbuckers).
  • A Fender Twin Reverb or Super Reverb (or high-quality emulations) is essential. Crank the volume to achieve natural power tube saturation.
  • If playing at lower volumes, an attenuator is highly recommended to safely achieve power tube overdrive, or use a quality amp modeler.
  • Incorporate an Echoplex EP-3 style preamp pedal (like an Xotic EP Booster or Dunlop Echoplex Preamp) early in your chain to color the tone before it hits the amp.
  • Set the guitar's bridge pickup with volume and tone controls wide open.
  • Employ an aggressive pick attack and practice wide, expressive vibrato.
  • Add a subtle touch of plate-style reverb for space, but avoid washing out the directness of the tone.
  • For slide parts (more characteristic of Gary Rossington in the song, but Collins also used slide), a heavy glass or brass slide will provide sustain and the correct vocal quality.

Sources