TONEDB

rhythm guitar from “eye of the tiger” by survivor | ToneDB

eye of the tiger

survivor

rhythm guitar

85% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A tight, punchy, and driving palm-muted rock rhythm guitar sound with a distinct mid-range growl and clarity, iconic of early 80s arena rock.

Signal Chain

Instrument: 1970s Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (with mini-humbuckers)

Amp: Marshall JMP 100W Master Volume head (e.g., 2203) with a Marshall 4x12 cabinet (likely with Celestion G12-65 or G12M Greenback speakers)

Microphone: Shure SM57 (close-miked, slightly off-axis on one speaker cone)

Processing: Console EQ (for tonal shaping, e.g., adding presence, cutting mud), Console Compression (for dynamic control and punch, e.g., Urei 1176 style)

Other: The rhythm part is famously double-tracked and panned hard left and right for a wide stereo image. Minimal to no reverb or delay on the core rhythm tracks.

Recording Notes

  • The defining characteristic is the aggressive and precise palm-muting technique, creating the percussive 'chugga-chugga' sound.
  • Played with a strong pick attack and exceptional rhythmic tightness.
  • Double-tracking was crucial for the width and power of the final sound.
  • The amp was likely run at a fairly high volume to achieve natural tube saturation and sustain, rather than relying heavily on distortion pedals for the core tone.
  • The guitar's volume and tone knobs would have been used to fine-tune the input signal to the amp.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a guitar with humbuckers; a Les Paul (ideally a Deluxe with mini-humbuckers) is preferred.
  • Employ a Marshall-style amplifier or a high-quality amp modeler with similar characteristics. Set the gain for a solid crunch, not overly saturated metal distortion.
  • Focus on precise and consistent palm-muting. The muting should be heavy enough to create the percussive attack but still allow some note definition.
  • Practice playing the riff with consistent downstrokes for a powerful, driving feel.
  • Record two identical takes of the rhythm part and pan them hard left and right in your mix.
  • Use a noise gate pedal or plugin if you struggle with keeping the rests between strums completely silent, though tight playing is the primary goal.
  • EQ to emphasize upper-mid frequencies (2-5kHz) for cut and presence, and roll off excessive low-end (below 80-100Hz) to maintain clarity.
  • Apply light compression to even out dynamics and add punch, but avoid squashing the transient attack.

Sources