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lead guitar from “helter skelter” by the beatles | ToneDB

helter skelter

the beatles

lead guitar

90% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A raw, searing, and chaotic fuzz tone with a biting treble, pushing the boundaries of distortion for its era. It's aggressively saturated and teeters on the edge of sonic disintegration.

Signal Chain

Instrument: 1964 Epiphone ES-230TD Casino

Amp: Selmer Zodiac Twin 50

Microphone: Neumann U67 (on amp)

Processing: Vox Tone Bender Professional MKII (or similar period fuzz like Arbiter Fuzz Face), Direct Injection (DI) signal from fuzz box output, REDD.51 console channel overdrive (applied to both miked amp and DI signals)

Other: The miked amplifier signal was blended with the direct injected fuzz signal at the REDD.51 console. Guitar volume and tone knobs likely maxed. Amp pushed to breakup. Significant tape saturation from the recording process also contributed.

Recording Notes

  • Recorded primarily in September 1968 at EMI Studios (Abbey Road), Studio Two.
  • Paul McCartney aimed for the loudest, rawest, dirtiest sound possible, famously inspired by a review of The Who.
  • The final stereo master is primarily based on Take 21, known for its unhinged energy.
  • A key element of the sound was the combination of a fuzz pedal and direct injection into the REDD.51 mixing console, with channels pushed into heavy distortion.
  • Paul McCartney's Epiphone Casino was recorded via two paths: a DI signal from his fuzz box and his Selmer amp miked with a Neumann U67, both signals then blended and distorted at the console.
  • The track features multiple layers of aggressive instrumentation, including John Lennon on a fuzzed Fender Bass VI.
  • Ringo Starr's shout 'I've got blisters on my fingers!' at the end of the stereo version highlights the session's ferocity.

Recreation Tips

  • Use a P90-equipped guitar like an Epiphone Casino. Alternatively, a bright humbucker (Les Paul) or single-coil guitar (Telecaster/Esquire) can work if EQ'd for bite.
  • A vintage-style fuzz pedal is essential; a Tone Bender (MKII variant) or a Fuzz Face circuit is ideal. Max out the fuzz gain and output.
  • Drive a British-voiced tube amp (Selmer, Vox, or early Marshall character) to its natural overdrive point.
  • Replicate the dual signal path: mic the amp and also take a DI signal from the output of your fuzz pedal. Blend these two signals.
  • Use a preamp plugin with saturation capabilities (e.g., REDD or other vintage console emulations) to overdrive the blended signals, mimicking the console distortion.
  • Boost high frequencies on the amp, fuzz pedal, or post-EQ to achieve the characteristic biting treble.
  • Embrace an aggressive picking style and don't worry about perfect note clarity; the original performance is wild and chaotic.
  • Experiment with tape saturation plugins for added compression and harmonic richness.

Sources