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lead guitar from “little black submarines” by the black keys | ToneDB

little black submarines

the black keys

lead guitar

AI generatedv1.0

Tone Profile

A raw and slightly overdriven guitar tone with a blend of vintage amp warmth and fuzz. It's dirty, yet articulate, cutting through the mix with a distinctive character.

Gear

Gibson Les Paulinstrument
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Fender Tweed Deluxeamp
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Shure SM57microphone
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Z.Vex Fuzz Factoryprocessing
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The Story

Dan Auerbach's lead guitar tone on "Little Black Submarines" was recorded at Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, produced by Danger Mouse and engineered by Tchad Blake. The tone comes from a Gibson Les Paul running through a Z.Vex Fuzz Factory pedal into a cranked Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifier, captured with a Shure SM57 microphone. The recording technique involved blending the mic'd amplifier with a direct input signal to maintain both the warmth of the tube amp and the clarity needed for the song's dynamics.

Production Credits

Producer: Danger Mouse

Engineer: Tchad Blake

Recorded at: Easy Eye Sound Studio, Nashville, TN

Signal Chain

Instrument: Gibson Les Paul

Amp: Fender Tweed Deluxe

Microphone: Shure SM57

Processing: Z.Vex Fuzz Factory

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a Les Paul style guitar into a cranked Fender Tweed Deluxe or similar amp.
  • Dial in a moderate amount of fuzz from the Z.Vex Fuzz Factory.
  • Blend a touch of the direct guitar signal if needed to add clarity.
  • Use an SM57 close to the speaker, slightly off-axis.
  • Experiment with mic placement to find the right balance of brightness and body.
  • Slightly compress the final signal.

Original Gear

  • Gibson Les Paul(guitar)
  • Fender Tweed Deluxe(amp)
  • Shure SM57(mic)
  • Z.Vex Fuzz Factory(pedal)

Substitutions & Recommendations

EHX Big Muff Pi$80-$100

Alternative to: Z.Vex Fuzz Factory

Provides similar vintage fuzz character at a budget price point, with better reliability than the temperamental Fuzz Factory

ReverbSweetwater
Fender '57 Custom Deluxe$1800-$2200

Alternative to: Fender Tweed Deluxe

Modern reissue of the original tweed Deluxe circuit with the same 5E3 topology that creates natural tube saturation when cranked

ReverbSweetwater
Boss Blues Breaker$130-$160

Alternative to: Fender Tweed Deluxe

Captures the midrange warmth and natural compression of cranked tweed amps at bedroom volumes

ReverbSweetwater
Universal Audio Friedman Buxom Betty plugin$150-$200

Alternative to: Gibson Les Paul through Tweed Deluxe

Models the interaction between humbuckers and cranked low-watt tube amps with built-in fuzz modeling

ReverbSweetwater
Way Huge Swollen Pickle$180-$220

Alternative to: Z.Vex Fuzz Factory

Offers similar gated fuzz tones with more consistent behavior and better interaction with humbucker pickups

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

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