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rhythm guitar from “jumpin' jack flash” by the rolling stones | ToneDB

jumpin' jack flash

the rolling stones

rhythm guitar

90% ai confidence

Tone Profile

A raw, gritty, and iconic rhythm tone created by layering an acoustic guitar in open tuning, overdriven through a portable cassette recorder for a unique lo-fi distortion and percussive attack.

Signal Chain

Instrument: Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar

Amp: Philips EL3586 Cassette Recorder (input stage overdriven)

Processing: Input overdrive from cassette recorder

Other: Acoustic guitar in Open D tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D) capoed at 9th fret, or Open E tuning (E-B-E-G#-B-E) capoed at 7th fret, to sound in the key of B. Guitar signal fed directly (DI'd) into cassette recorder's input, deliberately overloading it. Line output of the cassette recorder sent to the main studio console. Multiple takes layered.

Recording Notes

  • The core rhythm track features a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar.
  • The guitar was tuned to either Open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) with a capo at the 9th fret, or Open E (E-B-E-G#-B-E) with a capo at the 7th fret, to achieve the song's key of B major.
  • Keith Richards plugged this acoustic guitar directly into the microphone or auxiliary input of a Philips EL3586 portable cassette recorder.
  • The input level of the cassette recorder was intentionally overloaded to create a distinct, compressed, and distorted sound.
  • The line output from the Philips cassette recorder was then routed to a channel on the main recording console at Olympic Studios, London.
  • Multiple layers (at least two) of this acoustic guitar part were recorded and stacked to create a thicker, more powerful sound.
  • Additional electric guitars were overdubbed by Keith Richards, likely using a Gibson Les Paul Custom through a Vox AC30 or Fender Twin Reverb, mic'd with a Neumann U67, playing complementary parts and reinforcing the main riff.

Recreation Tips

  • Tune an acoustic guitar to Open D (D-A-D-F#-A-D) and place a capo on the 9th fret, or Open E (E-B-E-G#-B-E) with a capo on the 7th fret.
  • Use an acoustic guitar with a pickup, or place a microphone very close to the soundhole, and feed the signal into a device that can be overdriven.
  • Experiment with overdriving the input of an old cassette deck, a small, cheap amplifier, or a preamp pedal (like a JHS Colour Box or Hudson Broadcast) that can achieve lo-fi saturation.
  • The goal is to heavily compress and distort the signal by overloading the input stage, not to use a typical smooth distortion pedal sound.
  • If using a cassette deck, you can record the guitar hot onto the tape, then play back the tape and record that output into your DAW.
  • Layer multiple takes of the riff to emulate the dense sound of the original recording.
  • Don't aim for pristine hi-fi; embrace the lo-fi grit and slightly 'broken' character of the sound.

Sources