rhythm guitar from “street fighting man” by the rolling stones | ToneDB
street fighting man
the rolling stones
rhythm guitar
AI generatedv1.0
Tone Profile
Raw, distorted acoustic guitar with a unique, almost sitar-like quality, achieved through unconventional recording techniques. The tone is aggressive and lo-fi, fitting the song's rebellious theme.
Gear
- Gibson Hummingbirdinstrument
- ReverbSweetwater
- Philips Cassette Recorderother
- ReverbSweetwater
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The Story
Keith Richards created the distinctive guitar sound on "Street Fighting Man" by recording his Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar through a small Philips portable cassette recorder. This unconventional technique created the song's signature heavily compressed, distorted tone that sounds almost electric despite being an acoustic guitar. The cassette recorder's limited frequency response and built-in saturation when overdriven gave the guitar its unique, aggressive character.
Production Credits
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Engineer: Glyn Johns
Recorded at: Olympic Studios, London
Signal Chain
Instrument: Gibson Hummingbird
Recreation Tips
- Start with an acoustic guitar, preferably one with a bright tone like a Gibson Hummingbird.
- Experiment with overdriving a cassette recorder or using a plugin that emulates cassette saturation and distortion.
- Compress the signal heavily to replicate the compressed sound of the cassette recorder.
- Consider using a microphone with a limited frequency response to emulate the lo-fi nature of the original recording.
Original Gear
- Gibson Hummingbird(guitar)
- Philips Cassette Recorder(other)
Substitutions & Recommendations
Alternative to: Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar
Budget alternative that captures the bright, punchy tone of the original Hummingbird's spruce top and mahogany back construction
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Philips cassette recorder saturation
Provides authentic cassette tape saturation, compression, and frequency limiting that mimics the original portable recorder
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Cassette recorder overdrive and compression
High-end reverb/saturation pedal that can replicate the lo-fi, compressed character of vintage recording equipment
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Portable cassette recorder limiting
Tape saturation and doubler that recreates the compressed, saturated sound of cassette recording with adjustable saturation levels
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Philips cassette recorder
Multiband saturation plugin that can emulate the specific frequency response and distortion characteristics of vintage cassette recorders
ReverbSweetwaterSources
Frequently Asked Questions
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