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rhythm guitar from “you only live once” by the strokes | ToneDB

you only live once

the strokes

rhythm guitar

AI generatedv1.0

Tone Profile

This tone is characterized by a slightly dirty, compressed sound with a pronounced mid-range and a tight, punchy character. It's the kind of tone that cuts through a mix without being overly aggressive.

Gear

Epiphone Casinoinstrument
ReverbSweetwater
Fender Blues Junioramp
ReverbSweetwater
Shure SM57microphone
ReverbSweetwater
MXR Micro Ampprocessing
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

Nick Valensi recorded the rhythm guitars for 'You Only Live Once' using an Epiphone Casino through a Fender Blues Junior amp, with an MXR Micro Amp providing clean boost to push the amp into slight overdrive. The setup was recorded with a Shure SM57 microphone, capturing the natural tube saturation and bright, resonant character of the semi-hollow guitar.

Production Credits

Producer: Gordon Raphael

Engineer: Greg Calbi & Howie Weinberg

Recorded at: Transporterraum (NYC)

Signal Chain

Instrument: Epiphone Casino

Amp: Fender Blues Junior

Microphone: Shure SM57

Processing: MXR Micro Amp

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a semi-hollow guitar like an Epiphone Casino, known for its bright and resonant tone.
  • Use a small tube amp such as a Fender Blues Junior to capture a natural tube overdrive. Set the amp to the edge of breakup for a slightly dirty tone.
  • Place a Shure SM57 close to the speaker cone, slightly off-axis, to capture the amp's character without harshness.
  • Use a clean boost pedal such as an MXR Micro Amp to drive the amp harder and add a bit of extra gain and mid-range punch.
  • Experiment with compression in your DAW to further shape the sound and enhance its presence.

Original Gear

  • Epiphone Casino(guitar)
  • Fender Blues Junior(amp)
  • Shure SM57(mic)
  • MXR Micro Amp(pedal)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Epiphone Casino Coupe$450-$500

Alternative to: Epiphone Casino

Current production Casino with the same P90 pickups and semi-hollow construction that gives the bright, resonant tone heard on the track

ReverbSweetwater
Fender Blues Junior IV$400-$450

Alternative to: Fender Blues Junior

Current version of the same amp used on the recording, providing identical tube saturation and natural overdrive when pushed

ReverbSweetwater
MXR M133 Micro Amp$70-$80

Alternative to: MXR Micro Amp

Same clean boost pedal used to drive the Blues Junior harder for that compressed, punchy character

ReverbSweetwater
Shure SM57-LC$100-$120

Alternative to: Shure SM57

Identical dynamic microphone that captured the original amp tone, still the industry standard for guitar recording

ReverbSweetwater
Universal Audio Fender Blues Junior plugin$150-$200

Alternative to: Fender Blues Junior + MXR Micro Amp combination

Digital emulation of the Blues Junior amp with built-in boost options for bedroom recording or headphone monitoring

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

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