rhythm guitar from “goin' out west” by tom waits | ToneDB
goin' out west
tom waits
rhythm guitar
Tone Profile
A raw, gritty, and percussive rhythm guitar tone defined by a choppy, almost square-wave tremolo and the natural overdrive of a small, cranked tube amp. It has a distinct lo-fi character, heavily influenced by the reverberant recording environment.
Signal Chain
Instrument: Vintage Harmony Stratotone H44 or Silvertone 1448L (or similar 'pawn shop' electric guitar with characterful single-coil pickups)
Amp: Fender Champ (likely Silverface or Tweed era), cranked
Microphone: Shure SM57
Processing: Natural Tube Amp Overdrive (from cranked Fender Champ), Aggressive Choppy Tremolo (pedal like Fulltone Supa-Trem or similar, or a modded amp tremolo circuit)
Other: Recorded in Prairie Sun Studio's 'Cement Room' – a large, live, concrete-walled space. Mic placement likely captured significant room sound along with the direct amp signal. Minimal processing post-mic.
Recording Notes
- From the album 'Bone Machine' (1992).
- Guitar performed by Marc Ribot.
- Recorded by Biff Dawes at Prairie Sun Recording Studios in Cotati, CA.
- The unique sound of the 'Cement Room' (a concrete warehouse space) at Prairie Sun is a critical component of the guitar tone, providing natural, harsh reverberation.
- The recording philosophy for 'Bone Machine' embraced raw, unpolished sounds and first takes.
- The tremolo effect is very pronounced and rhythmic, acting almost as a percussive element.
Recreation Tips
- Use a guitar with a raw, somewhat microphonic quality; vintage budget guitars often excel here.
- Crank a small, low-wattage tube amp (like a Fender Champ) into power tube saturation for authentic grit. Don't be afraid of 'ugly' or 'broken' sounds.
- A tremolo pedal with a square wave or very choppy 'hard' setting is essential. Set the speed to sync with the song's tempo and the depth to be quite pronounced.
- If you can't record in a live, concrete room, use a room reverb plugin that can simulate a harsh, reflective space. Avoid lush, smooth reverbs.
- A dynamic microphone like an SM57 placed relatively close to the amp speaker, but also consider blending in a room mic if possible.
- Adopt a percussive, slightly aggressive playing style.
- Minimize any post-processing that would 'clean up' the sound; embrace the lo-fi aesthetic.
Recommended Gear
- Harmony Stratotone H44 Reissue(guitar)
- Silvertone 1448L Reissue by Danelectro(guitar)
- Fender '57 Custom Champ(amp)
- Supro Delta King 8 or 10(amp)
- Fulltone Supa-Trem ST-1 or Supa-Trem Jr.(pedal)
- Electro-Harmonix Super Pulsar Stereo Tap Tremolo(pedal)
- Boss TR-2 Tremolo (consider modding for square wave/volume drop fix)(pedal)
- Shure SM57(mic)
- Valhalla Room (VintageVerb or Room for reverb plugin)(plugin)