A striking technique stolen from Sonic Youth.
Confession: Most of the ideas in this column are stolen from Sonic Youth, and the rest are swiped from other people.
The topic is alternate tunings that require restringing—a royal pain in the posterior! But time and again, these tunings (all of which narrow the interval between the 1
st and 6th strings, hence my “narrow-range” moniker) have inspired parts that fit the mix when nothing else did. Perhaps you’ll find the idea compelling enough to keep a spare guitar strung for these sounds?
The most famous string-swap tuning is Nashville high-stringing (explained and demoed here).
How Nashville High-Stringing Works
You hear this sound on the Stones’ “Wild Horses” and Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” But these narrowed tunings aren’t delicate and pretty like that. They’re crude, simplistic, and usually out of tune. Yum!
Guitars in the Fridge
When I met Sonic Youth in the late ’80s, they couldn’t yet afford lots of nice guitars. They toured with their pawnshop beaters knocking against each other in cardboard refrigerator boxes. Their oddball tunings didn’t just inspire new riffs—they provided a unique sonority, especially when cranked through fuzz pedals and funky amps. No other band resonated like Sonic Youth.
The guitars and tunings literally varied from song to song, but they shared common themes. Many strings were tuned in unison pairs, and the distance between the highest and lowest strings was usually an octave or less, as opposed to the usual two octaves. Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo often played melodies by barring across unison string pairs, which is a technique that enforces a minimalist style.
The effect has a rough, artless quality perfect for some musical contexts—and not just punkified ones.
You can replicate most Sonic Youth tunings with the same string set: use two of your usual 5th strings for the 6th and 5th strings, two 4th strings for the 4th and 3rd strings, and two 3rd strings for the 2nd and 1st strings, as if you were tuning A-A-D-D-G-G. (String pitches are listed low to high throughout.) From there you can crank strings up or down for hundreds of possible combinations.
A Sketchy Sketch
Clip 1 is a sketchy demo of the idea. A standard-tuned guitar in the left channel is joined by a narrow-range guitar (tuned G-G-D-D-G-G) on the right. I mutilated the tone with trashy fuzz and didn’t sweat the sloppy tuning.
America
The effect has a rough, artless quality perfect for some musical contexts—and not just punkified ones. Example: my guitars on Tracy Chapman's "America." (Flea’s playing bass, Mitchell Froom and Michael Webster are on keys, and Tracy and Quinn Smith are drumming. Tchad Blake produced.)
Example 2: GGDDGG (The Recording Guitarist - February 2017) by premierguitar
Clip 2 is a solo riff in the same tuning. I pick out a tune on the top string pair while droning on the low open strings, or barre across several string pairs for chords.
Example 3: GGDDEE (The Recording Guitarist - February 2017) by premierguitar
Tuned G-G-D-D-E-E, the guitar in Clip 3 exploits the clangorous whole-step interval between the upper string pairs.
Example 4: FFCCEbEb (The Recording Guitarist - February 2017) by premierguitar
The tuning options are nearly endless: G-G-D-D-A-A, G-G-D-D-Eb-Eb, G-G-C-C-F-F, G-G-C-C-E-E. I could go on, but instead of over-thinking it, I recommend simply twisting your tuners till the strings resonate nicely with the song, and then picking out simple melodies. For Clip 4, I chose the random key of F minor. I fiddled around and arrived at this F-F-C-C-Eb-Eb tuning.
Example 5: GABDEG (The Recording Guitarist - February 2017) by premierguitar
You don’t have to restrict yourself to unison pairs. One particularly nasty Sonic Youth tuning is G-G-C#-D-G-G, with that gnarly minor second in the middle. Meanwhile Thurston’s “Teenage Riot” tuning is G-A-B-D-E-G, with no unisons. The open strings form a pentatonic scale for a dreamy Aeolian harp effect (Clip 5).
Example 6: GABDEG (The Recording Guitarist - February 2017) by premierguitar
Clip 6 uses the same tuning, but with a drumstick shoved beneath the strings at the 12th fret (see photo). This mimics an Asian zither, especially when you vibrate and bend strings by pressing down behind the drumstick.
Strictly Stoopid
I saved the stoopidest one for last. In Clip 7, all six strings are tuned to G in various octaves.
GARY GLITTER ROCK & ROLL PART 1 & 2
This is based on the A-A-A-A-A-A “Gary Glitter tuning,” as heard on “Rock and Roll (Part 1 and 2).”
PJ Harvey - Goodnight
I learned this one from Polly Harvey, who wrote several songs in this tuning, including “Goodnight,” which I got to play with her on tour.
This technique isn’t for everyone. You might find it overly simplistic and discordant. But why not try slapping on a few spare middle strings before your next string change? At worst, you’ll be amused. With any luck, you’ll be inspired.
[Updated 4/4/22]
Some of these are deep cuts—get ready for some instrumental bonus tracks and Van Halen III mentions—and some are among the biggest radio hits of their time. Just because their hits, though, doesn’t mean we don’t have more to add to the conversation.
Naturally, every recording Eddie Van Halen ever played on has been pored over by legions of guitar players of all styles. It might seem funny, then, to consider EVH solos that might require more attention. But your 100 Guitarists hosts have their picks of solos that they feel merit a little discussion. Some of these are deep cuts—get ready for some instrumental bonus tracks and Van Halen III mentions—and some are among the biggest radio hits of their time. Just because their hits, though, doesn’t mean we don’t have more to add to the conversation.
We can’t cover everything EVH—Jason has already tried while producing the Runnin’ With the Dweezil podcast. But we cover as much as we can in our longest episode yet. And in the second installment of our current listening segment, we’re talking about new-ish music from Oz Noy and Bill Orcutt.
A dual-channel tube preamp and overdrive pedal inspired by the Top Boost channel of vintage VOX amps.
ROY is designed to deliver sweet, ringing cleans and the "shattered" upper-mid breakup tones without sounding harsh or brittle. It is built around a 12AX7 tube that operates internally at 260VDC, providing natural tube compression and a slightly "spongy" amp-like response.
ROY features two identical channels, each with separate gain and volume controls. This design allows you to switch from clean to overdrive with the press of a footswitch while maintaining control over the volume level. It's like having two separate preamps dialed in for clean and overdrive tones.
Much like the old amplifier, ROY includes a classic dual-band tone stack. This unique EQ features interactive Treble and Bass controls that inversely affect the Mids. Both channels share the EQ section.
Another notable feature of this circuit is the Tone Cut control: a master treble roll-off after the EQ. You can shape your tone using the EQ and then adjust the Tone Cut to reduce harshness in the top end while keeping your core sound.
ROY works well with other pedals and can serve as a clean tube platform at the end of your signal chain. It’s a simple and effective way to add a vintage British voice to any amp or direct rig setup.
ROY offers external channel switching and the option to turn the pedal on/off via a 3.5mm jack. The preamp comes with a wall-mount power supply and a country-specific plug.
Street price is 299 USD. It is available at select retailers and can also be purchased directly from the Tubesteader online store at www.tubesteader.com.
The compact offspring of the Roland SDE-3000 rack unit is simple, flexible, and capable of a few cool new tricks of its own.
Tonalities bridge analog and digital characteristics. Cool polyrhythmic textures and easy-to-access, more-common echo subdivisions. Useful panning and stereo-routing options.
Interactivity among controls can yield some chaos and difficult-to-duplicate sounds.
$219
Boss SDE-3 Dual Digital Delay
boss.info
Though my affection for analog echo dwarfs my sentiments for digital delay, I don’t get doctrinaire about it. If the sound works, I’ll use it. Boss digital delays have been instructive in this way to me before: I used a Boss DD-5 in a A/B amp rig with an Echoplex for a long time, blending the slur and stretch of the reverse echo with the hazy, wobbly tape delay. It was delicious, deep, and complex. And the DD-5 still lives here just in case I get the urge to revisit that place.
Tinkering with theSDE-3 Dual Digital Delay suggested a similar, possibly enduring appeal. As an evolution of the Roland SDE-3000rack unit from the 1980s, it’s a texture machine, bubbling with subtle-to-odd triangle LFO modulations and enhanced dual-delay patterns that make tone mazes from dopey-simple melodies. And with the capacity to use it with two amps in stereo or in panning capacity, it can be much more dimensional. But while the SDE-3 will become indispensable to some for its most complex echo textures, its basic voice possesses warmth that lends personality in pedestrian applications too.
Tapping Into the Source
Some interest in the original SDE-3000 is in its association with Eddie Van Halen, who ran two of them in a wet-dry-wet configuration, using different delay rates and modulation to thicken and lend dimension to solos. But while EVH’s de facto endorsement prompted reissues of the effect as far back as the ’90s, part of the appeal was down to the 3000’s intrinsic elegance and simplicity.
In fact, the original rack unit’s features don’t differ much from what you would find on modern, inexpensive stompbox echoes. But the SDE-3000’s simplicity and reliable predictability made it conducive to fast workflow in the studio. Critically, it also avoided the lo-fi and sterility shortcomings that plagued some lesser rivals—an attribute designer Yoshi Ikegami chalks up to analog components elsewhere in the circuit and a fortuitous clock imprecision that lends organic essence to the repeats.
Evolved Echo Animal
Though the SDE-3 traces a line back to the SDE-3000 in sound and function, it is a very evolved riff on a theme. I don’t have an original SDE-3000 on hand for comparison, but it’s easy to hear how the SDE-3 bridges a gap between analog haze and more clinical, surgical digital sounds in the way that made the original famous. Thanks to the hi-cut control, the SDE-3’s voice can be shaped to enhance the angular aspect of the echoes, or blunt sharp edges. There’s also a lot of leeway to toy with varied EQ settings without sacrificing the ample definition in the repeats. That also means you can take advantage of the polyrhythmic effects that are arguably its greatest asset.
“There’s a lot of leeway to toy with varied EQ settings without sacrificing the ample definition in the repeats.”
The SDE-3’s offset control, which generates these polyrhythmic echoes, is its heart. The most practical and familiar echos, like quarter, eighth, and dotted-eighth patterns, are easy to access in the second half of the offset knobs range. In the first half of the knob’s throw, however, the offset delays often clang about at less-regular intervals, producing complex polyrhythms that are also cool multipliers of the modulation and EQ effects. For example, when emphasizing top end in repeats, using aggressive effects mixes and pitch-wobble modulation generates eerie ghost notes that swim through and around patterns, adding rhythmic interest and texture without derailing the drive behind a groove. Even at modest settings, these are great alternatives to more staid, regular subdivision patterns. Many of the coolest sounds tend toward the foggy reverb spectrum. Removing high end, piling on feedback, and adding the woozy, drunken drift from modulation creates fascinating backdrops for slow, sparse chord melodies. Faster modulations throb and swirl like old BBC Radiophonic Workshop sci-fi sound designs.
By themselves, the modulations have their own broad appeal. Chorus tones are rarely the archetypal Roland Jazz Chorus or CE type—tending to be a bit darker and mistier. But they do a nice job suggesting that texture without lapsing into caricature. There are also really cool rotary-speaker-like textures and vibrato sounds that offer alternatives to go-to industry standards.
The Verdict
The SDE-3’s many available sounds and textures would be appealing at $219—even without the stereo and panning connectivity options, a useful hold function, and expression pedal control that opens up additional options. The panning capabilities, in particular, sparked all kinds of thoughts about studio applications. Mastering the SDE-3 takes just a little study—certain polyrhythms can be dramatically reshaped by the interactivity of other controls and you need to take care to achieve identical results twice. But this is a pedal that, by virtue of its relative simplicity and richness and breadth of sounds, exceeds the utility of some similarly priced rivals, all while opening up possibilities well outside the simple echo realm
Reader: T. Moody
Hometown: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Guitar: The Green Snake
Reader T. Moody turned this Yamaha Pacifica body into a reptilian rocker.
With a few clicks on Reverb, a reptile-inspired shred machine was born.
With this guitar, I wanted to create a shadowbox-type vibe by adding something you could see inside. I have always loved the Yamaha Pacifica guitars because of the open pickup cavity and the light weight, so I purchased this body off Reverb (I think I am addicted to that website). I also wanted a color that was vivid and bold. The seller had already painted it neon yellow, so when I read in the description, “You can see this body from space,” I immediately clicked the Buy It Now button. I also purchased the neck and pickups off of Reverb.
I have always loved the reverse headstock, simply because nothing says 1987 (the best year in the history of the world) like a reverse headstock. The pickups are both Seymour Duncan—an SH-1N in the neck position and TB-4 in the bridge, both in a very cool lime green color. Right when these pickups got listed, the Buy It Now button once again lit up like the Fourth of July. I am a loyal disciple of Sperzel locking tuners and think Bob Sperzel was a pure genius, so I knew those were going on this project even before I started on it. I also knew that I wanted a Vega-Trem; those units are absolutely amazing.
When the body arrived, I thought it would be cool to do some kind of burst around the yellow so I went with a neon green. It turned out better than I imagined. Next up was the shaping and cutting of the pickguard. I had this crocodile-type, faux-leather material that I glued on the pickguard and then shaped to my liking. I wanted just a single volume control and no tone knob, because, like King Edward (Van Halen) once said, “Your volume is your tone.”
T. Moody
I then shaped and glued the faux-leather material in the cavity. The tuning knobs, volume knob, pickguard, screws, and selector switch were also painted in the lemon-lime paint scheme. I put everything together, installed the pickups, strung it up, set it up, plugged it in, and I was blown away. I think this is the best-playing and -sounding guitar I have ever tried.
The only thing missing was the center piece and strap. The latter was easy because DiMarzio makes their ClipLock in neon green. The center piece was more difficult because originally, I was thinking that some kind of gator-style decoration would be cool. In the end, I went with a green snake, because crocodiles ain’t too flexible—and they’re way too big to fit in a pickup cavity!
The Green Snake’s back is just as striking as the front.