Hey, I listen to alot of sixties music, and there's this acoustic sound on almost all of the songs. It sounds like the guitars are tuned down when they´re playin or something I don't now exactly how to describe the sound but twangy seems to be a somewhat fitting word. It sounds great and I can't get the sound on my guitar. Does it come from loosy equipment or playing style any tips?
P.S I'm listening to Kinks Lola right now and if you don't now what I'm talking about listen to that song, I've taken out the right chords (I think) but there's this sound.... :(
peace in our time
There were some clips on Amazon.com and I listened to Lola and Long Way From Home. I didn't hear anything really 'twangy' but if you're talking about the acoustic strumming sound, that's on more than one of their tunes.
There was a lot of experimentation back then; like for instance, if you're talking '60s twang' it could mean that Fender type clean twang from the James Bond theme music, surf music, or it could even be the Roger McGuinn electric 12-string type sound. The Beatles had quite of bit of twang back then too.
On the Kinks tunes though it sounds like the acoustic rhythm player is strumming really close to the bridge of the guitar with a medium or light pick to give it that 'brushy' sort of sound. The electric guitars don't seem that twangy to me, they're getting into the later 60s dirt and distortion. At times they even sound like the Small Faces, with the semi-distorted slide guitars. The Kinks were really quite amazing innovators.
Anyhow, is that the sound you're talking about?
Like Dick Dale? and the Ventures? I love the Ventures...
Did the music you're describing make you want to protest something?
Or find the perfect wave?
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but when
you're a 22lb sledge, do you really have to be?
Sounds to me like their using a thin pick, which when playing rhythm using up & down strokes effectively will give you a twangy sound. Once you get the rhythm flowing you'll hear the twang. Try practicing up & down strokes muting all the strings to get the twang sound down, once you get it down start adding chords, use a real thin pick 046 or lighter. The trick is to pick and play lightly you don't need to play hard.
Their more than likely using and outboard Equalizer and Compressor to put a nice edge on it.
Just my thoughts
Joe
I'm thinking this: Vox and Fender amps for those clean, chimey sounds -- this is low gain territory.
-=tension & release=-
I think some of it is the amp sound. I've got a Zoom pedal with a setting that gets at that lightly distorted sound -- as the pedal says, that 60s crunch. GHS, by the way, now makes a set of electric strings like it did in the 60s. It's set of burnished, pure nickel strings for "vintage tone". I think they make a bit of a difference.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I'm 90% certain that Lola (the intro/riff) was played on a resonator.
BAM, I think you got right to the point lederhosen. When I listen to it again, it sounds like a resonator. Do you guys think it's used alot in 60's music (instead of an ordninary acoustic). Thanks a bunch for the electric tips as well, think i'm goin' out to to look for a 60's crunch now.
I love the kinks, they're really great, really inovative :)
peace in our time
Here's a somthing I found looking through plenty of write ups on the band.
"Ray's still got his original National Dobro that he used on "Lola" and "Apeman."
Joe
Dobros are normally tuned GBGBD which aids in that sound, I believe.
Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.
"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe
