Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center
  • 0

Name That Tone - Georgia Satellites "Keep Your Hands to Yourself"


mrjamiam

Question

Posted

A little while back I was asked in another thread what kind of sound I was looking for in a project I had in mind. That got me thinking about well-known songs that featured that sound, but then I side-tracked myself by realizing that I do a poor job of identifying sounds that I hear, as far as what is necessary to produce them. I'll confess right here and now that the difference between a humbucker and single coil, or between Strat-type and P-90 type single coils, is not obvious to me. I've never really had like-minded people around to discuss this with.

I thought I'd try consulting the crowd here to see what insight could be brought to the task of seeking to recreate a recorded sound. It might be interesting to know what an artist said was used to create a sound, but that's not absolutely necessary. I would like to train my ears to the point where I could hear a sound and have an idea of what it would take to make it myself, sort of like tasting a dish and identifying ingredients by flavor.

We all know that although artists might be associated with a particular piece or set of gear (Page and his Les Paul + Marshall, Nugent and his Byrdland + Fender), that might not be what was used to produce their recorded music (Page and his Silvertones, Teles and Supros, Nugent and ... probably his Byrdland and Fender, at least early on), plus there might be effects usage. And it is well known that another guitarist can play through the same rig and sound much different.

What I propose, if there is interest, is that if someone is trying to determine what components (mainly guitar, amp, effects if any, and settings) could be used to produce a similar sound to one on record, they could ask here in a "Name That Tone" thread, and others with information or opinions could chime in. That way it would be easier (for me, at least) to associate a known sound with (a) piece(s) of gear.

First up - Georgia Satellites "Keep Your Hands to Yourself". Doesn't sound too fancy to me, although there are a couple of guitars here. Some twang on the guitar(s), edge of distortion on the amp(s), maybe a little echo sometimes? What could you use to get this sound - gear and settings? Speculate away!

18 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

Posted

Well, I'll be cheating a bit as I've read interviews with them and seen videos of them playing live. Baird is playing the Tele, but he had EMG singles in it. Richards is playing the Dan Armstrong above, but I've seen him using LPs and juniors with P90s - original or some other variety. Both used Marshalls in things I saw but that either without a Master volume or just with the gain not up too high.

Posted

Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it! I once had a Hiroshi Kid-made Korina Gibson '58 Flying V replica, and I couldn't help but play Albert King licks on it all day long, EVERY day, so away it went. Ditto a Kendrick 2112 amp (Tweed Fender Deluxe clone), no matter how hard I tried NOT to, I always wound up maxing out the controls, so that everything I played through it sounded like Crazy Horse era Neil Young...so away IT went. It was great when I got those sounds, but it also seemed to get me in a creative rut, because of the previous musical references.

Posted

Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it! I once had a Hiroshi Kid-made Korina Gibson '58 Flying V replica, and I couldn't help but play Albert King licks on it all day long, EVERY day, so away it went. Ditto a Kendrick 2112 amp (Tweed Fender Deluxe clone), no matter how hard I tried NOT to, I always wound up maxing out the controls, so that everything I played through it sounded like Crazy Horse era Neil Young...so away IT went. It was great when I got those sounds, but it also seemed to get me in a creative rut, because of the previous musical references.

Good will power to part with loved gear. I'd be powerless and probably just add different stuff which Id also get hooked on. Gear degenerate I suppose ..oh well.

Posted

It's tele w emgs, echoplex, vintage Marshall for the rhythm. LP Jr into Park or vintage Marshall. The LPjr us now used by the guy in BlackBerry Smoke, pretty sure Dan Baird still plays that tele

Posted

Yep-just saw something online with Dan and a pic of the Tele. It's a bit more worn now!

Posted

Yeah, I think that's tele too. It is hard to avoid getting pigeon-holed, especially when you get an iconic guitar with an iconic sound that you end up playing with, because it just sounds GOOD.

And yes, I had to sell my Black SG because I would end up playing AC/DC and Black Sabbath ALL THE TIME.

Now I'm going to go back home and play mississippi queen on my P90 Special.

Posted

Saw them live in '88 up close and personal. Dan Baird was playing the Tele, but most of the guitar sound was coming out of a couple of double cut Les Paul Specials (a cherry and a TV yellow) wielded by Rick Richards through cranked Park amplifiers (with Boss Hog bull horns mounted where the handles would normally be). Sounded amazingly like the record!

Posted

Same Tele many years later. Great cover.

Posted

Funny that his Tele has EMGs on that track-I would think that it was a vintage style Tele pickup! Guess that's the whole point of the thread.

Posted

My first thought was "big fat-toned tele," so the EMGs make reasonable sense to me. My Rio Grande Muy Grande'd tele mutt has those same fat tele characteristics when the amp its driving is pushed or if the guit is hitting a nice OD pedal enroute.

Posted

Baird's favorite Marshall is a 8-hole 100w P.A. model, IIRC. I also recall that Richards used either a LP Junior or LP Special (or both) through a vintage Park on that record.

That era offered a nice revival for Southern rock: Georgia Satellites, Black Crowes, Allman Brothers (w/ Warren Haynes), Gov't Mule, Cry of Love, etc.

Posted

Thanks to all for the responses. What actually set me off on this was running across some youtube videos of guys offering lessons on how to play the song, and it struck me how different their tones were. I'm all for interpretation, variation and musical creativity in general, but it seems to me to be a valuable skill to be able to cook up a tone, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, at will. That's what I'm after, more so than looking to recreate someone else's rig.

So the consensus seems to be that this is a single-coil + slightly crunchy Marshall tone. One is a tele-type, bridge pickup presumably but on the fat-sounding side as opposed to the thin brittle type, the other is a P-90, both of them through Marshall types but not cranked enough to get them to that sustaining, singing stage.

Only HHB chimed in with the echo that I thought I heard on the palm-muted intro, unless he was referring to use of the echoplex as a preamp like some guitarists like to do. Sounds like a very quick repeat to me - is that what they call slapback echo?

Posted

Yes thats why. I recall Brendan Obrian ( producer of this tune ) insisting Baird use the echoplex like he did live

Posted

Yep-just saw something online with Dan and a pic of the Tele. It's a bit more worn now!

I think I read that Dan Strain in Nashville (Danocaster) is making him a replica so the old gal can be retired.

Posted

Found this old thread....I remember Baird saying he once showed up at the studio during this time period and he had left his Echoplex at home...the producer said "go get it. That's the sound".

i love  his echo on the rhythm. I think Biaird takes the first solo too...my fave.

 

on a similar note...it took me 20 years to be able to play a Strat without going into SRV mode. .....I live my Strat now and just sound like me. As it should be. Enough SRV copies out there..,,

Posted

What about Refugee? What is the gear on that tune?

Posted
On August 19, 2015 at 11:45 PM, Stike said:

Same Tele many years later. Great cover.

 

Years ago I was in a Christian blues band (yet another whole sub-genre) and we used to do the Yayhoos version of this tune. It was awesome. But so many people just missed the point. I guess a blues band wasn't supposed to play soul or rnb unless it was Stax or Otis. I wish I had a recording of us doing it. It was way high energy and FUN.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...