Question For The Guitarists

[ToonaRockGuy]

Figured I'd ask this here, since it's a tech question:

How do guitarists get the "growl" effect that I hear occasionally in guitar solos? The best example I can give is during the solo in Night Ranger's "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". (I believe it's Brad Gillis) I've also heard Nuno Bettencourt do it in the solo of "Pornografitti" from Extreme's second album.

The only way I can describe the effect is that it sounds like someone rolling an "R" while speaking Spanish, only applied to a guitar note.

I'm just curious if this is a technique, or a pedal effect.

[lonewolf]

If its what I think you are talking about, its not an easy thing to reproduce on command. Would you include some of the notes at the end of Pink Floyd's Time guitar solo?

If so, its about 1/2 guitar, 1/4 hard down pick action and 1/4 string bend-up action and then getting the vibrato follow-thru just right. You need a treble setting with a decent amount of volume and harmonic distortion, but not too much. This results in the string vibrating at the normal frequency, but also having a noticable overtone oscillating with it. You can get this effect by tuning down the E on an acoustic and plucking it hard. You can actually see the 2 different oscillations.

Another sound you may be describing is a wolftone. Every stringed instrument has what's called a "wolftone", or the most resonant frequency of the instrument. The phrase was 1st coined for Violins for an undesirable howl that each instrument had.

Because of electronics, electric guitars can have several minor wolftones, along with the normal extra harmonics on the 7th, 12 and 19th frets. Hollow and semi-hollow body guitars can get lots of this effect with natural feedback from the amp...that was one of Ted Nugent's trademarks with the Byrdland.

Another trick is to pick 2 strings (works best with the index finger on the B string, ring finger on the G string) and stretch the note on the G string to just about the same note as the B string. If they are very close, the two will oscillate with each other.

[bassist_25]

I pulled out that CD and gave it a listen to in order to hear what you were talking about. There's a lot going on in that solo, so it's hard for me to pick out what you mean. Nuno does some sweeps, pinched harmonics, tremelo work, and even a clean, funky riff. I do notice that there are parts in the song where he'll pick close to the bridge, possibly with the bridge pickup soloed. This may account for the tone that you're hearing.

Nuno has always had great tone and technique.

[Ron]

Very easy.

You have to make sure that there's no play in your vibrato bar and the springs are set up fairly tightly. Then you quickly flick the bar with your hand, which causes the note to flutter.

[Punkinhead]

Yeah, if you have your tremolo bar set tight and raised (so it will pull both ways) you hit a note and basically smack it with your hand really quick. It works best for me if the tremolo bar is rolled that it's facing away from me. That way you can pick a note and hit the bar in one swoop, almost like a huge sweep. Steve Vai is a master of it. He's done whole passages with it, chords and all....It's very interesting.

[lonewolf]

What do you do when there's no wanker, er, whammy bar?

[Punkinhead]

What do you do when there's no wanker, er, whammy bar?

Generally don't produce that sound and replace it with something done behind the nut or two handed...lol...I have only ever owned one guitar without one but, it ends up being the one I play the most.

[Banned]

Another way to get the flutter effect is to literally hit the guitar body, which will produce the same sound from the whammy bridge. I use that fairly often in HF1. It's not as controlled as flicking the bar, but it looks cool.

Anyone remember when Guitar for the Practicing Musician used to incorrectly transcribe this sound as "digital warble effect"? Never quite figured out what they were thinking . . . the flick trick was pretty common knowledge in the 80s.

[orangekick]

Another way to get the flutter effect is to literally hit the guitar body, which will produce the same sound from the whammy bridge. I use that fairly often in HF1. It's not as controlled as flicking the bar, but it looks cool.

Anyone remember when Guitar for the Practicing Musician used to incorrectly transcribe this sound as "digital warble effect"? Never quite figured out what they were thinking . . . the flick trick was pretty common knowledge in the 80s.

Man, GftPM was off on a lot of things.

[Punkinhead]

Another way to get the flutter effect is to literally hit the guitar body, which will produce the same sound from the whammy bridge. I use that fairly often in HF1. It's not as controlled as flicking the bar, but it looks cool.

Anyone remember when Guitar for the Practicing Musician used to incorrectly transcribe this sound as "digital warble effect"? Never quite figured out what they were thinking . . . the flick trick was pretty common knowledge in the 80s.

Man, GftPM was off on a lot of things.

No denying that one...I forgot about the guitar punch too. I have done that, I don't know why I didn't remember it at that point...must be an ingrained thing or something.

[orangekick]

Sometimes it's hard to tell people how to do things that you don't even think about anymore. I tried giving someone lessons once and it was a disaster.