tin foil and mouse balls.

[WEBCYAN]

ive heard some people say to put tin foil over the pick-ups. others say roll a mouse tracking ball down two strings. what are your tips to recording wierd sounds from a guitar? anything goes.

 

[LooneyTunez]

I recorded a guitar player who took his whammy bar off the guitar and dragged it against the strings to make a sound that sounded almost exactly like turntable 'scratching'. Had another guy play the strings up at the headstock to produce and interesting sound. If you want to hear these examples, let me know and I'll post a some snippets of them.

 

[Slackmaster2K]

A square handled screwdriver lodged in a variable-speed power drill can make some cool sounds.

 

[Track Rat]

I've posted this one before but here it is again. Lay the amp on its back with speakers aimed at the ceiling. Hang a mic from the ceiling by the mic cable so when it's at rest, it's right in the sweet spot in front of one of the speakers (where you'd normally position a mic). swing the mic like a pendulum, play and record.

 

[WEBCYAN]

my roommate found out that if you have anal sex with the headstock...um, interesting sounds are produced. of course you must then buy a new guitar.

 

[guhlenn]

the sweet smell of love shouldn't be discarded!


guhlenn

ps remotecontrols near the pickups... lotsa distortion while playing the strings at the headstock... anything that is magnetic, Tl lights, refrigderators...

like the swinging mic idea... good one trackrat i'll try it!

 

[Roel]

Well... One of the 'special effects' our guitarplayer uses quite alot live is banging his head on the guitar... Quite theatrical too...

 

[64Firebird]

If you weave a pick into the strings (Over the E, under the B and over the G) and slide it down next to your bridge you can get sort of a banjo sound when you pick the strings.

 

[Fishmed]

my roommate found out that if you have anal sex with the headstock...um, interesting sounds are produced. of course you must then buy a new guitar.

Were the interesting sounds coming from the guitar or from your roommate?

 

[WEBCYAN]

If you weave a pick into the strings (Over the E, under the B and over the G) and slide it down next to your bridge you can get sort of a banjo sound when you pick the strings.

i have tried that. interesting effect.


fishmed...my roommate.

 

[CrippledYak]

Sonic Youth

Listen to a Sonic Youth record and I'm sure you'll find a million spastic ways to play your guitar : )

I've tried a variety of obscure methods myself ie;

Clipping strings between the coil side of safety pins (so they stand perpendicular to the guitar). Some pin locations and pickup postions are more useful than others.

Run a bolt with relatively small/smooth threads across the strings to cheat on rapid picking ; ) [note: this destroys strings - duh]

Running a screwdriver in a circular motion across individual strings (flat wound strings work best) while fretting does a good emulation of a bow (though my favorite -- and less obscure method -- is actually using a cello bow, imagine that).

Using a paintbrush to strum is great for creating ambient sound scapes....

Really, just open up your tool box and go crazy! Though I'd avoid using tools to apply sharp impact (hammers), pickups sound less than pleasing once they have been shattered.

I think I'm going to try using a chainsaw next, though I think it'd be more for dramatic-stage purposes : )

Dan S. Leonard

 

[CDT-sHaG]

ever heard of "prepared" guitar? I read about it in acoustic guitar magazine...folks putting beads and shit on their strings....lol...

 

[guhlenn]

sorta like the dude from aerosmith dresses his mic stand?

guhlenn

ps HOLD ON! beads on their strings??? Damn the 70's, damn 'm!!

 

[JR#97]

- scream or sing into your pickups
- mic your amp with ear bud headphones
- record your amp through the phone to a mini-tape answering machine
- throw your amp into a tub full of water and mic it. (don't know how you'd water proof it... but then again, the sound of an amp blowing up in the water might sound damn cool.

 

[Ginzoo]

I like to build up a solo into a frenzy and give my amp(58 Gibson Falcon) a soft little kick to set off the spring reverb.Sounds like an explosion.It does not work on my J-Station for some reason
I also like the "worm down the throat" sound.Fret a note and slide up while pressing down on the wiggle stick.Try to keep the same note all the way up while the string loses tension.Sounds like a gargle.

 

[Eddee]

point a remote at your pickup and press a button. experiment with different remotes, holding the button, passing the remote over the p/u, etc.

 

[CrippledYak]

point a remote at your pickup and press a button. experiment with different remotes, holding the button, passing the remote over the p/u, etc.

try the same thing with a pager, it'll pick up whatever ringer tune you have set. Hmm... using a vibrating pager might be interesting too... (which reminds me of a friend of mine who used a vibrating dildo across the strings -- once you pick yourself off the floor from laughter, it sounds pretty damn cool -- but still weird).

 

[Lopp]

I like quickly flipping my hand over the neck to alternate upside down and righstide up playing while playing a riff. It doesn't sound any different, but it looks damn cool live (at least I think so).

 

[Lopp]

(which reminds me of a friend of mine who used a vibrating dildo across the strings -- once you pick yourself off the floor from laughter, it sounds pretty damn cool -- but still weird).

Is that he related to the one that had anal sex with the headstock?

 

[bubinski]

I played with a guy ( in a band ) that wove a piece of paper between his strings on an acoustic so that it gave him a " rythym " type sound also....sounded kindof cool, but he was a suck player.
bubinski.