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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly guitar tone:


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Yes, srs.

 

There are a couple of points in the movie where the main ooooeeooooeeeooooeeeooooo WAHH WAHH WAHH is played on the guitar (just the bold lines), and it basically sounds like Grizzly Bear. I'm assuming it was a tele (probably bridge pickup) into some Fender at the time with a TON of reverb. Amazing sound.

 

But there's another part that's more of a lead line. It's got this warbly trem/vibrato thing going on. The only thing I've ever heard somewhat like it is the Pareidolia. :idk:

 

 

Does anyone know more about it or have any insight?

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I love that tone too. What song off the soundtrack are you talking about?

 

I've always thought the quintessential spaghetti western tone consisted of a combo of Gretsch 6120 with Dynasonics, amp with reverb (better a Fender 6G15 tank into clean amp), Mosrite Fuzzrite, and add a Danelectro 6 string bass (aka baratone) for some tracks.

 

Something about an aluminum bridge saddle and Dynasonic's just sounds like something straight out of the wild west to me.

 

That warble effect might be a Fender Brown face amp like a Concert that has the harmonic vibrato circuit? (have to hear it to confirm)

 

[video=youtube;xatlYBqp7cY]

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Hmm...I was going to say it sounds like someone very slightly moving a strat vibrato to me but it does seem rather regular on some long notes, doesn't it?

 

In any case it sounds either double tracked or chorused or something.

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It very well could have been, that's why I asked! I really dig the "metallic" tone it has, though. Super cool.

 

Back then a lot of "studio/pro" cats equated dollar signs with great tone. Gretsch and Gibson were very popular and expensive axes to own and you see a lot of those in the hands of those guys around that period. When you say metallic tone the aluminum saddles on early Gretsch guitars are it.

 

This below sounds very much like a guitar with trem (likely Bigsby) and likely a bridge with aluminum saddles. I can't make out the pup type as the guy is playing right up at the bridge. It could be a number of guitars but based off the time line and what was popular I'm guessing a Gretsch of some sort.

 

[video=youtube;k6KvqUI8Uio]

 

Wild guess, producer tells guitarist I need western sounding electric guitar on this sound track. Guitarist looks around for western sounding electric guitar, sees this and says he has one? :lol:

 

gretsch6120dsw-2004.jpg

 

With the western inlays and motif, dynasonics, bigsby, aluminum rocker bridge... :love::love::love:

 

Hell if that was not the guitar used you certainly could cop all those tones with it for sure!

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That has always sounded to me like a thinner semi hollow guitar with some kind of low output pickups. Actually, a lot of the italian soundtracks from that time period exhibit that sort of sound for the guitars. It doesn't seem powerful enough to be a tele or a jazzmaster. Maybe a strat, but it doesn't seem quite strat-ish to me somehow.

 

Of what i own that is closest, my Agile Harm with its very buzzy faux tuneomatic bridge saddle retaining clip. Pick close to the bridge and that sound comes out. Could get even closer with less hot pickups than the Harm possesses i think.

 

Anyhow, i am quite a fan of those soundtracks, also the more swinging fuzz guitar style ones of the same era and writers/players.

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i always imagined the guitar being a meazzi or eko italian monstrosity, complete with excessive mother of toilet seat and crappy pickups


:idk:

 

Only if there is poetic justice in the world. ;)

 

Seriously - I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. As erksin said, they probably recorded the soundtrack in Italy, so it's certainly quite possible that it's an Italian guitar model creating those sounds. It's also quite possible that their session players were using guitars imported from the US. I honestly don't know either way. :idk:

 

I do agree that there are some great sounds on some of those spaghetti western soundtracks. :cool:

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