Tokyo Guitar

[Tab]

What a great guitar sound - Does anybody know how he gets that effect?

[Moderne]

Hi Terry. This was discussed in January of last year.

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12125&p=86633&hilit=effects+on+hank%27s+solo+album#p86633

[Tab]

Thanks, Clive - must have missed that

[JimN]

Actually, I'm not at all sure that there is much by way of unusual effects on Tokyo Guitar.

The characteristic sound on that track is the almost-dry sound of Hank's Burns Marvin (probably fitted with either Gibson Sonomatic Light Gauge E240Ls or Fender Rock'n'Roll strings), but with the melody played in fourths. That is, holding down and playing (hard) two adjacent strings on the same fret (the relevant strings being the A and D and the D and the G).

Try it. It's all very pentatonic. The final guitar track might have been later subjected to a bit of flange/phasing, but in those days, that was very much a post-production technique.

But the above gives the Tokyo Guitar sound even on an acoustic guitar.

[JimN]

edited

[Tab]

That's the way I've always played it Jim. Sounds even better if you use the pick and finger technique but I'm not sure it was played that way on the original. When it moves up an octave it's single strings but still with that rich sound. A great track.