signal path "cant always get..." guitar

[djs]

i have been in love with the acoustic guitar in the intro of the Stones' "you can't always get what you want" since the first time i ever heard it...chills. i have, as of yet not been able to find any info on the signal path for the session. does anyone know?

particularly- mic, pre, and compression. i would be greatful for any info or links or whatever. i'd also love to know exactly what guitar was used. thanks a million!

-dan

[heylow]

I don't have any info, but this is a question I have wanted to ask as well.

That Stones example is a good one but I'd settle for any info on "that" sound.....that vintage compressed/limited thing without all the the high end and stuff.



heylow

[jpaudio]

Been a while, but IIRC, heard that it was recorded almost entirely live, with the band & friends sitting in a big circle, everyone with a shaker, tambourine, or some sort of percussion instrument, Keith on acoustic, and the electric and B3 were overdubbed afterwards... I could be totally off, but that rings a bell. I'd guess it was a U47 on the acoustic. Pre and compression could have been whatever console was there, don't recall what studio it was in. If Fletcher sees this, he may chime in with some facts...

[fatty]

i remember reading somewhere that keef used to record his acoustic guitars in the early days using a shitty dictaphone mic on a portable tape deck.

[jpaudio]

Originally posted by fatty
i remember reading somewhere that keef used to record his acoustic guitars in the early days using a shitty dictaphone mic on a portable tape deck.

Ah, I remember hearing that too... IIRC, it was his rythm tracks for "Street Fighting Man" and "Jumpin Jack Flash" that were tracked in such a fashion... something like he laid down those basics and the band overdubbed to it to keep the vibe. His solo in "Sympathy for the Devil" was the same kinda deal as well i believe...

About 5-6 years ago, i had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assist on a session Keith was on. After meeting him and getting into the whole "Keef" vibe, I realized the magic on a lot of those tracks has more to do with Keith's hands than anything else. The guy's energy is literally overwhelming.

There was a great article in TapeOp a while ago about the Sticky Fingers sessions at Muscle Schoals... it won't answer your specific question, but will give you an idea as to some of the standards around that time. They also did a lot of tracking via the Olympic Helios console too. Honestly, without having that particular guitar (not to mention Keef playing it), I don't think any mic, pre, or comp is gonna get you close.

[djs]

thanks. i actually did read that article a little while back (in tapeop). very cool. it must have been trully amazing to work with someone of that caliber! you are a lucky man.

i know the main thing about that guitar sound is kieth, the guitar and the tunning. no chance of replicating the first two. however i'd love the know about the treatment...how was it captured so well? i know half of it is just being there when the magic happens (with tape rolling), i know the room also has a lot of bearing on it too. but i'm on a quest. all of kieth's stuff doesn't have the same sound, so something else is going on. and i'm sure a lot of other tunes used a very similar setup, but this is the one that stands out to me.

anyone else out there? kieth, maybe?

[jpaudio]

Originally posted by djs
it must have been trully amazing to work with someone of that caliber! you are a lucky man.

I was practically soiling myself on the way to the studio that day... but Keith turned out to be an extremely warm and genuinely cool guy, no ego or attitude whatsoever. That was the truly amazing part!

I know for Keith's electric stuff, a 57 thru a Neve standing pretty hard on an 1176 has been his standard since at least the late 70s... that's what we used on him that particular day and he was pleased. The dates might be off but it wouldn't surprise me to hear an 1176 or possibly a UA 175 was used on that acoustic track... can definately hear the vibe there.

Fletcher seems to know a thing or two about the Stones, i'm really hoping he chimes in with some further insight...