FLYING HIGH…
The evolution of Foo Fighters guitar tone in five classic tracks
I’ll Stick Around
( Foofighters, 1995) Dave Grohl used a variety of Gibson electrics, most notably his mid-60s Gibson Trini Lopez, which has featured on all Foos albums, but also Les Paul Customs, too. Indeed, at the 1996 Phoenix Festival, I’llstickaround was performed on a black Custom LP. Either way, the recipe is to throttle the amplifier – a Marshall JCM900 preferably – don’t scoop the mids, and use heavy strings so you can hit those chords as hard as you can.
Generator
( Thereisnothingleft Tolose, 2000) Thereisnothingleftto Lose saw the Foos going back to basics in the studio, with producer Adam Kaspar setting up mics, turning up amps and songs captured in as few takes as possible. But this time the Marshalls were replaced by Vox AC30 combos, with the occasional Pro Co Rat for drive/fuzz. Thereafter, the Foos would look to the classic British all-valve combo as the key constituent of their guitar tone. Bass would be set high, around 8, treble at 6 or 7. On Generator, Grohl used a talk box – a classic rock manoeuvre pioneered by Joe Walsh on Rockymountainway, and a subtle tell that the Foos would soon augment their alt-rock sound with all kinds of influences.
Friend Of A Friend
( Inyourhonor, 2005) Written in 1990 about flat-sharing with Nirvana before the atomic success of Nevermind, Friendofafriend was rerecorded for Inyour Honor’s acoustic side. Grohl has used Martin and Taylor acoustics in the past but his Gibson Elvis Presley Dove is the number one. Here, he’d cut it straight into the Neve or API console via a Neumann mic and Martech mic preamp. It was the first acoustic song Grohl ever wrote, but a good number of Foo Fighters tracks start out on acoustic before going electric.
Arlandria
( Wastinglight, 2011) Recorded at Grohl’s Studio 606 with Butch Vig ( Nevermind) producing, Wastinglight showcased just how three guitars could be used to redraw the boundaries of the Foos’ guitar tone. Again, there are the Vox AC30 combos, with Smear also going through a high-gain Peavey 6505 or superclean Roland Jazz Chorus with an MG Music Lexotone in front of it, and Grohl favouring a Fender Tonemaster for his Trini. On Arlandria, Grohl’s Trini Lopez is complemented by Shiflett’s P90-loaded Tele with Smear on a baritone built from a Hagstrom body and Allparts neck.
Run
( Concrete&gold, 2017) The Foos threw the kitchen sink at Concrete &Gold. The big change guitar-wise was that Smear use Les Pauls. Shiflett had his P90equipped Non-reverse Firebird. And there were lots of stompboxes in the mix. If you hear modulation, it’s likely an EHX Memory Man. Auxiliary crunch came from Shiflett’s Klon Centaur and a JHS Pedals Muffuletta, which houses six different flavours of Big Muff fuzz under the hood.