How To Play Stranglehold By Ted Nugent

The Secrets Backside Ted Nugent'south "True cat Scratch Fever" Guitar Tone

Ted Nugent was one of the hardest-rocking guitarists of the late Seventies, simply many players today would be surprised by the anarchistic gear that he used in the studio to create his characteristic heavier-than-heavy sounds. His primary weapon of pick both onstage and in the studio back then was (and still is today) an archtop thinline hollowbody Gibson Byrdland guitar from the early Sixties, which was originally designed by hillbilly jazz guitarists Billy Byrd and Hank Garland.

Ted Nugent performs at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1977. (Image credit: Tom Sheehan/Sony Music Archive/Getty Images)

In addition to its slim torso depth and fully hollow design, the Byrdland'south other main distinguishing features are its 23 1/two–inch scale length and narrow cervix width. Nugent prefers circa 1961–'68 Byrdlands, which feature a sharp "Florentine" cutaway and a pair of humbucking pickups.

Nugent'southward studio rig for "Cat Scratch Fever" was about every bit elementary as it gets: a 1962 Gibson Byrdland and a 1962 Fender Deluxe 6G3 philharmonic amp. Produced for a very brief period from 1961 until 1963 and hands identifiable thanks to its brownish Tolex covering, the 6G3 Deluxe is dear past tone connoisseurs for its overdrive crisis and growling midrange, which sound more than similar a Marshall than any other vintage Fender amp (although since the brownish Deluxe pre-dated Marshall past most a year, maybe it's more than accurate to say that Marshall amps sound more like a brownish Palatial).

Nugent was well known for performing at excessive book levels onstage, simply in the studio he made this combo—with a single 12-inch speaker—sound like he was ripping the roof off of the recording studio.

Although the Byrdland'southward medium-output PAF humbucking pickups and the Deluxe's moderate gain seem tame by today's standards, Nugent fabricated this minor rig sound larger than life thanks to an affluence of overdubbed unison layers for the principal riff, rhythm parts panned to separate locations and tight harmonized parts for the fills and solos. The Deluxe's thick, luscious midrange allows the guitar to remain prominent in the mix, with the bass and the drums adding torso and depth.

ORIGINAL GEAR

GUITAR: Gibson Byrdland with PAF humbucking pickups (bridge pickup), volume and tone controls at 10
AMP: 1962 Fender 6G3 Palatial with Oxford 12K5 12-inch speaker (Bright channel input one, Volume: 10, Tone: 10, Tremolo off Speed: 0, Intensity: 0)
EFFECTS: None
STRINGS/TUNING: Dean Markley Nickel Steel Regular .010, .013, .017, .026, .036, .046/Standard

Guild Starfire 3
Seymour Duncan Seth Lover bridge humbucker
Blackstar Artisan 15

TONE TIP: The Gibson Byrdland and Fender Deluxe 6G3 are both extremely idiosyncratic items and therefore difficult to duplicate. The thinline hollowbody Order Starfire III has midrange honk that comes shut enough to the Byrdland with a PAF-style humbucker installed. The Blackstar Artisan has a similarly simple control configuration to the brownish Deluxe: use channel 2 only with less gain/volume and the tone command dialed down for less brilliant treble.

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Chris is the co-writer of Eruption - Conversations with Eddie Van Halen. He is a forty-twelvemonth music industry veteran who started at Boardwalk Entertainment (Joan Jett, Night Ranger) and Roland US before becoming a guitar journalist in 1991. He has interviewed more than 600 artists, written more than 1,400 product reviews and contributed to Jeff Beck's Beck 01: Hot Rods and Rock & Roll and Eric Clapton's Half-dozen String Stories.