DU Guitarists: How did Robert Fripp get those sounds on "Beauty and the Beast"?

[Taverner]

You know, the beginning with all that "sawing" sounds?

Is that all managed feedback, or is he actually picking?

[Ahpook]

1. I've been rather curious myself

This article describes the technique as the "Sky Saw"

I assume that is what he is doing in that tune? :)

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/enofaqm.html


I imagine you can get close with some choice pedals.

[Taverner]

3. Ahhh Synthesyzed! Makes sense

They got it by "...feeding the guitar through a VCS Synthi synthesizer and digital feedback."

[gmoney]

2. "Frippertronics" no?

[old mark]

4. Fripp's basic sound comes from an old trick - plug the guitar into the

input jack of a large old reel-to-reel tape recorder, with a loop of tape on the reels threaded through the heads as if it were a normal tape. Plug the cord to your guitar amo into the Line Out jack of the tape recorder. The distortion and sustain is unbelievable, very thick and saturated. You can control it by using various effects pedals after the signal comes out of the tape recorder. Fripp kept his recorder in a wooden box when playing live so people would not think his music was recorded and he was just faking it.

I was a fan of his for decades, and saw him play in concert abouut 25 years ago.

FWIW, I used the tape recorder idea long ago with a Telecaster and a cheap tube amp, and it worked great.

mark

[Taverner]

5. Wow - nice!

Is that how he got his whole "is that feedback or distortion?" sound?

[old mark]

8. That's it. The recorder acts as a powerful pre-amp gives you that very thick

droning distortion and as much sustain as you want.

It's a neat trick, really.


mark

[mitchum]

6. His mastery of the occult...

and runnning the guitar threw a synth filter and modulation

[Taverner]

7. But did he use Satan as a distortion pedal?