Link Wray
Any discussion of “bad” guitar tones must
include Link Wray. Wray’s instrumental tune
“Rumble,” released in 1958, was enormously
influential in a number of ways, but for modern
day rockers the most important aspect of
“Rumble” is that it was perhaps the first
recording to make use of intentional feedback
and distortion. Prior to this, both players
and amp designers were doing everything
they could to eliminate distortion in guitar
amplification. After “Rumble” blew up the
airwaves, everything changed. This song was
also one of the first recorded uses of the
power chord, and it was among the earliest
guitar instrumentals. Artists including Jimmy
Page, Pete Townshend and Iggy Pop have
PHOTO BY BY DXEDE5X, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
26
TONE TALK //
stated that hearing “Rumble” for the first
time was a definitive moment in their lives,
directly influencing them to pursue a life
of music. The powerful (though not always
positive, as it was quite controversial) effect
this song had over listeners of the day had
a lot to do with Link Wray’s guitar sound, a
grinding bark the likes of which had never
before been committed to tape. The sound
started with a P-90-equipped Les Paul
plugged into a Premier Model 71 combo
amp, and ended with the ratty old speaker
that Wray further modified by poking
several holes in the cone to get the ragged
overdriven sound that defines “Rumble.”
According to legend, when reprimanded
by the recording engineer for destroying
his amplifier, Wray replied, “I don’t care as
long as I get the fucking sound!”
There are a number of other guitarists with
wonderfully “bad” signature tones that I
have omitted from this article for reasons
of time and space, including Ron Asheton
of The Stooges, Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell,
Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins, and Black
Flag’s Greg Ginn, among others. These
players all share a highly unorthodox
approach to guitar tone, which is also
accompanied by an equally unorthodox
playing style. This is not a coincidence.
Unique tones are almost always created
to complement unique styles. As I have
hopefully illustrated, the relative goodness
or badness of a guitar sound is ultimately in
the ear of the beholder, and has much more
to do with the player and the context than
it does with having the right vintage gear
or boutique stompboxes. Get out there
and find your sound, friends.
The 5 Best “Bad” Tones in Rock History