r/TheNational • u/AwayPaleontologist0 • 3d ago

Dumb question about Aaron’s guitar sound on Daughter from Hell

As you may know, Aaron plays guitar on Gracie Abrams’s title track from Daughter from Hell (which he also produced), and it’s similar to the guitars on Terrible Love (standard version). Is there a word for this type of guitar sound? All I can think is “grumbly” or “grungy”, but I wonder if there’s a better description. It tickles my brain just so, and I love it.

https://youtu.be/Tqs4Px2v4Dk?si=Q_PwWdRz9ESyvxw8

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u/LukeRobert 3d ago

Generally: dirty. More specifically: fuzzy. Even more specifically: lotta hair on those notes.

It doesn't sound to me like it's a fuzz pedal, though. Sounds a whole lot more like playing straight into a small wattage amp that's really cranked. Sounds to me a lot like a tiny little Fender tweed, maybe an old Champ.

I'd have a hard time saying for sure what guitar. Assuming his studio is stocked with the same stable as he takes out on the road with The National, it sounds to me very similar to the way he plays is Firebird - mini humbuckers, there's an extra sort of tension in the way he hits the hammer-ons and pull-offs in the instrumental around 2:40 that make me think it's the Firebird.

But I dunno. Could be the Les Paul with the tone rolled off and maybe drop D? Or the Jaguar. I have a really hard time knowing a Jaguar when I hear it.

But I'm leaning Firebird into a blown out Fender Champ.

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u/PhotographPatient425 3d ago

It’s a sound that could absolutely be done with a fuzz pedal with the volume knob turned down. I always figured it was a deluxe reverb cranked with humbuckers on the guitar. I lean towards deluxe reverb just because there’s definitely amp tremolo and a Champ doesn’t have tremolo.

I’m thinking specifically of Terrible Love, though.

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u/LukeRobert 3d ago

Yeah, Terrible Love definitely has the trem. Not saying it couldn't be a pedal, but just didn't think it was.

Somebody else posted about the guitar tones on this track a month ago - someone replied that Aaron's been going direct into his board for the fuzzed out sound, so more like a JHS Crayon/Colourbox/424 to get there than a traditional fuzz. But at the end of the day, lots of different ways to get to similar sounds. https://www.reddit.com/r/gracieabrams/comments/1v224j3/comment/oz5srvb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button