In pursuit of vintage tone
I’ve been thinking about guitar tone recently, in connection with the research I’m engaged with about the English guitarist / songwriter Marc Bolan. I’m interested in particular in some of the electric guitar tones he recorded with in 1969 and 1970. This was the period when he acquired an electric guitar after an 18 month period when he was only playing acoustically. Sometime in the spring of 1969 he bought a Fender Stratocaster (one of his musical heroes was Hendrix) and a couple of effects pedals.
The Tyrannosaurus Rex single ‘King of the Rumbling Spires’ (July 1969) has him using the Strat with a Shatterbox fuzz unit. I recently acquired a clone of this unit and the tone is pretty much there. Bolan then used the Strat throughout the album Beard of Stars (released March 1970), preceded by the single taken from it ‘By the Light of a Magical Moon’ which has some wonderful fluid lead fills. Around this time he acquired a Gibson Les Paul which he was photographed with on the cover of the T Rex album recorded that June-July and released December 1970. The guitar tones on that album are superb, but very far from classic rock. I suspect he may have invested in a couple more pedals or was chaining them together.
Bolan is an example of a guitarist whose guitar tones cannot easily be replicated by modern pedals, simulation devices or multi-effects. You can buy units that emulate a variety of guitar tones but his are never there. This type of thing has led to an explosion of boutique vintage pedal clones for players seeling a 60s or 70s sound. These pedals can be very expensive, in contrast to the originals which would have been very cheap but now command high prices. I knew for years that one of the devices Bolan relied on was a Rangemaster Treble Booster. About 300 were made from 1966-1968. I was amazed to discover recently that Vintage Guitar magazine have the Rangemaster at no.1 on their ‘chart’ of most desirable vintage guitar effects and in 2011 they had a price estimate of several thousand dollars.
The pursuit of tone does interesting things to one’s ears – which get sensitized to various sound effects and frequencies. Over the past few months I’ve been able to clearly distinguish the famous early 70s mid-range boost effect used by Bolan and by Bowie’s guitarist Mick Ronson. But it is important to keep perspective – for there are so many factors that were lined up to create a certain guitar tone during a specific recording session half a century ago that replicating it is almost impossible – though with a bit of technique, imagination and cash for those clone units, the results can sometimes be close enough.
I will describe the Bolan project in more detail another time; I hope it might turn into a book.
Sad to see the demise of International Record Review, a magazine of thoughtful and detailed reviews of classical releases, caused by the death of its owner. In the UK that means the reviewing will be provided by BBC Music Magazine and Gramophone.
The symphonies I listened to in March were: Brahms 2 and 3; Bruckner 4; Holmboe 1-9, 12 and 13; Kalinnikov 2; Nielsen 5; Prokoviev 1, 2 and 6; Rissager 2; Rubbra 8; Svendsen 2; Sumera 1-6; Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements and Symphony in C; Tansman 7; Vaughan Williams 4 and 9; and Walton 2 on a new SACD.
Rikky Rooksby's site 
There isn’t much for me to say about tone. I’m still trying to figure out the basics of playing guitar beyond open chords. I just wanted to thank Rikky for his books. I’ve got most of them and they are the most informative books I’ve found when it comes to understanding how music works and how to proceed with creating my own music. Thanks!
April 6, 2015 at 6:20 pm
Hello Steve, thanks for your comment about the books. I’m glad they’ve been helpful. If you want to take the tuition a step further I do help people out by teaching at a distance.
April 7, 2015 at 3:11 pm
Hi this is Byrd Haynes back again for some more questions 😁: which songs did Marc Bolan primarily use his Les Paul on? I know he just got his Les Paul prior to recording Electric Warrior and it appears on the cover but on Analog Man’s site he seems to suggest it was all Strat. Do you have any idea on that one and Tanx as well? Thank you in advance 🙂
December 14, 2025 at 9:04 am
Hello Byrd,
Marc Bolan acquired his Les Paul in Feb 1970, a couple of months before recording sessions started for the 1970 T.Rex (on the cover of which he is photographed with it). The Les Paul was used on many tracks on that album along with the Strat, so this is well before Electric Warrior. EW tracks are a mixture of Les Paul and Strat also. If you get hold of some of the rehearsal / early takes of EW the Strat can be heard on some songs where it might be a surprise, for example the low rhythm guitar on Get It On. I think the rhythm on Mambo Sun might be Strat front pickup playing the E figure at the 12th fret – that gets the tone for me. The Slider is also a mixture of Strat and Les Paul. I think Jeepster’s main rhythm guitar is the Les Paul and the fills Telecaster. Tanx I’m not so sure about – I have a feeling he may have used the Strat less on that one. Identifying guitar tones on some of the T Rex recordings can be tricky because the Rangemaster treble booster and / or Shatterbox on the 1970 album thins out the sound even on the Les Paul. Hope this helps.
December 15, 2025 at 6:45 am
My guitar history is I was given a black dreadnought, swapped it for a poacher’s jacket, bought a Hohner, traded it for a mandolin, sold the mandolin (kept the case). Bought a Gretsch Jimmy Rogers and a tele copy. Sold the lot bought an Ernie Ball. Sold the lot and bought a Takamine – the hardest working guitar in showbusiness!
April 6, 2015 at 7:19 pm
Thanks Dan. I’ve got rid of a few guitars in my time – an acoustic 12-string, an Epiphone Flying V, a not very good classical which I first took lessons on, and in the past few weeks an Aria superstrat which my students sometimes used. It will need to be replaced with something I like. Today I tried out a Squier Telecaster vintage sunburst – very nice slim neck.
April 7, 2015 at 3:13 pm
Do you have an idea of which songs on T. Rex and Slider in which the Stratocaster is the primary guitar being used?
August 19, 2024 at 12:26 am
Hello Byrd, I’m not that confident about the guitars on The Slider as they’re harder to tell apart. The Strat may be the main guitar for the title track, Chariot Choogle, the rhythm part on Ballrooms, the lead on Rabbit Fighter, maybe Metal Guru. The Les Paul is the main guitar for Telegram Sam, Baby Strange, Cadilac. Thunderwing was apparently recorded using the Flying V. I find the brown album not quite so hard and can make the following educated guesses:
GUITARS ON THE 1970 T REX ALBUM
KNOWN AMPS AND EFFECTS
WEM Dominator; Vox AC30; Vamp 100 [possibly on last sessions]; Rangemaster Treble Booster; JHS Shatterbox fuzz; Coloursound wah pedal [or fuzz-wah]; or one other fuzz unit.
Marc’s hand-written notes were probably made in advance of recording the songs so not definitive for what was actually used on the tracks.
JEWEL
Rhythm: Strat solo: Les Paul
CHILDE
Rhythm: Les Paul solo: Les Paul
TIME OF LOVE IS NOW
Solo and fills: Les Paul [Marc’s notes]
DIAMOND MEADOWS
Rhythm: Les Paul [Marc’s notes]
ROOT OF STAR
Solo and fills: Les Paul
BELTANE WALK
Rhythm: Les Paul
IS IT LOVE
Rhythm: Strat solo: Les Paul [Marc’s notes]
ONE INCH ROCK
Rhythm: Les Paul [Marc’s notes]
SUMMER DEEP
Rhythm: Les Paul
SEAGULL WOMAN
Rhythm: Les Paul solo: Strat [Marc’s notes mention Fender]
THE WIZARD
Rhythm: Les Paul solo: Les Paul
RIDE A WHITE SWAN
Rhythm: Les Paul solo: Les Paul
It would be nice if someone one day put half a dozen of his guitar tones into a pedal.
Hope this helps, BW Rikky
August 21, 2024 at 10:33 am
Thank you so much for that wonderful response!! You exceeded my expectations and gave so much great detail!! My last question and I’ll leave you alone 😂: which of his notable songs primarily feature a Stratocaster(counting his pre-T. Rex stuff)?
August 21, 2024 at 5:31 pm
You’re welcome. I’ve been working toward a book on Marc’s music from 1967-early 1972 for some years. Regarding the Strat it was the only electric guitar he had for the 1970 Beard of Stars album so all the electric parts on that are Strat – which would include Elemental Child, Woodland Bop and Magical Moon. The last remastering of the Beard album (Deluxe) had a first take of Magical Moon where the chords are being played not on acoustic but the Strat – that’s very goopd for hearing the tone – lots of fret slap and very light strings, and the capo at III. Always happy to chat about Marc’s guitar / sounds etc.
August 21, 2024 at 6:27 pm
That’s very interesting about the early stuff and the Strat. I knew he had an SG prior to T. Rex, I guess he must’ve traded it for the Strat or something. Was Bang a Gong mostly Strat too?
August 21, 2024 at 10:10 pm
He used an SG during the 5 months or so he was in John’s Children (1967) but when he left that group he lost access to the SG. He had no electric guitar after that until March 1969 when he bought the Strat (this was mentioned in an interview then) with the WEM Dominator 15watt amp. By this time the recording sessions for Unicorn were complete. His first recordings with the Strat happened in April/May notably on King of the Rumbling Spires – and that track shows he had bought the Shatterbox by then also. As for Get It On the rhythm track is probably the Strat (on front pickup) which is clearer on the first takes/rehearsal. The short stabby riff I think was a Les Paul possibly DI into the desk, and I think the solo might be the Les Paul. And in case you don’t know already the chorus chords are G Am and E (not A).
August 22, 2024 at 4:58 am
I’m working my way thru your Fast Forward book, Lead Guitar Licks. Im really curious how you get the fat guitar tone used on the examples. I love it!
July 12, 2020 at 5:36 am
Hello Bill, thanks for your comment and glad you’re enjoying that book. You may also like my Backbeat book Riffs and also Songs and Solos. If you would like an online Zoom guitar lesson on lead guitar please get in touch. To answer your question about tone, my recordings at that period were made using a Tokai Les Paul-type guitar and a Jerry Donahue SessionMaster JD10 direct into the mixing desk. Best wishes, Rikky Rooksby
July 12, 2020 at 12:54 pm
Hi Rikky,
First of all, I want to say thank you for all your effort to share the information on this page.
Just wanted to ask: how do you think Marc is making the sounds he achieves on lead guitar on Lofty Skies (especially the solo and outro), and Great Horse?
I’ve never heard anything like that…
He somehow makes the notes seem alive – like the whinnying of some strange, mythical beast…
On Great Horse, the notes often seem to fade in, like he’s playing with a volume pedal – or maybe Tony just put that effect onto the mix, in production…
Would love to hear any of your thoughts.
Best wishes,
Tom
November 17, 2025 at 12:54 am
Hello Tom,
Thanks for your question. Re ‘Great Horse’ on the left of the mix there’s some electric lead with string bends with an odd very treble tone. Off to the right in the background Marc was playing chords with a violin bow! It is written on the track sheet. I think it is the latter you’re referring to when you mention fading in. ‘Lofty Skies’ has a wah-wah on the right hand chording; on the left the high-pitched noise is the melodica being blown through. The electric tracks on this are Stratocaster into (probably) Vox AC30 or WEM Dominator. The Strat front pickup for the lead solo seems to have some flanging-type tape effect on it (they did a little of this on Elemental Child as well) as well as the wah-wah. I’ve always felt this track was one of the most poetic uses of a wah-wah pedal I ever heard.
Hope this is of interest. BW Rikky
November 17, 2025 at 7:05 pm
PS
Totally agree about the poetic use of the wah on the lead for Lofty Skies.
November 18, 2025 at 9:17 pm
Seriously thanks for this information, it’s gold… I will ponder over it, and see if there’s anything I can incorporate. I also play strat, use a lot of wah, and try to make it expressive as possible – I really love to hear a guitar cry out weird and wild, full of life and free… and no one did that like Marc!
The violin bow fact is amazing! Was he bowing on the strat, or an acoustic, do you think?
The fade in I’m referring to is, I think, what you describe as the ‘lead guitar with a weird treble tone’. It first appears at 0:06 – two or three notes, just before he starts singing. I call it a fade in, as there appears to be no attack on the notes… Perhaps a swell using the volume pot?
Best wishes,
Tom
November 18, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Hello Tom, I went back and listened again to Great Horse and also had a look at the track details. It’s very likely the bowed guitar was done on electric. As for that opening noise I don’t think it is a melodica because the pitch-bend on it is smooth. You may be right about a volume swell component combined with a pre-bend and a pedal affecting the frequencies. The track listing mentions only acoustic gtr, bowed gtr, organ, bass, vocals and backing vocals. We don’t know if Visconti bounced any signals to duplicate them. Great Horse is an excellent example of how the magical vibe of the 69-70 Tyrannosaurus Rex was partly created by judicious use of reverb – GH has a lot of distance inside it – far more reverb on the acoustic guitar than most people would use. (This is the kind of thing which will go in my book).
November 19, 2025 at 7:58 am
Really interesting. Lots of reverb, makes sense.
What kind of pedal do you think could effect the frequencies like that? The treble booster you mention in your main post?
All fascinating stuff that goes to the heart of things very close to my heart. I’ll certainly be in interested in your book when it comes out.
November 24, 2025 at 2:01 pm
Hello Tom,
I don’t have any further idea about the opening phrase, sorry. If you’re interested I do have a later version of the Shatterbox which I could sell. I assume you know about that unit which Marc used from 1969 to maybe spring 1971. I can send you more info about the Excel version.
November 25, 2025 at 2:35 pm