The Woman Tone: Almost 60 Years of Pure Filth
All about the bass, no treble...
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The Woman Tone - Almost 60 Years of Pure Filth · Source: Alamy Stock Photo / Pictorial Press Ltd
The woman tone is one of guitar playing’s greatest treasures. It’s an acquired taste, so here are some of the best examples of it in rock history.
What Songs Use The Woman Tone?
What Is The Woman Tone on Guitar?
- The woman tone is a guitar tone that was pioneered by Eric Clapton in the late 1960s. It’s a guitar tone that is warm and fuzzy, that emulates a vocal line rather than a guitar part.
- To achieve this tone, you need to utilise the neck pickup on a Gibson-style guitar, and remove the treble from that pickup. By rolling off the tone, you create a new frequency that many guitar players have never heard of. It’s always good to be playing with some sort of distortion too; otherwise, you won’t benefit from the warm tone.
- You can, in theory, achieve the woman tone on all types of electric guitars. Stratocasters can get there just about. However, the bridge pickup on an SG or a Les Paul really does it best. Let’s see more of what it’s about, and what songs sound best with it.
Disraeli Gears
Cream’s 1967 album, Disraeli Gears, was a rock and blues album that bordered on psychedelia. At the time, there were plenty of new ideas being showcased within the album. Whether it was Ginger Baker’s drum fills or Eric Clapton’s woman tone.
The soaring lead work on I Feel Free highlights the woman tone wonderfully. It’s important to take note of Clapton’s effortless vibrato, as this really helps the notes to sing. The harsh and fuzzy nature of the guitar contrasts beautifully with the high-register piano parts.
The woman tone is also used for a more subtle purpose in White Room. The epic and mysterious intro features some quieter lead guitar that blends in with the instrumentation. Whereas for this track, it’s a *Wah pedal that Clapton opts for to achieve yet another timeless tone.
Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream
I promise that this feature isn’t just a love letter to Eric Clapton; however, Sunshine Of Your Love is such a good song for guitarists to learn from. Be that learning the bass part, adding power chords or barre chords in the riff, learning how to use the blues scale, or unlocking the woman tone.
What I like about Sunshine Of Your Love is that the woman tone is used throughout, and not just as a lead guitar tone. Therefore, you get this filthy, fuzzy and dark feel throughout the track. Playing chords with this tone just sounds mean, and it makes your bottom lip curl up as a guitarist.
You think Clapton, and you think of a *Stratocaster. As aforementioned, you can still use the neck pickup and roll the tone off on a Strat, but that single coil won’t crisp up as much as a humbucker.
Black Magic Woman – Fleetwood Mac
Peter Green was another pioneer of British rock in the 1960s. Technically, he didn’t utilise the woman tone on guitar. However, the legendary sound of his Les Paul’s out-of-phase pickups is hard to recreate. Therefore, dialling in a bit of special sauce really helps with lots of his tracks.
Whenever I play Black Magic Woman, I always go for the woman tone on my Les Paul. That first high-octave Dm is just so haunting, and works so well with this tone. Then again, Green’s playing was so versatile. Compare this to Albatross or Oh Well, and you’ve got two more tones that couldn’t be more different.
Where Else Could It Work?
Over the years, I have used the woman tone elsewhere, be that for teaching or gigging; I’ve found uses for this glorious guitar tone. It may not be entirely faithful, and I welcome an uproar in the comments, but these tracks seem to suit the woman tone down to the ground.
War Pigs – Black Sabbath
Another notable SG player is Tony Iommi, and the opening bars of War Pigs are a great candidate for the woman tone.
However, this time, I’d opt to use the bridge pickup rather than the neck. So, that’s the bridge pickup, with the tone rolled almost totally off. This creates that wonderful fuzzy sustain that you can hear before the main power chords.
Mr Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra
Furthermore, Jeff Lynne’s solo in Mr Blue Sky could do with some woman tone treatment. I’ve gigged this a few times on my Les Paul, and before the solo, I like to roll a little bit of tone off on the neck pickup.
The difference here is that the tone is overdriven and on the edge of breakup, rather than being distorted. It just helps get a little closer to the sound on the track.
Conclusion
The woman tone has survived for almost 60 years, and long may it last another 60. For over half a century, players have been delighted with the filthy vibrato that it provides. I also love playing it where it doesn’t belong, because that’s what rock and roll is all about.
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