Solo Tone

Born to Be Wild

Steppenwolf

Guitarrock1960s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Esquire (candy-apple-red, single pickup, 1960s)

AmpFender Concert Amp (brown Tolex, 4x10, no reverb, early 1960s)

PickupsFender Esquire single-coil bridge pickup

Amp Settings

gain7.5

bass6.5

mid7

treble7.5

reverb1

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzD&M Co. D&M Co. Distorto Fuzz (Maestro FZ-1 clone)

Notes

Studio recording, 1967/1968. Monarch states he turned all amp knobs to 10 for the solo. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars/amps for the solo. No amp reverb present (Concert model had none).

Tone Character(10)

aggressive and saturated fuzzraw and bitingmid-forwardcutting and presentcompressed sustainno reverb or ambienceslightly nasal upper midsclassic late-60s fuzz soundtight and focused attackloud, in-your-face solo tone

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate technique due to its fast pentatonic licks, aggressive picking, and the challenge of controlling feedback and sustain from a vintage fuzz at high volume.

Sources

How Michael Monarch recorded the solo that defined ...Exploring the Legacy of Forgotten '60s Rockers Michael Monarch

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