Riff Tone

Free Bird (Live at the Fox Theater/1976)

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1961 Gibson Les Paul/SG

AmpPeavey Mace combo amp (with Peavey 412M 4x12 cab)

PickupsGibson PAF humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain6

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live at the Fox Theater, 1976. This is the live version, not the studio recording. Gary Rossington played the riff section on his 1961 Gibson Les Paul/SG through a Peavey Mace combo amp and Peavey 4x12 cab. Allen Collins played the solo, but the riff section is Rossington. No evidence of drive/distortion pedals; amp overdrive is primary source of gain.

Tone Character(9)

thick and crunchypunchy midrangeopen and dynamicslightly compressedarticulate chord definitionwarm but cutting highsfull-bodied sustainclassic Southern rock drivetouch-sensitive picking

Difficulty

The riff requires solid rhythm skills, dynamic picking, and tight timing, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Gary Rossington | Equipboard Gary Rossington’s ‘Free Bird’ Les Paul/SG to be loaned out | Guitar World Allen Collins | Equipboard

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