What's that dark distorted sound on the intro of "heartattack and vine" by Tom Waits?

[sahertian]

What's that dark distorted sound on the intro of "heartattack and vine" by Tom Waits?

the studio version..

[MG90]

I checked the YouTube and it sounds like an old tube amp breaking up to me but I am not the expert here!

IS this the song? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXSef8FOAg

[afrothunder]

I'd like to know this as well! Great sounding recording.

[Ro S]

I know this wasn't around when that song was done, and I may have remembered this wrongly, but I think I once read that he uses or has used a Danelectro Daddy-O? I have one. It can be a dirty fuzzy overdrive.

[amp boy]

get a pocket amp, like on of those cigar ones or some tiny speaker thinga-majiger.
turn it up.
put a mic on it.

think that'll do it.

[sahertian]

I checked the YouTube and it sounds like an old tube amp breaking up to me but I am not the expert here!

IS this the song? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXSef8FOAg

yes that's the song...

[drolling]

mmmm.. Never replaced my vinyl with CD, and my record collection's long gone, but IIRC, wasn't that part originally played by someone real famous? Or maybe the son of someone real famous??

That's beside the point, but it sure sounds a lot like many of the practice amps I've owned - the underpowered ones with blown speakers & worn out tubes! They may've added a fuzz box and/or an OD pedal or two, as well. But any small, old broken combo amp'll get 'er done!

I know for a fact that Tom likes his strings old & dead; When I saw him play the tune live, he used a crusty-lookin old Gibson ES-125. Sounded much like the record. Couldn't see the backline at all, but I never have at a Waits concert, regardless of the format (Fred Tackett was the guitarist for this tour, but I've also seen him with Marc Ribot, among others!). With Tom, it ain't about the gear (unless he's braggin on his latest 400 megawatt bull-horn!)