Nail the ToneFranz Ferdinand

Take Me Out

Franz Ferdinand · Franz Ferdinand · 2004

The riff tone is a cranked-amp sound with no stompboxes: bridge pickup into two loud tube amps, one British and one a Fender bass head, both miked close and printed dry. Set gain high enough for crunch but not saturation, pull the bass back so the octave figure stays tight, and lean on treble and upper mids for the staccato bite. The Fender Telecaster Deluxe humbuckers are the closest documented guitar match, though the exact instrument on this take isn't confirmed.

Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record

Tuning

Standard tuning, no capo

Two guitars: the main riff is doubled in octaves (Kapranos and McCarthy trade rhythm and lead), so one player covers the lower octave figure on the D and G strings.

Part: Riff

Guitar

  • Fender Telecaster Deluxe (early '70s) · Fender Wide Range humbuckers · bridge pickup
  • Gibson SG · humbuckers · bridge pickup
  • Hofner Galaxie · single-coils · bridge pickup

Amp

Selmer tube combo (Kapranos' vintage Selmer)

GAIN
8.0
BASS
4.0
TREBLE
7.0

Producer Tore Johansson told Sound On Sound that nearly all of Kapranos' and McCarthy's album parts went through this battered old Selmer; the exact model isn't named in that interview, and secondary gear writing reports Kapranos using a Selmer Zodiac Twin 30. Volume near maximum for power-tube crunch, no pedal dirt.

Amp

Fender Bassman 100

GAIN
7.0
BASS
3.0
MID
6.0
TREBLE
7.0

Bassist Bob Hardy's bass head, used on guitar parts per the same Sound On Sound interview; bass rolled well back and mids up keeps the riff dry and tight rather than boomy. Bright switch on, master pushed for breakup.

Tone character

bright bridge-pickup bite · amp crunch, no fuzz · tight, dry low end · cutting upper mids · percussive staccato attack

easy

Single notes and octave double-stops high on the D and G strings at 140 bpm — the work is in the staccato right hand and killing the ringing strings between hits, not in the fretting.

Want this on your own amp?

These are the record's settings. Tell us what you play through and we'll translate every knob to the amp you actually own — free.

Adapt it to my gear

Sources