Nail the ToneLynyrd Skynyrd

Free Bird

Lynyrd Skynyrd · (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) · 1973

The outro solo is all Allen Collins, played on his modified 1964 Gibson Firebird I with the dog-ear P-90 in the bridge, straight into a cranked 100-watt Marshall — no pedals, all amp breakup. Producer Al Kooper had him play the whole solo twice and stacked the takes, so a big part of the record's size is double-tracking, not gain. Aim for a mid-forward crunch with plenty of sustain but enough clarity that fast pentatonic runs stay articulate.

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

Tuning

Standard tuning, no capo

Collins' outro solo is standard tuning; the separate slide part earlier in the song is Gary Rossington with the B string tuned down to G and the action raised at the nut with a wire/screwdriver, so don't try to match it in standard.

Part: Solo

Guitar

  • 1964 Gibson Firebird I (modified) · Dog-ear P-90 (bridge), mini-humbucker (neck) · bridge pickup

Amp

Marshall Super Tremolo 100W head + Marshall 4x12

GAIN
8.0
BASS
5.0
MID
7.0
TREBLE
7.0
PRESENCE
6.0

Collins' documented 1973-era amp was a 100-watt Marshall Super Tremolo into a Celestion-loaded 4x12; Sound On Sound's Studio One coverage confirms Collins and Rossington overdubbing through Marshalls at these sessions, but no source gives knob positions, so these are read off the record — cranked master, mids up, no pedal in front.

Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

GAIN
7.0
BASS
4.0
MID
6.0
TREBLE
6.0
REVERB
2.0

A Fender Twin ran alongside the Marshall in this period and is a workable single-amp substitute; push the volume until the power section is just breaking up rather than adding dirt pedals.

Tone character

thick P-90 bite · forward honking mids · moderate tube breakup · long singing sustain · double-tracked thickness

hard

Four-plus minutes of nonstop G-minor-pentatonic runs at a fast clip, with repeating triplet patterns, quick position shifts and full-step bends that all have to land in tune — the endurance is as hard as the licks.

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