The Cars: Just What I Needed

[tremoloman]

Ok New Wave fans... how do The Cars get that odd sound in "Just What I Needed?" It sounds like they are using a vibrator on the strings, but could it be an eBow?

We're going to cover this song but I don't want to do it without the cool sound. It sounds so plain with out it.

Thanks!

[Mark]

Hey Trem I dont know...but if you go
here...

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=49

Elliot Easton posts (uses his real name so he isnt hard to find) all the time in the "other Gibsons forum" and is a real nice guy and I would bet if you posed the question he would answer, nothing like getting it from someone in the group who would know.

[SuperSwede]

Do you mean the sound playing behind the chorus?
Thats a analog synth, probably a Jupiter-8. You can hear that they push the modulation in the end of the sound. I dont hear any other odd sounds!

[tremoloman]

Really? A band I listen to called 'Ghoti Hook' does an awesome cover of this song. At the end, they go way overboard with the effect as a joke and I'd swear it clearly sounds like a vibrator rubbing against the strings.

Ghoti Hook's "Just What I Needed" (mms://mms.content.loudeye.com/600111/p/017/19/38/0171938_0104_00_0690.wma)

If you care to hear it, I'd be happy to post a clip of the end part so you can hear for yourself. I may be wrong, but the way the sound effect ends makes me think it was a mechanical sound.

[SuperSwede]

That link didnt work for me (stutters a lot).. PM me.


*update*

T-man, youtube is our best friend!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Li8kHm-tnLg

(Fat vintage analog synth, hard to tell what model though...)

[tremoloman]

Nice video!

So that music link didn't work? It should launch Windows Media Player... it's worked on all 4 PCs I tried it on at work and mine at home. Odd...

I'll rip a sound clip and post it shortly... I've got to get to the bottom of this. :)

[SuperSwede]

It worked today, must have been a bad connection or something.
Anyway, I am really certain that it is a analog synth your hearing!

*update*

If you check out this video you can hear I A Eklundh (of swedish band Freak Kitchen) play with a vibrator (on the guitar that is :D )
Kinda cool, I wonder how one could explain a vibrator in the guitar case if it was found by the wife.....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FBrR6Bunr_0

[tremoloman]

Pretty cool man! I'm convinced more than ever Ghoti Hook used a vibrator in their cover for sure now. I'll post a clip of the song tonight for you to hear and then let your ears decide.

In an experiment last evening, I tried using one of those silver "eggs" on Marilyn and got the desired effect I was looking for quite easily. Before you ask, I got it from one of my girlfriends. :)

[SuperSwede]

one of them? You have several? YOU MORMON! :D

Looking forward to some "good vibrations" later on then....

[Tone2TheBone]

Elliot is friggin' awesome on that Tele. What ever happened to Ben? They said he died? How? Also Rick Ocasek reminds me of Howard Stern.

[marnold]

Ben Orr died of pancreatic cancer on October 3, 2000.

[Tone2TheBone]

Oh man. Thats sad. I hate it when people die too young before their time....Thanks for the info Marnold.

[tremoloman]

one of them? You have several? YOU MORMON! :D

Looking forward to some "good vibrations" later on then....When I said girlfriends, I mean my female friends. I've only got one real girlfriend.

The fact of the matter is I've got more female friends than male. It's always been that way ever since I can remember. I've got lots of male friends, but females always seem to outnumber them. I think its becuase I'm like a chick in the fact that I talk friggen much. Look how long some of my replies are! I never had trouble meeting chicks either, so there are some great benefits to it. Going to a club with 5 girls in tow always made me look like a stud even though I was a dud on the dance floor. Frank Zappa's "Disco Boy" described my clubbing days all too well. I can't dance to save my life, but alcohol sure helped me THINK I was doing OK. Thank God they didn't have cell phones with cameras on them when I was 21!

I like the "good vibrations" pun... I'm sure she'll dig "Steely Dan" also. ;)

[SuperSwede]

Fanastic, my female friends never give me any cool stuff like that :D

Back to the topic,
Another really cool thing you should check out is the Fernandes Sustainer (if you havent seen that before). Never ending sustain and lots of tonal options.
http://www.fernandesguitars.com/sustainer.html
http://www.amptone.com/fernandessustainer.htm

Also you might want to consider a Roland GK2/3-A midi pickup, that way you could trigger a external synth and play a theremin/vintage synth sound on your guitar! And you can mix it with your guitar tone as well....

This is a complete installation package from Roland: http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=235&ParentId=55

This is the GR-20 guitar synth (pickup included) :
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=592&ParentId=53