controlled feedback

[DOA]

i've always been told that feedback depends mainly on the amount of distortion and position in relation to the amp, which sounds like it would be a total hassle to create on a controled basis. so that leaves me wondering how certain bands do it, and since you are all fall more knowledgeable than i, maybe you could help. here are a few examples:

jesus and mary chain-any of their early stuff, especially "never understand."
MC5-"starship"
the velvet underground-"european son", "the gift", "i heard her call my name"
nirvana-"frances farmer will have her revenge on seattle", "blew" (or just about anything off of "bleach" or "in uetro" for that matter.)
black flag-anything!


i apologize for sounding like a dork but it's something that i've always wondered. thanks in advance for any advice.

[Pinshlo]

Originally posted by DOA
feedback depends mainly on the amount of distortion and position in relation to the amp

It's like that!, and some special mojo you just can't/shouldn't explain

[skip tracer]

You just play a note and let it fade. When Mars is aligned with Jupiter during a full moon on the Vernal Equinox, you get some nice feedback an octave higher than the note you played. If you can sustain the note and add some vibrato, move it around the fretboard. Very pretty. There's some Sunny Day Real Estate song on the pink album where he does this. Of course I can't think of it because I haven't listened to that album in (literally) years.

[Wir-Click-Wir]

In the case of Nirvana, high-output pickups coupled with cranked distortion pedals was the trick. Kurt would also position himself in front of his moniters or cabs and rub the strings up against them to create noise. As for "Frances Farmer...", he used string raking and harmonics in the first verse for those high-pitched squeels. He also tapped behind the neck of his guitars for feedback...this can be heard on the beginning of "School". Keep in mind, though, hardly any of Nirvana's feedback was calculated or controlled.

Oh yeah, and you can always smash your guitar!

[3v3+Z]

I just found THIS (http://www.rastopdesigns.com/effects.htm). There's a thing very close to the bottom of the page called Wired Feedbacker. I don't really understand what it does, and I can't find a more detailed description anywhere. On the sight it says, "...something relative to E-Bow, but hard wired to cable and connected to the amplifier Ext. Speaker jack." I'm not following. They show a (SMALL) picture, but it's only a 15' cable with a regular 1/4" jack on one end and... I don't know WHAT the hell it is on the other! A magnet? Some sort of mic? Anyway, it looks VERY intriguing, and it's only $50, so that's cheaper than an eBow. Anyone have any insight as to what the hell this thing might be???

They also have some other effects there that seem to be just KILLER!!! (My DREAM octave divider!!!!)

[jackass]

I tend to need high volume and a large number of speakers, at least 4, to get a controllable feedback. One way is to fret the note you want to feedback and mute the other strings, then to do a rapid vibrato w/out picking. Another way is to place the headstock on the amp. Standing in front of it is good, too. It's just like any other guitar technique, it requires some practice.

Nothing beats the Jimi Hendrix stack-humping routine a la Monterey Pop.