The Black Keys are a garage and blues rock duo that formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. They have won numerous awards for their innovative sound, including three Grammys. Dan Auerbach plays guitar and does lead vocals, while Patrick Carney plays drums, although Carney also plays guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards occasionally. We love their unique sound, so we put together a little bio on how they make their sound.
Guitars: Dan Auerbach uses a variety of guitars, although the effects are more key to the bluesy tone than the guitars themselves. He plays mainly Harmony Guitars, including the Stratotone H47, H78 Hollowbody, Heath TG-46, and Rocket. He also plays several Gibson Guitars, such as a 70s Les Paul Deluxe, and also a Fender Jerry Donahue Telecaster.
Guitar Effect: To replicate the Black Keys’ crunchy and earthy guitar sound, some special effects will be needed. Dan Auerbach uses a variety of effects, most notably Ibanez Standard Fuzz and Tubeplex Tape Delay. Auerbach also uses the Boss Super Shifter and the Boss TR-2 Tremolo. All of these effects contribute to the crunchy, raw sound.
Guitar Amps: For amplification, Auerbach uses the Fender Super and Quad Reverbs, and the Fender Musicmaster Bass, to add bass to the Black Keys’ sound. Amps used are the Marshall JTM45 and vintage Marshall 8×10 cab.
Other Instruments: The Black Keys’ drum sound is produced entirely by Patrick Carney. His equipment includes a Ludwig drum kit, and he prefers to use Paiste cymbals.
To sound like The Black Keys, all of these specific instruments and effects need not be bought, but a good reverb, fuzz effect, tremolo, and bass boost will get you as close as possible to sounding just like them!
Keep Rockin’!
Flicker Photos:
Black Keys 3_Wilton’s Music Hall by Simon Fernandez Music Photographer was taken on March 21, 2008
Black Keys By Jason Persse was taken on April 21, 2012
Univox Super-Fuzz and Ibanez Standard Fuzz By germanium was taken on September 10, 2007 Fender Quad Reverb by rockheim was taken on May 3, 2010
Black Keys by Jason Persse was taken on April 21, 2012
