That distinctive, otherworldly guitar tone from Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” is instantly recognizable. For guitarists, it’s a sonic rabbit hole worth diving into. Waking up on a Saturday morning and cranking up this track is pure joy, reminiscent of childhood weekends filled with loud music and good vibes. Inspired by those memories, the quest to capture that elusive fuzz tone began.
Emulating classic fuzz tones is notoriously tricky. Each fuzz circuit possesses its own unique character, influenced by component variations and circuit design. Even minor tweaks can dramatically alter the feel and sound. The journey to get close to the “Spirit in the Sky” tone turned out to be a fascinating exploration in tone chasing.
Initially, a dive into various fuzz models within the digital realm seemed like the most straightforward approach. Experimenting with bias and clipping settings on different fuzz emulations proved interesting, but none quite nailed that almost monophonic quality that defines the original recording. The “Spirit in the Sky” guitar tone has this incredible characteristic where it seems to almost drop out or sputter when you play chords or more than a single string. This unique behavior is a huge part of its charm and makes playing along an engaging experience.
The Octave Distortion model showed some promise, exhibiting a similar “farting out” effect when playing multiple strings. However, while interesting, it lacked the overall tonal texture. Something was missing. The original track has a horn-like quality, hinting at pedals like the Jordan Bosstone. Yet, it’s not quite a Bosstone. It’s something more unique.
To further explore the possibilities, combining the Octave Distortion in parallel with a Bender Fuzz was attempted. The Bender Fuzz circuit is known for its wild and ripping tones. This parallel approach seemed like it might yield a decent approximation, and recording a sample clip was almost underway. But before hitting record, a better idea emerged: diving into the collection of DIY fuzz pedals.
And there it was, sitting atop the bin of wayward pedals: Mark Hammer’s Green Stinger pedal. A gift from years ago, this quirky pedal had been used mostly for octave-up solo sounds, in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age’s “Little Sister” – piercing and unique, but not that flute-like, synthy fuzz.
While the Green Stinger itself wasn’t the exact sound, it pointed in the right direction. The key element was the ring oscillator. A ring oscillator in a fuzz pedal introduces an element of barely controlled chaos and emphasizes mid-frequencies. While a dedicated fuzz model with a controllable oscillator isn’t available as a standard drive block, a separate ring oscillator block is!
Dropping an oscillator block before the Bender Fuzz drive block seemed like the next logical step. But even this combination wasn’t quite right. What crucial element was still missing?
The answer: TRACKING!
Fuzz oscillators that create that “Spirit in the Sky” sound don’t perfectly track the input signal’s frequency. This imperfect tracking is precisely what causes them to behave erratically when playing chords, sputtering and jumping between dominant frequencies. It’s the magic of controlled instability.
Switching the oscillator block to frequency tracking mode within the Axe-Fx was the breakthrough. Suddenly, the tone started to materialize. Another 20 minutes were spent fine-tuning the frequency response of the fuzz and the oscillator’s contribution to the signal.
The final result isn’t a carbon copy of the “Spirit in the Sky” guitar tone. Achieving perfect replication is likely impossible without knowing the exact fuzz pedal and circuit used on the original recording. It might not be quite as flutey as the original.
However, the created preset is Pretty Damn Close. And, more importantly, it’s incredibly fun to play. Be warned: cranking this preset and jamming along might annoy your neighbors – you’ve been warned! The sound sample was created using a Silver Sky guitar; a single-coil Telecaster isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying this tone.
The Axe-Fx preset, created using the latest Cygnus public beta, is available for download on Axe-Change: https://axechange.fractalaudio.com/detail.php?preset=8727 Dive in, explore the sonic landscape of “Spirit in the Sky,” and get ready to rock!
