Guitars
Thurston Moore's most well known band, Sonic Youth, is well known for having upwards of 50 guitars at each show, each with alternative and specific tunings.
Below is a timeline of guitars used by Thurston in Sonic Youth:
Below is a timeline of guitars used by Thurston in Sonic Youth:
AMps
Large amounts of various amps were used by the band to get a full, large sound.
effect pedals
When Sonic Youth was just beginning, the band barely used effects pedals, relying on their volume for distortion to obtain a purer sound that was not over-processed. The band introduced pedals in the early 1990s.
The following photograph displays Thurston's effect pedals as used in 2002.
The following photograph displays Thurston's effect pedals as used in 2002.
MISCELLANEOUS
Sonic Youth is well know for using odd tools or items to create innovative sounds. Some tools and instruments used by Thurston include:
Bass: Played often in Sonic Youth's earlier work, displayed in "The Good and the Bad".
Drumstick: Most classic tool, used on many guitars to produce a slide effect, feedback, or solely noise.
Bass: Played often in Sonic Youth's earlier work, displayed in "The Good and the Bad".
Drumstick: Most classic tool, used on many guitars to produce a slide effect, feedback, or solely noise.
Slide: Used by Thurston to create random noise effects, as heard in "100%".
Hammer: Used to pound the strings on "Heather Angel".
Metal File: Placed over the neck pick-up for the songs such as "Calming the Snake".
Bike Horn: Wedged under the strings in "Lightning".
Walkman: Hooked up to an amp and used onstage to play tapes between songs.
Cowbell: Used as a slide in "(She's in a) Bad Mood"
My First Sony: Children's sound effect toy used onstage to generate various noises (picture on left).
Hammer: Used to pound the strings on "Heather Angel".
Metal File: Placed over the neck pick-up for the songs such as "Calming the Snake".
Bike Horn: Wedged under the strings in "Lightning".
Walkman: Hooked up to an amp and used onstage to play tapes between songs.
Cowbell: Used as a slide in "(She's in a) Bad Mood"
My First Sony: Children's sound effect toy used onstage to generate various noises (picture on left).