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Suede·Social·Issue No. 20
Tone recipes·2026 · JUL
Indie1981easy to fake

01R.E.M.

Radio Free Europe

Rickenbacker 360 through a small clean amp, played with a pick and lots of open strings ringing inside chord voicings. The tone is jangly and bright, with a slight chime from the Rickenbacker's distinctive electronics. No effects beyond amp reverb. Buck plays with the wrist, not the elbow — small, controlled strums that let the chord ring naturally. The texture is intentionally lo-fi; the early R.E.M. records sound like the band tracked them live in a small room.

02Signal chain

Guitar to amp, 0 pedals between.

  1. In
    Guitar

    Rickenbacker 360

  2. Out
    Amp

    Fender Twin Reverb (smaller amps in early days)

03Field note

The secret sauce

Buck uses minor seventh and ninth voicings instead of major triads — that's why the tone sounds 'open' even on a standard chord progression. Mixing those voicings into a Rickenbacker is the whole formula.