rhythm guitar from “friend of the devil” by the grateful dead | ToneDB
friend of the devil
the grateful dead
rhythm guitar
From The Benchv2.0
SOURCES 3 · DOCUMENTED 1 · REPORTED 4 · INFERRED 1 · VERIFIED SEP 2026
Tone Profile
A dry, woody flat-picked acoustic rhythm with a walking bass-register line on the low strings and light strums on top. Little reverb, no effects, and the guitar sits close to the listener like a living-room recording.
Gear
- Martin dreadnought acousticinstrument
- ReverbSweetwater
ToneDB may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
The Story
Friend of the Devil was recorded for American Beauty at Wally Heider in San Francisco in August and September 1970, produced by the Grateful Dead with Stephen Barncard, the studio's staff engineer, who replaced Bob Matthews; the band worked without their regular sound crew. Robert Hunter brought the song to a rehearsal mostly written, and David Nelson and John Dawson smoothed the changes, with Dawson pushing for a stronger repeating line; the music is credited to Jerry Garcia and Dawson. The track is largely acoustic and opens with Garcia walking a descending G major scale in the bass register. No fetched source names the guitars or microphones; Martin dreadnoughts are likely, consistent with the band's acoustic work of the period.
Production Credits
Producer: Grateful Dead and Stephen Barncard
Engineer: Stephen Barncard
Recorded at: Wally Heider, San Francisco
Signal Chain
Instrument: Martin dreadnought acoustic
Recreation Tips
- Use a dreadnought with medium strings and a medium-heavy flatpick; the low-string walk needs weight.
- Play the descending G run on the bass strings with alternating bass under the chords, keeping the strums light and the bass notes clear.
- Keep the tempo up; the studio version moves, and the slow ballad feel is a different arrangement.
- Record with one condenser mic a foot or so off the twelfth fret, no reverb, and let the room do the rest.
- If you are layering, keep the second guitar sparse and higher up the neck so the bass walk stays uncluttered.
Original Gear
- Martin dreadnought acoustic(guitar)
Substitutions & Recommendations
Alternative to: Martin dreadnought acoustic
Mahogany dreadnought with a dry, woody voice that suits flatpicked bass runs.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Martin dreadnought acoustic
An all-solid mahogany dreadnought in the same voice at a lower price.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Martin dreadnought acoustic
A solid-wood dreadnought that records dry and clear.
ReverbSweetwaterAlternative to: Martin dreadnought acoustic
One good condenser near the twelfth fret is the whole recording chain for this sound.
ReverbSweetwaterSources
- Behind the Song: The Grateful Dead, Friend of the Devil, American Songwriter
“We were sitting around practicing one night and I had 'Friend of the Devil' more or less already written.”
- Friend of the Devil, Wikipedia
“It opens with Garcia playing a descending G major scale (G F# E D C B A G) in the bass register.”
- American Beauty (album), Wikipedia
“Recorded August–September 1970”
Frequently Asked Questions
Community Insights
No community insights yet. Be the first to contribute!