ZZ Top tune La Grange guitar solo: how does he get that sound?

Question:Is it a natural harmonic or controlled feedback?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Is it a natural harmonic or controlled feedback?

I know the bit you mean - it's the solo in the fade, right? With all the high notes?

It's not quite natural harmonics or controlled feedback. Gibbons does it various ways. One is that he generally plays with a peso for a pick, or at least did so at the time that he recorded 'La Grange'. Using a metal pick gives him greatly increased attack. He's almost certainly using a Les Paul with a lot of overdrive, to emphasise high harmonies.

These high notes are so-called 'squeezed' harmonics. They're a bit tricky to do, but not as difficult as real artificial harmonics. Assuming you're a right-handed player, what you have to do is move the edge of your right thumb to the very tip of your pick, and make sure that each time you pick the note, the left edge of your thumb is just touching the string. There is a very high octave harmonic available right at that point in the string, and if you get it right, your thumb is muting the tonic but allowing the harmonic to ring.

It's a lot easier to do, and to demonstrate how to do, than to describe. Once you've done it enough, you build up a big callus on the edge of your thumb that enables you to get really evil Gibbons-like squeezed harmonics. Remember that you are picking the note but your thumb is almost in the way of the note ringing - that's where the high harmonic comes from. You need plenty of overdrive to make this work, as your thumb naturally mutes the string a little and that tends to stop the note from ringing.

Good luck.