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I think what Peter Buck plays and how he plays it is more important than what equipment he uses. I've seen them live twice and I don't recall much changing of guitars, although it does tend to split into humbucker (Les Paul) and single coil (Ric 330/360) sides.
Plastic dinosaurs on top of your AC30 helps.
Big strings (13s), Ric / Tele / Les Paul, a Vox or Mesa Trem-O-Verb, sometimes a RAT . That's about it gearwise---its all about the technique for me.
Probably easier to ape the live tones than the studio ones, which have all sorts of double tracking and multiple different guitars all over them."Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
For proof, just note that Everybody Hurts and One I Love were Ricky+AC30 and LP+Marshall respectively and sound virtually the same, tonally.
Your current set up will get you close to the monster tone I think. It's not all that distorted on things like Bang and Blame. I'd say you can get that tone with a Lester, Muffroom set low like David G and your Lazy J.
I love tremolo but that album is the definition of "too much of a good thing". (Despite that it's still great...)
JM build | Pedalboard plans
I said maybe.....
I can cop PB tone with either a Tele or P90. Always struggled with a humbucker or a Strat, but that's probably more down to amp.
Buck always had a more chimney articulate extension of the Neil Young Tone where an electric was a bit like an acoustic - try a heavier od/distortion rolled back a bit. One of my favourite players ever.
Buck doesn't like pedals, comes from the "turn the amp up to get the sound" school.
I learned guitar by going through the entire (at the time) R.E.M. catalogue and was never satisfied with the sound of my amp. My Les Paul could occasionally hit the mark but that hairy, sparkly, overdriven yet somehow clean sound only comes from a Vox with a Top Boost circuit I think.
As soon as I get some P90's into my semi hollow I'm gonna pick up a Vox amp and turn the clock back. Those old R.E.M. records had the most sublime balance between the instruments - great for playing along to.
@JonHosker Since you mention Automatic: you're gonna want a loud amp and preferably a hollow body to get those sublime feedback tones that Buck splashed across that album. So sweet.
My Hardtail Strat into a Cornford Roadhouse with a PROEL DS-10 gets the jangle but maybe not the arpeggiated single note riffs.
He was also partial to electric mandolins etc....
Still learning...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein