What instrument is prominently featured on the Beach Boys' 1966 hit 'Good Vibrations'?

The instrument prominently featured on the Beach Boys' 1966 hit “Good Vibrations” is the electro-theremin. Brian Wilson wanted the recording to have an eerie, voice-like electronic sound, so he brought in Paul Tanner, a trombonist and electronics innovator who had helped develop the instrument.

Unlike a conventional theremin, which is played by moving the hands around two antennas, Tanner’s electro-theremin used a ribbon controller to produce a similar sliding pitch. This made it more practical for a studio recording and helped Tanner maintain musical accuracy. He first used it during the “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” sessions before playing it on “Good Vibrations.”

A common mix-up is simply calling the sound a “theremin.” That description is understandable, because the electro-theremin imitates the classic theremin timbre, but the instrument heard on the Beach Boys recording was Tanner’s electronic theremin-like device. The unusual sound became one of the song’s defining musical signatures.