Guitar tone · other, Pop
Mariah Carey guitar tone: gear & amp settings
The gear and amp settings behind 4 Mariah Carey songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Nylon-string acoustic guitar into None.
Guitars Mariah Carey used
- Nylon-string acoustic guitar1 song
- Unknown Strat-style electric guitar (exact model not confirmed)1 song
- Unknown (session player, likely Stratocaster or Les Paul-style guitar)1 song
- Fender Jazz Bass (likely, session standard for 1990s pop/R&B)1 song
Amps Mariah Carey used
- None1 song
- Unknown clean amp (likely Fender Twin Reverb or Roland JC-120, but not confirmed)1 song
- Unknown (likely Fender Twin Reverb or similar high-headroom clean amp, as was standard for 1990s pop studio sessions)1 song
- Ampeg SVT (classic studio choice for pop/R&B in 1990s)1 song
6 Mariah Carey tones
| Song | Gain |
|---|---|
| All I Want for Christmas Is You · solo | 4.5 |
| All I Want for Christmas Is You · clean | 0 |
| Can't Let Go · riff | 2.5 |
| My All · solo | 0 |
| Open Arms · riff | 0 |
| Open Arms · solo | 4.5 |
Get Mariah Carey's tone on your gear
Pick any Mariah Carey song and ToneAdapt adapts the original rig to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.
Frequently asked questions
What amp did Mariah Carey use?
Across 4 researched songs, the amps that come up most are None (1 song), Unknown clean amp (likely Fender Twin Reverb or Roland JC-120, but not confirmed) (1 song), Unknown (likely Fender Twin Reverb or similar high-headroom clean amp, as was standard for 1990s pop studio sessions) (1 song), Ampeg SVT (classic studio choice for pop/R&B in 1990s) (1 song).
What guitar did Mariah Carey use?
Most often: Nylon-string acoustic guitar (1 song), Unknown Strat-style electric guitar (exact model not confirmed) (1 song), Unknown (session player, likely Stratocaster or Les Paul-style guitar) (1 song), Fender Jazz Bass (likely, session standard for 1990s pop/R&B) (1 song).
How do I get Mariah Carey's tone on my amp?
Open any Mariah Carey song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.