Guitar tone · rock

The Kinks guitar tone: gear & amp settings

The gear and amp settings behind 5 The Kinks songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Harmony Meteor H70 into Elpico AC55 (slashed speaker) into Vox AC30.

Guitars The Kinks used

Harmony Meteor H702 songs
1962 Gretsch G6121 Chet Atkins Jet Firebird (double-cut, red, stock pickups, bridge position)1 song
Harmony Meteor H70 (hollowbody, 2 DeArmond pickups)1 song
Guild Starfire III1 song
Harmony Meteor H70 (hollowbody electric, ca. 1960s, as used by Dave Davies on early Kinks recordings)1 song
Gretsch Jet Firebird (early 1960s, as seen in period footage and photos)1 song
Guild Starfire IV1 song

Amps The Kinks used

Elpico AC55 (slashed speaker) into Vox AC301 song
Elpico AC55 (speaker cone slashed for distortion), possibly run into a Vox AC30 for volume1 song
Fender Twin Reverb (blackface era)1 song
Elpico AC-55 (with intentionally slashed speaker cone)1 song
Elpico AC-55 (small British tube combo, speaker slashed for distortion)1 song
Elpico AC-55 (modded, slashed speaker), possibly into a Vox AC30 for additional volume1 song
Elpico AC-55 (speaker slashed, low-watt combo)1 song
Vox AC301 song

8 The Kinks tones

Song	Part	Guitar	Amp	Gain
All Day and All of the Night · riff	Riff · distorted	1962 Gretsch G6121 Chet Atkins Jet Firebird (double-cut, red, stock pickups, bridge position)	Elpico AC55 (slashed speaker) into Vox AC30	6.5
All Day and All of the Night · riff	Riff · clean	Gretsch Jet Firebird (early 1960s, as seen in period footage and photos)	Elpico AC-55 (modded, slashed speaker), possibly into a Vox AC30 for additional volume	0
All Day and All of the Night (2014 Remaster) · riff	Riff · distorted	Harmony Meteor H70 (hollowbody electric, ca. 1960s, as used by Dave Davies on early Kinks recordings)	Elpico AC-55 (small British tube combo, speaker slashed for distortion)	7.5
Father Christmas · riff	Riff · distorted	Guild Starfire IV	Vox AC30	5.5
Waterloo Sunset · riff	Riff · clean	Guild Starfire III	Fender Twin Reverb (blackface era)	0
You Really Got Me · solo	Solo · distorted	Harmony Meteor H70 (hollowbody, 2 DeArmond pickups)	Elpico AC55 (speaker cone slashed for distortion), possibly run into a Vox AC30 for volume	7
You Really Got Me · riff	Riff · distorted	Harmony Meteor H70	Elpico AC-55 (with intentionally slashed speaker cone)	6.5
You Really Got Me · riff	Riff · clean	Harmony Meteor H70	Elpico AC-55 (speaker slashed, low-watt combo)	0

The Kinks songs on popular amps

Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.

Get The Kinks's tone on your gear

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Frequently asked questions

What amp did The Kinks use?

Across 5 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Elpico AC55 (slashed speaker) into Vox AC30 (1 song), Elpico AC55 (speaker cone slashed for distortion), possibly run into a Vox AC30 for volume (1 song), Fender Twin Reverb (blackface era) (1 song), Elpico AC-55 (with intentionally slashed speaker cone) (1 song).

What guitar did The Kinks use?

Most often: Harmony Meteor H70 (2 songs), 1962 Gretsch G6121 Chet Atkins Jet Firebird (double-cut, red, stock pickups, bridge position) (1 song), Harmony Meteor H70 (hollowbody, 2 DeArmond pickups) (1 song), Guild Starfire III (1 song).

How do I get The Kinks's tone on my amp?

Open any The Kinks song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.