Guitar tone · rock, Reggae rock / New wave
The Police guitar tone: gear & amp settings
The gear and amp settings behind 9 The Police songs, researched from rig rundowns, interviews and gear forums. The rig that shows up most: Fender Telecaster (custom, 1961, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge) into Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus.
Guitars The Police used
- Fender Telecaster (custom, 1961, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge)3 songs
- Fender Telecaster (customized, Andy Summers' main Telecaster)1 song
- 1973 Fender Telecaster (custom, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge)1 song
- 1961 Fender Telecaster Custom1 song
- Unknown (likely Sting’s fretless Precision Bass or Jazz Bass)1 song
- Fender Telecaster (custom, likely 1961, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge)1 song
- 1961 Fender Telecaster (modded with Gibson PAF neck humbucker, out-of-phase switch, built-in preamp)1 song
- 1973 Fender Telecaster (with bridge single-coil and neck humbucker, custom modded)1 song
Amps The Police used
- Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus5 songs
- Studio DI / console blend (typical Police 1979 Reggatta de Blanc studio practice); live rig used Acoustic 3702 songs
- Fender Twin Reverb (blackface, early 1960s)1 song
- Fender Twin Reverb (silverface, early Police era studio recording)1 song
- Fender Twin Reverb (silverface, late 1970s)1 song
- Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface, studio recording)1 song
- Marshall (exact model unknown, likely JMP or Super Lead), possibly blended with Roland JC-120 for clean tones1 song
- Marshall amp (likely JMP or JCM800, used for dirty tones in studio)1 song
15 The Police tones
| Song | Gain |
|---|---|
| Every Breath You Take · riff | 0 |
| Message In a Bottle · riff | 0 |
| Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) · riff | 0 |
| Synchronicity II (Remastered 2003) · riff | 5 |
| Message In a Bottle · clean | 0 |
| Message In a Bottle · riff | 3.5 |
| Every Breath You Take · clean | 0 |
| Every Breath You Take (Alternate Mix) · riff | 0 |
| Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) · solo | 0 |
| King of Pain · riff | 3.5 |
| Message In a Bottle · distorted | 5.5 |
| Message In a Bottle · solo | 3.5 |
| Message In A Bottle (Remastered 2003) · riff | 3 |
| Roxanne · riff | 0 |
| So Lonely · solo | 3.5 |
The Police songs on popular amps
Exact settings ToneAdapt players use for these songs on their own amps.
- Message In a Bottle on Amp
- Message In a Bottle on Fender Rumble 25
- Message In a Bottle on Fender Rumble 15
- Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) on Fender Mustang LT25
- Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) on Boss Katana
- Every Breath You Take on Fender Mustang LT25
- Every Breath You Take on Fender Champion II 25
- Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) on Fender Mustang LT50
- Message In A Bottle (Remastered 2003) on Fender Champion 20
Get The Police's tone on your gear
Pick any The Police song and ToneAdapt adapts the original rig to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.
Frequently asked questions
What amp did The Police use?
Across 9 researched songs, the amps that come up most are Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (5 songs), Studio DI / console blend (typical Police 1979 Reggatta de Blanc studio practice); live rig used Acoustic 370 (2 songs), Fender Twin Reverb (blackface, early 1960s) (1 song), Fender Twin Reverb (silverface, early Police era studio recording) (1 song).
What guitar did The Police use?
Most often: Fender Telecaster (custom, 1961, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge) (3 songs), Fender Telecaster (customized, Andy Summers' main Telecaster) (1 song), 1973 Fender Telecaster (custom, with humbucker in neck and single-coil in bridge) (1 song), 1961 Fender Telecaster Custom (1 song).
How do I get The Police's tone on my amp?
Open any The Police song below to see the original gear and settings, then use ToneAdapt to adapt them to your own guitar, amp, pickups and pedals.