Riff Tone
Bumpin' On Sunset
Wes Montgomery
Guitarjazz1960s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson L-5 CES (sunburst, Venetian cutaway, 1960s)
AmpStandel Super Custom XV (solid-state, JBL D-130 speaker, 1965-66 studio recording)
PickupsGibson '57 Classic humbucker (neck position, likely original PAF or similar spec for era)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass7
mid6.5
treble6
reverb2.5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1966. Wes Montgomery used his Gibson L-5 CES with the neck pickup, plugged into a Standel Super Custom XV amp. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects for the riff section. All tone comes from guitar, amp, and playing technique (thumb, no pick).
Tone Character(10)
warm and woodysmooth and rounded highsfull-bodied archtop resonancesoft, mellow attack (thumb technique)rich midrange presenceslightly rolled-off trebleclear note separationnatural, organic sustainminimal amp breakupacoustic-like jazz tone
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-to-advanced jazz technique, including thumb picking, smooth chord transitions, and dynamic control for a warm, expressive sound. The technical challenge is in the phrasing and articulation, not speed.
Sources
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarjazz1960s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson L-5 CES (sunburst, Venetian cutaway, 1960s)
AmpStandel Super Custom XV (solid-state, JBL D-130 speaker, 1965-66 studio recording)
PickupsGibson '57 Classic humbucker (neck position, likely original PAF or similar spec for era)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass7
mid6.5
treble6
reverb2.5
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1966. Wes Montgomery used his Gibson L-5 CES with the neck pickup, plugged into a Standel Super Custom XV amp. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects for the riff section. All tone comes from guitar, amp, and playing technique (thumb, no pick).
Tone Character(10)
warm and woodysmooth and rounded highsfull-bodied archtop resonancesoft, mellow attack (thumb technique)rich midrange presenceslightly rolled-off trebleclear note separationnatural, organic sustainminimal amp breakupacoustic-like jazz tone
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-to-advanced jazz technique, including thumb picking, smooth chord transitions, and dynamic control for a warm, expressive sound. The technical challenge is in the phrasing and articulation, not speed.
More Wes Montgomery tones
- Four On Six (Remastered 2025) · solo
- Airegin (Remastered 2025) · riff
- Four On Six (Remastered 2025) · riff
- Sunny · riff