Riff Tone

Cliffs of Dover

Eric Johnson

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1954 Fender Stratocaster (modded, DiMarzio HS-2 bridge pickup, tone wired to bridge and middle)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (studio clean rig, Ah Via Musicom era, 1989 recording)

PickupsDiMarzio HS-2 single coil (bridge position, Strat wiring mod: tone control on bridge/middle)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass6

mid6

treble7

reverb4

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayMaestro Maestro EP-3 Echoplex

Notes

Studio recording, 1989, clean riff section. Eric Johnson used his 1954 Stratocaster for the clean intro/riff, plugged into a Fender Twin Reverb for the clean tone. The Marshall Super Lead was used for lead/dirty tones, not for the clean riff. Effects included a Maestro EP-3 Echoplex for subtle delay and possibly a compressor for added sustain. No overdrive/distortion pedals were used for the clean part.

Tone Character(10)

glassy and bell-likesparkling highsarticulate and percussivewarm low endtouch-sensitiveslight compressionno breakupsubtle tape delay ambiencestudio-quality cleandynamic response

Difficulty

The clean riff requires fast, accurate alternate picking, wide string skips, and precise articulation to maintain clarity at high speed. Dynamic control is essential to keep the tone clean and bell-like without unwanted noise.

Sources

Eric Johnson's guitar tone on Cliffs of Dover: secrets behind the sound Rig Rundown: Eric Johnson [2018] - Premier Guitar

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