Riff Tone

Edge of Desire

John Mayer

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (early '60s, likely John Mayer's Black One or similar vintage-style Strat)

AmpTwo-Rock Custom Reverb Signature (studio recording era), possibly Fender Vibroverb or Deluxe Reverb as secondary options

PickupsFender Custom Shop single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain3

bass6.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb4.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown)

boostUnknown Clean boost pedal (model unknown, possibly Keeley Katana or similar)

Notes

Studio recording, 2009 (Battle Studies album). Mayer is known to use his Two-Rock Custom Reverb Signature for clean tones in this era, with a Stratocaster in position 4 (neck + middle). No evidence of live/tour gear for this specific clean section. All gear listed is based on studio context for the clean riff section.

Tone Character(10)

light and airywarm and smoothbright and articulatetouch-sensitivedynamic clean soundslightly scooped midsglassy strat tonesubtle ambiencelush with delay and reverbsingle-coil clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced chord shapes with thumb-over-the-neck technique, intricate fingerstyle picking, and precise dynamic control to maintain clarity and articulation in a clean setting.

Sources

Edge of Desire cover : r/JohnMayer Your guide to John Mayer's guitars and gear, era by era | Guitar World Starting to get the hang of Edge of Desire :) : r/JohnMayer Which effects does John use in Edge of Desire and Slow ...

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