Riff Tone
English Love Affair
5 Seconds of Summer
Guitarrock2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (likely 2010s, Michael Clifford's main studio guitar for early 5SOS recordings)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (typical for 5SOS studio clean tones, 2010s era)
PickupsHumbucker (Gibson Burstbucker Pro or similar, stock Les Paul Standard pickups)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid6.5
treble7
reverb3
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2014 album session. No direct evidence for exact amp/guitar for this song, but Les Paul + Marshall is consistent with 5SOS's known studio setup for clean/riff sections in this era. No evidence of pedal use for clean riff. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatewarm and smoothtight and percussiveclear note separationslightly compressedminimal breakupsubtle amp reverbmodern pop-rock cleandynamic response to pickingno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The riff section is easy to intermediate, requiring clean chord changes and tight rhythm, but no advanced techniques or fast passages.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock2010s+
Original Gear
GuitarGibson Les Paul Standard (likely 2010s, Michael Clifford's main studio guitar for early 5SOS recordings)
AmpMarshall JCM900 (typical for 5SOS studio clean tones, 2010s era)
PickupsHumbucker (Gibson Burstbucker Pro or similar, stock Les Paul Standard pickups)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid6.5
treble7
reverb3
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 2014 album session. No direct evidence for exact amp/guitar for this song, but Les Paul + Marshall is consistent with 5SOS's known studio setup for clean/riff sections in this era. No evidence of pedal use for clean riff. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section.
Tone Character(10)
bright and articulatewarm and smoothtight and percussiveclear note separationslightly compressedminimal breakupsubtle amp reverbmodern pop-rock cleandynamic response to pickingno audible modulation or delay
Difficulty
The riff section is easy to intermediate, requiring clean chord changes and tight rhythm, but no advanced techniques or fast passages.
More 5 Seconds of Summer tones
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- Ghost of You · riff
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- Gotta Get Out · riff
- I'm Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again · clean
- I'm Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again · riff