Riff Tone

Estimated Prophet

Grateful Dead

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1973 Doug Irwin 'Wolf' custom guitar

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s, with JBL speakers)

PickupsDiMarzio Super II humbucker (bridge), DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil (middle), DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil (neck)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass4

mid8

treble4.5

reverb4.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

modulationMusitronics Musitronics Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter

phaserMXR MXR Phase 100

Notes

Studio recording, 1977. Jerry Garcia's main guitar for this era was the Irwin 'Wolf' with DiMarzio pickups. Amp was typically a Fender Twin Reverb with JBL speakers. Effects are confirmed for this song and era. No evidence of live rig differences for the studio version.

Tone Character(10)

bright and brittlequacky envelope filterpercussive attackdynamic and expressiveclean with subtle warmthfunky and articulatereggae-inspiredtouch-sensitive responseslightly scooped lowsdistinctive auto-wah sweep

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its syncopated rhythm, precise picking to control the envelope filter's response, and clean articulation for the funky, percussive feel.

Sources

Grateful Dead Amp Settings (gear and tone tips)Quintessential Rock Rigs by Decade - Premier Guitar Amp settings - Grateful Dead Music Forum - RUKind.com "It’s a common misconception among the unconverted..." - MusicRadar

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account