Riff Tone

Folsom Prison Blues

Johnny Cash

Guitarcountry1950s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Esquire

AmpSilvertone 1300 (circa 1948)

PickupsSingle-coil (bridge position, stock Esquire pickup)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid6

treble7

reverb1.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1955 original Sun Records single. Rhythm guitar by Johnny Cash (acoustic), lead riff by Luther Perkins on Esquire through Silvertone 1300. No evidence of pedals or external effects; slapback echo was added in the studio mix, not via pedal.

Tone Character(10)

bright and twangytight and percussiveclean and articulatedry, punchy attackminimal sustaindistinct slapback echo (studio effect)clear note separationpercussive muted bass notesno audible overdriveclassic country 'boom-chick' rhythm

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically straightforward but requires tight timing, clean palm muting, and the ability to maintain the classic country 'boom-chick' feel at a fast tempo.

Sources

The setup used to record "I Walk The Line", "Folsom Prison Blues ...Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues | Wiki @ Ultimate-Guitar.com How to play Johnny Cash's 'boom-chick' acoustic guitar style

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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