Solo Tone

(Ghost) Riders In the Sky

Johnny Cash

Guitarcountry1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Esquire (likely 1950s-early 1960s, single bridge pickup, as used by Luther Perkins on Johnny Cash studio recordings)

AmpFender Tweed Princeton or Deluxe (exact model not confirmed for this session, but Tweed Princeton is most likely based on era and studio use)

PickupsFender single-coil bridge pickup

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5

mid6

treble7

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1979 (album: Silver). No evidence of pedals or outboard effects; clean amp tone with possible spring reverb from amp. Guitarist for Johnny Cash at this time was Bob Wootton, but the tone and approach closely follow Luther Perkins' classic setup.

Tone Character(10)

bright and twangyclean and articulatepercussive attackwarm low endslightly scooped midsspringy reverb depthdynamic and responsiveno breakup or distortionclassic country snaptight, focused single-coil clarity

Difficulty

The solo requires clean, articulate picking and precise timing to achieve the classic country sound, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Sources

Achieve the Iconic Johnny Cash Guitar Tone - Premier Guitar

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account