Riff Tone
Give Me One Reason
Tracy Chapman
Guitarblues1990s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-125
AmpFender Deluxe Reverb (Blackface era, likely 1965 reissue or original)
PickupsP-90 single coil
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1995. Tracy Chapman used a Gibson ES-125 with P-90s into a Fender Deluxe Reverb for the clean riff section. Some sources mention a Matchless DC30 also being used, but the Deluxe Reverb is most consistently cited for the clean tone on the studio track.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothrounded neck pickup soundclear and articulateslightly compressedtouch-sensitivesubtle spring reverbbell-like cleansvintage blues characterdynamic responseno audible breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires precise timing, dynamic control, and a bluesy feel, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear
Create Free AccountGuitarblues1990s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-125
AmpFender Deluxe Reverb (Blackface era, likely 1965 reissue or original)
PickupsP-90 single coil
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1995. Tracy Chapman used a Gibson ES-125 with P-90s into a Fender Deluxe Reverb for the clean riff section. Some sources mention a Matchless DC30 also being used, but the Deluxe Reverb is most consistently cited for the clean tone on the studio track.
Tone Character(10)
warm and smoothrounded neck pickup soundclear and articulateslightly compressedtouch-sensitivesubtle spring reverbbell-like cleansvintage blues characterdynamic responseno audible breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires precise timing, dynamic control, and a bluesy feel, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.