Riff Tone

I Can't

Radiohead

Guitarrock1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Telecaster Plus (early 1990s, likely with Lace Sensor pickups)

AmpFender Eighty-Five (late 1980s solid-state combo, 1x12 Eminence speaker)

PickupsLace Sensor Red-Red Dually (bridge), Lace Sensor Blue (neck)

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass5

mid6

treble6.5

reverb1.5

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1993-1994 era. No direct evidence for 'I Can't' session, but this was Jonny Greenwood's main setup for The Bends-era demos and early Radiohead recordings. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this track.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulateslightly gritty edge-of-breakuptight low endclear note separationdynamic and responsiveopen and uncompressedmodest breakup, not full distortionminimal ambiencejangly attackno heavy effects

Difficulty

The riff is based on simple chord shapes and strumming patterns with no complex picking or advanced techniques, making it accessible for early intermediate players.

Sources

Jonny Greenwood's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Amps Jonny Greenwood's guitar tone on Radiohead's My Iron Lung | Guitar World

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