Riff Tone

I Just Need Myself (PSI Studio Demo 1/78)

The Cure

Guitarpunk1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Jazzmaster

AmpRoland JC-120 Jazz Chorus

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender Jazzmaster stock pickups)

Amp Settings

gain3.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb2

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, demo tracked in January 1978. Gear inferred from era and Robert Smith's known setup for early Cure demos. No direct evidence for this exact demo, but JC-120 and Jazzmaster are strongly associated with Smith's late 70s/early 80s studio work.

Tone Character(10)

bright and glassyarticulate single-coil attackshimmering chorus modulationtight and percussive rhythmslightly compressedminimal sustainclear note separationmodest low endcrisp highsslight amp breakup at high dynamics

Difficulty

The riff relies on tight, clean strumming and clarity, but does not require advanced techniques or fast tempo, making it accessible to early intermediate players.

Sources

Robert Smith | Equipboard Robert Smith's Guitar Rig - The Cure's Simple Secret To Sonic ...

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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