Riff Tone

Jailbreak

Thin Lizzy

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1973 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe (Scott Gorham) / 1970s Gibson Les Paul Standard (Brian Robertson)

AmpMarshall 1959 Super Lead 100-watt (non-master volume, late '60s/early '70s Plexi)

PickupsStock Gibson mini-humbuckers (Gorham) / Gibson PAF-style humbuckers (Robertson)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb3

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1976. Both Gorham and Robertson used Marshall 100-watt heads (non-master volume) cranked for natural overdrive. No evidence of drive/distortion pedals used on the original studio recording. Effects were minimal, with only a touch of reverb from the amp or studio. Guitar World and MusicRadar confirm this setup for the 'Jailbreak' album sessions.

Tone Character(10)

mid-heavy fullnessrazor sharp bitewarm, overdrivenBritish cruncharticulate attacktight and punchy rhythmnot over-saturatedclassic rock humbucker soundtube breakupslight natural compression

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate skill due to its tight rhythm, palm muting, and harmonized lines, but does not involve advanced soloing or complex chord voicings.

Sources

Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham & Brian Robertson brought twin-guitar leads to the masses | Guitar World Thin Lizzy 'Jailbreak' lesson (TG217) | MusicRadar Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham on the development that changed amps forever | Guitar World Thin Lizzy Members, Gear & Sound | Equipboard Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham: Rediscovery, Channeled - Premier Guitar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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