Riff Tone

Jet Airliner

Steve Miller Band

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1975-76 Ibanez Artist 2663TC (Iceman IC210) with Triple-Coil pickup

AmpMid-1960s Fender Super Reverb

PickupsIbanez Triple-Coil (three single-coils in series/parallel, bridge position, rotary switch setting 3 for main riff)

Amp Settings

gain4

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1976-77; main riff tracked with Ibanez Artist 2663TC (Iceman IC210) using Triple-Coil pickup in setting 3 (all three coils in series), plugged directly into a Fender Super Reverb. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects on the riff section. Overdubs used a Fender Champ, but main riff is Super Reverb. Master Volume and Tone on guitar both set to 10.

Tone Character(10)

distinctive hollow midrange honksparkling trebleclear note separationtight, percussive attackarticulate and dynamic responseclassic Fender clean with a touch of breakupfull-bodiedslightly gritty edge-of-breakupmid-forward but not muddychimey highs

Difficulty

The riff requires tight timing, clean articulation, and some quick slides/string skipping, but is manageable for intermediate players with basic rock technique.

Sources

The secrets behind Steve Miller's tone on Jet Airliner | Guitar World Steve Miller | Equipboard

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