Riff Tone
Lenny / Man On the Side (Live In Birmingham)
John Mayer
Guitarblues2000s
Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely SRV Signature or Custom Shop, as used by Mayer in early 2000s live performances)
AmpFender Super Reverb (Blackface, vintage reissue or original, as confirmed by multiple live rig rundowns for this era and song)
PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock or Custom Shop, vintage-voiced)
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance (Birmingham, early 2000s). Clean tone section. No evidence of heavy pedal use; amp is main source of tone. No evidence of Dumble or Two-Rock for this specific live era/song. Vibro-King may have been present in rig but Super Reverb is most consistently cited for this song/era.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulatewarm and smoothtouch-sensitiveclear note separationslightly compressed highsspring reverb ambiencedynamic and responsiverounded attackclassic Fender cleansubtle sustain
Difficulty
The riff demands intermediate-level technique due to its use of expressive phrasing, dynamic control, and clean articulation, but does not require advanced speed or complex timing.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely SRV Signature or Custom Shop, as used by Mayer in early 2000s live performances)
AmpFender Super Reverb (Blackface, vintage reissue or original, as confirmed by multiple live rig rundowns for this era and song)
PickupsFender single-coil pickups (stock or Custom Shop, vintage-voiced)
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6.5
mid6
treble6.5
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Live performance (Birmingham, early 2000s). Clean tone section. No evidence of heavy pedal use; amp is main source of tone. No evidence of Dumble or Two-Rock for this specific live era/song. Vibro-King may have been present in rig but Super Reverb is most consistently cited for this song/era.
Tone Character(10)
glassy and articulatewarm and smoothtouch-sensitiveclear note separationslightly compressed highsspring reverb ambiencedynamic and responsiverounded attackclassic Fender cleansubtle sustain
Difficulty
The riff demands intermediate-level technique due to its use of expressive phrasing, dynamic control, and clean articulation, but does not require advanced speed or complex timing.
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