Riff Tone

Let's Dance

David Bowie

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster 'The Hitmaker' (Nile Rodgers' 1960 Stratocaster with maple neck, hardtail bridge)

AmpRoland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (studio), possible Fender Twin Reverb (studio, less likely)

PickupsFender single-coil pickups (vintage spec, 1960s era, low output)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown, likely studio rack or tape/digital)

chorusRoland Chorus effect (Roland Dimension D or JC-120 built-in chorus)

Notes

Studio recording, 1982/1983. Nile Rodgers played the main riff on his 'Hitmaker' Stratocaster. Stevie Ray Vaughan played lead/solos, but the riff is Nile. The JC-120 is widely cited for Nile's clean, chorus-heavy tones in this era. Effects were added in studio by engineer Bob Clearmountain. No evidence of Tube Screamer or Vibroverb for the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

crystal-clear and glassytight and percussivebright, snappy highschorus-thickened stereo imageclean, uncompressed attackstudio-polished claritydistinctive choppy funk strummingminimal amp breakupstereo delay repeatsarticulate and rhythmic

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate-level funk rhythm skills, including tight muting, syncopated strumming, and precise timing to lock in with the delay repeats.

Sources

The greatest delay moments of all time: 25 classic guitar tracks elevated by echo | Guitar World How Nile Rodgers & David Bowie accidentally wrote Let’s Dance | Guitar World Can anyone help me get the delay settings from Let’s Dance with anyone one of these pedals?The Hitmaker, up close! | Page 3 | Guitar Forum

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account