Riff Tone

Long Train Runnin'

The Doobie Brothers

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely early 1970s, possibly stock or custom, as per era and visual evidence)

AmpFender Vibrolux Reverb (most likely, based on era, genre, and typical Doobie Brothers studio gear; no direct source confirmation for this song, but solid-state amp also suggested in forums)

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender Stratocaster stock single-coils, 1973 era)

Amp Settings

gain3.5

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1973. No direct source confirms exact amp or pickup position for this song, but era and genre point to a Fender Stratocaster into a Fender combo amp, likely with minimal effects. Some forum posts suggest solid-state amps, but most classic Doobie Brothers tones from this era used Fender tube combos.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatetight and percussiveclean with slight edgedynamic and touch-sensitivechoppy funk rhythmdefined bassclear treble presenceminor 7th chord clarityno heavy distortionslight breakup on attack

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced right-hand funk strumming, precise muting, and quick chord changes, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Doobie Brothers tone?? : r/PositiveGridSpark - Reddit 7th chords on guitar: the shapes you need to know | Guitar World Long Train Runnin' a good mix for 1973 : r/audioengineering - Reddit

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely early 1970s, possibly stock or custom, as per era and visual evidence)

AmpFender Vibrolux Reverb (most likely, based on era, genre, and typical Doobie Brothers studio gear; no direct source confirmation for this song, but solid-state amp also suggested in forums)

PickupsSingle-coil (Fender Stratocaster stock single-coils, 1973 era)