Riff Tone

Never Meant

American Football

Guitarother1990s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Telecaster (likely American Standard or Classic Series '72 Telecaster Custom, as used by Mike Kinsella on LP1)

AmpMarshall Valvestate 8080

PickupsSingle-coil (Telecaster neck + bridge, middle position)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1997-1998. No pedals used on the original recording; all effects are from amp or studio. Mike Kinsella and Steve Holmes both used Telecasters and the Marshall Valvestate 8080 for the debut album. Confirmed by Rig Rundown and Equipboard. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects on the riff section of 'Never Meant'.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatechimey cleanshimmering qualitygentle, melancholic tonesdynamic and fullintricate, clean melodiesslightly compressed attackopen and airywarm but not muddyclear note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires intricate fingerpicking in an uncommon tuning, with syncopated rhythms and precise clean playing for clarity, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Sources

Rig Rundown: American Football - Premier Guitar Steve Holmes - Equipboard Never meant tone : r/americanfootballband - Reddit How do the guitars in American Football's lp1 have such a chimey ...

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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