Riff Tone

Owner of a Lonely Heart

Yes

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1962 Fender Stratocaster

AmpLate-'70s Marshall 2203 JMP MKII 100-watt master volume head

PickupsDiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup (single coil), stock Fender single coils in other positions

Amp Settings

gain0

bass4.5

mid7

treble6

reverb1

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusBoss Boss CE-2 Chorus

compressionUnknown Compressor pedal (model unknown, likely MXR Dyna Comp or Boss CS-2)

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. Clean riff sections tracked with Stratocaster into Marshall 2203 JMP MKII. Chorus and compression added via pedals and/or studio rack. No 12-string Rickenbacker used for clean riff, despite some claims. Pickup and amp settings per Guitar World feature.

Tone Character(10)

bright and glassytight and percussivearticulate and punchychorus shimmerclear note separationdynamic and responsivestudio-polishedslightly compressedpop/rock clarityno audible breakup

Difficulty

The clean riff requires tight, syncopated picking and precise muting to achieve the punchy, percussive sound, as well as dynamic control to keep the notes even and articulate with chorus modulation.

Sources

Trevor Rabin's guitar tone on Yes's Owner of a Lonely Heart: secrets behind the sound | Guitar World “The guitar is such an interesting instrument; it can be a sound palette, create harmonies and be presented in endless ways”: Trevor Rabin breaks down the tales and tools behind some of his greatest guitar highlights | Guitar World Yes - Owner of lonley heart - Intro - The Gear Page

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account