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Riff Tone

Pinball Wizard

The Who

Guitarrock1960s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson J-200 (1960s, acoustic)

AmpNone (recorded acoustically, no amp used on original studio recording)

PickupsNone (pure acoustic, no pickup used on original studio recording)

Amp Settings

gain1.5

bass3

mid3.5

treble3.5

reverb0.5

presence3

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1969. The main riff section of 'Pinball Wizard' was tracked with a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, mic'd in the studio. No electric guitar or amp was used for the main riff. Later live performances sometimes used a pickup-equipped J-200 into an acoustic amp, but the original studio version is pure acoustic. No pedals or effects were used on the original studio riff.

Tone Character(10)

bright and percussiveopen and resonantdynamic strummingarticulate chord voicingsaggressive attackclear, uncompressed acoustic sounddistinct acoustic timbreno electric colorationhighly rhythmicfull-bodied acoustic projection

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, powerful strumming with precise chord changes and dynamic control to achieve the percussive, articulate acoustic sound. The tempo and voicing shifts add to the intermediate-to-advanced challenge.

Sources

Pete Townshend acoustic guitar lesson: the Who guitarist's unplugged technique | Guitar World Pete Townshend's Guitars, Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard

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Guitarrock1960s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson J-200 (1960s, acoustic)

AmpNone (recorded acoustically, no amp used on original studio recording)

PickupsNone (pure acoustic, no pickup used on original studio recording)

Amp Settings

gain1.5

bass3

mid3.5

treble3.5

reverb0.5

presence3

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

Pete Townshend acoustic guitar lesson: the Who guitarist's unplugged technique | Guitar World Pete Townshend's Guitars, Gear, Pedalboard & Amps | Equipboard

Notes

Studio recording, 1969. The main riff section of 'Pinball Wizard' was tracked with a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, mic'd in the studio. No electric guitar or amp was used for the main riff. Later live performances sometimes used a pickup-equipped J-200 into an acoustic amp, but the original studio version is pure acoustic. No pedals or effects were used on the original studio riff.

Tone Character(10)

bright and percussiveopen and resonantdynamic strummingarticulate chord voicingsaggressive attackclear, uncompressed acoustic sounddistinct acoustic timbreno electric colorationhighly rhythmicfull-bodied acoustic projection

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, powerful strumming with precise chord changes and dynamic control to achieve the percussive, articulate acoustic sound. The tempo and voicing shifts add to the intermediate-to-advanced challenge.

Create Free Account

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