Riff Tone

She Sells Sanctuary

The Cult

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGretsch White Falcon (mid-70s single-cut mono Falcon, stock Filter'Tron pickups)

AmpRoland JC-120 (with built-in chorus, used in studio in combination with a valve amp, likely Ampeg VT-22 or Marshall; JC-120 is primary for riff section)

PickupsGretsch Filter'Tron humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

delayBoss Boss DM-2 Delay

delayBoss Boss DD-3 Digital Delay

flangerBoss Boss BF-2 Flanger

Notes

Studio recording, 1985. Billy Duffy used the Gretsch White Falcon through a Roland JC-120 with built-in chorus, plus two delay pedals and a flanger. The riff section is the iconic clean/modulated sound. No evidence of Marshall or Ampeg being the primary amp for the riff section; those were used for other sections or later live setups.

Tone Character(10)

chimey and brightlush stereo chorusspacious and ambientethereal, modulated cleandistinctive 80s shimmerarticulate and clearfull-bodied with drone stringlayered delays for depthflanger swirl in intro/riffnot crunchy or high-gain

Difficulty

The riff requires accurate picking for large interval jumps, tight timing to sync with the delay effects, and clarity to maintain the drone string and modulated sound. Intermediate players will find the coordination and effect management moderately challenging.

Sources

What to Remember When Performing The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" | Guitar World "Like all great rock tracks, the song has a staggeringly simple structure": The story of The Cult's She Sells Sanctuary | MusicRadar 25 of the greatest guitar tones of all time | MusicRadar Boss BF-2 Flanger - What To Know & Where To Buy | Equipboard

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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