Riff Tone

(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

Otis Redding

Guitarsoul1960s

Original Gear

Guitar1961 Fender Esquire

AmpFender Harvard (tweed, late 1950s model, likely used in Stax studio sessions)

PickupsFender single-coil (bridge position only, as Esquire has a single bridge pickup)

Amp Settings

gain0

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1967. Steve Cropper confirmed use of his 1961 Fender Esquire for the riff on the original studio recording. Amp is not explicitly confirmed for this song, but Cropper has stated in interviews that the Harvard was used on several Otis Redding tracks at Stax during this era. No evidence of pedals or effects other than amp reverb.

Tone Character(10)

bright and snappyclean and percussivewarm and soulfularticulate and dynamicslightly compressedclassic Stax clean soundtight and focused low endchimey highsresponsive to picking dynamicsno audible distortion

Difficulty

The riff is accessible for most players but requires precise sliding technique, clean articulation, and dynamic control to capture the soulful, percussive feel of the original recording.

Sources

Steve Cropper on recording classic Stax cuts and Peavey vs Telecasters | Guitar World Steve Cropper‘s 5 tips for guitar players: “I always look at my guitar before playing and say, ‘If you don’t play good tonight, you’re firewood in the morning!’“ | MusicRadar Steve Cropper: “I say to my guitars, ‘If you don’t perform tonight, you’re going to be firewood in the morning.’ And it always works!” | Guitar World

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