Riff Tone

Sympathy for the Devil (Live)

The Rolling Stones

Guitarrock1960s

Original Gear

Guitar1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Mick Taylor, live era) OR 1959 Gibson ES-355 (Keith Richards, live era)

AmpAmpeg V4 or V2 head into Ampeg VT22/VT40 combo or Fender Showman (live, late 1960s/early 1970s)

PickupsGibson PAF humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass6

mid7

treble6.5

reverb3

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Live performance, late 1960s/early 1970s (not studio version). Mick Taylor played the '58 Burst (Les Paul Standard) for most of the show except for 'Love In Vain'. Keith Richards sometimes used a 1959 ES-355. Amps were Ampeg V4/V2 or Fender Showman, as per forum and gear history. No explicit pedalboard evidence for this live era.

Tone Character(10)

gritty and rawupper-mid boostedopen and dynamicslightly compressedcrunchy rhythmpercussive attackbright but not harsharticulate note separationclassic British/American rock blendresponsive to picking dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires solid rhythm skills and dynamic control to achieve the classic Stones crunch, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast playing.

Sources

Potent Pairings: The Sound of the Rolling Stones | Reverb News Mick Taylor Rolling Stones Gear? | Page 2 | Guitar Forum Rolling Stones gear on Beggars Banquet & Let it Bleed Sympathy for the devil pedal? - forum topic

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account