Riff Tone

The Sky Is Crying

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Guitarblues1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster 'Number One'

AmpFender Vibroverb (Blackface, 1964, 1x15" speaker, often paired with a Dumble Steel String Singer in studio, but primary amp for this era was Vibroverb)

PickupsFender single-coil (vintage-style, 1959 spec, stock Strat pickups)

Amp Settings

gain4

bass7

mid7

treble6.5

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

overdriveIbanez Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer

Notes

Studio recording, 1984 (recorded during 'Couldn't Stand The Weather' sessions, released 1991). Main riff section. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this part. Eb tuning and heavy gauge strings typical for SRV.

Tone Character(10)

warm and smoothfuller soundvocal-like bendstouch-sensitive dynamicssinging sustaindistinctive lower midrange emphasisbiting lead toneTexas shuffle feeledge-of-breakup crunchrich, expressive phrasing

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate control of blues phrasing, expressive bends, and dynamic touch to capture SRV's vocal-like tone and sustain.

Sources

The Tube Screamer that Stevie Ray Vaughan really used | Guitar World Stevie Ray Vaughan: Couldn't Stand The Weather Legacy Edition album review | MusicRadar Stevie Ray Vaughan defined the sound of contemporary blues guitar – here are 20 techniques you can learn from the Stratocaster master | Guitar World

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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