Riff Tone

There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back

Shawn Mendes

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarFender Telecaster (likely American Professional or Player Series, single coil pickups)

AmpFender Blues Deluxe (or Hot Rod Deluxe) tube combo amp

PickupsFender single coil (Telecaster bridge and neck, likely standard Alnico V or similar)

Amp Settings

gain4

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 2017. Sources indicate Telecaster and Fender Blues Deluxe/Hot Rod Deluxe were used for Mendes' pop/rock tracks in this era. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for this riff section. Settings are estimated based on typical studio use for this genre and amp. No explicit evidence of pedals for the riff section; reverb likely from amp.

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulatepunchy midstight and percussive attackslightly driven cleandynamic and expressiveclear highswarm low endstudio-polished claritypresent upper midsresponsive to picking dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, syncopated strumming at a fast tempo with clean articulation and dynamic control, but does not involve advanced lead techniques or complex chord shapes.

Sources

Shawn Mendes Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk Shawn Mendes | Equipboard Shawn Mendes Guitar Review and Guide - Guitar Space

This tone has been researched 3 times by the community

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