Riff Tone

This Charming Man

The Smiths

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1954 Fender Telecaster

AmpRoland JC-120 (for highs) and Fender Twin Reverb (for mids and bass)

PickupsFender Telecaster single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5.5

mid7

treble7.5

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

chorusBoss Boss CE-2 Chorus

compressionUnknown Compressor pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. Johnny Marr has stated the main riff was played on a '54 Telecaster, not a Rickenbacker. Multiple sources confirm use of both Roland JC-120 and Fender Twin Reverb blended for the studio recording. Tuning is F# (A=429Hz), not standard 440Hz.

Tone Character(10)

bright and janglyarticulate and shimmeringclean, glassy highstight, percussive attacklush chorus modulationdynamic response to pickingmulti-tracked guitar layershigh-end sparkleno audible overdrivestudio-polished clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced chord shapes, fast and accurate picking, and tight muting to achieve the clean, jangly sound. The multi-layered studio arrangement adds to the challenge.

Sources

Johnny Marr's Guitars, Amps, Pedals & Other Gear | Equipboard This Charming Man amp settings : r/thesmiths - Reddit Tonal Blueprint: The Smiths/Johnny Marr : r/guitarpedals - Reddit Johnny marr tone : r/thesmiths - Reddit

This tone has been researched 5 times by the community

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