Riff Tone

Trail of Tears (Live)

Eric Johnson

Guitarrock2010s+

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (1954 or 1957 reissue, maple neck, stock or DiMarzio HS-2 bridge pickup, as per Johnson's typical live clean rig)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (used for clean tones in live rig, as per Premier Guitar Rig Rundown 2018)

PickupsSingle-coil (stock or DiMarzio HS-2, likely neck or neck+middle for clean tone)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass6

mid6

treble6.5

reverb4

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

delayElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man

chorusTC Electronic TC Electronic Stereo Chorus+ Pitch Modulator & Flanger

Notes

Live performance, circa 2018. Eric Johnson's clean tone is always routed through a Fender Twin Reverb, separate from his Marshall lead rig. Pedalboard includes Deluxe Memory Man and TC Electronic Stereo Chorus+ for clean sections. Settings estimated based on typical Johnson clean rig and genre/era. No explicit pedal settings for this song's clean section found.

Tone Character(10)

crystal-clear and glassylush and three-dimensionaltouch-sensitive and dynamicrich, bell-like highsslight chorus shimmersubtle analog delay repeatsspringy reverb tailarticulate note separationwarm but not muddyresponsive to picking dynamics

Difficulty

The riff requires intermediate-level technique due to its chordal complexity, dynamic control, and the need to integrate subtle effects for the signature clean tone.

Sources

Rig Rundown: Eric Johnson [2018] - Premier Guitar

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