Riff Tone

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Jazzmaster (likely 1960s, sunburst, as used by Elvis Costello in late 1970s studio recordings)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Blackface, late 1960s/early 1970s model, typical for Attractions era studio work)

PickupsFender Jazzmaster single-coil pickups

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass5.5

mid7

treble7

reverb2.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1978, recorded for the album 'Armed Forces'. No direct evidence of pedals or alternate amps for the riff section. Jazzmaster confirmed as Costello's main studio guitar for this era; Twin Reverb is the most documented amp for Attractions sessions. Settings estimated based on genre, era, and amp type.

Tone Character(10)

bright and bitingjangly and percussiveslightly gritty edgeclear note separationtight, punchy chordsarticulate highsmidrange-forwarddynamic responseno heavy saturationclassic new wave/post-punk drive

Difficulty

The riff is rhythmically driving and requires tight, fast downstrokes and clean chord changes, but uses basic barre chords and no advanced techniques.

Sources

Elvis Costello Digs Deep at Carnegie Hall Debut — Review

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