Riff Tone

Who's Crying Now (Live In Houston, 1981)

Journey

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarGibson Les Paul Custom (likely black, as used by Neal Schon in 1981 live performances)

AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s/early 1980s model, as cited for this live performance)

PickupsSeymour Duncan humbuckers (exact model not confirmed, but typical for Schon's Les Pauls of this era)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid6

treble6.5

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

wahUnknown Wah pedal (model unknown, used as a tone filter, not for sweep effects)

Notes

Live performance, Houston 1981. Neal Schon is seen using a Gibson Les Paul Custom into a Fender Twin Reverb. No evidence of additional amp heads or rack gear for this song/section. No evidence of a distortion pedal; overdrive is from amp and wah pedal. Wah pedal is used for tone shaping, not for sweep effects in the riff section.

Tone Character(10)

midrange growlslightly overdrivenfocused upper midsclear note separationtight and punchy attackdynamic responsesmooth sustainarticulate pickingarena-filling presencenot overly compressed

Difficulty

The riff requires tight rhythm playing, dynamic picking, and clear articulation, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed, making it intermediate.

Sources

Tone in Journey's Who's Crying Now solo Journey - Who's Crying Now Guitar Solo (1981) Late one night ...Journey tone?!?!?

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