Riff Tone
Year of the Cat (2020 Remaster)
Al Stewart
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-335 (likely, based on era/session player Tim Renwick's known gear and typical studio choices for this sound)
AmpFender Twin Reverb (likely, based on era, genre, and typical studio choices for clean tones in 1976 UK sessions)
PickupsGibson PAF-style humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6
mid6
treble7
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1976 (original recording year, applies to 2020 remaster). No direct evidence for exact guitar/amp, but the clean, full, and articulate tone with rich detail is consistent with a semi-hollow Gibson into a Fender Twin Reverb. No evidence of pedal use for the clean riff section.
Tone Character(10)
rich and full-bodiedwarm and smoothclean and articulatedetailed string definitiondynamic and responsiveslightly compressed studio soundrounded highsbalanced midrangesubtle reverb ambienceno audible breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires accurate chord shapes and clean arpeggiation with dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed, making it accessible to intermediate players.
Sources
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Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-335 (likely, based on era/session player Tim Renwick's known gear and typical studio choices for this sound)
AmpFender Twin Reverb (likely, based on era, genre, and typical studio choices for clean tones in 1976 UK sessions)
PickupsGibson PAF-style humbuckers
Amp Settings
gain2.5
bass6
mid6
treble7
reverb4
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1976 (original recording year, applies to 2020 remaster). No direct evidence for exact guitar/amp, but the clean, full, and articulate tone with rich detail is consistent with a semi-hollow Gibson into a Fender Twin Reverb. No evidence of pedal use for the clean riff section.
Tone Character(10)
rich and full-bodiedwarm and smoothclean and articulatedetailed string definitiondynamic and responsiveslightly compressed studio soundrounded highsbalanced midrangesubtle reverb ambienceno audible breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires accurate chord shapes and clean arpeggiation with dynamic control, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed, making it accessible to intermediate players.