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Solo Tone

You May Be Right

Billy Joel

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1970 Fender Telecaster (with custom out-of-phase switch, but not used for this solo)

Amp1965 Fender Super Reverb

PickupsFender single-coil (Telecaster bridge pickup, likely stock 1970s Fender)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1979-1980 (Glass Houses sessions). Russell Javors played the solo. No evidence of pedal use for the solo; amp was main source of tone. Javors used his 1970 Telecaster as his main studio guitar for Billy Joel in this era, and preferred the Super Reverb for recording. No explicit mention of pedals or effects for this solo in any source.

Tone Character(10)

bright and bitingclassic Telecaster bridge snapslightly gritty crunchclear and articulatetight midrange punchdynamic and touch-sensitivemodest natural reverbno audible modulationpresent but not harsh trebleopen, uncompressed feel

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate-level phrasing, dynamic picking, and expressive bends, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.

Sources

“I don’t know what it is about my Tele, but it’s special. Roy Buchanan tried it and wanted to buy it! I said, ‘No way in hell I’m giving that up’”: Russell Javors on his wild ride with Billy Joel – and his friendship with Les Paul after he was let go | Guitar World

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Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1970 Fender Telecaster (with custom out-of-phase switch, but not used for this solo)

Amp1965 Fender Super Reverb

PickupsFender single-coil (Telecaster bridge pickup, likely stock 1970s Fender)

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Sources

“I don’t know what it is about my Tele, but it’s special. Roy Buchanan tried it and wanted to buy it! I said, ‘No way in hell I’m giving that up’”: Russell Javors on his wild ride with Billy Joel – and his friendship with Les Paul after he was let go | Guitar World

Notes

Studio recording, 1979-1980 (Glass Houses sessions). Russell Javors played the solo. No evidence of pedal use for the solo; amp was main source of tone. Javors used his 1970 Telecaster as his main studio guitar for Billy Joel in this era, and preferred the Super Reverb for recording. No explicit mention of pedals or effects for this solo in any source.

Tone Character(10)

bright and bitingclassic Telecaster bridge snapslightly gritty crunchclear and articulatetight midrange punchdynamic and touch-sensitivemodest natural reverbno audible modulationpresent but not harsh trebleopen, uncompressed feel

Difficulty

The solo requires intermediate-level phrasing, dynamic picking, and expressive bends, but does not involve advanced techniques or high speed.

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