GuitarCleanRiff
Althea Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Doug Irwin 'Tiger' (custom electric guitar)
Pickups
DiMarzio Super II humbuckers (bridge and middle), DiMarzio SDS-1 single coil (neck)
Amp
Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface, late 1970s)
Pickup Position
Position 2 (bridge + middle, both humbuckers, possibly coil-split)
Studio recording, 1979; 'Althea' riff section. Tiger guitar with onboard effects loop. Amp is Fender Twin Reverb, likely into McIntosh MC2300 power amp for live, but studio likely just Twin Reverb. Effects loop used for envelope filter. Pickup coil-split toggles available. Settings estimated based on era, genre, and typical Garcia setup for this song.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass5.5
Gain3.5
Reverb4.5
Treble7
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter · modulation
Doug Irwin Tiger guitar → Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter → Fender Twin Reverb (with spring reverb)
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Tone Character
- throaty-bordering-on-nasal sweet spot
- clean and articulate
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- bright but not harsh
- percussive attack
- subtle warmth
- distinct envelope filter quack
- slightly compressed
- clear note separation
- funky, expressive phrasing