GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Any Way You Want It (2024 Remaster) Guitar Tone Settings
Journey · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard (late 1970s/early 1980s, likely sunburst finish)
Pickups
Gibson humbuckers (likely T-Top or early 490R/498T, stock for era)
Amp
Marshall JMP 2203 100W head with Marshall 4x12 cabinet (studio recording, 1979/1980 era)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording for 'Any Way You Want It' (Departure, 1980; 2024 Remaster is from this session). Neal Schon is known for using a Les Paul Standard into a Marshall JMP 2203 for this era. No evidence of live/touring gear or other guitars for the main riff. Effects chain includes flanger pedal, confirmed by Equipboard and audible in the recording.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain6.5
Reverb2.5
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix · flanger
Guitar → Electric Mistress Flanger → Marshall JMP 2203 (with light spring reverb)
Tone Matcher
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Tone Character
- classic British crunch
- bright and cutting attack
- tight palm-muted power chords
- modulated swirl from flanger
- articulate pick attack
- harmonic overtones
- saturated but not high-gain
- dynamic response to picking
- 80s arena rock clarity
- punchy midrange presence
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source lists exact amp knob settings; values estimated based on Marshall JMP 2203 typical settings for classic rock and Neal Schon's known tone.
- No explicit studio documentation for pickup selector, but bridge pickup is standard for this riff and matches the tone.
- Pedal model confirmed by Equipboard and audible flanger in the riff, but no pedal knob settings found.
- No evidence of delay, chorus, or reverb pedals; amp reverb is set low for ambience.
- If new evidence emerges of alternate guitars or amps for this specific recording, update accordingly.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Neal Schon’s tone on 'Any Way You Want It' is classic late-70s/early-80s British crunch—Marshall-style amp, moderate gain for punch and clarity, strong mids for cut, balanced bass and treble, and subtle reverb for space. The 2024 remaster retains the original's forward, articulate rock sound.