GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Cold Shot Guitar Tone Settings
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble · 1980s · blues
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster 'Number One'
Pickups
Fender single-coil pickups (stock 1959/1962 style, overwound, vintage spec)
Amp
Fender Vibroverb (Blackface, 1964) + Fender Bassman (1959 reissue) + Fender Vibratone rotating speaker cabinet
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1984 (for 'Couldn't Stand the Weather'). SRV used multiple amps in parallel, most notably the Vibroverb and Bassman, with the Vibratone for the rotary effect. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for the studio riff section. Guitar is the 'Number One' Strat, not a Tokai or other backup.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass7
Gain4.5
Reverb3
Treble6
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer · overdrive
Fender Stratocaster → Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer → Fender Vibroverb/Bassman → Fender Vibratone (rotary speaker) → Studio board
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Tone Character
- warm and smooth
- swirling rotary modulation
- edge-of-breakup crunch
- fat and round neck pickup sound
- touch-sensitive and dynamic
- Texas shuffle feel
- percussive attack
- slightly compressed
- lush and organic
- not overly bright
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp knob settings for 'Cold Shot' studio session found; values estimated based on typical SRV Vibroverb/Bassman settings for this era and genre.
- Pedal use for the riff section is not documented; Tube Screamer is likely but not 100% confirmed for this specific part. Vibratone rotary effect is confirmed by multiple sources.
- No evidence of chorus, delay, or wah in the riff section; rotary effect is from the Vibratone cabinet, not a pedal.
- Settings are for studio recording, not live performance.
- Pickup choice inferred from tone and live footage; SRV almost always used neck pickup for rhythm on this song.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. SRV's 'Cold Shot' riff features his signature edge-of-breakup tone with fat lows, forward mids, and rolled-off highs for warmth, typical of his Strat into a Fender Vibroverb or Super Reverb. The amp is set for thick, punchy blues with moderate spring reverb, matching the era's production and his known preferences.