GuitarCleanRiff80% confidence
Dreams Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Cranberries
The Cranberries · 1990s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Telecaster (likely 1960s, possibly Noel Hogan's own or producer Stephen Street's 1967 Telecaster)
Pickups
Single-coil (Fender Telecaster stock single-coils, passive)
Amp
Vox AC30 Guitar Combo Amp
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (Telecaster, for bright and jangly clean tone)
Studio recording, 1992-1993 (recorded for debut album 'Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?'). Multiple sources confirm Telecaster and Vox AC30 for clean tones. Chorus pedal is a DOD FX68 Super Stereo Chorus, always on for the riff. No evidence of additional pedals or amp-based effects beyond possible light amp reverb.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain2.5
Reverb3
Treble7
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- DOD FX68 Super Stereo Chorus · chorus
Fender Telecaster → DOD FX68 Super Stereo Chorus → Vox AC30 (with spring reverb)
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Tone Character
- bright and jangly
- lush chorus shimmer
- clean and sparkling
- articulate single-coil clarity
- open and airy
- dynamic and responsive
- subtle amp reverb
- no audible overdrive
- studio-quality clean
- modulation depth varies with picking
Notes & Caveats
- No direct amp knob settings for 'Dreams' studio session found; settings estimated based on typical Vox AC30 clean usage in 1990s alternative rock and Telecaster pairing.
- DOD FX68 Super Stereo Chorus is confirmed as Noel Hogan's main chorus pedal for Cranberries clean tones, but exact knob settings are not published.
- Amp reverb is inferred as likely used at a low setting for studio ambience; no explicit confirmation.
- Pickup position is inferred from tone and genre conventions; Telecaster bridge pickup is most likely for the bright, jangly clean sound.
- No evidence of delay, flanger, phaser, or other effects in the clean riff section; chorus is the only confirmed pedal.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The Cranberries' 'Dreams' riff tone is jangly, clean-to-edge-of-breakup, and chimey, typical of early '90s British/Irish alternative rock. Noel Hogan favored Fender amps (often Twin Reverb or similar) with moderate gain, slightly boosted mids and treble for clarity, and moderate reverb for space, matching the song's airy, shimmering character.