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Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now Guitar Tone Settings — The Smiths
The Smiths · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1959 Gibson ES-355 TDSV
Pickups
Gibson PAF humbuckers
Amp
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1984. Johnny Marr wrote and recorded the riff using the 1959 Gibson ES-355, plugged into a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus amp. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this section. All info is for the original studio single recording.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass5
Gain0
Reverb3.5
Treble7.5
Presence5
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Tone Character
- shimmering and jangly
- bright and articulate
- lush chorus modulation
- crisp attack
- clear note separation
- chiming highs
- warm but not muddy
- dynamic and responsive
- clean with no audible overdrive
- airy and spacious
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct numeric amp settings found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Roland JC-120 clean tone for 1980s jangle-pop/rock.
- No explicit pedalboard or effect settings for this song's riff section; chorus effect inferred from amp's built-in chorus and genre/era.
- Some sources mention other guitars (Telecaster, Rickenbacker) but ES-355 is directly cited as the writing/recording guitar for this track.
- No evidence of overdrive/distortion pedals or amp gain for the riff section; tone is clean and chorus-heavy.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Johnny Marr used a very clean, jangly tone for this era, likely with a Fender Twin Reverb or Roland JC-120, emphasizing bright, chiming highs and forward mids. The gain is low for clarity, bass is restrained to avoid muddiness, mids and treble are pushed for articulation, and reverb is subtle but present for space.