GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Hocus Pocus Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Focus
Focus · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Late-1960s Gibson Les Paul Custom
Pickups
Stock Gibson humbuckers
Amp
1970 Fender SS1000 Super Showman preamp head (Channel 1) with two XFL1000 4x12 power amp/speaker cabinets (Oxford speakers)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1971 (original album version). Distortion from Colorsound Power Boost pedal, not amp fuzz. Amp run clean, bright switch on. Guitar volume and tone on 10. Bridge pickup used for main riff. Ultra-light .008-.038 strings. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass4.5
Gain6
Reverb0.5
Treble8
Presence3
Effects Chain
- Colorsound Power Boost · boost
Guitar → Colorsound Power Boost → Fender SS1000 Super Showman (Channel 1, bright switch on, clean) → XFL1000 4x12 cabinets
Tone Matcher
Match This Tone to Your Gear
Tell us your guitar and amp — we’ll calculate the exact settings translated to your specific rig.
Adapt to MY Gear →7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- aggressive grit and grind
- bright and articulate
- tight and percussive
- clear note separation
- snappy attack
- major 7 chords ring clear
- biting bridge pickup tone
- minimal compression
- no excessive fuzziness
- dynamic response to picking
Notes & Caveats
- All settings and gear are directly cited from Guitar World feature on the studio recording. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the riff section beyond the Colorsound Power Boost.
- Presence and reverb set to 0 as per cited amp settings; amp reverb only used for overdubs, not main riff.
- No chorus, delay, flanger, phaser, or wah audible or cited for riff section.
- No evidence of effects loop or additional pedals in signal chain for riff section.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jan Akkerman's tone on 'Hocus Pocus' is classic early-70s British rock: punchy, mid-forward, and crunchy but not overly saturated, likely using a Marshall stack with moderate gain, strong mids, and minimal reverb as was typical for the era and genre.