GuitarDistortedRiff
Honey Bee Guitar Tone Settings
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble · 1980s · blues
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1963 Fender Stratocaster 'Number One'
Pickups
Fender single-coil (vintage-style, stock 1960s Strat pickups)
Amp
Fender Vibroverb (Blackface, 1964, 2x10” speakers, often with one replaced by a JBL D110F)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1984; 'Honey Bee' was recorded for the 'Couldn't Stand the Weather' album. SRV's main studio rig for this era was his 'Number One' Strat into a Fender Vibroverb, often with an Ibanez Tube Screamer for edge-of-breakup blues tone. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for the main riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass7
Gain5
Reverb3.5
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer · overdrive
Guitar → Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer → Fender Vibroverb (with spring reverb)
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.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- warm and punchy
- slightly compressed attack
- touch-sensitive and dynamic
- fat midrange presence
- articulate single-coil clarity
- Texas blues crunch
- percussive and aggressive
- open, uncompressed Strat tone
- slight amp breakup on hard picking
- minimal reverb, mostly dry