GuitarDistortedRiff
House of the Rising Sun Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Animals
The Animals · 1960s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gretsch Tennessean Electric Guitar
Pickups
Gretsch HiLo'Tron single-coil pickups
Amp
Vox AC30
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1964. Hilton Valentine used his Gretsch Tennessean with HiLo'Tron pickups into a Vox AC30 for the original studio recording of 'House of the Rising Sun' riff section. No evidence of pedals or additional effects in the signal chain for the studio version.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain3
Reverb2.5
Treble7
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- bright and articulate
- chiming British Invasion sound
- slightly gritty edge-of-breakup
- clear note separation
- dynamic and responsive to picking
- mild amp compression
- open and airy
- no heavy distortion
- touch of warmth from tube amp
- subtle natural reverb