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In Your House Solo Guitar Tone Settings — The Cure
The Cure · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Jazzmaster
Pickups
Fender Jazzmaster single-coil pickups
Amp
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1980, Seventeen Seconds album. The Jazzmaster replaced Robert Smith's earlier Woolworth Top 20 for this era. The JC-120 is confirmed as the studio amp for this period and is famous for its ultra-clean sound and built-in chorus. No evidence of live-specific substitutions for the original recording.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass5.5
Gain2.5
Reverb4
Treble7
Presence5
Effects Chain
- Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger/Filter Matrix · flanger
Fender Jazzmaster → Electric Mistress Flanger → Roland JC-120 (chorus and spring reverb on)
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Tone Character
- bright and glassy
- lush chorus modulation
- clean and articulate
- airy and open
- percussive attack
- smooth decay
- modulation swirl
- stereo width
- no breakup or distortion
- distinct single-coil clarity
Notes & Caveats
- No direct amp knob settings for 'In Your House' solo found; settings estimated based on typical JC-120 clean usage in 1980s post-punk/new wave and Robert Smith's known approach.
- Pedal/effect order inferred from period-correct pedalboard and audible effects; no studio session sheet available.
- Exact pickup position not documented, but neck pickup is consistent with the warm, round clean tone on the solo.
- Presence control is not labeled on JC-120 but included here for completeness; actual amp may not have a dedicated presence knob.
- Reverb is from the amp's built-in spring reverb, estimated at a subtle setting based on the recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Robert Smith's solo tone on 'In Your House' (Seventeen Seconds, 1980) is edge-of-breakup to mild crunch, with prominent mids and moderate reverb typical of early post-punk. Likely using a Hiwatt or Roland JC-120 with pedals, the tone is mid-forward, not overly bright, and has a roomy, atmospheric quality.