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Little Wing Guitar Tone Settings — The Jimi Hendrix Experience
The Jimi Hendrix Experience · 1960s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1963/1965 Fender Stratocaster
Pickups
Fender single-coil pickups (original vintage spec)
Amp
Fender Vibroverb (Blackface, 2x10), possibly Fender Twin Reverb (Blackface)
Pickup Position
Neck pickup
Studio recording, 1967, Axis: Bold As Love sessions. No evidence of fuzz or wah on the riff section. Most sources and isolated tracks confirm a clean Strat into Fender amp with light spring reverb. No pedal effects confirmed for the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6.5
Gain3.5
Reverb4.5
Treble6
Presence5
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Tone Character
- warm and glassy
- clean and articulate
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- slightly compressed
- bell-like clarity
- spring reverb ambience
- soft attack
- expressive chord voicings
- smooth, rounded highs
- rich midrange
Notes & Caveats
- No primary source gives exact amp knob settings for the studio riff section; settings estimated based on typical Fender Blackface amp use for Hendrix in 1967 and genre/era norms.
- No evidence of pedals or fuzz on the riff section; all fuzz/Octavia/Fuzz Face references pertain to other Hendrix songs or solos, not the 'Little Wing' riff.
- Pickup position inferred from isolated tracks and expert breakdowns describing the 'neck pickup' glassy tone.
- Some sources mention live use of Marshall amps, but studio recording is confirmed as Fender Vibroverb or Twin Reverb.
- Presence control estimated as mid-point; Blackface Fenders have a subtle presence effect.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Hendrix's 'Little Wing' riff uses a Strat into a cranked Fender or Marshall with edge-of-breakup gain, strong mids, warm bass, and moderate treble for clarity without harshness. The tone is intimate and slightly ambient, likely with studio plate reverb, matching blues/rock conventions of the late '60s.