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London Calling Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Clash
The Clash · 1970s · punk
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Esquire (Joe Strummer's original, heavily modified, single-pickup)
Pickups
Fender single-coil (bridge position, stock Esquire pickup, 1970s era)
Amp
Marshall Super Lead 1959 (100-watt head, likely into Marshall 4x12 cabinet)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (only pickup on Esquire, selector in 'lead' position)
Studio recording, 1979 (London Calling album sessions). Guitar is Strummer's iconic Esquire, amp is Marshall Super Lead 1959 as confirmed by multiple sources. No evidence of pedal use for clean riff section. Settings estimated based on typical punk/rock clean tones with this amp/guitar pairing.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain0
Reverb0.5
Treble7
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- bright and jangly
- tight and percussive
- clear, uncompressed attack
- raw and direct
- articulate single notes
- minimal sustain
- slightly edgy but clean
- no audible reverb or delay
- dynamic response to picking
- classic punk clarity
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct numeric amp settings found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Marshall Super Lead clean setup for punk/rock in late 1970s.
- No evidence of pedal or amp-based effects used on clean riff section; tone is dry and unprocessed.
- Pickup selector is bridge only, as Esquire has a single pickup.
- No evidence of effects loop or studio post-processing for guitar tone in clean riff section.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Mick Jones used a Fender Telecaster into a silverface Fender Twin Reverb, known for its clean, mid-forward British punk sound with just a hint of breakup. The tone is punchy, bright, and articulate with strong mids and little reverb, matching late-70s punk production and The Clash's signature style.