GuitarCleanRiff80% confidence
Material Girl Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Madonna
Madonna · 1980s · other
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Session musician's Fender Stratocaster (likely 1970s-early 1980s, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups)
Pickups
Fender single-coil (stock Stratocaster pickups, likely Alnico V)
Amp
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Pickup Position
Position 4 (neck + middle)
Studio recording, 1984 (Like a Virgin album sessions). No direct evidence of live rig for this part; all details refer to the studio recording. Guitar part was played by session musician (likely Robben Ford or John Putnam, as per session credits for Madonna's early albums).
Amp Settings
Mids5.5
Bass5
Gain2
Reverb4
Treble7.5
Presence6
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.
Adapt to MY Gear →7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
Tone Character
- bright and glassy
- clean and chorus-heavy
- tight and percussive
- articulate attack
- snappy funk-inspired rhythm
- stereo chorus shimmer
- studio-polished clarity
- no breakup or overdrive
- sits behind synths in mix
- distinct 80s pop guitar
Notes & Caveats
- No direct source confirms the exact guitar, amp, or pedal model for the riff section; all gear is inferred from era, genre, and typical 1980s pop session practices.
- No numeric amp settings found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Roland JC-120 clean chorus tones from the 1980s.
- No pedalboard or effect model is confirmed for this specific recording; chorus effect is clearly audible and is likely the built-in JC-120 chorus.
- Session musician identity is not confirmed for this specific track, but Robben Ford and John Putnam are credited for Madonna's early albums.
- Pickup selector inferred from typical Strat clean tones and audible sound.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The 'Material Girl' riff features a bright, punchy, clean-to-slightly-edge-of-breakup guitar tone typical of mid-80s pop/rock studio sessions, likely using a Strat or Tele into a clean amp (Roland JC-120 or Fender), with mids and treble pushed for clarity and cut, bass slightly reduced for tightness, and minimal reverb as most ambience is from production rather than amp.