GuitarDistortedSolo80% confidence
Shakedown Street [Live At Oakland Auditorium Arena, December 26, 1979] Guitar Tone Settings
Grateful Dead · 1970s · rock
live
Original Recording
Guitar
Doug Irwin 'Tiger' Guitar
Pickups
Custom-wound DiMarzio Super 2 (neck/middle), DiMarzio SDS-1 (bridge)
Amp
Fender Blackface Twin Reverb (preamp) into McIntosh MC2300 (power amp)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (DiMarzio SDS-1), sometimes blended with middle
Live performance, December 26, 1979, Oakland Auditorium Arena. Jerry Garcia's main guitar for this era was the custom Doug Irwin 'Tiger', and his amp setup was the Blackface Twin Reverb preamp into a McIntosh MC2300 solid-state power amp. This is confirmed for the Brent Mydland era and specifically for this show. No evidence of other guitars or amps for this solo.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain4.5
Reverb3
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter · modulation
- MXR Distortion+ (vintage script logo) · distortion
- MXR Phase 100 (vintage script logo) · phaser
Doug Irwin 'Tiger' Guitar → MXR Distortion+ → Mu-Tron III Envelope Filter → (optional MXR Phase 100) → Fender Twin Reverb (preamp, with spring reverb) → McIntosh MC2300 (power amp)
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
- liquid sustain
- articulate and clear note separation
- warm, tube-driven overdrive
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- slightly compressed attack
- rich midrange
- mildly saturated highs
- distinct envelope filter quack
- percussive pick attack
- expressive phrasing
Notes & Caveats
- No explicit amp knob settings for this exact show found; settings estimated based on typical Garcia live rig and genre/era.
- Pedal models inferred from Garcia's known 1979 pedalboard and audible effects in the solo; no photo of pedalboard from this exact night.
- Envelope filter effect is clearly audible in the solo, but exact pedal model not confirmed for this show; Mu-Tron III is most likely.
- Settings for envelope filter and overdrive are estimated based on typical Garcia usage and audio characteristics.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jerry Garcia's tone on this live 'Shakedown Street' is clean but with a touch of warmth and edge, typical of his late '70s setup (Twin Reverb or custom preamp into McIntosh power amp). The sound is full, mid-forward, and articulate, with moderate bass and treble, a bit of presence for clarity, and subtle reverb for live ambience.