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She Sells Sanctuary Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Cult
The Cult · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gretsch White Falcon
Pickups
Gretsch Filter'Tron humbuckers
Amp
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (Gretsch Filter'Tron humbucker)
Studio recording, 1985. Clean intro/riff section uses JC-120's built-in chorus. Duffy also ran the JC-120 in conjunction with a valve amp (Ampeg VT-22 or Marshall) for added body, but the clean tone is primarily JC-120. Effects chain was the result of studio experimentation with all pedals on. No evidence of live/touring substitutions for the original recording.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain0
Reverb4
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Boss DM-2 Delay · delay
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay · delay
- Boss BF-2 Flanger · flanger
Gretsch White Falcon → Boss DM-2 Delay → Boss DD-3 Delay → Boss BF-2 Flanger → Roland JC-120 (built-in chorus always on)
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Tone Character
- spacious and mystical
- bright and shimmery
- lush modulation
- clean and articulate
- chorused stereo spread
- distinctive flanger swirl
- echoed, ambient repeats
- crisp attack with pick
- full-bodied yet airy
- modulation-rich clean
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No exact amp knob settings for JC-120 found for the studio recording; settings estimated based on typical JC-120 clean usage and genre/era.
- Pedal order is inferred from interviews and effect audibility, not from a documented studio signal chain.
- Some sources mention a valve amp (Ampeg VT-22 or Marshall) blended with the JC-120, but the clean chorus/delay/flanger sound is primarily from the JC-120.
- Exact pickup selector position not explicitly stated, but bridge pickup is most likely based on tone and artist's typical usage.
- Delay pedal settings (400ms and 800ms) are directly cited; other pedal settings are not specified.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Billy Duffy used a Gretsch through a cranked Marshall with a Colorsound flanger for this iconic jangly, bright, and spacious 80s British rock tone. The amp is set for classic hard rock crunch with prominent mids and treble, moderate bass, boosted presence for air, and a noticeable plate reverb for that cavernous ambience.