She Sells Sanctuary Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Cult
The Cult · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Studio recording, 1985. The main riff was tracked with the Gretsch White Falcon into a Roland JC-120 (chorus on) and a Marshall amp, with multiple pedals engaged. All effects were left on for the iconic intro/riff sound. No chorus pedal was used; only the JC-120's built-in chorus. Delay and flanger pedals were used. Ampeg VT22 may have been experimented with, but Marshall and JC-120 are confirmed for the final recording.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
- Boss DM-2 Delay · delay
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay · delay
- Flanger pedal (model unknown) · flanger
Gretsch White Falcon → Boss DM-2 Delay → Boss DD-3 Digital Delay → Flanger pedal → Roland JC-120 (chorus on) + Marshall amp (parallel blend)
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Tone Character
- lush and swirling
- spacious and ambient
- bright and chiming
- clean with edgy attack
- wide stereo image
- distinctive and mystical
- modulation-rich
- delayed repeats
- not heavily saturated
- textural and atmospheric
Notes & Caveats
- Exact amp model for the Marshall is not specified in sources, but a Marshall was confirmed in the studio.
- No explicit numeric amp settings for the original recording; values are estimated based on typical Marshall/JC-120 settings for this genre/era and Guitar World lesson guidance.
- Pickup position is inferred from typical White Falcon/rock usage and tone description; not directly stated.
- Pedal order is inferred from interviews and typical signal chain logic.
- No explicit mention of effects loop usage; assumed not used as per era and gear.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Billy Duffy used a Gretsch through a Marshall (JCM800) with a Colorsound flanger and reverb for this iconic 80s British rock tone. The sound is crunchy but not high gain, with pronounced mids and a bright, airy top end, plus moderate reverb for that spacious, chiming effect.