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Stairway to Heaven Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Electric XII 12-string
Pickups
Fender split single-coil (12-string, bridge and neck positions blended)
Amp
Supro Coronado 1690T
Pickup Position
Both pickups (blended, typical for Electric XII rhythm)
Studio recording, 1970-1971. The main riff/intro/verse of 'Stairway to Heaven' was recorded with a Fender Electric XII 12-string into a Supro Coronado 1690T amp. No pedals or effects are confirmed for the riff section; the double-neck Gibson EDS-1275 was used live, but not on the studio recording. The Telecaster was used for the solo only.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain3.5
Reverb2.5
Treble7
Presence5
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Tone Character
- chiming and lush
- bright and articulate
- clean, shimmering intro
- acoustic-like resonance
- open and airy
- gentle attack
- studio clarity
- lush, layered sound
- no audible overdrive or distortion
- natural 12-string shimmer
Notes & Caveats
- No direct amp knob settings for the riff section found; settings estimated based on typical Supro/Fender clean tones and era.
- Some sources confuse live gear (Gibson EDS-1275) with studio (Fender Electric XII); only studio gear included.
- No pedals or effects are confirmed for the riff section; chorus pedal suggestions are for emulation, not original recording.
- Presence and reverb values are estimated based on typical Supro amp behavior and the clean, open sound of the recording.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jimmy Page used a clean-to-edge-of-breakup tone for the 'Stairway to Heaven' riff section, likely with a cranked Marshall and a Telecaster. The tone is warm, mid-forward, and articulate with moderate bass and treble, little reverb, and no excessive gain or scooping, matching classic early '70s British rock production.