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Stairway to Heaven Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1959 Fender Telecaster (painted 'Dragon' finish, rosewood neck)
Pickups
Fender single-coil (stock Telecaster bridge pickup)
Amp
Supro Coronado 1690T (12-inch Oxford speaker, Pulsonic cone, cold-biased)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1970-1971. Used for the main riff and rhythm sections of 'Stairway to Heaven'. No pedals or effects used in the riff section; all tone comes from guitar and amp. Confirmed by multiple sources that the Telecaster and Supro were used for the rhythm/riff, not the solo. Pickup selector set to bridge. No evidence of pedals or amp effects for the riff section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain4
Reverb2
Treble7
Presence5
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Tone Character
- bright and articulate
- chimey highs
- slightly gritty edge-of-breakup
- tight and percussive attack
- open and airy
- dynamic and touch-sensitive
- clear note separation
- minimal compression
- classic British-American hybrid amp tone
- no pedal coloration
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings for the riff section found; settings estimated based on Supro Coronado 1690T typical use and era.
- Confirmed no pedals or effects for the riff section; all effects and wah are for the solo only.
- Presence setting is estimated, as the Supro has a single tone knob; values mapped to modern amp controls for clarity.
- All sources agree on Telecaster and Supro for the riff, not Les Paul or Marshall.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Jimmy Page's riff tone in 'Stairway to Heaven' is edge-of-breakup, bright but not harsh, with prominent mids and a classic British flavor (likely a cranked Marshall). The tone is articulate, not overly saturated, with moderate bass and subtle room reverb from the recording environment.