GuitarDistortedRiff
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
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.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime.
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