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This Charming Man Riff Guitar Tone Settings — The Smiths
The Smiths · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1954 Fender Telecaster (borrowed from John Porter)
Pickups
Single-coil (vintage Fender Telecaster pickups)
Amp
Roland JC-120 (for highs), Fender Twin Reverb (for mids and bass)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1983. Main riff tracked with '54 Telecaster through both Roland JC-120 and Fender Twin Reverb amps. Marr has confirmed in interviews that the main riff is not a Rickenbacker but the Telecaster. Multiple layered tracks, but the core riff is Telecaster. No evidence of live rig or other guitars for this section.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass5.5
Gain0
Reverb3.5
Treble7.5
Presence5.5
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Tone Character
- bright and jangly
- glassy highs
- articulate and percussive
- tight, snappy attack
- clear note separation
- slight natural reverb
- complex, layered sound
- minimal compression
- no audible distortion
- chiming, bell-like clarity
Notes & Caveats
- Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
- No direct numeric amp settings found; settings estimated based on typical JC-120 and Twin Reverb clean tones for 1980s jangle pop/rock.
- Pedal usage for the riff is not confirmed in any source for the studio recording; chorus and compression are not audibly present on the main riff.
- Some sources mention Rickenbacker 360/12, but Johnny Marr has stated the main riff was recorded with a '54 Telecaster.
- No evidence of effects loop or additional rack effects for this section.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Johnny Marr's tone on 'This Charming Man' is famously bright, jangly, and clean, achieved with a Fender Twin Reverb or Roland JC-120, single-coil pickups, and light compression. The amp is set very clean with boosted highs and upper mids, slightly reduced bass for clarity, moderate presence for air, and a touch of reverb for space.