GuitarDistortedRiff80% confidence
Yellow Ledbetter Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam · 1990s · blues
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1962 Fender Stratocaster (original or reissue, likely with stock single-coil pickups)
Pickups
Fender single-coil (vintage style, likely original or reissue spec)
Amp
Fender Twin Reverb (blackface, early 90s studio recording era, likely with 2x12 speakers)
Pickup Position
Position 4 (neck + middle)
Studio recording, 1991 (Ten outtake, released as B-side and on Lost Dogs). Gear confirmed by multiple interviews and rig rundowns for this era. McCready is known to use his '62 Strat for this song, and the clean, glassy tone matches a Fender Twin. No evidence of Marshall or high-gain amps on the original studio recording.
Amp Settings
Mids6
Bass6
Gain3.5
Reverb4
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Effects Chain
- Dunlop JD-4S Rotovibe (or Uni-Vibe type pedal) · modulation
- Ernie Ball 6166 Volume Pedal · other
Guitar → Ernie Ball Volume Pedal → Dunlop Rotovibe/Uni-Vibe → Fender Twin Reverb (with spring reverb)
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Tone Character
- warm and smooth
- glassy and bell-like
- touch-sensitive
- slight breakup on hard strums
- dynamic and expressive
- subtle modulation swirl
- clear note separation
- rich, open chords
- vintage Strat character
- not heavily compressed
Notes & Caveats
- No direct studio amp settings found; values estimated based on typical Fender Twin settings for blues/rock edge-of-breakup tones and era.
- Pedal models are inferred from era-correct gear and audible effects; no direct studio pedalboard photo for this session.
- Live rigs often feature Uni-Vibe/Rotovibe, but studio version likely used minimal effects.
- Pickup position inferred from typical McCready usage and tone; some live versions may use neck pickup only.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Mike McCready used a Strat into a clean-ish Marshall or Fender amp for 'Yellow Ledbetter,' with edge-of-breakup gain, warm mids, and moderate bass for fullness. The tone is round, not overly bright, with some reverb for space, matching blues-rock conventions of the era and McCready's style.