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Johnson has several different amp setups, though in most cases you could break them down into two different categories. Johnson admits to using them routinely, particularly in the studio.įor "Cliffs of Dover" he also used 100-watt Marshall heads at fairly high volumes (more on Johnson's volume later), adding another dimension of complexity that is difficult to replicate in our living rooms.ĭon't always default to Fender Strats when you're after Eric Johnson's lead tone. In fact, if you're used to hearing Johnson's studio albums, there's a high chance that you're hearing a Gibson humbucker in most cases. He actually used a Gibson ES-335 with humbuckers, which is pictured in the above photo. Johnson's most popular track, "Cliffs of Dover," was not recorded with a Fender Stratocaster.
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Now, I need to add a somewhat glaring exception. I'm just putting it all into one place and sorting out the fluff. It sounds ambitious, but all this information is out there. Amp settings and guitars he routinely uses (both live and in the studio)?.We'll answer all of the following questions: Thus, we'll give equal parts attention to both aspects of Eric Johnson's guitar playing, first taking a look at his gear, then examining the technique he employs. However, both are important considerations when you're talking about emulating a specific player. To be sure, gear takes a back seat to technique. This is particularly true concerning his lead tone. We'll look at Eric Johnson's lead tone from primarily two angles:Īll of the information I've found, whether second-hand or from Johnson himself, speaks to one of these two contexts.Īnd while there were plenty of voices saying that technique mattered more than gear (including Eric Johnson himself, whom I would agree with) my research would indicate that gear, and the way Johnson set it up, still matters when it comes to emulating his tone.
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His tone and technique are both fascinating to many, having sparked a slew of interview questions and attempts (some better than others) to mimic his tone.Įric Johnson, who himself is a product of the Austin Texas music scene (the Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar culture), has been candid with interviewers about his approach to the electric guitar and the gear he uses, over the years.Īnd the more you listen to him talk, the more you realize that he's not some kind of gear magician.īoth his studio albums and live performances, particularly at G3 back in 1997, are marked by a distinctive lead tone that plenty of people have sought to emulate.