No. 0191970·rock·3 blocks

Truckin'

Jerry Garcia's tone on Truckin' is a sparkling, clean Guild Starfire sound through a Fender Twin Reverb. This is about clarity and articulation, not distortion. Every note rings out with bell-like precision, and the Twin's massive clean headroom ensures the tone stays pristine even at volume. The touch of spring reverb adds depth without washing out the details. Garcia's tone is the opposite of most rock guitarists: clean, bright, and dynamically responsive to his fingerpicking and flatpicking technique.

American Beauty coverAmerican Beauty
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 7 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Guild Starfire
Pickups
HH
Tuning
middle
Strings
standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
US Double Nrm
Spring
Simple Delay
2x12 Double C12N
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Volume/Pan
Level
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compressor
Dynamics
Threshold
-36dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
60ms
Release
910ms
Mix
74
Level
0dB
US Double Nrm
← Fender Twin Reverb
Amp
Drive
3
Bass
4
Mid
6
Treble
7
Presence
6
Master
1
Bias
0.5
BiasX
0.5
Sag
0.5
Hum
0.5
Ripple
0.5
Ch Vol
5
Spring
← Twin Reverb spring reverb
Reverb
LowCut125Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
25
Decay
2s
Simple Delay
← Slapback / ambience
Delay
Time
300ms
Feedback
15
Mix
20
TempoSync1
0
2x12 Double C12N
← Twin Reverb 2x12 Jensen
Cab
LowCut19.9Hz
HighCut16000Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 1 of 3 complete
  • Helix builds complete — every block in the recipe is in the file
  • Quad Cortex 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, US DLX 64, Spring, Tilt EQ. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Clean, Digital, Spring. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
53.6% of one chip — fits (1 block has no published cost and is counted as zero)
Sources
2 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Not yet rated — This recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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