No. 0271985·indie-rock·3 blocks
How Soon Is Now?
One of the most iconic guitar tones in alternative rock. Johnny Marr's tone on How Soon Is Now? is built on a Rickenbacker 330 through a Fender Twin Reverb with extreme tremolo effect. The tremolo is the defining feature: a pulsating, rhythmic wobble that gives the song its hypnotic, driving feel. Marr used four separate amp channels processed with tremolo at different speeds, then blended them to create a massive, swirling stereo effect. The result is a guitar tone that sounds like it is breathing.
Meat Is MurderSignal path · input → output · 5 blocksLive values · Kemper Profiler
Guitar
Rickenbacker 330
Pickups
SS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Compressor
Search Rig Exchange for 'Twin Reverb'
Tremolo
Spring Reverb
Compressor
← Studio compressor
Intensity
4
Attack
0.0s
Volume
0
Search Rig Exchange for 'Twin Reverb'
← Fender Twin Reverb
Gain
3
Bass
4
Middle
5
Treble
7
Presence
6
Tremolo
← Fender Vibrato
Speed
6Hz
Depth
8
Spring Reverb
← Twin Reverb spring tank
Decay
0.6s
Predelay
20ms
Mix
20
Engineer's note
File 027
One of the most iconic guitar tones in alternative rock. Johnny Marr's tone on How Soon Is Now? is built on a Rickenbacker 330 through a Fender Twin Reverb with extreme tremolo effect. The tremolo is the defining feature: a pulsating, rhythmic wobble that gives the song its hypnotic, driving feel. Marr used four separate amp channels processed with tremolo at different speeds, then blended them to create a massive, swirling stereo effect. The result is a guitar tone that sounds like it is breathing.
— Johnny Marr
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