No. 0651984·indie-rock·4 blocks
This Charming Man
The chiming intro of This Charming Man is one of the most recognizable sounds in British guitar pop — and it's a beautiful studio illusion. What everyone hears as a Rickenbacker is mostly producer John Porter's 1954 Telecaster, double-tracked with Johnny Marr's Rickenbacker 330 and layered across roughly fifteen guitar tracks. The amp was a Roland JC-120 blended with a Fender Twin Reverb: the JC-120's glassy solid-state top and onboard chorus for the jangle, the Twin's tube warmth underneath.
The SmithsSignal path · input → output · 7 blocksLive values · Fractal Axe-Fx
Guitar
Rickenbacker 330
Pickups
SS
Tuning
both
Strings
standard
Studio Comp
Analog Chorus
Jazz 120
2x12 Double Verb
Digital Delay
Plate
Studio Comp
← Studio compression
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Attack
5s
Release
200s
Mix
0.7
Level
0dB
Analog Chorus
← Roland JC-120 onboard chorus
Rate
0.3Hz
Depth
0.5
Mix
0.6
Jazz 120
← Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
Drive
3
Bass
5
Mid
4
Treble
7
Presence
5.5
MV
5.5
Cut
3
2x12 Double Verb
← JC-120 / Twin Reverb 2x12 (blended)
LowCut110Hz
HighCut9000Hz
Level
0dB
Digital Delay
← Subtle slap
Time
160ms
Feedback
0.1
Mix
0.1
Plate
← Studio plate / Twin spring
Mix
0.2
Decay
1.3s
Predelay
0.0ms
Engineer's note
File 065
The chiming intro of This Charming Man is one of the most recognizable sounds in British guitar pop — and it's a beautiful studio illusion. What everyone hears as a Rickenbacker is mostly producer John Porter's 1954 Telecaster, double-tracked with Johnny Marr's Rickenbacker 330 and layered across roughly fifteen guitar tracks. The amp was a Roland JC-120 blended with a Fender Twin Reverb: the JC-120's glassy solid-state top and onboard chorus for the jangle, the Twin's tube warmth underneath.
— Johnny Marr
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