Start Me Up
Keith Richards' tone on Start Me Up is the sound of rock and roll rhythm guitar stripped to its essence. A Telecaster in open-G tuning (with the low E string removed, making it a 5-string guitar) through a cranked Fender Twin Reverb. The open tuning allows Richards to play full, ringing chords with a single finger barred across the fretboard, creating a big, open sound. The Twin Reverb's clean headroom preserves the jangly brightness of the Telecaster, while the slight natural breakup from playing hard gives it attitude.
Tattoo You
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 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
Which ones
Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, US DLX 64, 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, Compressor, 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.
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.
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.
