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 · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Rickenbacker 330
Pickups
SS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
US Double Nrm
Optical Trem
2x12 Double C12N
Spring
Tilt
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Level
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compressor
Threshold
-36dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
0.1s
Release
0.9s
Mix
0.7
Level
0dB
US Double Nrm
← Fender Twin Reverb
Drive
3
Bass
4
Mid
5
Treble
7
Presence
6
Master
1
Bias
0.5
BiasX
0.5
Sag
0.5
Hum
0.5
Ripple
0.5
Ch Vol
5
Optical Trem
← Fender Vibrato
Speed
6Hz
Depth
8
2x12 Double C12N
← Twin Reverb built-in 2x12
LowCut19.9Hz
HighCut20100Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Spring
← Twin Reverb spring tank
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
0.2
Decay
0.6s
Predelay
0.0ms
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0
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
Sources · Verified by
Field notes for this tone
All field notes →Tremolo Arm Techniques: Glide, Flutter, and Dive-Bomb on Different Bridge Systems
How to use the tremolo arm for glide, flutter, and dive-bomb techniques, and what your bridge system can and can't do. Practical mechanics for Jazzmaster, synchronized Strat, and Floyd Rose.
Floyd Rose Locking Nut Height: Why Sour Chord Shapes Aren't Always the Saddles
Sour chord shapes on a Floyd Rose guitar aren't always an intonation problem. The locking nut shelf height changes the open-string pitch on every string and most owners pay a luthier to set it. Here's how to do it yourself.
Floyd Rose Intonation: Set Each Saddle in 8 Steps Without a Tech
The next-level skill after a Floyd Rose string change. A saddle-by-saddle intonation procedure with the spring-tension equilibrium math, the order that saves you re-tuning passes, and the why behind every step.
