Cliffs of Dover guitar tone

The rig Eric Johnson used

Researched from interviews, production write-ups and gear histories — not guessed.

Signal chain

The order the original sound was built in. The exact settings get dialled for your own amp or modeller when you generate the tone.

1. 1963 Gibson ES-335 Dot

   1

   source

   guitar
2. Maestro Echoplex EP-3

   2

   pre-gain tape echo and preamp boost

   delay
3. Chandler Tube Driver

   3

   tube overdrive boost

   drive
4. Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W

   4

   lead amplifier

   amp
5. Marshall 1960B 4x12 Straight Cabinet

   5

   speaker cabinet

   cab
6. Shure SM57

   6

   cabinet microphone

   mic
7. Studio Plate Reverb

   7

   post-tracking ambience

   reverb

Why we think this is right

Documented extensively by Eric Johnson in Guitar Player and Guitar World interviews, as well as engineer/co-producer Richard Mullen regarding sessions at Riverside Sound in Austin, Texas. Unlike his standard multi-amp live setup, Johnson exclusively tracked 'Cliffs of Dover' with his singular lead setup: a Maestro Echoplex EP-3 running into a Chandler/B.K. Butler Tube Driver in front of a 1969 Marshall Super Lead 100W head with jumpered channels and rolled-off treble/presence. The main rhythm theme and second half of the solo were recorded with an early-1960s Gibson ES-335, while the unaccompanied intro and first half of the solo were punched in using a 1954 Fender Stratocaster.

Sources

• guitarworld.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFZD3VhmD6afB2f6cUbp-QB1tI5ju7YIUCKH4FqKiSzRBQsddYMuTQc1Pj8cICdKG5yl4Lm--MS-OltTF8WiLjM6ZbuB4CoTUBY2tx-75gUk1654pn9nsKPWGj62gSAcJrgdbs5VcqA3mB9cgmIwLGvWpw0yHDtjhzZud6gECE6xNvtD94wfolBJcx8W1Cugzs5wp3wVA==
• youtube.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQF-UGMo0uWaJX-GBKGW8H0AjfNVibmWe5PvGY7nUEni_4-hF-KMP3PjP6C0vdTT3AokYTP24-Y3oNPkzRU7aHfnNqnGcN89mtttVNeH15NQAnsQ_SwFTO6SXWSk-x0xwSs=
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• facebook.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQG57moJJgUhoCUQRQtx2ivlnprHQFjiS3eLh7SRS0aA5Mgpr26eA8tmYXp5EMp9nR5_GkWY0bd6_0ZbPzo5yV7Egae8gVk7ZI1xgZYjvSx-vT8y_bweFHZVg3N3AGWYsd5z9P9iJF9Y8CmO0We3XNIpzfO8bC0F3DFZRKSkN98=
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• kitrae.net - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHcrj5o550DVK5URqYNK5FVZ8inyAU67R5Rp14iR1ZkhSZ6Kze09DNH98L3Fp0ocyVLS0SsAQZ0f_WHKaVCAj1e-kysC8bkQDPc7WW0LHGai0WrLpqaKKpdKk5Do054c5eixiEWIjwRIsI-c7Cz2y1BJPNY
• facebook.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQEB7kUkHFJbw_LopfZ0T5aTzkqgZTCLI6do3mb1QMYzsqjS59pNJLrEmRVofcjk2HFhBROIC9ArrhpvH45sO6GZC6lW5meDqbuZQTEiwkJPPex9HRISAutG-D7L2L5KxgLxYLBvVXboStla3InQ_xkOz0xjHM4FRg==
• facebook.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQFkshzo5LnQ-266EHT7Tfua0AEDVbPhqMMagDJ5RTuo6WuRwk2ftMifONXUkDXidJFxXwkWdOLZB5m3ceWvWiDU_VrMqDpT6zgeQ1mUqbb7evb28ZrQGuH9sjaPqIhIzvouOy1D9tSZUCHq0Iu9MFl5w7o52RGjHjvi-_WflQeXCSoLVkXSGNmWdUGQp-Nx7CGzAs-_gpzizzojEZ6rniI6nOpXzr1erLk2ohxWPXw_eYbOden3-KTwtO7z4jNiVUqfBy2wvpn2
• discogs.com - https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQHqV_lS_ITcLtjyL6JhRTvuLLi4kMnBmEmHL_4pegsjgoWBHHwdUucVRrFTlOX3qHBjSxs1FH3OOCYSxpfYh_b7mVa0-FLPugR-nlSgIe44STs7OyKFg5voy_6bovRWGbWrKqic_lpuC1rbEVbGlgBK8C-iGubfLqk=
• Guitar Player Magazine (March 1990 cover story & March 2021 retrospective interview by Joe Bosso with Eric Johnson)
• Guitar World (September 2019, 'The Secrets Behind Eric Johnson's Tone on Cliffs of Dover' by Chris Gill)
• Cherry Lane Music / Hal Leonard official transcription folio 'Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom' (transcribed by Jesse Gress and Dave Whitehill)
• Riverside Sound / Richard Mullen studio tracking and engineering documentation

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