Workin' for MCA guitar tone
Lynyrd Skynyrd · Ed King
Second Helping (1974)
southern-rock cranked-Marshall lead
The rig Lynyrd Skynyrd used
Researched from interviews, production write-ups and gear histories — not guessed.
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster
Amplifier
Marshall Super Lead 100 (Plexi)
Cabinet
Marshall 4x12 (Celestion greenback)
Microphone
Shure SM57
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.
Get this tone on your rig
Pick your amp or modeller and we’ll build Workin' for MCA for it — with a preset file you can load, not a list of knob positions.
Why we think this is right
'Workin' for MCA' features Skynyrd's triple-guitar army, but the standout solo is Ed King's, played on his 1973 Fender Stratocaster into a cranked 100W Marshall Super Lead (Plexi) and 4x12 with no pedals - the same Strat-and-Marshall rig King used for 'Sweet Home Alabama' on Second Helping. That featured lead chain is the focus here; Rossington's Les Paul and Collins' Firebird cover other rhythm/lead layers. Producer Al Kooper's sessions used minimal overdubbing, so the recorded tone is essentially Strat -> cranked Super Lead -> mic'd 4x12.
Sources
- Ed King interviews (his Second Helping Strat-and-Marshall rig)
- Second Helping credits and Al Kooper production notes