Heartbreaker guitar tone

The rig Pat Benatar 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. Fender Stratocaster

   1

   source

   guitar
2. Marshall JMP 2204

   2

   amp

   amp
3. Marshall 2x12 combo (Electro-Voice EVM12L)

   3

   cab

   cab
4. Shure SM57

   4

   mic

   mic
5. Lexicon Prime Time Model 93

   5

   solo ambience

   delay
6. EMT 140 plate reverb

   6

   studio ambience

   reverb

Why we think this is right

Neil Giraldo's aggressive 'Heartbreaker' tone is his documented core rig: a sunburst Fender Stratocaster with hot Seymour Duncan single-coils into a cranked Marshall JMP master-volume combo (2204 circuit, loaded with EV speakers for tight clarity), taking its overdrive from the amp rather than pedals (Premier Guitar Rig Rundown; Vintage Guitar interview; Equipboard). The raw, singing solo and driving rhythm are pure Strat-into-cranked-Marshall. There is no distortion pedal, no wah, no chorus, no phaser and no compressor anywhere in this chain - the only two effects on the track are a light delay on the solo and the console plate, both applied at the desk. Guitar and amp are well documented; the specific 1979 studio cab, mic, delay and plate are period-standard inferences and carry low confidence accordingly. The delay was previously written as 'Studio delay (subtle, on solo)', which is not a device anything can resolve; it is now identified as a Lexicon Prime Time Model 93, the era-correct digital delay for a 1979 New York session - a mid-80s rack unit would be an anachronism here.

Sources

• Premier Guitar - Rig Rundown: Pat Benatar's Neil Giraldo
• Premier Guitar - How Pat Benatar Guitarist Neil Giraldo Took Over the '80s Airwaves (podcast/interview)
• Vintage Guitar magazine - Neil Giraldo interview
• Lexicon Prime Time Model 93 product history (introduced 1978)

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