Tone Settings for Every Breath You Take by The Police (guitar and amp)

1. Volume

• Set your guitar volume to about 80-90% to maintain clarity and avoid drive at the amp stage.
• Ensure picking dynamics are consistent for a clean, articulate sound.

2. Tone

• Keep the guitar tone knob around 7–8 for slightly rounded highs.
• Focus on a bright, clean tone that emphasizes the upper mids without being shrill.

3. Pickup Selector

• Use the middle pickup position or neck + middle combo for balanced clarity and warmth.
• Avoid using the bridge pickup as it may sound too thin for this clean style.

4. Humbucker or Single Coil Preferred?

• Single Coil pickups are preferred for their crisp, chime-like tone and clarity.
• They provide the signature clean, spacey sound heard in the track’s arpeggiated riffs.

5. Ideal guitar type which is a Electric (Strat-style)

• A Fender Stratocaster or any Strat-style guitar with three single coil pickups is ideal.
• Look for a model with a maple neck and fingerboard for added brightness.
• Bridge should be a standard tremolo, locked down or used minimally to maintain pitch stability.

• Fender Stratocaster: Ideal for clean, jangly tones similar to the original recording.
• Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus: Classic clean amp with stereo chorus, used by Andy Summers.
• Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress: Flanger/chorus pedal for ambient modulation.
• BOSS CE-2 Chorus: Warm chorus effect provides lush doubling to clean tones.
• MXR Dyna Comp: Compressor to even out picking dynamics.
• Analog Delay Pedal (e.g., MXR Carbon Copy): Subtle delay to thicken the guitar tone.
• Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Strings: Balanced gauge for articulation and tone.
• TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb: Adds depth and space to clean guitar parts.

• Maintain a controlled, steady tempo to reflect the song’s somber tone.
• Use clean, minimalistic guitar effects to preserve the original’s atmospheric clarity.
• Keep vocal dynamics subtle and restrained; avoid excessive vibrato.
• Apply gentle compression on vocals to maintain emotional intimacy.
• Set reverb to a moderate level to enhance mood without overwhelming clarity.
• Use a light chorusing effect on guitar for added texture and depth.
• EQ mids slightly forward to emphasize vocal presence and warmth.
• Avoid overproduction; retain the minimalist instrumentation of the original track.
• Ensure bass is clear and supportive without overpowering the mix.
• Balance emotional delivery with technical precision for a haunting yet polished sound.