Tone Settings for Holding On by The War on Drugs (guitar and amp)

1. Volume

• Moderate to high – keep the amp volume up to encourage natural tube breakup and sustain.
• Use your guitar volume knob to clean up or push the front of the amp, depending on dynamics.

2. Tone

• Dial in a chimey, clear tone with a hint of warmth.
• Use a transparent overdrive or boost to enhance clarity without too much gain.
• Add subtle modulation (chorus or phaser) for texture and rhythmic movement.
• Incorporate analog-style delay and reverb for depth and dimension.

3. Pickup Selector

• Bridge pickup for lead lines and solos to cut through the mix.
• Middle or neck position for rhythm passages to provide warmth and smoothness.
• Consider in-between positions (bridge + middle or neck + middle) for “quack” and clarity.

4. Humbucker or Single Coil Preferred?

• Single coil pickups are preferred for their articulation and chiming tone.
• Noiseless single coils or P90-style pickups can offer a good compromise if noise is a concern.

5. Ideal Guitar Type

• Strat-style electric guitar with three single coils is ideal.
• Rosewood fretboard preferred for smoother top-end response.
• Vintage-style tremolo can add subtle expressive vibrato when needed.

• Fender Stratocaster: Ideal for clean, funky tones and expressive wah effects
• Boss CE-2 Chorus: Adds richness and movement to clean rhythm parts
• Cry Baby Wah Pedal: Key for funky rhythm stabs and expressive leads
• MXR Dyna Comp Compressor: Smooths out dynamics and enhances sustain on clean funk riffs
• Fender Twin Reverb Amp: Classic clean tone with headroom and sparkle for rhythmic clarity
• Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Strings: Reliable, balanced tone for funk and clean playing
• Electro-Harmonix Soul Food Overdrive: Light drive for edge-of-breakup tones and mid boost
• TC Electronic Flashback Delay: Adds subtle rhythmic echoes and depth to lead passages
• Pedaltrain Nano+ Pedalboard: Compact and portable for organizing essential stompboxes

• Use a mild overdrive or clean boost for clarity and sustain.
• Set amp EQ with moderate bass, scooped mids, and slightly boosted highs.
• Apply light reverb to add depth without washing out the tone.
• Use single-coil pickups for a punchy, articulate rhythm tone.
• Add subtle delay (quarter note) to enhance lead melodies.
• Compress clean parts slightly to maintain balance and dynamics.
• Utilize a chorus effect sparingly for ambient passages.
• Match song tempo with delay and modulation timing for tight feel.
• Control gain to preserve note definition in layered sections.
• Use a noise gate if necessary to clean up high-gain passages.