Chuck Berry's Sound
The man who invented the rock guitar riff as a hook.
Bright hollowbody through a driven Fender Bassman, with double-stop bite
The rig
The gear associated with the sound. Each item opens a live Reverb search — vintage examples where they exist, modern equivalents where they don't.
Guitars
- Gibson ES-350TFind on Reverb
- Gibson ES-335Find on Reverb
- Gibson ES-355Find on Reverb
Amps
- Fender BassmanFind on Reverb
- Fender Dual ShowmanFind on Reverb
- House backline (famously, whatever the promoter provided)Find on Reverb
Effects
- None to speak of — amp overdrive onlyFind on Reverb
Pickups
- Gibson P-90s (ES-350T) and later humbuckersFind on Reverb
Why it sounds like that
Johnny B. Goode
Bright hollowbody into a small overdriven amp — the treble is the point, and it is why the intro cuts through any mix.
Maybellene
A rawer, earlier sound with more room ambience and a country-derived attack.
Roll Over Beethoven
Double stops driven hard enough to blur into distortion, defining the sound of early rock rhythm guitar.
Similar sounds
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