Johnny Marr's Sound
Layered jangle and arpeggios that made a guitar band sound like an orchestra.
Bright, chorused clean tone with multiple interlocking tracks
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
- Rickenbacker 330Find on Reverb
- Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster (Marr signature)Find on Reverb
- Gibson ES-355Find on Reverb
- Gretsch Super AxeFind on Reverb
Amps
- Fender Twin ReverbFind on Reverb
- Fender DeluxeFind on Reverb
- Vox AC30Find on Reverb
Effects
- Roland JC chorusFind on Reverb
- Boss delayFind on Reverb
- Fender Vibratone rotaryFind on Reverb
- CompressionFind on Reverb
Pickups
- Rickenbacker single-coils, Fender single-coilsFind on Reverb
Why it sounds like that
This Charming Man
Bright compressed Rickenbacker with layered overdubs; the shimmer comes from the arrangement, not a pedal.
How Soon Is Now?
Fender Twin tremolo units synchronised by hand to create the famous pulsing wobble.
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
Clean, chorused arpeggios sitting under the vocal with almost no gain at all.
Similar sounds
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