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lead guitar from “when you sleep” by my bloody valentine | ToneDB

when you sleep

my bloody valentine

lead guitar

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Tone Profile

The lead guitar sound is characterized by its heavily layered, distorted, and modulated texture, creating a dreamy and ethereal shoegaze atmosphere. It's a blend of overdrive, fuzz, and chorus effects, resulting in a thick, swirling, and almost vocal-like quality.

Gear

Fender Jazzmasterinstrument
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Vox AC30amp
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Shure SM57microphone
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ProCo RATprocessing
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Yamaha SPX90processing
Reverb$210Sweetwater
Roland Dimension Dprocessing
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The Story

The lead guitar on "When You Sleep" was crafted by Kevin Shields using a Fender Jazzmaster through a Vox AC30 amp, utilizing his signature combination of a ProCo RAT for distortion, Yamaha SPX90 for modulation, and Roland Dimension D for spatial thickening. The sound was recorded at Eastcote Studios with Alan Moulder engineering, using multiple layered guitar tracks with slightly different effect settings to create the characteristic thick, swirling shoegaze texture. Shields employed his distinctive tremolo picking technique while experimenting with unconventional effect combinations and heavy layering to achieve the dreamy, saturated lead tone.

Production Credits

Producer: Kevin Shields

Engineer: Alan Moulder

Recorded at: Eastcote Studios, London

Signal Chain

Instrument: Fender Jazzmaster

Amp: Vox AC30

Microphone: Shure SM57

Processing: ProCo RAT, Yamaha SPX90, Roland Dimension D

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a clean Fender Jazzmaster or similar guitar with single-coil pickups.
  • Use a ProCo RAT for heavy distortion or fuzz, dialing in a moderate amount of gain.
  • Add chorus and reverb using a Yamaha SPX90 or similar multi-effects unit.
  • Experiment with different chorus settings and blend multiple takes to achieve a thick, swirling sound.
  • Use a Roland Dimension D for subtle stereo widening and thickening of the sound.
  • Record multiple guitar tracks, each with slightly different settings on the effects, and pan them in the stereo field to create a sense of width and depth.
  • Experiment with different microphone placements and amplifier settings to find the sweet spot for your setup.

Original Gear

  • Fender Jazzmaster(guitar)
  • Vox AC30(amp)
  • Shure SM57(mic)
  • ProCo RAT(pedal)
  • Yamaha SPX90(pedal)
  • Roland Dimension D(pedal)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Squier Classic Vibe '60s Jazzmaster$400-$450

Alternative to: Fender Jazzmaster

Provides the offset body shape and single-coil pickups essential for that bright, articulate tone that cuts through heavy effects processing

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Vox AC15C1$650-$750

Alternative to: Vox AC30

Delivers the chimey, compressed tube saturation of the AC30 at more manageable volumes while maintaining the EL84 tube character

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ProCo RAT 2$80-$100

Alternative to: ProCo RAT

Current production version of the exact same circuit Shields used, providing that characteristic fuzzy-yet-cutting distortion

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Boss CE-2W Waza Craft Chorus$180-$220

Alternative to: Yamaha SPX90

Delivers lush analog chorus modulation similar to the SPX90's chorus algorithms, crucial for the swirling shoegaze texture

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Boss DC-2W Dimension C$180-$220

Alternative to: Roland Dimension D

Authentic recreation of the original Dimension D circuit that provides the subtle stereo width and thickening effect

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Neural DSP Archetype: Plini$120-$140

Alternative to: Full signal chain

Contains high-quality amp modeling and chorus/dimension effects that can approximate the layered shoegaze sound in a DAW environment

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Sources

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