Bruno Mars
Unorthodox Jukebox · 2012
Amp settings (as recorded)
The recording
The song was produced by The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine) along with Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, and Emile Haynie at various studios including Levcon, Daptone, and Avatar. The guitar groove was developed during a collaborative jamming session. The tone was meticulously crafted to evoke a retro, reggae-rock vibe, heavily inspired by the sonic signature of The Police, requiring precise, percussive picking and a clean, articulated signal.
Tuning
StandardRecording Signal Chain · 3 items
Stratocaster
Fender
Primary rhythm instrument
Position 4 pickup selection is cited as the standard for this genre to get the 'quacky' out-of-phase clean sound.
Studio Compressor
Universal Audio/Various
Dynamics control
Used to create the consistent, 'snappy' attack associated with 80s-inspired reggae guitar riffs.
Bassman
Fender
Amplification
Commonly used in digital profiles to represent the classic scooped-mid, bright American clean tone.
Tone Characteristics
ToneTwin