Eagles
Hotel California · 1976
Amp settings (as recorded)
The recording
The "Hotel California" guitar solo was a spontaneous, unrehearsed collaboration between Don Felder and Joe Walsh, recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami and the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Produced by Bill Szymczyk, the session involved extensive tape editing (over 30 splices) to assemble the final performance from multiple takes. The tone was achieved through the natural, cranked saturation of small-box Fender tweed amplifiers, with modulation and delay effects added both via period-correct pedals (like the EP-3) and console-based studio processing.
Tuning
BmRecording Signal Chain · 6 items
1959 Les Paul Standard
Gibson
Lead (Don Felder)
Primary guitar for the first half of the solo.
1970s Telecaster
Fender
Lead (Joe Walsh)
Used for the biting, aggressive responses and dual-lead sections.
Phase 90
MXR
Modulation
Used primarily on Walsh's tracks.
Echoplex EP-3
Maestro
Delay
Tape delay used for atmospheric tails.
Tweed Deluxe (5E3)
Fender
Amplification
Don Felder's core amp; highly pushed for natural saturation.
Tweed Champ
Fender
Amplification
Joe Walsh's classic studio amp.
Tone Characteristics
ToneTwin