More Than a Feeling

The recording

Tom Scholz recorded 'More Than a Feeling' in his Watertown basement studio (Foxglove Studios) using a home‑built signal chain. He played a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (modified with high‑output pickups) through a custom Power Soak attenuator that let him crank a 100 W Marshall Super Lead Plexi at low volume. The signal was shaped by his own compressor/sustainer and graphic EQ units before hitting the amp, and an Echoplex EP‑3 tape‑delay added ambience. Multiple takes were double‑ and triple‑tracked, with meticulous EQ and panning, creating the iconic soaring, glassy lead tone.

Tuning Standard (E A D G B E)

Reported gear

1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (modified with high‑output pickups)

Guitar

Scholz used his 1968 Les Paul Goldtop, swapping the stock P‑90s for high‑output DiMarzio Super Distortion humbuckers to boost sustain and drive for both rhythm and lead parts on 'More Than a Feeling'.

Scholz Custom Power Soak Attenuator (prototype)

Attenuator

A homemade prototype Power Soak let Scholz run his Marshall at full crank while keeping the volume low, preserving the amp’s natural saturation for the layered tracks.

Compressor/Sustainer

Scholz Custom Compressor/Sustainer (prototype of Rockman Sustainer)

Compressor/Sustainer

Scholz built a custom compressor/sustainer circuit that added even sustain and a subtle compression, forming the glass‑y tone heard on the lead parts.

EQ

Scholz Custom Graphic EQ (pre/post‑amp)

EQ

A hand‑wired graphic equalizer allowed Scholz to fine‑tune the frequency balance both before and after the amp, shaping the bright yet warm character of the tone.

Marshall 100W Super Lead Plexi (Model 1959)

Amp

Scholz ran the Les Paul through a 100‑watt Marshall Super Lead Plexi, the classic high‑gain British amp that provided the raw crunch and sustain that define the song’s rhythm and lead tones.

Echoplex EP‑3 Tape Delay

Delay

An Echoplex EP‑3 provided a subtle analog tape‑delay that added depth to the lead lines and helped blend the multi‑tracked guitars into a cohesive wall of sound.

Alternatives

Epiphone Les Paul Standard with high‑output humbuckers

Modern equivalent · for the 1968 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (modified with high‑output pickups)

$600 to $800

Boss GE-7 Graphic Equalizer

Modern equivalent · for the Scholz Custom Graphic EQ (pre/post‑amp)

$100 to $150

Tech 21 SansAmp Power Soak

Modern equivalent · for the Scholz Custom Power Soak Attenuator (prototype)

$350 to $450

Marshall 1959SLP 100W Super Lead Reissue

Reissue · for the Marshall 100W Super Lead Plexi (Model 1959)

$2,300 to $3,000

Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer

Modern equivalent · for the Scholz Custom Compressor/Sustainer (prototype of Rockman Sustainer)

$100 to $130

Boss DD-8 Digital Delay

Modern equivalent · for the Echoplex EP‑3 Tape Delay

$150 to $200

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Set the guitar’s volume to full and use the neck pickup for the smooth, singing lead lines.
2. 2.Apply heavy compression or a sustain pedal to hold notes and achieve the glass‑y sustain.
3. 3.Double‑track the lead parts and pan them left/right to build the thick harmonic stack heard in the song.
4. 4.Pick close to the bridge and use legato phrasing to emulate Scholz’s fluid melodic runs.