Quick tone direction
Use a neck humbucker into a clean JTM-style amp, then create the lead drive with a mid-rich overdrive or distortion. Keep the bass firm and the treble smooth.
- Gain
- Sustaining pedal drive into a clean amplifier base
- EQ
- Firm bass, strong singing mids and smooth treble
- Pickup
- Neck humbucker for the main lead voice
- Effects
- Light ambience behind the note; do not soften the attack
The clean rhythm texture and the lead use different effect roles. The lead target is the Les Paul, clean JTM45 base and Guv'nor-style drive.
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The recording
Still Got the Blues marked Gary Moore's turn from two decades of hard-rock work toward a deliberately classic British blues identity, helping re-establish him as a blues-rock artist. The album sessions were organized around a live band feel at Sarm West, and Moore later recalled that the title track was the first time they played and recorded it; the take was kept, with only two slightly out-of-tune notes corrected. Moore performs both the recurring clean riff and the expressive lead, contrasting restrained rhythm support with a sustained, vocal-like solo that defines the arrangement's emotional peak.
Tuning Standard tuning·Strings Dean Markley.010-.052
Signal chain · Solo
Showing the solo gear and shared equipment. Gear marked for the other part is not included.
Original gear
Gibson Les Paul Standard (1959)
Guitar · Gary Moore · Riff & solo
Moore used the Les Paul for the live rhythm/riff performance and the featured lead/solo, favoring the neck pickup for the sustained melodic sound and changing pickup use during portions of the solos.
Marshall Model 2245 JTM45 reissue (1989 prototype/early reissue)
Amp · Gary Moore · Riff & solo
Moore used this JTM45-based rig for the released album recording; his retrospective account specifically identifies a little 50-watt Marshall on the title track, while recording-focused gear evidence identifies the amplifier as the 1989 prototype Model 2245 reissue.
Marshall 1960B 4x12 cabinet with Electro-Voice EVM12L speakers
Cabinet · Gary Moore · Riff & solo
The JTM45 head fed this 4x12 cabinet on the album recording, including the title track; the cabinet is consistently identified as containing Electro-Voice EVM12L speakers.
Marshall The Guv’nor
Overdrive · Gary Moore · Solo
The Guv’nor supplied the high-gain distortion, sustain, and mid-forward singing character of the featured lead/solo guitar; sources specifically describe it as the sole source of the guitar’s distortion on this setup.
Alternatives
Practical playing approach
Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.
- 1.Use the neck pickup of a humbucker-equipped guitar for a warm, fluid tone.
- 2.Apply moderate vibrato to sustained notes to emulate a vocal delivery.
- 3.Balance clean rhythm parts with a singing, high-gain lead tone for the solos.
Frequently asked questions
What gear was used for the Still Got the Blues guitar tone?
The available research points to Gibson Les Paul Standard (1959) into Marshall Model 2245 JTM45 reissue (1989 prototype/early reissue). The full reported signal chain and evidence links are listed on this page.
Are the original Still Got the Blues amp settings documented?
Exact historical knob positions are not reliably documented for most recordings. ToneTwin does not publish generated values as studio fact; it creates playable settings only for the amp and pedals a player selects.
What tuning is Still Got the Blues in?
The current research record lists Standard tuning. ToneTwin keeps corrections open when reliable accounts disagree.
How do I recreate the Still Got the Blues tone on my own gear?
Use the reported pickup, gain character, effects and signal-chain order as the target, then translate that target to your equipment. The matcher models controls for your selected rig rather than copying undocumented studio numbers.
Researched and reviewed by the ToneTwin Research Team.
Sources
