The House Is Rockin'

The recording

On "The House Is Rockin'", Vaughan punches through the bridge pickup of his 1962 Fender Stratocaster, driving a vintage Fender Super Reverb at full clean headroom. A low‑gain Ibanez Tube Screamer is placed before the amp, pushing its preamp into a smooth, mid‑focused overdrive that defines the track’s thick, dynamic lead tone. Recorded at Kiva Studios with a Shure SM57 miking the amp’s speaker, the performance features aggressive hybrid picking and rapid, vocal‑like bends that give the song its energetic blues‑rock feel.

Tuning Standard E (E-A-D-G-B-E)·Strings Ernie Ball Super Slinky .013–.058

Reported gear

1962 Fender Stratocaster

Guitar

Vaughan’s primary instrument on this track was his 1962 Fender Stratocaster fitted with Texas Special single‑coil pickups, delivering a bright, articulate bite from the bridge position.

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808

Overdrive Pedal

A low‑gain Tube Screamer was placed before the amp to push the Super Reverb’s preamp into a smooth, mid‑focused overdrive, a key element of the track’s thick lead tone.

Fender Super Reverb (1965)

Combo Amp

Alternatives

Squier Classic Vibe '60s Stratocaster

Modern equivalent · for the 1962 Fender Stratocaster

$350 to $400

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 112

Modern equivalent · for the Fender Super Reverb (1965)

$500 to $700

Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer

Modern equivalent · for the Ibanez Tube Screamer TS-808

$120 to $150

Practical playing approach

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

1. 1.Select the bridge pickup and roll the tone knob back to around 5 for a biting rhythm tone.
2. 2.Set the Tube Screamer’s drive low and level high to push the amp’s preamp without excessive distortion.
3. 3.Attack the strings hard and use hybrid picking to accentuate the per‑note dynamics that drive the song’s energy.
4. 4.Add subtle vibrato and wide bends on the bridge pickup to emulate Vaughan’s vocal‑like phrasing.