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Riff Tone
Fame
David Bowie
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-335TD CRS Country Rock Stereo
AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, early 1970s)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
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Notes
Studio recording, 1975. Carlos Alomar played the main riff on the original studio version of 'Fame' using his ES-335TD CRS into a Fender Twin Reverb with minimal effects, relying mostly on amp reverb. No evidence of pedal use for the riff section; focus was on clean, funky rhythm tone.
Tone Character(10)
clean and crisptight and percussivewarm and articulatedynamic, touch-sensitivefunky, rhythmic attackslightly scooped mids for claritybright but not harshminimal sustain, quick decaydefined note separationsubtle amp reverb for space
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level funk rhythm technique, including tight muting, syncopation, and dynamic control for clean, percussive articulation.
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarGibson ES-335TD CRS Country Rock Stereo
AmpFender Twin Reverb (Silverface, early 1970s)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass5.5
Create an account to see all tone details
Create Free AccountEffects & Signal Chain
Notes
Studio recording, 1975. Carlos Alomar played the main riff on the original studio version of 'Fame' using his ES-335TD CRS into a Fender Twin Reverb with minimal effects, relying mostly on amp reverb. No evidence of pedal use for the riff section; focus was on clean, funky rhythm tone.
Tone Character(10)
clean and crisptight and percussivewarm and articulatedynamic, touch-sensitivefunky, rhythmic attackslightly scooped mids for claritybright but not harshminimal sustain, quick decaydefined note separationsubtle amp reverb for space
Difficulty
The riff requires intermediate-level funk rhythm technique, including tight muting, syncopation, and dynamic control for clean, percussive articulation.