Song Rig
Pusherman
Curtis Mayfield · Superfly · 1972
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
The Superfly soundtrack's most hypnotic track — a slow, menacing groove where Mayfield's guitar creates a nearly trance-like repetitive pattern in Eb tuning. The wah pedal is held in a fixed position rather than rocked, creating a filtered, mid-heavy sound that gives the track its dark, suspicious character.
Signal Chain
- 1Fender Stratocaster (open Eb tuning)
- 2Mu-Tron III (fixed position, acting as mid-boost filter)
- 3Small clean amp
Amp Settings
The fixed wah creates a heavy mid-boost that is the defining tone character of Pusherman — it is not rocked through a sweep but held at a specific frequency that makes the guitar sound compressed, nasal, and slightly sinister.
Technique
How to Play It
Fixed wah filter as tone character — by holding the wah pedal at a fixed mid-range position (not rocking it), Mayfield creates a specific frequency peak that becomes part of the guitar's tonal identity rather than a dynamic effect.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Stratocaster in Eb → hold a wah pedal at the heel-down position or mid-position → clean amp → the fixed wah tone is very specific: experiment with the pedal position until the guitar has the compressed, nasal quality of the original recording.
Your Gear
Adapt to My Amp
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