Song Rig

Waves

Guthrie Govan · Erotic Cakes · 2006

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Guthrie's most atmospheric track — a slow, floating piece that shows the clean, country-jazz side of his playing in contrast to the virtuosic display of Wonderful Slippery Thing. The tone is warm, clean, and slightly compressed, with a pedal-steel-adjacent quality from his hybrid picking approach.

Signal Chain

1Suhr Classic S (middle pickup, hybrid picking)
2Cornford or similar British clean amp
3TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume2

Bass5

Mid7

Treble7

Reverb5

Almost entirely clean — Waves demonstrates that Guthrie's musicality does not depend on complex tone. The simple clean signal with slight reverb allows his right-hand finger technique and left-hand expression to dominate.

Technique

How to Play It

Hybrid picking (pick + fingers simultaneously) — Guthrie uses his pick for bass notes while simultaneously plucking higher strings with his middle and ring fingers, creating a fingerstyle quality that no flat-picking technique can match for expressiveness and simultaneity.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Stratocaster or Suhr Classic → clean amp → hall reverb → practice hybrid picking: hold pick between thumb and index finger in standard position, then use middle and ring fingers to pluck upper strings independently.

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