Song Rig
Under the Bridge
John Frusciante · Blood Sugar Sex Magik · 1991
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
Dual-toned track — the intro uses a clean, open-chord electric tone played with a capo, while the chorus/bridge switches to a heavily overdriven Marshall sound. Two completely different setups within a single song.
Signal Chain
- 1Fender Stratocaster (neck pickup, clean for intro)
- 2Gibson Les Paul (bridge, driven for chorus)
- 3Marshall JMP (driven)
- 4Electro-Harmonix Big Muff (leads)
Amp Settings
The intro chord pattern is clean and warm — neck pickup, moderate volume, no drive. The chorus shifts to a pushed Marshall for the power chord crunch. Rick Rubin's production kept both sounds balanced.
Technique
How to Play It
The intro uses a capo at the 2nd fret with open-chord shapes — the open strings ringing against fretted notes create the spacious, ringing quality. Remove the capo completely for the heavy chorus.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
Strat + capo for the intro (any clean amp). Les Paul or humbucker guitar + Boss DS-1 or Big Muff for the chorus heavy sections.
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