Song Rig
This Charming Man
Johnny Marr · The Smiths · 1983
Tone Overview
What Makes This Sound Unique
This Charming Man is one of the most joyful, shimmering guitar sounds in British pop history — a complete contrast to the lyrical bleakness of Morrissey's words. Marr used a Rickenbacker 330 (borrowed from his then-flatmate) into a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus — the transistor amp's built-in stereo chorus effect created the rippling, crystalline quality of the arpeggiated intro. The Rickenbacker's thin, bright neck pickup adds the 12-string jangle quality without actually using a 12-string.
Signal Chain
- 1Rickenbacker 330
- 2Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus
- 3Boss CE-2 Chorus
Amp Settings
The JC-120's built-in stereo chorus was central to this tone — the amp's solid-state clean channel with the internal chorus creates a cleaner, more precise shimmer than a Boss chorus into a valve amp.
Technique
How to Play It
The intro arpeggio technique — picking individual notes of a chord rather than strumming — requires the right hand to mute unused strings. Marr's right-hand precision is remarkable in that each note is perfectly articulated without bleed from adjacent strings.
Budget Alternative
Achievable With
A bright, thin single-coil guitar (Rickenbacker, Telecaster or similar) into a Roland JC-120 or a Fender clean amp with a Boss CE-2 or similar chorus. The key is absolute cleanliness — any distortion destroys the effect.
Your Gear
Adapt to My Amp
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