Song Rig

The Messiah Will Come Again

Roy Buchanan · Roy Buchanan · 1972

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

The track that introduced Roy Buchanan to the world — a slow, ominous blues with a spoken-word intro and a guitar tone so expressive it inspired Robbie Robertson, Jeff Beck, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The 1953 Telecaster's bridge pickup through a pushed Fender amp creates a pinched, vocal quality unlike any other blues guitarist.

Signal Chain

1Fender Telecaster 1953 ('Nancy', blonde, bridge pickup)
2Fender Vibrasonic or Super Reverb (pushed hard)
3No effects — the tone is entirely Roy and the amp

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume7

Bass6

Mid8

Treble7

The Telecaster bridge pickup into a pushed Fender amp — Roy's distinctive squeal comes from pinched harmonics on the bridge pickup at high volume, a technique he called 'squealing'. The mid-heavy amp setting emphasises the Telecaster's natural vocal quality.

Technique

How to Play It

Pinched harmonic squealing — Roy touches the string with the edge of his picking thumb immediately after the pick strikes, producing a harmonic that 'squeals' above the fundamental pitch. He uses this technique expressively, like a singer using falsetto.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Telecaster bridge pickup → Fender Bassman or Super Reverb pushed hard → practice pinch harmonics: after each pick stroke, immediately touch the string lightly with the side of your thumb to produce the harmonic squeal. The pitch of the squeal changes with pick position.

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