Les Paul — £200 · Beginner Rig

• Delay in the effects loop of the Deluxe Reverb (after the preamp) produces cleaner repeats — the delay sees the amplified, saturated signal and repeats it as-is. Delay in front of the amp means each repeat gets re-amplified differently, which can sound thick but messy
• Angle the semi-hollow body so the f-holes face away from the amp speaker — this reduces the acoustic energy entering the body cavity and delays the onset of feedback. Even a 45° rotation makes a noticeable difference
• Feedback is unavoidable at high volume — embrace it with good amp positioning (angled away from the guitar) and lower gain settings
• The signature trait is glassy, clear headroom — don't try to push these amps into breakup with gain. Use a drive pedal in front and keep the amp fully clean
• Compression pedal at low ratio (2:1 or 3:1) adds sustain and evenness without audible pumping — the effect should be felt, not heard
• Set delay time to follow the tempo of the song — tape the quarter-note BPM or use a tap tempo pedal so the repeats are musical, not random
• Reverb mix level should allow the dry signal to dominate — if you have to turn down the reverb to hear the notes, it's set too high

• ✗Using high-gain distortion — hollowbody guitars are designed for clean and light-drive use. High gain causes uncontrollable acoustic resonance that the pickup amplifies as noise.
• ✗Using the amp's volume at less than 4 — boutique clean amps are designed to be played at certain output levels. At very low volumes the tone is compressed and flat compared to full-level operation.
• ✗Expecting a clean tone to cover all playing dynamics — clean tone requires picking technique to do all the work. Lazy picking dynamics become very audible on a clean signal.
• ✗Too many repeats at high mix — more than 3 repeats makes the delay effect accumulate and overwhelm the dry guitar signal. Keep it to 2-3 repeats at a subtle mix level.
• ✗Keeping the tone knob at 10 — full treble on a jazz guitar gives a nasal, honky quality that sounds nothing like the warm round jazz ideal.
• ✗Using round-wound strings — they are brighter, last longer, and have more sustain, but they also sound more "electric" and less woody than flat-wounds for jazz.

His own Gibson Les Paul through pioneering multi-track home recording setups — Les Paul's invention of overdubbing and the solid body guitar itself laid the foundation for all modern electric guitar.