Steve Howe — £1,000 · Pro-Level Rig

• Multiple guitar types are essential — Howe uses different instruments for different musical roles. You cannot replicate Yes guitar parts on a single instrument
• The ES-175 provides the jazz archtop tone — neck pickup, clean amp, thumb-plucking technique for the warmer jazz sections
• Telecaster for rock crunch sections — bridge pickup into a slightly pushed amp for the rock/country-influenced passages
• Classical right-hand technique influences the picking — the fingers are close to the strings, rest stroke on single notes for the same percussive attack
• Chord voicings are jazz-influenced — Howe uses extended chord shapes (7ths, 9ths, 13ths) in rock contexts, adding harmonic sophistication
• Study "Roundabout," "Mood for a Day" and "Clap" — these represent acoustic and electric in equal measure
• The rhythmic approach is orchestral — guitar parts fit within an arrangement, not on top of it. Study how guitar interacts with Jon Anderson's voice and Rick Wakeman's keyboards
• Country steel-string technique (hybrid picking) appears in some Howe passages — the country influence from his work with Asia shows

• ✗Using the same amp EQ as for a solid-body guitar — semi-hollow guitars have natural warmth that makes amp bass and treble settings behave differently. Start flat and adjust from there.
• ✗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.
• ✗Using a coloured overdrive as a boost where a transparent boost is needed — a TS-style OD adds midrange colour. A Klon-style or clean boost is more neutral and suitable for clean boost applications.
• ✗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.
• ✗Using too much reverb on clean passages — prog clean tone should be open and detailed. Long reverb tails wash out the note clarity that makes complex chord voicings readable.
• ✗Ignoring the room or PA system — prog guitar changes tone dramatically in different acoustic environments. Dialling in EQ in isolation gives a different result than through a full PA.

Gibson ES-175 for jazz/fusion sections, Fender Telecaster for rock sections, acoustic guitar for classical/folk parts. The electric tone is a slightly pushed ES-175 through a clean amp — warm and chimey. Howe is a classical guitar-trained player and the classical discipline shows in his right-hand precision.