A lot of ChetвЂ™s picking technique came from Merle Travis, who I have studied pretty intensely, so IвЂ™m sure I have a lot of Chet in my technique, п»їwhether п»їI realize it or not. This is all fairly typical of Chet Atkins' picking style, though Johnson points out that a lot of this technique actually came from Merle Traviп»їп»їs.

Here's a quick key for the right hand fingering labels: These first two are straight from a Guitar World article on hybrid picking patterns. To practice hybrid picking, let's start off with something basic. The tone is different and noticeable when employing a hybrid picking pattern that includes both methods. The reasons it's such a crucial part of his tone is that there's a distinct difference between picking with your fingers and with a guitar pick. If you watch any of Johnson's live performances, you can see him employing this tactic quite a bit. Hybrid picking is simply using both a pick and your fingers to pick the strings at the same time. There are a lot of nuanced tactics that go into hybrid picking, but the entire technique can be summarized rather easily. This can be separated into two categories: The first 'lane' of Eric Johnson's technique is how he picks the strings or his 'right hand technique.' Let's delve into the Eric Johnson technique. If you combine it with the amp settings I showed you earlier, I think you'll have a really solid understanding of the gear he uses.ДЄnd like I mentioned at the outset of this piece, it's only half of the equation, and probably the less important half. It's the bedrock of his signal and the simplest way to understand his tone. And while I don't know for certain what his most recent configuration is, this is what he used during his most prominent studio recordings. This represents the basic framework of Johnson's gear for the past couple of decades. However, I've played Fender amps for a long time and find that they're ideal for Johnson's lead tone, simply because of the warmth of the tube resonance and the lushness of Fender's reverb.

Fender Twin Reverb combos ( shop the Fender Twin Reverb combo)ДЇrom what I understand, Eric Johnson uses the Marshalls for lead tones and the Fenders for rhythm playing, at least in a general sense.

Johnson has several different amp setups, though in most cases you could break them down into two different categories. Johnson admits to using them routinely, particularly in the studio.ДЇor 'Cliffs of Dover' he also used 100-watt Marshall heads at fairly high volumes (more on Johnson's volume later), adding another dimension of complexity that is difficult to replicate in our living rooms.Дon't always default to Fender Strats when you're after Eric Johnson's lead tone. In fact, if you're used to hearing Johnson's studio albums, there's a high chance that you're hearing a Gibson humbucker in most cases. He actually used a Gibson ES-335 with humbuckers, which is pictured in the above photo. Johnson's most popular track, 'Cliffs of Dover,' was not recorded with a Fender Stratocaster.

Now, I need to add a somewhat glaring exception. I'm just putting it all into one place and sorting out the fluff. It sounds ambitious, but all this information is out there. Amp settings and guitars he routinely uses (both live and in the studio)?.We'll answer all of the following questions: Thus, we'll give equal parts attention to both aspects of Eric Johnson's guitar playing, first taking a look at his gear, then examining the technique he employs. However, both are important considerations when you're talking about emulating a specific player. To be sure, gear takes a back seat to technique. This is particularly true concerning his lead tone. We'll look at Eric Johnson's lead tone from primarily two angles:ДЄll of the information I've found, whether second-hand or from Johnson himself, speaks to one of these two contexts.ДЄnd while there were plenty of voices saying that technique mattered more than gear (including Eric Johnson himself, whom I would agree with) my research would indicate that gear, and the way Johnson set it up, still matters when it comes to emulating his tone. His tone and technique are both fascinating to many, having sparked a slew of interview questions and attempts (some better than others) to mimic his tone.Д®ric Johnson, who himself is a product of the Austin Texas music scene (the Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar culture), has been candid with interviewers about his approach to the electric guitar and the gear he uses, over the years.ДЄnd the more you listen to him talk, the more you realize that he's not some kind of gear magician.Д«oth his studio albums and live performances, particularly at G3 back in 1997, are marked by a distinctive lead tone that plenty of people have sought to emulate.

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