Bakersfield Guitar Tone - Amp Settings, Gear, and Songs
2 iconic Bakersfield tones with the exact settings behind them - gain, EQ, pickup, tuning, and pedal chain per song, plus the median amp settings across the whole style. Built to be dialled in on whatever gear you own.
Translate any Bakersfield tone to the rig you already own
Median knob positions across the 2 catalog tones in this genre, on the amps they were recorded with. A starting point for the sound - then pick a song below for the exact recipe.
- Gain
- 3.5
- Bass
- 4.5
- Mid
- 5.5
- Treble
- 7.5
- Presence
- 6.5
- Volume
- 5.5
Gear That Defines the Bakersfield Sound
Artists With the Most Bakersfield Tones
Bakersfield Tones You Can Dial In
Common Questions About Bakersfield Tone
What amp settings do I need for Bakersfield?
Across the 2 Bakersfield tones in our catalog the median is gain 3.5 (range 3–4), with bass 4.5, mid 5.5, treble 7.5 - on a 0–10 scale. That's the window, not a recipe: pick any song below for the exact knob positions it was recorded with, then let ToneMirror re-voice them for your amp.
What gear gives you the Bakersfield sound?
In our catalog the Bakersfield tones lean most on the Twin Reverb (modern equivalent: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue), the Telecaster (modern equivalent: Fender American Vintage II 1963 Telecaster), the Fender American Vintage '52 Telecaster (AVRI Reissue). You don't need any of it - the match engine translates each recipe onto the gear you already own, compensating for a different EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type.
Which artists best represent Bakersfield?
Merle Haggard, Buck Owens have the most Bakersfield tones catalogued here. Each artist page breaks down their full rig and how their tone changed across records.
Can I get these tones without buying vintage gear?
Yes - that's the point of ToneMirror. Every setting on this page was dialled in on the original artist's rig, and the match engine re-voices it for whatever guitar, amp, and pedals you actually have, including modellers like the Helix, Katana, and Kemper.