Shakedown Street album cover - Grateful Dead
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "If I Had the World to Give" by Grateful Dead - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "If I Had the World to Give"

Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.

The settings

Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings

Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.

Gain3
Bass5
Mid6
Treble6.5
Presence5.5
Volume6

On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.

Get the settings for my amp
Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

TuningStandard(E A D G B E)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone8
Volume9
Recording notes

From Shakedown Street (1978). Shakedown Street is the tenth studio album (fifteenth overall) by rock band the Grateful Dead, released November 8, 1978, by Arista Records. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so a Fender American Vintage '62 Stratocaster through a Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue, the rig we use for Grateful Dead's other songs from Shakedown Street, stands in. Keep the amp clean, just at the edge of breakup, and use the middle pickup. Standard tuning.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "If I Had the World to Give" Tone

  1. What guitar did Grateful Dead use on "If I Had the World to Give"?

    The guitar on "If I Had the World to Give" (released 1978) isn't documented; the Fender American Vintage '62 Stratocaster above gets the sound. Pickup selector: middle pickup on the guitar. Tuned to standard (E A D G B E).

  2. What amp settings does "If I Had the World to Give" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 3, Bass 5, Mid 6, Treble 6.5, Presence 5.5, Volume 6. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.

  3. Can I play "If I Had the World to Give" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "If I Had the World to Give" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.

Related tones

Tone references for "If I Had the World to Give" by Grateful Dead are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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