How to Dial In "Jack Straw" by Grateful Dead - Guitar Tone Settings
The Gear Behind "Jack Straw"
Original Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning
Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.
These are the numbers on the record. On your amp, they won't sound the same.
Get the settings for my ampHow the artist had their guitar configured for this take.
A Bob Weir and Robert Hunter song first played live on 19 October 1971 and released on the live triple album Europe '72, taken from the Olympia Theatre in Paris on 3 May 1972, with Weir and Jerry Garcia trading vocals. The album's account says Garcia had switched from the Gibson SG to a 1959 Fender Stratocaster by the start of that tour, and that songs like this grew out of his turn towards country and traditional American music. The Dead's 1972 amplifiers aren't documented in anything available here, so no amp is listed. Play clean and warm on the middle pickup, pick the lead lines with the fingers and thumb, and keep the volume up for a little edge. No transcription could be checked, so no tuning is given.
Common Questions About the "Jack Straw" Tone
What guitar did Grateful Dead use on "Jack Straw"?
Grateful Dead tracked "Jack Straw" on a Stratocaster (released 1972). The Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic named above is a modern equivalent, not the guitar on the record. Pickup selector: middle pickup on the guitar.
What amp settings does "Jack Straw" need?
On the original amp: 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.
Can I play "Jack Straw" without the original gear?
Yes. ToneMirror takes the original recipe above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Jack Straw" 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.
More Tones You Can Dial In
Tone references for "Jack Straw" by Grateful Dead are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.