Slanted and Enchanted album cover - Pavement
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" by Pavement - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

The Gear Behind "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)"

The settings

Original Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings - Fender Silverface Twin Reverb

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

Gain3
Bass5
Mid5
Treble6.5
Presence5
Volume6

These numbers are for a Fender Silverface Twin Reverb. On your amp, they won't sound the same.

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Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone8
Volume10
Recording notes

From Slanted and Enchanted (1992). Slanted and Enchanted is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Pavement, released on April 20, 1992, by Matador Records. Guitar.com's retrospective on the album says a Fender Stratocaster was Stephen Malkmus's main guitar at this stage, with Scott Kannberg using a Fender Mustang and a Gibson SG, that both of them ran through ProCo Turbo Rat distortion pedals with an occasional Boss DS-1, and that Kannberg's sound came out of a Fender Silverface Twin Reverb while Malkmus often used a small Epiphone amp borrowed from a friend's father. In Guitar World, Malkmus says the album was pretty much just a Rat and that the Epiphone was his primary amp. That describes the album as a whole, not this song alone, and the Epiphone has no model name, so the Twin Reverb stands in for it and a modern Stratocaster stands in for his guitar. Keep the amp at a light setting, push it with the Rat and use the bridge pickup.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" Tone

  1. What guitar did Pavement use on "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)"?

    Pavement tracked "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" on a Stratocaster (released 1992). The Fender American Professional II Stratocaster named above is a modern equivalent, not the guitar on the record. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar.

  2. What amp settings does "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" need?

    On Fender Silverface Twin Reverb: Gain 3, Bass 5, Mid 5, Treble 6.5, Presence 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 "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" without a Fender Silverface Twin Reverb?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the original recipe above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" 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.

  4. What pedals are on "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)"?

    The original signal chain for "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" runs through ProCo Turbo Rat. Whether you own those exact units or close substitutes, ToneMirror maps the pedal voicings onto the pedalboard you actually have.

Related tones

Tone references for "Shoot the Singer (1 Sick Verse)" by Pavement are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

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