Earrings by Malcolm Todd (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Earrings by Malcolm Todd guitar tone is built on a Unknown, dialed in at gain 3.5/10, bass 5.5, mid 6, treble 7, presence 5.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

Amp settings (0–10)

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 1310 tones in our researched catalog: Gain 3.5 sits below the catalog average (5.3) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical catalog; mids at 6 are right around average (5.9).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Jaguar Classic Player · Amp: Unknown (not specified in sources)

No direct studio recording info found for 'Earrings' riff; guitar model confirmed via Equipboard. No amp model or studio-specific gear confirmed for this track. Year of recording is 2020s (post-2020).

Gear used on this tone

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Bridge pickup

Signal chain

Fender Jaguar Classic Player → Boss DS-1 Distortion → Unknown (not specified in sources)

Effects

distortion, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 4)

Tone character

bright and articulate, slightly gritty edge, clear note separation, percussive attack, dynamic response, jangly single-coil sound, tight and funky rhythm, no heavy saturation, modern indie/neo-soul flavor, subtle breakup on harder strums

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · edge distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Earrings sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires tight, syncopated rhythm and dynamic picking to achieve the percussive, articulate sound, but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.

Worth knowing

• No direct source confirms the amp model or exact pedal chain for the 'Earrings' studio recording.
• Settings are estimated based on typical Fender Jaguar + single-coil into clean/edge-of-breakup amp for modern indie/neo-soul context.
• No pedalboard or amp photo from the 'Earrings' session; only general gear and live images available.
• No explicit mention of effects or amp settings for this song/section; pedal info from Reddit is generic and not tied to this recording.
• No evidence of time-based or modulation effects in the riff section; only mild edge-of-breakup drive audible.
• Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The riff in 'Earrings' by Malcolm Todd features a clean, funky, and slightly compressed tone with a touch of breakup—typical of neo-soul/R&B guitar. The EQ is balanced but slightly mid-forward for clarity, with moderate bass and treble to keep it punchy and articulate. Reverb is subtle, just enough for space, matching modern R&B/bedroom pop production.

Earrings guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• Malcolm Todd | Equipboard
• How does Malcolm Todd's music get THAT sound? Pedals ... - Reddit

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