🎸 Rock · 1980s

Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) by The Police (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by The Police · riff

The Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) by The Police guitar tone is built on a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 5, mid 7, treble 7.5, presence 5.5 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

7.5

TREBLE

5.5

PRESENCE

REVERB

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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 0 sits well below the rock average (4.8) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical rock; mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Telecaster (customized, Andy Summers' main Telecaster) · Amp: Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus

Studio recording, 1982-1983 for Synchronicity album. Andy Summers' Telecaster with custom wiring. Amp is the Roland JC-120, famous for its built-in chorus. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this part. All evidence points to studio setup.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Fender Telecaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Roland JC-120 songs & tones →

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

Pickups

Neck + Bridge (Telecaster middle position, custom-wired)

Signal chain

Fender Telecaster (customized, Andy Summers' main Telecaster) → Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus

Effects

chorus, reverb

Amp effects: Chorus · Reverb (digital, level 3)

Tone character

crystal-clear and bright, lush chorus shimmer, tight and percussive attack, studio-polished clarity, minimal drive, no breakup, distinctive modulation depth, articulate and defined, airy, spacious feel, clean sustain, signature Police clean sound

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, medium dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Riff

The riff requires advanced chord shapes, tight right-hand muting, and precise picking to maintain the clean, chorus-laden articulation that defines the song's sound.

Worth knowing

Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
No direct source gives exact JC-120 knob settings for this recording; settings estimated based on typical 1980s JC-120 clean tone and genre.
Pedal model not explicitly confirmed in sources, but chorus effect is unmistakably audible and JC-120 built-in chorus is most likely.
Pickup selector inferred from Andy Summers' known Telecaster wiring and typical Police tone.
No evidence of additional pedals (delay, flanger, etc.) in the riff section; chorus is the only clearly audible effect.
Presence setting estimated, as JC-120 does not have a dedicated presence knob; value given for completeness.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Andy Summers used a very clean, bright, and mid-forward tone on this track, likely from a Roland JC-120 or similar amp with chorus, typical of early 80s production. The gain is just above pristine clean, with mids and treble pushed for clarity and presence, bass slightly reduced for tightness, and subtle reverb for space.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

Chords

🎼 Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) chords — key, capo & the main progression →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

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Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 0, bass 5, mid 7, treble 7.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Telecaster (customized, Andy Summers' main Telecaster) · Amp: Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus; chorus, reverb.

Can I get the Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like The Police on Every Breath You Take (Remastered 2003) — what gear and pedals?

Start with Neck + Bridge (Telecaster middle position, custom-wired), the amp EQ above (gain 0, bass 5, mid 7, treble 7.5, presence 5.5, reverb 3), and chorus, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get The Police’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Rock guitar tones → · 🎚️ Roland JC-120 settings → · 🎛️ best rock amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎚️ Chorus tone guide → · 🎯 more singing sustain tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com