Heroes by David Bowie (Riff · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

The Heroes by David Bowie guitar tone is built on a Hiwatt, dialed in at gain 6/10, bass 5, mid 6, treble 6, presence 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 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 6 sits above the rock average (4.8) — a hotter, more saturated take than most rock tones; mids at 6 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

Original gear

Amp: Hiwatt (with Hiwatt cabs) — feedback-driven sustain

Robert Fripp played a Les Paul Custom (likely through a Burns Buzzaround fuzz) and "played the feedback" — standing at marked distances from the speaker so each note sustained, then Eno processed it through a Synthi AKS. For a modern take: a fuzz/sustainer or an EBow into a loud amp, riding controlled feedback.

Gear used on this tone

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

Pickups

neck/bridge (sustained feedback)

Effects / signal chain

fuzz, reverb

Tone character

sustained feedback drone, singing, atmospheric, fuzzy

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

fuzzy, feedback-sustained drone distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Heroes sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Riff

The notes are simple; the magic is sustained controlled feedback. An EBow or sustainer pickup makes it achievable without deafening volume.

Level: Intermediate — see more intermediate guitar songs →

Worth knowing

• "Heroes" is about sustained, controlled FEEDBACK, not a riff — Fripp literally stood at marked distances from his amp so each note fed back and sang, then Eno processed it. Recreate it with an EBow/sustainer or genuine amp feedback into a fuzz, plus lush reverb.
• Don’t chase it with gain alone — it’s the sustain and feedback that matter. An EBow on the neck pickup is the easy route.
• Settings are community-researched starting points, not official recall sheets.

Heroes guitar tone — FAQ

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Sources

• The Sound Behind Bowie’s "Heroes" — Guitar Player
• The Anatomy of Mick Ronson’s Guitar Tone — Pro Audio Files
• Mick Ronson’s Ziggy-era Les Paul Custom — Guitar Player

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Songs by level: 🎯 Easy  ·  🎸 Intermediate  ·  🔥 Hardest — each with the amp settings.

More like this

🎸 How to get David Bowie’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Rock guitar tones →  ·  🎚️ Hiwatt settings →  ·  🎛️ best rock amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar riffs →  ·  🎚️ Fuzz tone guide →  ·  🎚️ Reverb tone guide →  ·  🎯 more singing sustain tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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