🎸 Jazz Fusion · 1980s

So What by John McLaughlin (Solo · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by John McLaughlin · solo

The So What by John McLaughlin guitar tone is built on a clean / low-gain, dialed in at gain 4/10, 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.

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

Amp settings (0–10)

4
GAIN
5
BASS
6
MID
6
TREBLE
5
PRESENCE
2
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 19 jazz tones in our researched catalog: Gain 4 sits above the jazz average (2.1) — a hotter, more saturated take than most jazz tones; mids at 6 are right around average (6.2).

Original gear

Guitar: Gibson / signature · Amp: clean / low-gain

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ humbucker guitars songs & tones →

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

Pickups

neck humbucker

Signal chain

Gibson / signature → clean / low-gain

Effects

light overdrive

Tone character

Warm, fluid, lightly-overdriven fusion tone with rapid, articulate phrasing.

Worth knowing

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →
🎧 Can you guess the tone?
Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →
🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

So What guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the So What guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 4, bass 5, mid 6, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 2. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the So What tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Gibson / signature · Amp: clean / low-gain; light overdrive.

Can I get the So What 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 John McLaughlin on So What — what gear and pedals?

Start with neck humbucker, the amp EQ above (gain 4, bass 5, mid 6, treble 6, presence 5, reverb 2), and light overdrive. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

𝕏 PostRedditFacebook

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

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

More like this

🎸 more Jazz Fusion guitar tones →  ·  🎛️ best jazz amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar solos →  ·  🎚️ Overdrive tone guide →  ·  🎯 more articulate tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones

Telephones — VacationsBad Habit — Steve LacyBright Size Life — Pat MethenyMediterranean Sundance — Al Di MeolaCause Weve Ended as Lovers — Jeff Beck
Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com