Nail the ToneJack Johnson

Banana Pancakes

Jack Johnson · In Between Dreams · 2005

The rhythm part is a single steel-string acoustic, close-miked and left nearly untouched — no amp, no pedals, no obvious compression or EQ on the record. Robert Carranza, who engineered and mixed In Between Dreams at Johnson's Mango Tree studio, has said Johnson's acoustics were Cole Clark and Maton instruments in this period, with a '65 Twin Reverb reissue used to amplify the acoustic; note that Carranza's more specific quote about a Gibson J-45 and an AKG C451 comes from the later Sleep Through the Static sessions, so treat the exact guitar on this track as period-level evidence rather than confirmed. Chase the sound with your hands: light pick attack, swung eighths, and a muted slap on 2 and 4.

Where these numbers come from: worked out from the documented rig and the sound of the record

Tuning

Standard tuning, no capo

Standard tuning at concert pitch in G, no capo — Johnson plays the whole thing in movable barre shapes (Am7 at the 5th fret, G7 at the 3rd, D7, C7) rather than open cowboy chords, which is what gives the muted chop its tightness.

Part: Rhythm

Guitar

  • Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 (FL2) · Cole Clark 3-way system (face sensor/piezo/mic) · miked in the room, not run direct
  • Maton steel-string dreadnought · miked in the room

Amp

Fender '65 Twin Reverb reissue

GAIN
3.0
BASS
4.0
MID
6.0
TREBLE
5.5
REVERB
2.0

This is Johnson's documented amp for the acoustic at the Mango Tree and on stage; on the record itself the acoustic reads as a close mic (AKG C451-type) into the board with almost no processing, so keep the amp clean and just below breakup. Volume around 3, mids up, treble backed off — the Twin has no presence control.

Amp

Acoustic combo or PA channel (Fishman/AER class)

GAIN
3.0
BASS
4.5
MID
5.5
TREBLE
6.0
REVERB
1.5

Practical substitute for the miked studio sound: near-flat EQ, a small cut around 200-300 Hz to keep it from getting boomy, and only a hint of room reverb — the album track is famously dry and woody.

Tone character

dry woody acoustic · round low mids · soft pick attack · percussive muted chops · almost no reverb

medium

The chords are easy shapes but they are all barres held through a three-minute song, and the right hand has to swing the eighths while slapping a muted chop on the backbeat without losing the chord.

Want this on your own amp?

These are the record's settings. Tell us what you play through and we'll translate every knob to the amp you actually own — free.

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Sources