Shoegaze1991Loveless
Only Shallow Amp Settings
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Original Recording Settings
Well-SourcedResearched tone data for "Only Shallow" by My Bloody Valentine
Original Gear
- Guitar
- Fender Jazzmaster and Fender Sidekick 65 / Dual Showman amp combination
- Pickups
- Fender Jazzmaster pickups (likely neck or middle positions for main riff; exact selection not documented)
- Amplifier
- Marshall JCM800 (primary, per Alan Moulder) + 1960s Burman amp and Fender Showman facing each other with tremolos at different rates
- Channel
- Normal (preamp driven by pedals)
- Tuning
- E standard with extensive use of tremolo arm “glide” technique
- Pickup Selector
- likely neck or neck+bridge for thicker cleans
- Strings
- Not documented
Primary recording amp: Marshall JCM800 per engineer Alan Moulder. For iconic opening riff: 1960s Burman and Fender Showman facing each other with tremolos at different rates, mic between them (per Kevin Shields, Sound on Sound May 2018). External pedals (Roger Mayer Active Fuzz, Octave Fuzz, Marshall Guv'nors, ProCo Turbo RAT) provide primary distortion character.
Amp Settings
Gain
7.0
Bass
5.0
Mid
4.0
Treble
6.0
Estimated from known gear chain. No documented knob positions from Shields. Gain moderate (7) because external pedals provide distortion. Mids slightly scooped (4) for diffuse wall-of-sound quality. Boss GE-7 EQs further sculpted midrange.
Effects Chain
→
Yamaha SPX90 (reverse/random reverb)
reverb
→
Amp tremolo on two facing amps
tremolo
→
→Big Muff-style fuzz and additional fuzz/OD pedals (various recreations)
fuzz/distortion
1.Yamaha SPX90 (reverse/random reverb) — Shields ran guitar into amp, then from mic to SPX90 at full effect, and sometimes into a Marshall for additional distortion; reverse and random reverb crucial to Loveless sound.[web:8]
2.Amp tremolo on two facing amps — Two amps with tremolo at different rates facing each other, mic in between, create the distinctive squalling riff bed in Only Shallow.[web:5][web:8]
3.Big Muff-style fuzz and additional fuzz/OD pedals (various recreations) — Recreations commonly use Big Muff or similar fuzz into clean-ish amps with SPX90; specifics vary and are not documented for the original session.[web:11][web:146][web:151]
Playing Technique
Continuous use of tremolo arm (“glide guitar”) while fretting chords, combined with loud monitoring and SPX90 reverse reverb; multiple overdubs reversed and layered.
Sources+
- Only Shallow – Wikipedia (Kevin Shields quote) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Shallow — Quotes Shields explaining the two-amp facing setup with tremolo at different rates and mic in between.[web:5]
- Classic Tracks: My Bloody Valentine 'Only Shallow' – Sound On Sound — https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-my-bloody-valentine-only-shallow — Details Jazzmaster, Sidekick 65, Dual Showman, and SPX90 reverse/random reverb used on Loveless.[web:8]
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