Shoegaze1991Loveless
Only Shallow Amp Settings
Adapt to Your AmpFree — no account needed
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
- Fender Sidekick 65 + Fender Dual Showman + additional Burman and Fender Showman in special tremolo setup
- Channel
- Clean channels, driven by SPX90 effects and tremolo
- Tuning
- E standard with extensive use of tremolo arm “glide” technique
- Pickup Selector
- likely neck or neck+bridge for thicker cleans
- Strings
- Not documented
Sound On Sound and Guitar World interviews describe a clean transistor Fender Sidekick 65, Dual Showman, and a later ‘eureka’ setup with a ’60s Burman and Fender Showman facing each other with different tremolo rates, mic in between.[web:5][web:8]
Amp Settings
No settings available
Primary sources describe amps (Sidekick 65, Dual Showman, Burman, Showman) and the two-amp tremolo arrangement but do not provide knob values. Leaving controls null is intentional to avoid fabrication; tone is heavily defined by SPX90 reverse/random reverb into amps rather than amp EQ.[web:5][web:8][web:11][web:149]
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]
Get This Tone on Your Gear
Adapt the "Only Shallow" tone by My Bloody Valentine to your specific amp, guitar, and pedals.
Adapt to Your AmpFree — no account needed