Voodoo Child (Slight Return) Amp Settings
by Jimi Hendrix
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) is Hendrix at his most ferocious. The tone is a wall of Marshall fury filtered through a wah pedal left in a fixed position, creating that aggressive, nasal midrange that cuts through everything.
What Makes This Tone Iconic
This is the ultimate Hendrix tone — aggressive, psychedelic, and larger than life. The wah pedal used as a fixed tone filter (parked at about 2/3) gives it that distinctive nasal honk. Combined with a cranked Marshall and Strat bridge pickup, it creates a tone that's simultaneously bluesy and alien. Nobody has quite replicated it since.
Key Tone Elements
- Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W cranked for full tube saturation
- Wah pedal parked at ~2/3 position as a fixed tone filter
- Strat with bridge pickup for aggressive bite
- Fuzz Face for additional gain and sustain
- Uni-Vibe adding swirling, psychedelic modulation
Original Recording Settings
Original Gear
- Guitar
- 1968 Fender Stratocaster (Olympic White, right-handed played upside down)
- Pickups
- Stock Fender Stratocaster single coils (bridge and bridge+middle)
- Amplifier
- Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W Plexi
- Channel
- Both channels jumpered
- Tuning
- Eb standard
- Pickup Selector
- bridge / bridge+middle
- Strings
- 0.010-0.038 (Fender 150s)
Cranked Marshall stacks for natural tube overdrive. Multiple stacks for volume and feedback.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
Playing Technique
Aggressive wah work rocked in time. Thumb-over-the-neck fretting. Heavy whammy bar use. Controlled feedback as musical element.
Sources+
- Guitar World: Hendrix gear retrospectives
- Roger Mayer interviews
- Equipboard.com - Jimi Hendrix
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Frequently Asked Questions
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