Tone library / Eric Johnson / Cliffs of Dover

Cliffs of Dover amp settings — Peavey ValveKing 20

The Eric Johnson guitar tone for “Cliffs of Dover”, dialed in for a Peavey ValveKing 20 with a Gibson Les Paul Classic. Studio version, Ah Via Musicom (1990)

Original rig

1969 Marshall Super Lead 100W (presence 0, treble 0, both channels jumpered), 1963 Gibson ES-335 / 1954 Fender Stratocaster, Maestro EP-3 Echoplex, Chandler Tube Driver

Smooth, violin-like lead with singing sustain, minimal pick attack, warm compression

Amp settings — Peavey ValveKing 20

CHANNELLead channelBRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	5
Bass	4
Mid	3
Treble	2
Presence	0
Reverb	2
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Matribox II (overdrive section)

Use as a Tube Driver substitute — smooth compression without fizzy distortion; keep tone rolled back for warmth

Drive 4 · Tone 3 · Level 6

02Matribox II (delay section)

Simulates Echoplex slapback/preamp bloom; keep mix subtle so delay ducks under faster lines

Time 4 · Feedback 3 · Mix 3

Why these settings

Johnson's Marshall ran presence and treble at zero for a dark, singing tone. The ValveKing has tighter, more aggressive mids than a vintage Plexi, so I've set treble to 2 (not 0) to avoid muddiness and presence at 0 to match the original's rolled-off top end. Your Les Paul's humbuckers are hotter than Johnson's ES-335, so gain stays moderate at 5 — the Matribox OD section provides the remaining sustain and compression.

PRO TIPJohnson uses a 'bounce' picking technique — brush upstrokes lightly across the strings instead of plucking aggressively. This minimizes pick attack and is essential to the violin-like smoothness; no amp setting replicates it without the technique.

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