Tone library / George Michael / Careless Whisper

Careless Whisper amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

The George Michael guitar tone for “Careless Whisper”, dialed in for a Yamaha THR10II with a Yamaha Pacifica 112V. Studio version, Make It Big (1984) — Hugh Burns on electric guitar

Original rig

Fender Stratocaster through a clean Fender-style amp (likely Twin Reverb or similar), minimal effects — the production is polished 80s pop with a dry, intimate guitar sound

Warm, smooth, and clean with subtle shimmer — clear and rounded without harshness, moderate sustain, intimate and controlled dynamics

Amp settings — Yamaha THR10II

CHANNELClean (Boutique or Clean amp model)BRIGHToffBOOSToff

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	5
Presence	4
Reverb	2
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE7 VOLUME10

Why these settings

The THR10II's Boutique Clean model approximates the Fender blackface warmth of the original. Your Pacifica's AlNiCo V single coils are already close to a Strat's voicing, so minimal compensation is needed. Rolling the tone knob to 7 removes the ice-pick highs and delivers that smooth, rounded 80s pop guitar character. The reverb is intentionally low — this track is dry and intimate.

PRO TIPPick near the neck pickup itself (not over the soundhole area) and use the fleshy part of your thumb or fingers rather than a hard pick attack — this softens the transient and gets you that pillowy, studio-polished clean tone Burns achieved.

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These settings are for a Yamaha THR10II. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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More tones for the Yamaha THR10II

Sweet Child O' MineGuns N' Roses evheddie van halen Ain't talking about loveVan halen NightmareAvenged Sevenfold hotel CaliforniaEagles Fluorescent AdolescentArctic Monkeys

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.