Tone library / Journey / Who's Crying Now

Who's Crying Now amp settings — Boss GT-1

The Journey guitar tone for “Who's Crying Now”, dialed in for a Boss GT-1 with a Jackson JS22 Dinky. Studio version, Escape (1981) outro solo

Original rig

1977 Gibson Les Paul Pro Deluxe (DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickup, Floyd Rose) into a small solid-state Roland 1x12 combo amp, heavy studio console compression (Mike Stone) and Lexicon 224 studio reverb/delay

Ultra-smooth, compressed, vocal singing lead with infinite sustain and rolled-off top end
Amp settings — Boss GT-1
CHANNELJC-120 Clean amp model + 2x12 IRBRIGHToffBOOSToff
GAIN 3 BASS 5 MID 7 TREBLE 4 REVERB 5 MASTER 6
KnobSetting (0–10)
Gain3
Bass5
Mid7
Treble4
Reverb5
Master6
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Guitar
PICKUPbridge TONE7 VOLUME10
Signal chain

01FX1 (Compressor block)

Heavy front-end compression to replicate the studio tracking compression and endless sustain

Sustain 8 · Attack 4 · Tone 5 · Level 7

02OD/DS (Warm OD block)

Provides the smooth, singing clipping into the clean solid-state Roland model

Drive 7 · Tone 4 · Level 6

03DELAY (Standard Digital Delay block)

Set to roughly 380-420ms for lush studio ballad ambience

Time 4 · Feedback 4 · E.Level 4
Why these settings

Neal Schon tracked this iconic solo with a high-output humbucker straight into a small solid-state Roland combo pushed by heavy studio compression rather than a cranked Marshall stack. Using the GT-1's JC-120 Clean preamp model paired with the Warm OD and heavy Compressor blocks recreates that tight, mid-focused singing sustain without fizz. Rolling your Jackson's tone knob down to 7 tames the hotter ceramic bridge pickup attack to match the warm, vocal flute-like character on the record.

PRO TIPSchon's signature voice on this solo comes from his wide, late-onset vibrato: strike the note clean and unbent, let the compressor hold the bloom, and only begin a slow, controlled wrist vibrato after a beat of pure sustain.

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These settings are for a Boss GT-1. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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