Anarchy in the U.K.
Sex Pistols
A raw, violent crunch from a Fender Twin turned all the way up.
What is the Anarchy in the U.K. guitar tone?
The Anarchy in the U.K. guitar tone is a raw, violent crunch from a Fender Twin turned all the way up, heard on Sex Pistols' 1970s punk rock recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Sex Pistols reportedly tracked it with a stock 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom that had belonged to Syl Sylvain of the New York Dolls, its uncovered bridge humbucker hot enough to push the amp into overdrive, into a Fender Twin Reverb turned up as loud as it would go, in Guitar World's account; Steve Jones stole the Twin from the back of a truck after Bob Marley and the Wailers played London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1976, and it was his amp of choice from late June that year; fitted with heavy-duty Fender-branded Gauss speakers rated at 400 watts, it gave pure power-amp overdrive without preamp compression or speaker distortion; Jones first laid down two matching rhythm tracks, each with an MXR Phase 90 running out of step with the other, and producer Chris Thomas, with engineer Bill Price, had him add overdubs for accents and feedback, building a wall of sound bigger than its parts; the EMI version was recorded on 17 October 1976 and came out as the band's debut single on 26 November 1976, reaching number 38 in the UK before EMI dropped the group, and later appeared on Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. Punk rhythm tones are loud, dry and mid-forward, with enough gain to hold power chords together and not so much that fast downstrokes smear.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Anarchy in the U.K. amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 1
- Signal chain
- MXR Phase 90 on both rhythm tracks → Fender Twin on full
- The control that matters most
- Master volume. The crunch on the record is power-amp overdrive from a loud, clean Fender Twin on full with a hot humbucker, not preamp gain, so keep the preamp gain modest, turn the master up, and record the rhythm part twice for the width.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 today.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
Does the Anarchy in the U.K. tone sound off on your amp?
Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn from the starting point above, and how far.
Published settings
What amp settings did Steve Jones use on Anarchy in the U.K.?
Volume 10, treble 9, middle 10, bass 8 and master volume 10 with the bright switch on and the reverb and vibrato off, on the vibrato channel of a 1972 Fender Twin Reverb with Gauss-made speakers, an MXR Phase 90 at speed 3, and the Les Paul Custom's bridge pickup with volume and tone on 10. That is Chris Gill's settings box in Guitar World's feature on the song, which does not say where the numbers came from, so read them as the magazine's reconstruction rather than a note from the session.
Source: Guitar World: the secrets behind Steve Jones' tone on Anarchy in the UK
What gear did Sex Pistols use on Anarchy in the U.K.?
A stock 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom that had belonged to Syl Sylvain of the New York Dolls, its uncovered bridge humbucker hot enough to push the amp into overdrive, into a Fender Twin Reverb turned up as loud as it would go, in Guitar World's account; Steve Jones stole the Twin from the back of a truck after Bob Marley and the Wailers played London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1976, and it was his amp of choice from late June that year; fitted with heavy-duty Fender-branded Gauss speakers rated at 400 watts, it gave pure power-amp overdrive without preamp compression or speaker distortion; Jones first laid down two matching rhythm tracks, each with an MXR Phase 90 running out of step with the other, and producer Chris Thomas, with engineer Bill Price, had him add overdubs for accents and feedback, building a wall of sound bigger than its parts; the EMI version was recorded on 17 October 1976 and came out as the band's debut single on 26 November 1976, reaching number 38 in the UK before EMI dropped the group, and later appeared on Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols.
Sources: Guitar World: the secrets behind Steve Jones' tone on Anarchy in the UK, Wikipedia: Anarchy in the U.K.
Tonelify's tone matcher reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Anarchy in the U.K. tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Anarchy in the U.K.
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Anarchy in the U.K. tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Anarchy in the U.K.?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same raw, violent crunch from a Fender Twin turned all the way up from different positions.
What amp did Steve Jones use on Anarchy in the U.K.?
Amp: 1972 Fender Twin Reverb, turned all the way up. Guitar: 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom, pickup covers removed. Sources: Guitar World and Wikipedia.
How do you get Steve Jones' tone on Anarchy in the U.K.?
Master volume. The crunch on the record is power-amp overdrive from a loud, clean Fender Twin on full with a hot humbucker, not preamp gain, so keep the preamp gain modest, turn the master up, and record the rhythm part twice for the width. Play it with the bridge pickup.
What tuning is Anarchy in the U.K. in?
Standard tuning: E A D G B E, low string to high, according to Guitar World.
Source: Guitar World: the secrets behind Steve Jones' tone on Anarchy in the UK
Can you get the Anarchy in the U.K. tone without the original gear?
Yes. The parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order, and those translate to other equipment. Tonelify's adaptation step works them out for the amp and guitar you own.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
A match for your own gear takes a plan, and a first plan starts with 7 days free with nothing charged that day: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
