Champagne Supernova
A pedal-free lead from an SG into a Vox AC30 over layers of picked guitars and two e-bow lines.
What is the Champagne Supernova guitar tone?
The Champagne Supernova guitar tone is a pedal-free lead from an SG into a Vox AC30 over layers of picked guitars and two e-bow lines, heard on Oasis' 1990s rock recording. It is a distorted solo tone, and Oasis reportedly tracked it with a white Gibson SG into an old Vox AC30 for the lead guitar, which is Paul Weller's, not Noel Gallagher's: producer Owen Morris says Weller arrived at Orinoco Studios in London during the mix, after Oasis had played Glastonbury in June 1995, with his roadie, the guitar and the amp, no pedals, and the amp's volume on 3; Morris put a single Shure SM57 on it and recorded it as it was; Weller played about four solos and let Morris choose, and also added a whistle a few bars after the big solo and backing vocals at the end, in a session that ran from about three in the afternoon to seven in the evening; Gallagher's own parts are two e-bow lines that run through the whole song, which Morris says give it a sort of violin effect, and picked guitar parts, all done in about two hours sitting next to his amps, which for the album were a Vox AC30, Marshall combos, a WEM combo and an Orange, each miked with an SM57 and a Neumann U87; the backing track began on the Friday of the first week at Rockfield in Wales in May 1995, with a guide vocal, acoustic guitar, drums, bass and Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs' electric guitars, and Liam Gallagher later sang the wordless harmonies that go over the solo, to which Morris added Mellotron; Gallagher has called the song probably as psychedelic as he will ever get; it closes (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released in October 1995, and reached number one on the US Modern Rock chart. Here the lead is a guitar straight into a Vox AC30 with no pedals and the volume low, so the pickup, the picking hand and the guitar's own volume shape it more than the gain knob.
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.
Champagne Supernova amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 5.5, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut.
- Gain 5.5
- Bass 5
- Middle 7
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- No pedals: a Gibson SG straight into a Vox AC30
- The control that matters most
- Amp volume, kept low. Weller's lead is an SG straight into a Vox AC30 with no pedals and, as the producer remembers it, the volume on 3, so start with a bright amp that is only just breaking up and get the sustain from your hands and the guitar's volume rather than from a drive pedal. The long, violin-like lines under the song are e-bows, which no amp setting gives you; a slow volume swell or a sustainer gets nearer.
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. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut
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.
Published settings
What amp settings did Paul Weller use on Champagne Supernova?
Volume on 3 on an old Vox AC30, with a white Gibson SG plugged straight in and no pedals. That is how producer Owen Morris remembers Weller's setup in Sound On Sound's 2012 feature on the album: Weller turned up during the mix with the guitar and the amp, and Morris put one Shure SM57 on it and recorded it as it was. It is one number from the engineer's memory, 17 years on, and he gives no tone settings, so read it as a pointer to an amp turned up only a little rather than as a full panel.
What gear did Oasis use on Champagne Supernova?
A white Gibson SG into an old Vox AC30 for the lead guitar, which is Paul Weller's, not Noel Gallagher's: producer Owen Morris says Weller arrived at Orinoco Studios in London during the mix, after Oasis had played Glastonbury in June 1995, with his roadie, the guitar and the amp, no pedals, and the amp's volume on 3; Morris put a single Shure SM57 on it and recorded it as it was; Weller played about four solos and let Morris choose, and also added a whistle a few bars after the big solo and backing vocals at the end, in a session that ran from about three in the afternoon to seven in the evening; Gallagher's own parts are two e-bow lines that run through the whole song, which Morris says give it a sort of violin effect, and picked guitar parts, all done in about two hours sitting next to his amps, which for the album were a Vox AC30, Marshall combos, a WEM combo and an Orange, each miked with an SM57 and a Neumann U87; the backing track began on the Friday of the first week at Rockfield in Wales in May 1995, with a guide vocal, acoustic guitar, drums, bass and Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs' electric guitars, and Liam Gallagher later sang the wordless harmonies that go over the solo, to which Morris added Mellotron; Gallagher has called the song probably as psychedelic as he will ever get; it closes (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released in October 1995, and reached number one on the US Modern Rock chart.
Sources: Sound On Sound: Classic Tracks, Oasis' Wonderwall, Wikipedia: Champagne Supernova
Tonelify 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 Champagne Supernova tone on your own amp?
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Champagne Supernova tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Champagne Supernova?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 5.5, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the neck pickup for body, bridge if the lead needs to cut. 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 pedal-free lead from an SG into a Vox AC30 over layers of picked guitars and two e-bow lines from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Champagne Supernova tone?
Amp volume, kept low. Weller's lead is an SG straight into a Vox AC30 with no pedals and, as the producer remembers it, the volume on 3, so start with a bright amp that is only just breaking up and get the sustain from your hands and the guitar's volume rather than from a drive pedal. The long, violin-like lines under the song are e-bows, which no amp setting gives you; a slow volume swell or a sustainer gets nearer.
Can you get the Champagne Supernova tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with a white Gibson SG into an old Vox AC30 for the lead guitar, which is Paul Weller's, not Noel Gallagher's: producer Owen Morris says Weller arrived at Orinoco Studios in London during the mix, after Oasis had played Glastonbury in June 1995, with his roadie, the guitar and the amp, no pedals, and the amp's volume on 3; Morris put a single Shure SM57 on it and recorded it as it was; Weller played about four solos and let Morris choose, and also added a whistle a few bars after the big solo and backing vocals at the end, in a session that ran from about three in the afternoon to seven in the evening; Gallagher's own parts are two e-bow lines that run through the whole song, which Morris says give it a sort of violin effect, and picked guitar parts, all done in about two hours sitting next to his amps, which for the album were a Vox AC30, Marshall combos, a WEM combo and an Orange, each miked with an SM57 and a Neumann U87; the backing track began on the Friday of the first week at Rockfield in Wales in May 1995, with a guide vocal, acoustic guitar, drums, bass and Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs' electric guitars, and Liam Gallagher later sang the wordless harmonies that go over the solo, to which Morris added Mellotron; Gallagher has called the song probably as psychedelic as he will ever get; it closes (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, released in October 1995, and reached number one on the US Modern Rock chart, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Champagne Supernova a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a solo part with a distorted character, from Oasis' 1990s rock catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: 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.
