Even Flow
A funky open D riff under a Stevie Ray Vaughan-style lead.
What is the Even Flow guitar tone?
The Even Flow guitar tone is a funky open D riff under a Stevie Ray Vaughan-style lead, heard on Pearl Jam's 1990s grunge recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Pearl Jam reportedly tracked it with Mike McCready's black 1962 Japanese reissue Stratocaster into a Marshall JCM800 and a 4x12, his own account of his Ten rig rather than of this song, alongside Stone Gossard, who McCready says plays mostly Les Pauls; Gossard wrote the music and the funk riff and plays it in open D tuning, while McCready follows a similar pattern in standard tuning, and the recording runs around a quarter of a step sharp of D major; McCready says the lead is him pretending to be Stevie Ray Vaughan, that he wanted it to be like Stevie and like Hendrix, and that he thinks it was comped; he also says it is the only song the band recorded that many times: Jeff Ament remembers a hundred takes and calls it the best song they got the worst take of, McCready puts it at 50 to 70 takes in one account and 25 or 30 in another, and he says it was about how it felt rather than technique; the album was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle with producer Rick Parashar, and a 1992 re-recording with drummer Dave Abbruzzese was used for the video and the UK single; the original came out in March 1992 as the second single from Ten, reaching number three on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Here the riff is a funk part in open D, and McCready says the pocket was always the point, so the gain has to stay low enough for the riff to keep its groove.
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.
Even Flow amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 6
- Bass 6
- Middle 4
- Treble 6
- Presence 5
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Marshall JCM800 distortion (Ten rig)
- The control that matters most
- The tuning, then the gain. Gossard plays the riff in open D while McCready stays in standard, and the record runs about a quarter of a step sharp, so tune to it by ear before touching a knob. Keep the gain low enough that the funk riff stays percussive, and play the lead with the Stevie Ray Vaughan feel McCready says he was going for.
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
- 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 Even Flow tone sound off on your amp?
Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn from the starting point above, and how far.
What gear did Pearl Jam use on Even Flow?
Mike McCready's black 1962 Japanese reissue Stratocaster into a Marshall JCM800 and a 4x12, his own account of his Ten rig rather than of this song, alongside Stone Gossard, who McCready says plays mostly Les Pauls; Gossard wrote the music and the funk riff and plays it in open D tuning, while McCready follows a similar pattern in standard tuning, and the recording runs around a quarter of a step sharp of D major; McCready says the lead is him pretending to be Stevie Ray Vaughan, that he wanted it to be like Stevie and like Hendrix, and that he thinks it was comped; he also says it is the only song the band recorded that many times: Jeff Ament remembers a hundred takes and calls it the best song they got the worst take of, McCready puts it at 50 to 70 takes in one account and 25 or 30 in another, and he says it was about how it felt rather than technique; the album was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle with producer Rick Parashar, and a 1992 re-recording with drummer Dave Abbruzzese was used for the video and the UK single; the original came out in March 1992 as the second single from Ten, reaching number three on the US Mainstream Rock chart.
Sources: Wikipedia: Even Flow, Guitar World: Mike McCready looks back on 30 years of Ten
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 Even Flow tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Even Flow
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Even Flow tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Even Flow?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 6, Middle 4, Treble 6, Presence 5, Reverb 2, 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 funky open D riff under a Stevie Ray Vaughan-style lead from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Even Flow tone?
The tuning, then the gain. Gossard plays the riff in open D while McCready stays in standard, and the record runs about a quarter of a step sharp, so tune to it by ear before touching a knob. Keep the gain low enough that the funk riff stays percussive, and play the lead with the Stevie Ray Vaughan feel McCready says he was going for.
Can you get the Even Flow tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with Mike McCready's black 1962 Japanese reissue Stratocaster into a Marshall JCM800 and a 4x12, his own account of his Ten rig rather than of this song, alongside Stone Gossard, who McCready says plays mostly Les Pauls; Gossard wrote the music and the funk riff and plays it in open D tuning, while McCready follows a similar pattern in standard tuning, and the recording runs around a quarter of a step sharp of D major; McCready says the lead is him pretending to be Stevie Ray Vaughan, that he wanted it to be like Stevie and like Hendrix, and that he thinks it was comped; he also says it is the only song the band recorded that many times: Jeff Ament remembers a hundred takes and calls it the best song they got the worst take of, McCready puts it at 50 to 70 takes in one account and 25 or 30 in another, and he says it was about how it felt rather than technique; the album was recorded at London Bridge Studio in Seattle with producer Rick Parashar, and a 1992 re-recording with drummer Dave Abbruzzese was used for the video and the UK single; the original came out in March 1992 as the second single from Ten, reaching number three on the US Mainstream 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 Even Flow a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Pearl Jam's 1990s grunge 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 it takes a plan, charged when you subscribe: 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.
