Kashmir
A hypnotic, droning riff in an open tuning, with open strings ringing against the melody.
What is the Kashmir guitar tone?
The Kashmir guitar tone is a hypnotic, droning riff in an open tuning, with open strings ringing against the melody, heard on Led Zeppelin's 1970s hard rock recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Led Zeppelin reportedly tracked it with a Danelectro, which Wikipedia names as the guitar Jimmy Page used on Kashmir in place of his usual Les Paul or Telecaster; Guitar World calls it his double cut-away 3021, the same one he used in his Led Zeppelin days, and Guitar.com says his 1961 Danelectro 3021 was for alternative tunings and slide, quoting Page's 1998 line to Guitar World that the Danelectro was essential for open tunings, and that it is widely believed to be the guitar on this song; the song is in D-A-D-G-A-D, a tuning Page had used on White Summer and Black Mountain Side, and Guitar World describes it as four riffs, three of them using open strings to double notes in unison and octaves for a natural chorusing effect; no source read here places an amp on it, though Guitar.com says Page's heavy tones on Physical Graffiti came from Marshall heads, presumed to be mainly a modified Super Bass, with a 1968 Fender Super Reverb for clean and overdriven sounds; Page recorded a demo with John Bonham late in 1973, Robert Plant added lyrics and a middle section, and in early 1974 John Paul Jones added orchestration, with session players for the strings and horns and a Mellotron part of his own; the guitar riff is in triple meter while the vocal is in quadruple meter; the song grew out of a piece of Page's called Swansong and is on Physical Graffiti (1975). Here the size comes from open strings ringing in unison and octaves against the fretted notes, so a moderate crunch keeps that chorusing audible where heavy gain would smear it.
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.
Kashmir amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 6, Reverb 2, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 6
- Bass 5
- Middle 6
- Treble 6
- Presence 6
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- None documented for this song
- The control that matters most
- The tuning and the open strings. Guitar World puts the riff's size in open strings doubling notes in unison and octaves, a natural chorusing in D-A-D-G-A-D, so retune, let the open strings ring, and keep the gain moderate enough for the doubled notes to stay distinct.
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 Kashmir 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 Led Zeppelin use on Kashmir?
A Danelectro, which Wikipedia names as the guitar Jimmy Page used on Kashmir in place of his usual Les Paul or Telecaster; Guitar World calls it his double cut-away 3021, the same one he used in his Led Zeppelin days, and Guitar.com says his 1961 Danelectro 3021 was for alternative tunings and slide, quoting Page's 1998 line to Guitar World that the Danelectro was essential for open tunings, and that it is widely believed to be the guitar on this song; the song is in D-A-D-G-A-D, a tuning Page had used on White Summer and Black Mountain Side, and Guitar World describes it as four riffs, three of them using open strings to double notes in unison and octaves for a natural chorusing effect; no source read here places an amp on it, though Guitar.com says Page's heavy tones on Physical Graffiti came from Marshall heads, presumed to be mainly a modified Super Bass, with a 1968 Fender Super Reverb for clean and overdriven sounds; Page recorded a demo with John Bonham late in 1973, Robert Plant added lyrics and a middle section, and in early 1974 John Paul Jones added orchestration, with session players for the strings and horns and a Mellotron part of his own; the guitar riff is in triple meter while the vocal is in quadruple meter; the song grew out of a piece of Page's called Swansong and is on Physical Graffiti (1975).
Sources: Wikipedia: Kashmir (song), Guitar World: Jimmy Page explains the roots of Kashmir, Guitar.com: the gear Jimmy Page used on Physical Graffiti
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 Kashmir tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Kashmir
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Kashmir tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Kashmir?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 6, Bass 5, Middle 6, Treble 6, Presence 6, 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 hypnotic, droning riff in an open tuning, with open strings ringing against the melody from different positions.
What amp did Jimmy Page use on Kashmir?
Amp: Not placed on the song (album: Marshall heads, mainly a modified Super Bass, and a Fender Super Reverb). Guitar: Danelectro 3021 double cutaway, tuned D-A-D-G-A-D. Sources: Wikipedia, Guitar World and Guitar.com.
What were Jimmy Page's amp settings on Kashmir?
None of the sources cited on this page gives Jimmy Page's full amp settings on Kashmir. The numbers here are a starting point for that kind of part, not the settings from the session, and Tonelify rewrites them for the amp and guitar you own.
How do you get Jimmy Page's tone on Kashmir?
The tuning and the open strings. Guitar World puts the riff's size in open strings doubling notes in unison and octaves, a natural chorusing in D-A-D-G-A-D, so retune, let the open strings ring, and keep the gain moderate enough for the doubled notes to stay distinct. Play it with the bridge pickup.
What tuning is Kashmir in?
DADGAD: D A D G A D, low string to high, according to Guitar World.
Source: Guitar World: Jimmy Page explains the roots of Kashmir
Can you get the Kashmir 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.
