Real AmpTuning: E StandardPickup: BridgeCrunch

Retro Goldtop Rasp — Live Riff & Flanged Solo

Craig Ross tracked the defining riff live after switching from a Stratocaster to Lenny Kravitz’s converted 1953 Goldtop Les Paul, whose humbuckers supplied the required weight. Reports associate the raw guitar with a small vintage Gibson amplifier, while a flanger appears in the solo. The exact amplifier model and control positions are not fully documented, so settings are approximated from the reported Gibson GA-5T-style setup and the isolated tone character. Source: MusicRadar’s song history and TonesMatch’s recording-rig summary.

Signal Chain

Converted 1953 Gibson Les Paul GoldtopVintage Gibson GA-5T Skylark-style comboSmall vintage Gibson combo speakerOutput
GuitarConverted 1953 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
Tone
9
PickupBridge
TuningE Standard
Volume
10
AmpVintage Gibson GA-5T Skylark-style combo
Tone
6.5
Volume
8
Tremolo0
Cab / IRSmall vintage Gibson combo speaker
MicRepresentative ribbon microphone
Mic PositionOff-axis, close

Notes

Keep the amp raw and mid-forward, with little low-frequency bloom. The riff should feel like a live trio performance rather than a heavily layered modern production.

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