Get The Tone

While more ‘gain’ makes tapping easier, it also increases handling noise. So you need a compromise between working harder with less gain, but not making things too difficult. I used a Fender Strat for the recording, and as its pickups are weaker than humbuckers I added a distortion pedal to boost the signal. With single- coils, try 25% of your distortion from the pedal and 75% from the amp. You’ll find the results are sweeter and more compressed than when getting it all from the amp. A touch of reverb and delay (in time with the track) will add smothness to the overall performance.