Can't Stop (Red Hot Chili Peppers) guitar tone and amp settings
Can't Stop guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3: Pushed amp type, low gain (Gain 3.8), lean lows (Bass 3.5), forward mids (Middle 6.5), bridge pickup.
Settings for your amp
Can't Stop settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3 settings for every songAmpBOSS Katana 50 Gen 3
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Variation
- Off
- Amp Type
- Pushed
- Gain
- 3.8
- Volume
- 5.5
- Bass
- 3.5
- Middle
- 6.5
- Treble
- 6.5
- Booster
- 0
- Mod
- 0
- FX
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Master
- Set to your room
- Power Control
- Set to your room
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
A bridge-single-coil guitar would better capture the original’s sharp snap.
Can't Stop settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40
Positive Grid Spark 40 settings for every songAmpPositive Grid Spark 40
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Type
- Crunch
- Gain
- 3.5
- Bass
- 4
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 7
- Master
- Set to your room
- Mod
- 0
- Delay
- 0
- Reverb
- 0
- Output
- Set to your room
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
Can't Stop settings on a Fender Mustang LT25
Fender Mustang LT25 settings for every songAmpFender Mustang LT25
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Amp Model
- 70S ROCK
- Gain
- 3.5
- Volume
- 6
- Treble
- 6.5
- Bass
- 4
- Middle
- 6
- Master
- Set to your room
- Stomp
- None
- Mod
- None
- Delay
- None
- Reverb
- None
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
A bridge single-coil guitar would better match the documented Strat tone.
Can't Stop settings on any amp with Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble
Amp
GuitarElectric guitar with two humbuckers
The same settings in text
Amp
- Gain
- 4
- Bass
- 3.5
- Mid
- 6
- Treble
- 7
Electric guitar with two humbuckers
- Pickup Selector
- Bridge
- Volume
- 10
- Tone
- 8
A Strat-style bridge single-coil better matches the original pickup.
Why it sounds like that
Can't Stop is built on fret-hand muting. The fretting hand silences every string except the one being played, which frees the pick to strum hard across all six strings for a fat tone. The track mainly uses the bridge pickup, giving a sharp, ballsy single-coil tone. The album's guitar was a '62 Strat. On By the Way the amps were a 200-watt Marshall Major and a 100-watt Marshall Super Bass, one of them usually paired with another amp such as a blackface Fender Showman into a Marshall cab. The verse thins out, with mid and bass pulled back to leave room for the vocal.
- Fret one string and mute the other five with the fretting hand, then strum hard across all six strings for a fat tone.
- Fret the sixth-string notes with your thumb so the whole riff needs no hand movement.
What amp did John Frusciante use on Can't Stop?
- Guitar World says muting every string except the fretted one frees the pick hand to strum all six strings for a fat tone. (on this song)[1]
- Guitar World says this track mainly uses the bridge pickup, which is unusual for Frusciante. (on this song)[1]
- Guitar World says Frusciante's tech Dave Lee said the pickups in the guitar on this track came from a modern Fender American Standard Strat. (on this song)[1]
- Guitar World says Frusciante's Can't Stop riff uses a sharp, ballsy single-coil bridge-pickup tone. (on this song)[2]
- Guitar World says Frusciante dropped the '58 Strat he used on Californication for a '62 Strat on By the Way. (on the album By the Way)[1]
- John Frusciante said the '62 sounded right straight away for By the Way, with better sustain. (on the album By the Way)[1]
- John Frusciante said that around By the Way he played Telecasters more than Stratocasters. (on the album By the Way)[3]
- John Frusciante said he used the bridge pickup quite a bit for a period that included By the Way. (on the album By the Way)[4]
- Guitar Player says John Frusciante likes strapping on a 1960s Fender Telecaster Custom to open Red Hot Chili Peppers shows. (on the 2022 tour tour)[5]
- Frusciante's guitar tech Henry Trejo told Guitar Player the Telecaster Custom is always the guitar he uses at the start of the set, which will be either Can't Stop or Around the World. (on the 2022 tour tour)[5]
- Guitar World says the amps used for By the Way were a 200-watt Marshall Major and a 100-watt Marshall Super Bass. (on the album By the Way)[1]
- Guitar World says Frusciante typically used one of those amps in combination with another amp, often a blackface Fender Showman with a Marshall cab. (on the album By the Way)[1]
- Guitar World says Frusciante's aggressive pick attack and wide strumming drive the track forward. (on this song)[6]
- Guitar World suggests fretting the sixth-string notes with the thumb, so the whole riff needs no hand movement. (on this song)[6]
- Verse: Guitar World says the guitar tone thins out under the verse vocal, with mid and bass pulled out to make room for the singer. (on this song)[1]
Questions
What amp did John Frusciante use on Can't Stop?
The sources on this page document John Frusciante's gear on Can't Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers: guitar, ’62 Strat [1]; pickup, bridge pickup (Fender American Standard Strat pickups) [1]; amp, Marshall Major or Marshall Super Bass, paired with a blackface Fender Showman [1]. Each value cites the numbered source it comes from, listed at the foot of the page.
What are the Can't Stop settings on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3?
For the Can't Stop guitar tone on a BOSS Katana 50 Gen 3, set Amp Type Pushed, Gain 3.8, Volume 5.5, Bass 3.5, Middle 6.5, Treble 6.5, Booster 0, Mod 0, FX 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 8. Set Master and Power Control to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Can't Stop settings on a Positive Grid Spark 40?
For the Can't Stop guitar tone on a Positive Grid Spark 40, set Amp Type Crunch, Gain 3.5, Bass 4, Mid 6, Treble 7, Mod 0, Delay 0, Reverb 0; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 8. Set Master and Output to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
What are the Can't Stop settings on a Fender Mustang LT25?
For the Can't Stop guitar tone on a Fender Mustang LT25, set Amp Model 70S ROCK, Gain 3.5, Volume 6, Treble 6.5, Bass 4, Middle 6, Stomp None, Mod None, Delay None, Reverb None; on the electric guitar with two humbuckers, Pickup Selector Bridge, Volume 10, Tone 8. Set Master to your room. They are AI-assisted starting points; adjust them by ear on your own amp.
Can I get the Can't Stop tone on my own amp?
Yes. The settings above cover 3 reference amps and any amp with the basic controls. For your exact rig, KnobMaster, an iPhone app, sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for Can't Stop, using only the controls your gear has.
Get it for your exact rig
KnobMaster sets every knob of your own amp, guitar and pedals for this song.
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